Policy Review 1

RUNNING HEAD: School Policy Review

School Policy Review France Goulard University of Calgary

APSY 503 Dr. Andrea Lampi December 2008

Policy Review 2 School Policy Review Name of Reviewer: School or Educational Setting: Information Sources: France Goulard Mountain School (fictional name) Literature Review Literature Analysis Focus Group Discussion School Board Policies December 14, 2008

Date:

1. Introduction to the Review Process This Special Education Policy is being developed to support the students of the elementary and junior high school students. These two categories of students share the same school. This school supports students from kindergarten to grade nine with a population of 94 students. Special needs students attend this school. There are few cases but they still vary from mild to moderate and some severe. We have one part-time resource teacher for the whole school and one part-time student aid. We also have an ESL teacher that helps our students out twice a week. Our students with special needs are mostly (ESL) students, some with ADD and ADHD, a couple with behavioral problems and learning difficulties. The small number of students with special learning needs allows teachers to assist their students with one-on-one help or in a small group setting. This current policy is being revised and updated from the existing policy that originated in 1999. Because of this fairly new school board, the Special Education Policy has not been in function for a very long time. Mountain Schools special Education Policy has been revised three times since it originated. It was updated in June 2007, February 2003 and January 2008. This policy is guided by the Standards for Special Education (June 2004). Special education refers to the education of students with mild, moderate, or severe disabilities and those who are gifted and talented. It is founded on the belief that all children can learn and reach their full potential given opportunity, effective teaching and appropriate resources. Instruction, rather than setting, is the key to success and decisions related to the placement of students are best made on an individual basis in a manner that maximized their opportunity to participate fully in the experience of schooling (L.Gouthro/d. Lewis 2008). Our work is guided by (Standards for special education).

Policy Review 3 Unfortunately, the Special Education Policy for Mountain School is still outdated. There arent enough funds to cover the needs of every child. The elevated numbers of students being identified as a special needs students are growing at a fast pace (Jordan, A. 2007). We need more special educators in our school that knows how to deal with the needs of the child in question. There are too many teachers that are given the task that easily give up because of the lack of knowledge, tools and time. In the end, it is the student that suffers by not getting the appropriate learning environment (Tomlinson, C. 2003). There is a project in the works for all Albertans. It is called Setting the Direction (Alberta Education 2008). It is designed to create a framework for special education, including vision, principles, policy, accountability and funding. Hopefully this will help this province to finally get the right policy and distribute all new information to all teachers, administrators and educational assistants within the school. 2. Description of the Review Process Most Alberta students with special needs are placed in regular classrooms in their neighborhood or local schools. The availability of these placements benefits students with special needs. Successful placement depends on such factors as adequate teacher training, learning resources and guidance by administrators (Alberta Education 2004). The placement of students with special needs in regular school programs is based on a philosophy of equality, sharing, participation, and the worth and dignity of individuals. Most Albertans agree that students with special needs must be full participants in school and society. The students have the right to take part in regular school activities, and when they do that, they have a better chance of developing their interests of individual children and of all the children they serve (Alberta Education 2004). In order to get the big picture of what our schools needs are for the special education program at Mountain School, information was gathered from the principal, teachers, support staff, parents and students. There were a lot of concerns in regards to the following factors: The needs of the current special education students, support and resources required for the teachers and support staff involved, the Individual Personalized Plans (IPPs) and parent/teacher collaboration. School Policy: Our school policy is to provide every student with a special education need with a typical classroom. Identified students will be provided with an (IPP) and have the support they need to best meet their educational needs. School Policy Guidelines: 1) Identification of special needs students must be done and followed by an appropriate set of procedures. 2) Early intervention is essential for better success. 3) Classroom teachers, support staff and parents will have a clear understanding of the students needs and updates of his progress.

Policy Review 4 4) Team collaboration will ensure that there is the best representation possible from all parties involved for the success of each student with special needs. 5) In the IPP development, the participation of the administrator, teacher, support staff and parents will be necessary. 6) Once the IPP is developed, the implementation of the IPP will be in full working function and the accommodations stated in the IPP will be put into practice. The review of the IPP will be done in a timely fashion. 7) The use of Assistive Technology will be utilized for students that require it.

3. Findings and Critical Analysis Policy Element

1. Identification of Special Needs Students

Analysis of Policy
Teachers are very supportive and understanding when it comes to identifying a student acquiring a difficulty. Reviewing the childs records is one of the first step they use to help identify the problem or cause. Referrals are made to outside services if deemed necessary for standardized assessments. The only problem is the length of time it takes to get those professionals at our school. Observations are well documented and kept in the students record file. Consent forms issued to the parents with an explanation of the difficulty is well explained to the parents. Early intervention is the fastest growing area in special education. Preschools are now starting to be funded to get better indications of early signs of children with special needs. Both teachers and parents are aware of the early interventions. The earlier a disability is identified, the earlier implementation the appropriate strategies that provides the right support for children with special needs in their early stages of schooling.

Research Evidence and Literature

Alberta Education (2004) Background information, observations and performance are great ways in finding knowledge of a childs learning problems.

Alberta Education (2004) Develop or utilize formal et informal checklists, screening tools and/or standardized assessments that will assist in early identification of students.

2. Early Intervention is an essential factor in a Special Education Program

The influence of social factors on special education is probably no more apparent than it is in the education of very young children (Ysseldyke, Algozzine, & Thurlow, 2000). Interest in early childhood education revived during the 1960s, partly because Americans had entered a fierce scientific rivalry with the Soviet Union and partly because, as the post-World War II economy slackened, large numbers of women entered the workforce and needed child care for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. Foothills School Divison (2003)

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Together with parents and other partners, we will provide identification, assessment and learning support as early as possible for all children. Rainbow District School Board (2006) Teachers have an ongoing responsibility to monitor the progress of students with special needs. Knowing their abilities, capabilities and the adaptation of their program to make sure there are included in the classroom setting.

3. Understanding and familiarizing with the students background

4. Collaboration: A team Approach

Teachers make the effort of checking their students background files but gets difficult when a folder is fairly large and disorganized and also when they have several special needs students in their classroom. Teachers need to be more informed on how to use a childs record file more efficiently and affectively. There are a lot of data in some students files that are harder to understand. Being more familiarized with some of the standardized testing and terminology used for kids with special needs will help teachers better understand the situation without feeling intimidated. The codes used to label students with difficulties need to be more refined. Unfortunately, not all students that are coded are followed by a Student Learning Team and that is where a teacher will often become frustrated. It is important for teachers, parents, administrators, support staff and other professionals (if necessary) to be part of the students life and academic future. It is the best way in getting all the right tools and information to get the best help possible to facilitate the students path to success. Teachers and support staff have found it beneficial to use a collaborative approach because they get better guidance from the team approach and therefore better results and less frustration.

Calgary Board of Education (2008) When a student is formally identified with special education needs (coded) they will have a Student Learning Team and an Individualized Program Plan. See Standards for Special Education (2004), AR 3003, and Individualized Program Planning.

Calgary Board of Education (2008) For each special education student, the principal must establish a Student Learning Team that must include: the students classroom teacher(s), the students parent(s), the student (if of age and appropriate), and other professionals like: psychologists, specialists or strategists, or representatives from community supports and services. Alberta Learning (2002) Parents and teachers have the opportunity of increased knowledge and understanding of the student with learning disabilities in a variety of settings through team communication. Rainbow District School Board (2006) Parents are integral partners involved in program planning, implementation and placement decision-making. Parents have

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an important role to play in program planning, implementation and placement decisions. Partnership is of great importance to be able to provide supportive conditions for student success. Alberta Education (1996) All school personnel involved in providing instruction for students with learning disabilities should be involved in developing IPPs. Great considerations are taken form the students academic and cognitive strengths as well as the appropriate balance for individual students. The discussion of how and when parents want to be in the IPP process is also very important. Rainbow District School Board (2006) IPP writing is a collaborative team process. The student is always the center of the team. The focus stays on the common interest in individual student achievement and aligning thoughts on how to successfully use it. Foothills School Division (2003) An IPP is a concise learning plan designed to address the students special needs. It will be developed and implemented for each student identified as having special needs. IPPs are required for all coded students whether they have adapted programs or modified programs. Calgary Board of Education (2008) For each student identified with special education needs, the principal must ensure that the Individualized Program Plan is developed, implemented, and monitored in accordance with Alberta Educations Standards for Special Education and reflects adequate levels of specialized services and supports. Alberta Learning (2002) Differentiate instruction. Where possible, offer students multiple options with regard to open-endedness of the task, the pace of learning, the degree of independence, the abstractness and reading level of material, and the products and assignments to demonstrate learning.

5. Development and writing of the IPP

With the collaboration of the team involved for a specific case, there will be set meetings stating its purpose. In these meeting, a review of the students history, level of achievement, strengths and weaknesses, interests, goals and any other concerns will be discussed. Teachers are more comfortable at writing IPP plans when a collaborative approach is being used. It is still sometimes overwhelming for them because often the goals and short term goals are changed due to lack of success on the childs part. It is often a game of hit and miss because every student is different and while one strategy may work well for one student, may not work at all for the next, even when diagnosed with the same learning disability.

6. Implementation of the IPP And review process

Some teachers of special needs students are very good at implementing strategies, including differentiated instruction and one-on-one teaching. Others, lack the knowledge or skill for this newer way of teaching. Many teachers say that they do not have the time to continually address the needs required on the students IPP, especially when there are more than 3 IPPs to monitor within the classroom. This is where I agree with those frustrated teachers. The demand to help and implement these plans is mandatory but

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the help to get it done appropriately is minimal. Some school boards are luckier than others and have more funds to help their schools by giving them the appropriate tools and workshops, others simply tell the teachers to do their best. This is definitely an area needed for change! A review of the IPP is done at a maximum of a three month interval to make the necessary changes or modifications in regards to the students improvements or lack of. Again, this can be very frustrating to teachers that havent even had the time to effectively implement the first short term goals. 7. The use of assistive Technology The role of assistive technology in programming for special needs students is growing at a fast pace. Software and systems are being introduced, improved and utilized in many schools. It is a great tool to use, especially in the language department (ESL and French as a second language). It is also great to use for those who need development in their fine motor skills. Software, like Tap touch (Learn to type) is great for these students and every other student that wish to type faster. The only big issues I see are the lack of computers in a classroom and the lack of comfort using the technology by the teacher. Some of our teachers are still having difficulties with our email database. Using a computer to them is like teaching Chinese. In this case, the student suffers because he or she does not have access to all the benefits technology could bring.

Caron, J. (1997) Differentiated instruction is beneficial not only to those with special needs but also for the rest of the class that carry out multiple intelligences and all of the different ways of learning.

Foothills School Division (2003) IPPs must be reviewed and updated regularly (at least 3 times a year).

Alberta Learning (2002) Consideration of the use of assistive technology is recommended to students who are experiencing significant academic difficulty. Foothills School Division (2002) We provide technology resources that support learning for students and staff or that support administrative operations. Network resources refer to all resources on the network of Foothills School Division. This includes, but is not limited to, Internet access, e-mail accounts, installed software, personal file storage areas and all hardware attached to the network.

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4. Implications and Recommendations for Future Development There is no doubt that creating a policy for such importance is hard to realize. There are so many different kinds of policies in regard to special needs students. Is there one better than the other? Probably! The main focus and area of concern in all this is to try and stay true to the policy given and make it part of our every day life in the school environment. The policy itself is not the problem, it is the implications required to make the policy successful. For example, there are a lot of rules to be followed by these policies but hardly any support. This is definitely something to look for in the future. The education of our children depends on it as well as the sanity of our teachers. Dave Hancock, minister of Alberta Education states: Our students are the future of a vibrant and prosperous Alberta in the 21st century. If Alberta is to fulfill its potential as a province, we must ensure each young person reaches his or her potential. We must equip all of our students with the skills, attributes and knowledge needed to explore the wide variety of opportunities available when they complete high school. Meeting that objective begins with accepting that not all young people begin their education with the same physical, intellectual, social, health and other assets. Our education system must be responsive to young Albertans individual needs and flexible enough to meet them. Alberta schools currently identify some 67,000 students with special education needs. These students characteristics- physical, developmental or learning disabilities, the gifted and talented- require their schools to tailor their programming. While every student is unique and will need some individualized attention, Alberta recognizes that many students will need additional support services and intervention in order to succeed. As the population of students with special education needs changes, we are challenged to respond to the requirements of students, families, schools and school authorities. These stakeholders have told us that we need to look comprehensively at special education in Alberta schools to ensure the potential of each student. This statement is a very powerful one. It tells us that changes are needed to be made. There is a new major project in Alberta called Setting the Direction for Special Education in Alberta (Alberta Education 2008). It is set to create a new framework that will ensure students with special education needs get the supports they need to be successful. This project is comprehensive and will help us answer questions about how we educate students with special education needs: What does success for all students mean? What do we need to do in order to ensure success? What might be impending the results we want for all students?

Policy Review 9 These questions help us see what we can do better by looking at special education in new ways and re-evaluating our current approach to special education policy, accountability and funding. What do we need to look at when it comes to Special Education in Alberta? Having the chance to participate in the first Setting the Direction for Special Education meeting, these following concerns have come forward numerous times throughout all school board in the province: 1. Policy Consistency in policies, requirements and reporting structures for special education. Clarification of terms (special needs, special education, inclusion, integration and disabilities) and a clear definition of what we mean by special education needs. Appropriateness of labels and categories for identifying students. Appropriateness of the outcomes of the Alberta Programs of Study for students with special education needs. Differing interpretations of what is meant by an inclusive model of schooling. Inconsistency within the delivery of special education programming across the province. 2. Accountability The effect on programming of rigorous requirements for identification documents. Appropriateness for special education students of our overall markers of success. Challenges of interagency collaboration to deliver services. 3. Funding Adequacy of special education funding. Supports for special education programming. Availability of resources across the province. Appropriate distribution of funding. 5. Reflective Evaluation By doing this policy review I have learned a lot of interesting things. First of all, our school board doesnt seem to have a policy review on special education. I work in a fairly new French school board, so maybe they refer to the Alberta Education Policy review instead of having to create their own. It was nice to see that many of the policies on special education of the School Board that I looked at had a lot of similarities; although they also had many differences. I always thought that our school board lacked in funds and proper tools because of our language barrier. Most resources are in English. But to my surprise, we are not the only ones; most of the school boards throughout the province share the same

Policy Review 10 problems and concerns whether in French or English. It is so nice to see that the Alberta Ministry of Education is finally realizing and reacting to the problems we face in this province. Setting the Direction is going to be a key element to the future of our special needs program and school policies. Every ones voice needs to be heard and a more generalized policy for special education needs to be implemented. I feel that certified teachers should be the ones helping kids with special needs. Teachers aids and support staff often lack the education to fully be able to help them at the extent these students need. Also, assistive technology is a must for the future of all of our students, especially those with special needs. Differentiated Instruction is also a key element to be able to cater to all students in the classroom. Proper education, starting at the University level, needs to be put in place and prepare teachers for the reality of classroom teaching. For those who have been in the school system for many years, need to take courses to further their knowledge be better help their students. These courses should be funded by the school boards or even by the government. There should also be a full time resource teacher in every school that can help the classroom teachers with IPPs, teaching strategies and way to differentiate instruction. Also, the resource teacher should have a level B certification to be able to start the process of evaluation. By giving the special needs students the help they need at a faster pace, I truly feel that they will be able to learn better, be less frustrated and give them a better hope for their futures.

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References Alberta Education. (1996). Programming for students with special needs. Edmonton, Alberta: Alberta Education. Alberta Education. (2004). Special Education Resources. Edmonton, Alberta: Alberta Education. Alberta Education. (2008). Setting the Direction for Special Education in Alberta. Edmonton, Alberta: Alberta Education. Alberta Learning. (2002). Unlocking potential: Key components of programming for students with learning disabilities. Edmonton, Alberta: Alberta Learning. Alberta Learning. (2004). Standards for special Education. Edmonton, Alberta: Alberta Learning. Algozzine, Bob; Ysseldyke, James;Ysseldyke, Jim; Public Policy, School Reform, and Special Education. A Practical Guide for Every Teacher. Corwin Press, 2006. Calgary Board of Education. (2008). Special Education Policies. Retrieved December 8, 2008 from http://www.cbe.ab.ca/policies/AR3003.pdf Caron, Jacqueline (1997). Quand revient septembre. Recueil Doutils Organisationnels. Montral, QC. Les editions de la Chenalire inc. Foothills School Division. (2003). Programming for student differences through learning support networks. Okotoks, Alberta: Foothills School Division. Jordan, A., (2007). Introduction to Inclusive education. Mississauga, Ontario: John Wiley and Sons Canada, Ltd. L. Gouthro/ D. Lewis. (2008). Calgary Board of Education- Special Education. Retrieved December 8, 2008 from http://www.cbs.ab.ca/programs/spec_ed/default.asp Rainbow District School Board. (2006). Special Education. Programs and Services: Pathways for Exceptional Students. Retrieved December 7, 2008 from http://www.rainbowschools.ca/programs/SpecialEducation/ProgramsServices.php Tomlinson, C. (2003). Fulfilling the promise of the differentiated classroom: strategies and tools for responsive teaching. Alexandria, VA: Association of Supervision

Policy Review 12 and Curriculum Development.