Adaptions or Modifications
CHeS Inclusive Education Policy
Updated Nov. 2023
CHeS Special Education – Vision and Goals
At CHeS Special Education, we aspire to foster a strong and trusting relationship with each of our families. We believe that the team approach is best, where the parents/guardians can feel supported in their child’s learning by not only a qualified teacher, but also a Special Education Coordinator. Each learning program is developed by the team with the individual needs of the child in mind, as expressed by the family, and through the recommendations of the professionals involved. We acknowledge that every child deserves to learn and grow at their own pace and each has a right to an education that encourages them to develop to their full potential. We recognize that people are unique and learn by different methods and styles, so a multi-sensory approach is considered for our students.
The following policies support our intent and endeavour to accomplish our vision and goals, step by step:
01 - Admission to Special Education
02 - New Student Screening
03 - New Student Files
04 - Integrated Services & Case Management
05 - Confidentiality Policy (SE)
06 - Hiring SE Teachers & Coordinators
07 - Hiring SE Support Workers/Services (CEA, EA, OT, SLP, etc...)
08 - Family Members Working Directly with Special Education Students
09 - Service Reporting Requirement
10 - Ministry of Education Funding
11 - Family Participation
12 - Defining Departmental Roles and Responsibilities
13 - Development of IEP’s and SLP’s
13.i - IEP Development Adapted
13.i.a - Procedure for Math IEP (Adapted)
13.i.b - Procedure for Language Arts IEP (Adapted)
13.ii - Mainstream to Modified Students
13.iii - IEP Development Modified
14 - Number of Hours Permitted for a Student to be Engaged in an Educational Program
15 - Equipment Loan
16 - Adjudication: Provincial Examinations
17 - Graduation Transitions
18 - School Completion Certificate or Evergreen Certificate
19 - Adult Non-Graduated Funding*
(Policy 01)
Admission to the CHeS Special Education Program
The CHeS Special Education Coordinator(s) determines admission into our Special Education (S/E) program based upon the child’s assessed needs, the school’s ability to meet those needs, and compatibility factors. The needs of students and the family’s “fit” with our program are reviewed annually. At any point before Sept. 30 (full funding) or Feb. 15 (½ funding), the school may refuse admission based on their inability to meet needs or incompatibility. We will try to give as much prior warning as possible if we cannot newly enroll or re-enroll a student. Adult SE students may only be admitted if their IEP’s academic goals are still in progress and they have cooperated well with our program’s requirements in the past.
(Policy 02)
New Student Screening
It is CHeS’ policy that all new Special Education students must go through an admission screening process with the Special Education Coordinators.
Procedure:
- All new Special Education students’ applications must be submitted to the Special Education office.
- The Special Education Coordinators will determine whether additional testing is essential.
(Policy 03)
New Student Files
Any new student files that have any current Special Education documentation must be brought to the attention of the S.E. Coordinator.
Procedure:
- New file received by Records Department and sorted
- Special Education documentation found in file will be copied and emailed to the appropriate Special Education Coordinator.
(Policy 04)
Integrated Services & Case Management
CHeS strives to provide an effective service to children, youth and their families. CHeS recognizes that the co-ordination of a variety of services from various agencies may be required.
CHeS uses a team approach to develop and monitor a plan. The team is composed of representatives from all agencies who are providing services to the individual. The School based team will manage the services and needed resources with ongoing parental/student communication and input. This approach provides for a sustained continuity and support for an individual with complex needs.
It is CHeS policy that documents from a student’s file should be disclosed to members of the integrated case management team on a ‘need to know’ basis that is consistent with freedom of information and protection of privacy legislation.
(Policy 05)
Confidentiality Policy (SE)
It is required that all matters regarding students, families, or CHeS internal affairs, be held in the strictest of confidence. Failure to do so when brought to the attention of the Administration team will result in disciplinary action and possible termination of contract.
(Policy 06)
Hiring SE Teachers & Coordinators
Due to the distinctive of the school it is mandatory that all staff have an active relationship with Jesus Christ and agree with the CHeS statement of faith, here.
All CHeS Special Education teachers must hold a valid BC teachers’ certification with experience or additional training in Special Education. LOPs may be hired if necessary. See more hiring details on our Staff page.
All CHeS Special Education Coordinators must have extensive training and experience in Special Education. They must be highly organized and able to connect to the SE families in a personal way. They must also visit each family 1-2 times in the school year to help assess needs, problem solve, and accurately discern compatibility with our SE program. See here for the SE Coordinator job description. Coordinators must also have a CRC accomplished by the Ministry of Justice and on file with the school.
(Policy 07)
Hiring SE Support Workers/Services (CEA, EA, OT, SLP, etc...)
All student support staff are chosen by the SE team with family involvement. All service providers must have an up-to-date CRC on-file with our office. See CHeS CRC policy. Once the CRC is completed the support worker must update their CRC information every 5 years. For payment of services the support worker must submit reports to the SE coordinator or teacher. Payment will not go forward without reports being made. This will be documented within the SE tab (2nd drop down) and before payment CHeS accounting will check for cooperation with reporting requirements. See policy 17 below.
*introduced in 2019 fall - won’t be fully implemented until the 2020-21 school year
(Policy 08)
Family members working directly with Special Education students
Immediate Family members (sisters, brothers, parents, grandparents etc...) will not be paid by CHeS to work with any CHeS student as support workers, unless there has been prior approval by the School Administrator, Principal, and S.E. Coordinators. If a family member is approved (note: parents cannot be - see Ministry policy here), then all required paperwork must be completed and submitted in a timely manner. This ensures that the Special Education funds given to our eligible students by the BC Ministry of Education will be used in accordance with the M.O.E. guidelines to provide the necessary resources and services. CHeS is responsible to the M.O.E. for the appropriate use of all Special Education funds according to their accounting guidelines and must ensure that funds used for all S.E. students’ academic programs are in compliance with these guidelines.
(Policy 09)
Service Reporting Requirement
Each service provider, funded by CHeS, must agree to send updates and reports either monthly, quarterly or semi-annually, depending on the service provided. It is the Special Education teacher’s responsibility for any reports regarding academic services (Tutors, CEA, EA, SEA,) to be placed in the student planner notes so everyone involved has access to the information. The SE Coordinator assigned to the student will collect all non-academic reports and post them in the IEP tab or IEP notes. Payment of services is contingent on cooperation with this reporting process therefore the date the reports are received must be noted in the IEP tab, 2nddrop down: Summary of Community Resources and Services. If needed a document for this purpose is available here. CHES Monthly Report Template
(Policy 10)
Ministry of Education Special Education Funding
The CHeS Special Education Department is responsible for the distribution of the monies that the Ministry of Education has provided for the development and implementation of the educational programs, which includes categories K,P,Q, & R as well as Learning Assistance. These categorized students will have special consideration for needed services, including learning support and professional intervention/assessment. Their third-party funds will not be capped at $600, and may be used to help fund these additional services. Although we value and expect input from the multidisciplinary team the final decision of funding allocation is at the discretion of CHeS, SE coordinators, and if needed the admin team. The discussion amongst the multidisciplinary team will be focused on students’ need only. School procedure dictates that additional administration approval is needed for larger purchases or expenditures.
(Policy 11)
Family Participation in Special Education
Special Education at CHeS is based on a multidisciplinary approach. To best provide to the varying needs and/or the many exceptionalities of our students, it is imperative that the parents commit to being an active and essential part of the team. Teacher, support staff and parents/guardians are expected to work together in the delivery of the IEP and all of its components in a safe and accessible environment.
Procedure:
- Teacher will have weekly contact with student and parents
- Completed work submitted regularly to the teacher
- Changes to curriculum must be mutually agreed upon and discussed with educational team for approval
- It is the responsibility of CHeS, upon receiving funding monies from the Ministry of Education, to provide for the educational needs that best serve the student.
- It is required by the Ministry of Education that families will take the responsibility of submitting all required professional documentation for funding applications prior to 1701 submission.
- It is also required that parents/guardians follow the guidelines of third-party submissions such as: the parent provides the direct contact information to the third-party to enable direct submission to the accounting department (accounts@estreams.ca).
- The parent will inform the Special Education Coordinator when a service is interrupted or terminated, or new services need to be approved. New service requests are to be sent to the Special Education Coordinator before starting or CheS will not be responsible for paying the invoice. Any service relationship with a third-party provider must be agreed upon with CHeS before proceeding.
*introduced in 2019 fall - won’t be fully implemented until the 2020-21 school year
(Policy 12)
Defining Departmental Roles and Responsibilities.
The Special Education Department is responsible for overseeing the programs of all Ministry of Education (MOE) category designated students, whether funded or non-funded, who are working at grade level in a regular program, with adaptations.
PROCEDURES:
All Special Ed. grant-funded students and non-funded MOE designated students (Q, R, K, P), who are working within a regular program with adaptations, will be assigned a regular teacher to oversee their academics. This will promote a more consistent outcome of the MOE Provincial Learning Standards requirements (BC New Curriculum). The assigned regular teacher will be responsible for all of the duties associated within a regular program/course, including SLP development, ongoing formative assessment, and semester report cards (summative assessment). A Special Education Coordinator will be responsible to develop and oversee the initial student’s IEP program and to collaborate with the teacher to ensure success in the subject areas which require adaptations.
It is the Special Education Coordinator’s responsibility for all of the initial duties associated with an individualized program (IEP). This includes the development and writing of the IEP’s goals and objectives, as well as implementation of the recommendations of the third-party professionals, and the management of any support staff. The teachers (with SE coordinator guidance) will then be responsible for the tracking and written changes to the IEP goals for the remainder of the school year. One team meeting should be initiated between January and April where IEP goals and strategies are reviewed and updated. Note: The IEP must be approved by both the parent and the CHeS Principal before considered complete.
(Policy 13)
Development of Individualized Education Plan (IEP) & Student Learning Plan (SLP)
(13.i) IEP Development Adapted
Individualized Education Plan (IEP) Development Delayed Learner
All students who are delayed more than 1 years in any subject or grade should have a consultation with the SE department to determine if an IEP is needed. The goal is to facilitate the student to meet the requirements for that subject or grade within the year.
(13.i.a) Procedure for Math IEP Adapted:
- Determine the student’s success level by issuing a CHeS diagnostic test. (Lets Go Learn ADAM and/or DORA tests)
- Once tested, supplement work with targeted conceptual development resources will be prescribed to help the students meet their learning outcomes for that grade or course.
- Only the necessary adaptations are implemented to reach grade level expectations.
(13.i.b) Procedure for Language Arts IEP Adapted:
- To determine the student’s grade level, teachers request and assess a sample of writing from the student.
- Teachers are looking for spelling, grammar, and fluency in language.
- Teachers may also determine reading and comprehension level by conducting a reading fluency test.
- IEP’s will be developed and written based on assessment information and followed until the student has fulfilled the IEP goals.
- Only the necessary adaptations are implemented to reach grade level expectations.
(13.ii) Mainstream to Modified Students
All students will be considered mainstream learners, including those with noted adaptations until the IEP committee receives adequate and substantial documentation to support a modified program.
PROCEDURES:
Adaptations: These are strategies that are specially designed to accommodate a student’s need so he/she can achieve grade level learning expectations. A student working on learning goals of any grade or course level may be supported through use of adaptations. (e.g. Calculators, decreased workload, study guides….)
Modifications: instructional and assessment-related decisions made to accommodate a student’s educational needs that consist of individualized learning goals and outcomes which are different than Ministry Learning Standards. Modifications should be considered for those students whose special needs are such that they are unable to access the curriculum. Using the strategy of modifications for students not identified as special needs should be a rare practice.
When a Special Education teacher is assigned to a student, and it becomes evident that the student is struggling in one or more areas, adaptations can and should be put in place. Please see above definition of adaptation. The adaptation checklist must be filled in at the end of the IEP document; also adaptions need to be added to the Planner. These adaptations must be tracked, and their success or failure of the adaptation is to be documented by the teacher.
If all adaptions are deemed unsuccessful, then the teacher must contact the Special Education Coordinators. At this stage the Special Education Coordinator will review all documentation and ensure all adaptation strategies have been attempted and a decision made to move the student to a modified program with the parent’s permission.
(13.iii) IEP Development Modified
If adaptation is not sufficient, then the school may arrange for an assessment completed by an educational psychologist/psychiatrist, a speech/language pathologist, or other specialist, to determine the exact nature of the difficulty. On the basis of this assessment, an Individual Education Plan (IEP) will be created by the Special Needs Coordinator, in collaboration with the teacher, and parents, and, if necessary other support workers. If the assessment determines that the student qualifies for special needs funding; it will be used to deliver the modified program of study to the student. A Special Needs Budget* will be created each year to allocate funds for the running of the program according to the Individual Education Plans for the special needs of the student. Costs for the program which exceed those provided by the Ministry must be provided by the parents.
*It should be noted that Special Education funding may support the student in such a fashion that higher level adaptations are available, and thus the student may be able to accomplish grade level expectations which wasn’t possible prior to receiving the funding assistance.
(Policy 14)
Number of Hours Permitted for a Student to be Engaged in an Educational Program
It is CHeS’ policy that the instructional hours implemented by Educational Support workers (tutors, EAs, BIs, etc.) for a student must not exceed 6 hrs. in a 24-hour period. If a student requires more than the 6 hours of instruction time in a 24-hour period, then the additional instructional time must be approved by administration team based on the specific needs noted in the IEP. This will be done on a case by case basis with consideration for age appropriateness.
(Policy 15)
Equipment Loans
CHeS Special Education coordinator determines the need for equipment loans. The equipment that is loaned remains the property of CHeS and must be returned in good condition or purchased by the family if they wish to keep the equipment. If a family is leaving the school, then all equipment loaned must be returned or purchased by June 15 of the school year enrolled. If the equipment is not returned, then the cost of the equipment will be billed to the family. Depreciation is 1/3 per year or if older than 3 years, a small buy-out may be arranged.
(Policy 16)
Adjudication*: Provincial Graduation Assessments (GNA, GLA)
Adjudication is a process to determine the ability to modify the administration of Provincial Assessments. See Ministry guidelines here. Modifications to the content of the examination papers are not allowed.
Adjudication is provided to special education students who are able to achieve the intended learning standards in the majority of their HS courses. Adjudication is required when the student is unable to write the assessments as they are usually administered due to either predictable (a pre-existing condition or situation) or unpredictable circumstance (an unforeseen situation or condition). *Students that need adjudication have documented adaptations within their learning plan and IEP that carry over into their GNA and GLA writing needs.
(Policy 17)
Graduation Transitions for Special Needs Students
A carefully developed and coordinated transition plan will be developed for each HS SE student. This plan will specify the supports and services necessary to enable the student to be successful at school and in the community. IEP transition planning should begin at least one year before transitioning to another school, and two to three years before leaving school (Grades 10 - graduation). Planning will be specific to individual student needs and should address the specifics in meeting those needs. Plans will include the actions needed and adaptations necessary, the Third- party initiator for each action, and approximate date for completion. Ministry Special Ed. Manual (34).
(Policy 18)
School Completion Certificate or Evergreen Certificate
A child on a modified program who is 19 or younger, may receive a School Completion Certificate, also known as an Evergreen Certificate under the following conditions:
Procedure:
- There are three levels of agreement - professional (recent psych-ed info), Parent/s, Teacher/Coordinator/Principal
- The SE Coordinator and Principal review the list of potential candidates.
- The Special Ed. (SE) Coordinator(s)evaluates the student records and IEP’s to ensure the student has attended school for at least 12 years and has minimally met the goals and objectives laid out.
- The Principal will make application for the students to receive his/her Evergreen Certificate.
(Policy 19)
Adult Non-Graduated Funding*
SE students who are 19 and need more time to officially graduate with a Dogwood Diploma may continue schooling past age 19. To be eligible, adult non-graduate students with special needs must be working towards goals clearly set out in their Individual Education Plan (IEP) prior to their 19th birthday and:
- have been reported on the Form 1701 in the prior school year (i.e., they are continuing their K–12 education program uninterrupted from when they were still school age (18 years old or younger)
- be continuing their program at the same school (i.e., they are continuing their K–12 education program uninterrupted at the same school leading towards a B.C. Certificate of Graduation or the B.C. Adult Graduation Diploma from when they were still school age (18 years old or younger)