Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout10a Education 13 December 2011 App A SEAC Rep 10 Appendix A Report 1, Education Committee 13 December 2011 REPORT NO. 10 SPECIAL EDUCATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE To: The Board Date: 23 November 2011 Committee Room, 133 Greenbank Road, Ottawa, commencing at 7:05 p.m. with Rob Kirwan in the chair and the following in attendance: TRUSTEE MEMBER: Pam FitzGerald ASSOCIATION Rossana DiMito, Association for Bright Children of Ontario REPRESENTATIVES: Joyce Mortimer, Ontario Association for Families of Children with Communication Disorders Rob Kirwan, Ottawa-Carleton Association for Persons with Developmental Disabilities Tim Golding, Autism Ontario, Ottawa Chapter Beth Doubt, Ottawa-Carleton Assembly of School Councils COMMUNITY REPRESENTATIVES: Chris Ellis and Miriam Fry NON-VOTING REPRESENTATIVES: Cheryl Cavell, Ontario Seconda (Support Staff) Christine Kessler, Ottawa- Network STAFF: Frank Wiley, Superintendent of Instruction Pino Buffone, Superintendent of Curriculum Services Linda Yan, System Principal of Learning Support Services Jeffrey Frith, Principal (Elementary), Curriculum Services Barbara Virley, Manager of Field Services Janet Manhire, Itinerant Teacher LD, LLD Krista Edgley, Psychologist Fern Goldman, Social Worker Janice Krymuza, Speech Language Pathologist Nancy Lubert, Speech Language Pathologist Jennifer Glassman, Psychological Associate Carol Ann Joiner, Educational Assistant Bruce Fraser, Board/Committee Coordinator 1. Call to Order Chair Kirwan called the meeting to order at 7:05 p.m. - 1 - Special Education Advisory Committee 23 November 2011 Report No. 10 2. Approval of Agenda Moved by Terry Warner, THAT the agenda be approved. Moved in amendment by Terry Warner that an item regarding a recent conference be added to item 6) - Carried - Moved by Trustee FitzGerald that another item regarding a recent conference be added to item 6) - Carried - Moved by Terry Warner, THAT the agenda be approved, as amended. - Carried 3. Public Question Period There were no public questions. 4. Delegations There were no delegations. 5. Presentations: a. Early Years Initiatives Learning Support Services staff, Janice Krymuza, Speech Language Pathologist, Nancy Lubert, Speech Language Pathologist and Jennifer Glassman, Psychological Associate provided an overview of two Early Learning initiatives designed to improve the oral language abilities of junior and senior kindergarten students in order to help them succeed in later years: the Early Learning Intervention Pilot Project (ELIPP) and the Senior Kindergarten Speech Language Intervention Program (SK SLIP). It was explained that to engage the children in reading exercises, the ELIPP and the SK SLIP programs utilize resource kits comprised of illustrated short storybooks which are read and acted out with the use of props gathered by staff and parents. The presenters noted the range of skills between junior and senior kindergarten students and advised that the focus is on the importance of developing a foundation of oral language skills in order to develop higher level cognitive skills in elementary school. The ELIPP program is designed for all children in a junior kindergarten class and workshops are provided for teachers and Early Childhood Educators. The SK SLIP program requires a staff referral and the focus is for a student with severe or profound language learning difficulties. The SK SLIP focuses on the individual student and includes assistance from the parent, who is provided with the same resource kits, in order to reinforce at experiences at school. Regular classroom visits are undertaken by LSS staff to assist with the implementation of the programs and to monitor progress. The presenters noted the positive feedback that the programs have received from both parents and students. - 2 - Special Education Advisory Committee 23 November 2011 Report No. 10 Dr. Virley acknowledged the work and enthusiasm of the staff involved in the delivery of these programs and noted that performance data is being gathered by Steve McKibbin, Program Evaluator, to provide comparative data which will demonstrate both student and teacher improvements in this area. She advised that researchers at the Pickering Centre for Research in Human Development at Carleton University are very interested in studying the results of these programs. The presenters and staff addressed a number of queries from Committee members and the following points were noted: The programs have not been designed for French Immersion students at this time; Data gathering is underway but results will likely not be known for two-three years as these are pilot projects; Parents are encouraged to read to the students in their first language as well as in English; Referrals to the SK SLIP program are increasing and currently there are twenty students on the referral list; Student needs are identified during the kindergarten intake interview and at other times by staff, parents and multi-disciplinary teams; It is difficult to anticipate the impact of full-day kindergarten on the number of children who will require assistance; and ELIPP includes all students in a kindergarten class; therefore, children will achieve at different levels. Learning Support Services staff, Janice Krymuza, and Janet Manhire provided an overview of the Reader Leader Initiative which started with the pairing of grade 11-12 secondary school students from Gloucester High School with elementary school children at Carson Grove Elementary School to promote reading readiness. Ms. Manhire noted that Gloucester has a diverse student population which enables some students to read to junior and senior kindergarten students in their first language. The initiative encourages good role modeling, provides instruction to teens regarding one-to-one reading methods when reading to younger children as . Ms. Krymuza advised that a key to the success of the program is the interactive reading style, used on a one-to-one basis, as it was found to have significantly increased the comfort level of the students. The initiative has been very successful and eight other high schools with potential elementary school partnerships due to their close proximity have expressed interest. The presenters and staff addressed a number of queries from Committee members and the following points were noted: Consideration is being given to a number of potential partnerships in the future including parent and community volunteers and early literacy centres; Program Evaluation is documenting the positive outcomes of the programs for both teens and elementary students; Approximately 70 high school students have been certified as Reader Leaders; There is a future potential for training grade 8 students in JK-8 schools; Reader Leader targets younger children than the Empower Reading Program; and Staff agreed to take under advisement a request for a costing breakdown per session for the program. Learning Support Services staff provided an overview of a new early intervention program ELITE which was developed to improve the early identification of students at risk. The program was started in September with a multi-disciplinary team developing a screening tool in order to improve how students are identified and what can be done to assist them. It was noted - 3 - Special Education Advisory Committee 23 November 2011 Report No. 10 that the kindergarten intake form is being revised and the ELITE team is participating in those meetings in order to have key questions included on the form that will identify at risk students earlier in their school careers. Students who are targeted are those lacking executive functioning skills and the team is developing a more intensive identification tool to help teachers identify at- risk students earlier, and providing methods and strategies to help teachers address the identified needs. The presenters and staff addressed a number of queries from Committee members and the following points were noted: The initiative is being used to take a more preventative approach to identification and meeting st The initiative uses a collaborative approach and crosses departmental boundaries to increase the sharing of information; Program Evaluation will gather data and identify areas of the initiative that are successful and areas that could be improved; and The team will be working with teachers in the schools to gather input in order to develop effective tools. Dr. Virley advised that an update on all of the programs could be provided to SEAC at the end of the school year. Chair Kirwan thanked all of the presenters on behalf of SEAC. b. Board Improvement Plan Student Achievement, Special Education Superintendent Buffone and Principal Frith provided an overview of the Board Improvement Plan for Student Achievement (BIPSA) which has been aligned with the core priorities of the Ministry of Education which include high levels of student achievement, reduced gaps in student achievement and increased public confidence in publicly funded education. BIPSA and the School Improvement Plans reflect the District and School Improvement planning processes for improving student achievement using quantitative and qualitative data from across the district. School Improvement Plans are evolving documents which are regularly updated and focus on student well-being as well as classroom learning and student achievement. The goal of the BIPSA is to use a collaborative approach and reach every student across the district. The BIPSA outlines the instructional strategies to be used to support the priorities in the four pillars -Being, Engagement, Leadership and Learning. Principal Frith provided comparative year-over-year statistics for student achievement levels in literacy and numeracy for special education students in the OCDSB, excluding those identified as gifted, as well as the provincial averages. He noted that the overall results demonstrate that OCDSB special education students surpass the provincial average in most areas. Superintendent Buffone and Principal Firth addressed a number of queries from Committee members and the following points were noted: Evaluation results for Gifted students are extracted from the Special Education results at the provincial level and included with the regular classroom results; Grade 9 Applied Mathematics is an area of concern and staff is developing strategies in an effort to make math more applicable to individuals in order to more effectively engage students; As math is language based in the early stages of learning, consideration should be given to developing strategies which address language learning issues for younger children; - 4 - Special Education Advisory Committee 23 November 2011 Report No. 10 BIPSA and SIPs incorporates strategies on a tiered approach; Wait lists have not been connected to the BIPSA; Differentiated goals are set for each quartile and includes all students, e.g., the goal for grade 9 applied math would be higher than that for grade 6 literacy and would be applied to all students; If students approach the targeted goal, a new, higher goal, is defined; More students are participating in testing as fewer are being exempted; Senior staff will consider additional specific areas for measurement over time such as music, drama, arts, physical education, a sense of student belonging, anti-bullying but data is not broken out in that manner and staff believes that BIPSA applies to all subject areas; BIPSA addresses the needs of all levels of students through a variety of strategies including tiered support, differentiated learning, collaboration amongst staff, different classrooms, different plans all for the goal of moving students forward; Measurement outcomes for specialized programs will be coming forward in the future; The Ministry of Education does not consider multiple diagnosis information for students and uses only the first exceptionality listed in the Ontario School Information System (OnSIS) file; Gifted students data is not available from the Ministry but consideration could be given to the generation of information for unpublished internal use in order to maintain privacy due to the small numbers; A paper published on Ministry website encourages the upgrading of borderline level two students to level three; and SEAC should consider a statement to the Ministry and the Board asking if privacy concerns are limiting access to certain types of information. 6. Terry Warner advised that he had recently attended a SEAC workshop hosted by VOICE and LDAO at which the Ministry of Education had made three presentations. He indicated that information provided by the Ministry of Education should be made available to parents and other stakeholders. Beth Doubt invited Mr. Warner to forward the information to her for posting to the appropriate area of the Ottawa-Carleton Assembly of School Councils (OCASC) website. Trustee FitzGerald advised that she had recently attended the annual conference of Children's Mental Health Ontario where Assistant Deputy Ministers from the Policy Development and Program Design, Ministry of Children and Youth Services; Learning and Curriculum Division, Ministry of Education and Health: and System Strategy and Policy Division, Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care made presentations with respect to the challenges of the integration of policy across different Ministries. Trustee FitzGerald advised that the provincial government is of the belief that mental health falls within the jurisdiction of special education, it is unlikely that significant financial resources will be forthcoming and there will be an expectation that teachers would be required to identify students and arrange for appropriate support within the regular classroom. She expressed the view that the situation should be closely monitored in the upcoming months as a significant expectation for schools could impact special education budgets. Principal Yan noted that Superintendent Paxton had mentioned at previous meetings that student mental health has been designated by the province as a special education matter. Beth Doubt expressed the view that, as outlined, assigning the responsibility for identifying students with mental health support requirements would result in unrealistic expectation for school staff. Janet Fraser agreed that the issue should be monitored closely as school staff members are experiencing an increase in behavioural issues amongst younger children. - 5 - Special Education Advisory Committee 23 November 2011 Report No. 10 Several Committee members expressed general agreement that mental health should not be designated solely as a special education issue as mental health challenges can impact children from across the entire education system. Council on Special Education (MACSE) for input on this issue. Chair Kirwan noted that this issue would be added to the agenda of the December meeting of the * * * * * A motion to continue the meeting past 10:00 p.m. received a two-thirds majority vote. * * * * * 7. a. Division Update Superintendent Wiley provided a brief update on the following items: Mental Health Child and Youth Workers (CYW) from Crossroads started at Churchill Alternative and Fielding Drive Public School in mid-November. The CYW allocation is 0.5 FTE for each school; Superintendent Paxton is still working with the Youth Services Bureau in support of our secondary schools; and Several OCDSB secondary school students recently appeared on talking about depression, suicide and other mental health issues. Programs and Services The class changes for 2012/2013 will be presented at the December meeting of SEAC. As the result of work already being done by the District, the Ministry of Education has asked focusing on performance measures and employment. The work will be undertaken from January to June of 2012. CHEO Services will be offered to students who have a diagnosis of autism up to the age of 18; The intake process will be used to determine if supports are appropriate; and Services will be provided from two to four hours per week for two to six months depending on the needs of the youth. A synopsis of a Law Training session, attended by Superintendent Paxton in October, was distributed for information. A presentation regarding laws in education will be scheduled for the February SEAC meeting. 7. b. SEAC Committee Reports Strategic Planning & Priorities Committee, Rob Kirwan There was no report. Due to the hour, and the time sensitivity of the issue, it was agreed to move up the Parent Involvement Committee report on the agenda. - 6 - Special Education Advisory Committee 23 November 2011 Report No. 10 Parent Involvement Committee, Chris Ellis Chris Ellis advised that at the 9 November 2011 meeting of the Parent Involvement Committee (PIC), the Committee was presented with the final draft of the By-laws for approval. He noted that § 4.0 b) (iii) which proposed that SEAC be given an opportunity to name a parent member to the PIC was revised to name OCASC as the only representative group to the PIC. Mr. Ellis indicated that he had attempted to maintain the originally proposed wording, as the mandates of the SEAC and the PIC are different and not including an opportunity for the perspective of parents of children with special needs to be expressed would be a disservice to many parents. Mr. Ellis noted that the By-laws were passed on the condition that public feedback would be solicited for consideration, and possible amendments, by 16 December 2011. He proposed that SEAC recommend the addition of a clause that would give SEAC the right to put forward the name of a representative to sit on the PIC. In response to a query by Rossana DiMito regarding the importance of SEAC naming a representative, Mr. Ellis expressed the view that as PIC provides input regarding the Parents Reaching Out (PRO) grants from the Ministry of Education, the inclusion of the viewpoint of parents with children with exceptionalities would help to inform advice given to the Board. During discussion some members expressed the view that it would be challenging for SEAC to choose a parent representative that could effectively represent all of SEAC and that it would be preferable for SEAC to request that the PIC consider the needs of students with special needs in all of its recommendations. Some SEAC members expressed the view that it would be appropriate, and effective, for SEAC to name a representative to the PIC to ensure that a special education viewpoint is provided for all issues being discussed. Mr. Ellis agreed that he would draft a letter on behalf of SEAC to the Chair of the PIC requesting clarification of how the PIC would consider issues from a special education perspective. The draft letter would be circulated to SEAC members for comment. * * * * * A motion to continue the meeting past 10:30 p.m. did not receive unanimous consent. * * * * * 8. Adjournment The meeting adjourned at 10:30 p.m. Rob Kirwan Chair, Special Education Advisory Committee - 7 - Special Education Advisory Committee 23 November 2011 Report No. 10