Accommodation
teaching strategies, supports, and/or services that provide students with access to the curriculum and enable them to demonstrate learning.
Alternative Expectations
expectations that outline learning related to skill development in areas not represented in the Ontario curriculum policy documents.
Exceptional Pupil
a pupil whose behavioural, communicational, intellectual, physical or multiple exceptionalities are such that he or she is considered to need placement in a special education program.
Modifications
changes made to the grade-level curriculum expectations for a subject or course to meet the needs of the student.
Special Education Services
facilities and resources, including support personnel and equipment, necessary for developing and implementing a special education program
a pupil whose behavioural, communicational, intellectual, physical or multiple exceptionalities are such that he or she is considered to need placement in a special education program.
Transition Plan
A plan for transition to appropriate post-secondary activities, such as work, further education, and/or community living, for exceptional students 14 years of age or older (except for those identified as exceptional solely as gifted) that is part of their Individual Education Plan (IEP).
Special Education Program
an educational program that is based on and modified by the results of continuous assessment and evaluation and that includes a plan containing specific objectives and an outline of educational services that meet the needs of the exceptional pupil.
What is an IEP?
An Individual Education Plan (IEP) is a written plan describing the appropriate special education program and/or special education services to be received by a student with special education needs.
The IEP is a working document. This individualized plan describes the goals that the school team has set for the child for the school year, as well as any special supports that are needed to help achieve those goals.
The IEP identifies the particular accommodations and/or modifications and/or alternative expectations that are needed to help the student achieve his or her learning expectations, given the student’s identified learning strengths and needs.
The IEP includes a transition plan for students who are fourteen years of age and older, unless the students are identified solely as gifted. The transition plan is designed to help students with special education needs make successful transitions from school to further education, work, and/or community living.
The IEP is not a description of everything that will be taught to the student, or all of the teaching strategies used in regular classroom instruction. It is a record of the specific knowledge and skills that will be assessed and evaluated for the purpose of reporting student achievement of the expectations listed in the IEP.
The development of an IEP is required for each student who has been identified as an exceptional pupil by an Identification, Placement and Review Committee (IPRC). An IEP may also be prepared for a student who is receiving a special education program and/or services but who has not been identified as exceptional through the IPRC process.
Parents are consulted in the development of a student’s IEP. Ongoing communication with your child’s school and school team is encouraged, as the most effective IEPs are those that are developed in partnership with parents.
More information regarding the IEP is available in the Special Education Parent Handbook.
