As a tutor, one of your students may be part of the special education program. Although it varies from state to state, Ontario has guidelines that help both educators and parents provide students with the appropriate education and care they need. However, special education is a big and messy subject to enter, and finding a suitable place to dive as a tutor can be difficult.
So we'll see what policies, standards, identifications, and plans are in place at the local level and how they can be applied to tutors like you. If you want to learn more about the topic, we will provide a list of all the resources at the end.
Before you begin, remember that every child deserves to be treated with respect and kindness. Even if only a few more steps help. We want to provide a platform to start conversations and arouse interest in topics. So if you want to learn more about special education in Ontario, try the resources listed at the bottom!
Let's take a closer look.
First, what describes a "special education" student?
The first thing you need to know is that the Province of Ontario calls these types of students "special students." They are defined as a number of exceptions that need to be placed in special education programs based on behavior, communication, intellectual, or need.
According to Statistics Canada, 241,800 children between the ages of 5 and 17 have functional difficulties such as hearing, vision, anxiety, behavior, or learning.
The most common is accepting change and anxiety, which are the two functional difficulties that have been hardest hit by COVID-19. Therefore, for these outstanding students, tutoring may need to be a source of consistency, especially in uncertain situations where they need to go back to school in September. However, it is also important to remember that they can get some help in their school life. Therefore, it is also important to cooperate and collaborate with this support.
But what kind of support is available for exceptional students in Ontario?
Policies to Know
Before you start accurate support, it is important to know the policies that guide this type of support. There are some important policies to keep track of, and the biggest policy is education Law. The Education Act states that all exceptional students must have access to a special education plan under Section 8(3), along with the provision of programs and services.
According to People for Education, 66% of elementary schools and 53% of secondary schools report that there is a limit to the number of students who can receive a special education evaluation each year. They demand. This, combined with the lack of guidance counselors provided to schools(only 4% of schools in Eastern Ontario have one), means that many students need teachers or other supplemental educational help to succeed.
Programs and services covered by the Education Act include programs and services for physical disabilities such as vision, hearing, or mobility problems, or for learning disabilities such as anxiety and behavior disorders.
But one thing it also opens up is an individual training plan. The IEP is available to students within 30 days of placement in a special education program. You must include the following:
Specific educational expectations for students;
An overview of the special education programs and services the student will receive; and
Description of how to review student progress.
The plan includes advice from parents, educators, and students over the age of 16. You should also consider and implement a transition plan to help students.
The good thing about this plan is that students do not necessarily have to be classified as exceptions to participate, and these plans can also be updated. Therefore, if you see a student struggling with school life and think that an IEP can help, ask your parent or teacher if it can potentially help.
Identification, Placement, and Review Committee Processes
In order to be classified for an IEP, students must submit it to the identification, placement, and review committee. This committee is responsible for finding excellent students, placing them in the right placement, and developing a plan for successful learning. Meeting with this committee can be requested, but only through the child's parents. Then, if necessary, meet with the student, principal, teacher or instructional assistant, parents to review and discuss the student's needs. Then the commission can choose from 5 options.
Placement Description
1. Regular classes with indirect support:
Students are assigned to regular classes throughout the day, and teachers receive professional counseling services.
2. Regular classes with resource support
Students are assigned to regular classes for most of the day or all day, and receive professional training individually or in small groups within regular classes from qualified special education teachers.
3. Regular classes with withdrawal support
Students are assigned to regular classes and receive classes outside the classroom for less than 50% of class days from qualified special education teachers.
4. Special education classes with partial integration
Student to teacher ratio is O. It is placed by the IPRC in special education classes that follow the standards of Reg. 298, Section 31, is integrated with regular classes for at least 50% of class days, but for at least one class period each day.
5. A full-time special education class
The student is placed by the ICRP in a special education class, where the student-teacher ratio complies with the standards of the Reg. 298, article 31, for the entire school day.
O. Registration 298, Section 31, refers to special education registration and determines how many outstanding students can participate in classes depending on the services required. For example, a deaf student has 12 students per class, and a blind student has 10 students per class.
If a student is going through this process, it helps to know what his or her choices are and what stream he or she has been assigned to. While some students may benefit from changes in their learning style, some children who are less tolerant of changes can experience this stress and lead to learning problems. Look at what students can expect and provide stability to extracurricular services to respond to these changes.