Ontario’s Exceptional Students

1. Ontario’s Exceptional Students • Agreement on generalities • Disagreement on specifics • Understanding each others’ perspectives • Political overtones • Definition determines identification and access to resources

2. Ontario’s Student Population 1997 • 2, 12, 039 Total • 194,140 (9.24%) Exceptional

3. Elementary

4. Secondary

5. Elementary 1997 • Male Female % • ED 6141 1123 7 • Autistic 1473 445 2 • Deaf 900 1114 2 • LD 32,403 16,020 48 • Speech 4300 2000 6 • Gifted 8488 6543 15

6. Elementary 1997 • Male Female % • Dev Mild 5227 4048 9 • Dev D 2917 1992 5 • Blind 332 228 .5 • Deaf/Blind 44 35 - • Other Physical 784 569 1 • Multi 2823 1532 4

7. Secondary 1997 • Male Female % • ED 3412 915 5 • Autistic 549 152 .8 • Deaf 408 501 1 • LD 31,578 14,350 54 • Speech 1799 925 3 • Gifted 9303 7443 20

8. Secondary 1997 • Male Female % • Dev Mild 4314 3195 9 • Dev 1320 984 3 • Blind 249 164 .5 • Deaf/Blind 2 5 - • Other Physical367 315 .8 • Multi 1635 812 3

9. Provincial Schools • Brantford-W.Ross Macdonald School for deaf and deaf/blind students • Schools for deaf students: • London-Robarts School • Belleville-Sir James Whitney School • Milton-Ernest C. Drury

10. Demonstration Schools • Amethyst School in London • Sagonaska School in Belleville • Trillium School in Milton • For students with ADHD and severe learning disabilities • Residential schools with small populations

11. Demonstration Schools • Centre Jules-Leger in Ottawa for deaf and severely LD in French

12. 412 Special Schools in 1997

13. Service Delivery • Three part process • 1. Identify special needs • 2. Choose most appropriate setting • 3. Plan, implement and regularly evaluate an individualized program

14. Identification • Assessment- gathering/interpreting relevant information about the student • Intelligence, abilities, strengths, needs, behaviors • Health, psychological, behavioral profiles

15. Who conducts assessments? • Classroom teacher assesses strengths and needs in classroom • Resource teacher • Clinician’s such as educational psychologist

16. Assessment Results • Used in appropriate placement decision • Guide development of an IEP

17. Placement • Regular classroom • Self-contained classroom • Combination of the two

18. Placement by %-age of Exceptional Population

19. Program • IEP • Written plan of action • Summarizes student’s strengths, interests and needs • Transition plans for ages 14 and over

20. IPRC • Identification, placement and review committees • Identification • Placement • May make recommendations for support • Parental agreement • Program begins

21. Service Delivery • Classroom teacher • Assistant • Resource teacher • Consultants

22. Service Delivery • Special input from: • Parents • School teams • Advisory groups • Advocacy groups • Social agencies • Specialists

23. Service Delivery • What personnel are involved? • How much support? • For how long? • Where? • Primary responsibility? • When and how reviewed?

24. Service Delivery • Schools manage • Board-centered, e.g unique needs, blindness • Integration of school and board

25. School Team • Common sense approach • Cooperation and support • Committee of staff members • Supports special education • Pre-referral opportunity

26. Multi-disciplinary Team • Educators and professionals • Initial stage meetings to determine placement and programming • Meet once or twice • Ongoing delivery by certain members • Management and organization issues