The ABCs and XYZs of Special Education
Jyoti Duggal Sanwalka
When your child enters a special education program in the Ontario school system, it often feels like you've entered another world – one fraught with short-forms, acronyms, hyphens and a myriad of titles for the various functions performed by a team of professionals employed by the school board. To assist you in your journey, here are some letters to live by.
EA – Educational Assistant
An EA is usually assigned to a classroom to assist the classroom teacher. In some instances, an EA can be assigned specifically to an individual student to directly assist that student.
Exceptional Student
According to the Education Act, an exceptional pupil is one "whose behavioral, communicational, intellectual, physical or multiple exceptionalities are such that he or she is considered to need placement in a special education program...".
Form 14
This form grants permission to release information pertaining to a student. When a student is involved with professionals outside of the school system (speech pathologists, occupational therapists, psychiatrists, psychologists etc.), the school board must have parental permission to access any assessments or information from the respective professionals. Similarly, a professional requiring the educational history a pupil must obtain parental permission.
IEP – Individual Education Plan
Any pupil in the Ontario school system that has been declared "exceptional" through Identification and Review Committee (see below) must have an Individual Education Plan. This IEP should be completed 30 days after the student has been placed in a special education program. In accordance with the Ministry of Education, the document should be created in consultation with parents. Parents must sign the document if the student is less than 16 years of age.
The document should include very precise educational expectations of the student for whom it was written, as well as an outline of the programmes and services that the pupil will receive.
If the student is 14 years of age or older, a transition plan dealing with postsecondary activities such as employment, further education or community living, must be included. The "exceptionality of giftedness" is exempted from such a transition plan.
IPRC – Identification, Placement & Review Committee
All school boards must set up an Identification, Placement & Review Committee. The IPRC route must be followed for a student to be declared "exceptional". The committee must then identify a specific area of the pupil's exceptionality according to the categories established by the Ministry of Education. In addition, it is the committee's responsibility to decide on an appropriate placement for the student. The student's progress must be reviewed at least once a year.
OSR – Ontario Student Record
An Ontario Student Record contains your son or daughter's educational history. Every student who enters the school system in Ontario must have one. It follows the student until graduation. When a student transfers between schools within Ontario, the OSR travels with the student. If the student leaves Ontario, the OSR is sent to a central file. The OSRs are stored safely within each school and can be obtained for a parent's perusal at any time if a request is made to the principal. The OSR may not be removed from the school.
SEAC – Special Education Advisory Council
A Special Education Advisory Council is a team of local associations, trustees, and community representatives. The Council meets once a month during the school year and is an excellent resource for parents seeking support for their son or daughter.
Special Services
Special services refers to any facilities, support personnel and equipment that is necessary for developing and executing a special education program.
Remember, to receive the best services for your son or daughter, you must make it a point to learn the "lingo".
Jyoti Sanwalka is a Special Education Area Support Teacher with the Toronto District Board of Education and a member of Epilepsy Ontario's Executive Committee.
