Ontario Special Education

[Tory Lattin]

Werecommend that you read this page along with the Education Act, regulations and PPMs. If there is any discrepancy between this summary and the Act, regulations, or PPMs, the information in the source document applies.

There are a number of regulations under the Education Act that relate to special education. Regulation 181/98: Identification and Placement of Exceptional Pupils sets out rules for the identification and placement of students in special education programs and for identification, placement and review committees (IPRC)..

Regulation 298: Operation of Schools-General contains qualifications for special education teachers, a provision for reducing the length of the school day for exceptional pupils, and maximum class sizes for special education classes.

Regulation 296: Ontario Schools for the Blind and Deaf sets out operating procedures for the Provincial Schools for the Blind and Deaf, and also describes duties of teachers, residence counsellors, parents, and superintendents at these schools.

The theme of the 2023 conference is Well-being, Equity and Success for All; presentations will focus on evidence-based practices, instructional strategies, and technology to equitably support the well-being, learning and achievement of all students with special education needs. The conference program features more than 70 lecture and poster presentations in numerous topical areas, including: accessibility; diversity, equity, and inclusion; paraprofessionals; low incidence exceptionalities; mental health and well-being for students and educators; at-risk children & youth; autism; assistive and adaptive technology; literacy and numeracy; transitions; managing challenging behaviour; learning disabilities; developmental disabilities; indigenous education; and post-secondary initiatives.

Value added alert! Conference registration includes the opening keynote address, breakout sessions, poster presentations, silent auction, the Exhibitor/Publisher Display, along with breakfast and lunch both days. Special conference rates apply for CEC members and full-time University & College students.

This content is part of official issued curriculum providing the most up-to-date information (i.e., front matter). This content is applicable to all curriculum documents, Grades 1 to 12. Educators must consider this information to guide the implementation of curriculum and in creating the environment in which it is taught.

Classroom teachers are the key educators of students with special education needs. They have a responsibility to help all students learn, and they work collaboratively with special education teachers and educational assistants, where appropriate, to achieve this goal. Classroom teachers commit to assisting every student to prepare for living with the highest degree of independence possible.

Learning for All: A Guide to Effective Assessment and Instruction for All Students, Kindergarten to Grade 12, 2013 describes a set of beliefs, based in research, that should guide program planning for students with special education needs. Teachers planning programs or courses in all disciplines need to pay particular attention to these beliefs, which are as follows:

In any given classroom, students may demonstrate a wide range of strengths and needs. Teachers plan programs that are attuned to this diversity and use an integrated process of assessment and instruction that responds to the unique strengths and needs of each student. An approach that combines principles of universal design and differentiated instruction enables educators to provide personalized, precise teaching and learning experiences for all students.

Providing accommodations to students with special education needs should be the first option considered in program planning. Instruction based on principles of universal design and differentiated instruction focuses on providing accommodations to meet the diverse needs of learners.

Modified expectations for most students with special education needs will be based on the regular grade or course expectations, with changes in the number and/or complexity of the expectations. Modified expectations must represent specific, realistic, observable, and measurable goals, and must describe specific knowledge and/or skills that the student can demonstrate independently, given the appropriate assessment accommodations.

If a student requires modified expectations, assessment and evaluation of their achievement will be based on the learning expectations identified in the IEP and on the achievement levels outlined under Levels of Achievement in the Assessment and Evaluation" section.

Elementary: The IEP box on the Elementary Progress Report Card and the Elementary Provincial Report Card must be checked for any subject in which the student requires modified expectations, and, on the Elementary Provincial Report Card, the appropriate statement from Growing Success: Assessment, Evaluation, and Reporting in Ontario Schools, First Edition, Covering Grades 1 to 12, 2010, page 61, must be inserted.

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Laura Perez Gonzalez and Veronica Escobar Olivo do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

In Ontario, students presenting learning needs may be identified as exceptional within one or more special education categories. These categories are intended to address conditions affecting their learning.

Special education can benefit students to ensure an equitable educational experience. However, researchers have also raised concerns about the efficacy of special education programs for equitable learning because of how social factors such as racism and classism result in discriminatory framings of disability and the perception of special needs.

Research from the Peel District School board, serving the western Greater Toronto Area, reports Black students are three times more likely to be identified with a behavioural exceptionality and streamed into special education programming.

Similarly, Latin American youth have reported arbitrarily being placed in English as a Second Language courses and labelled with communicational exceptionalities, despite proficiency in English. These labels carry long-lasting impacts on their educational journey.

In Ontario, the special education placement process is complex and can include many parties (like teachers, principals, special education staff, school board officers, parents or guardians and, if requested, interpreters).

System accountability is needed to ensure immigrant racialized students and families are effectively provided support and understand the special education process. This support must be tailored to better address the needs of parents, so that their children are equitably positioned for successful academic pathways.

OCR announced on May 6, 2022, its intent to issue proposed revisions to the 45-year-old 504 regulations enacted in 1977. In the fall of 2022, the Department included in the President's Regulatory Agenda the intent to have the proposed amended regulations out by May 2023. That did not happen, and on June 14, 2023, the regulatory agenda was amended to reflect the intent to issue the proposed regulations in August 2023. As of today, the President's Fall Unified Agenda most recently reflects an issuance date for the proposed regulations of November 2023. Continue watching the CASE website for the most up-to-date information regarding 504 proposed regulations.

Advancing the field of special education through the delivery of highly effective professional learning opportunities is a pillar of the CASE's mission. The CASE is dedicated to providing high-quality professional learning that is relevant and important to the field of special education, designed to provide world-class learning and networking to strengthen and grow the field of special education leadership.

As the voice of special education leadership, CASE continually engages with federal agencies, national coalitions and partner organizations representing our members. Focusing on national policy and advocacy supports lasting solutions that will continue to drive the profession forward.

The 2024 CASE Conference is scheduled for November 6-8, 2024, in Savannah, GA, coinciding with the U.S. Presidential election on November 5th. CASE emphasizes the importance of advocacy in special education and encourages all registrants to engage in early voting to ensure they can fully participate in both the conference and the election.

Across the nation, policymakers seek to diversify the educator workforce to ensure students engage with educators who share their identities. In light of this need, CASE issued a call for applications to create a valuable resource to support the field in diversifying the special education leadership workforce. The call resulted in the identification of the Diversification of the Special Education Leadership Workforce Task Force (DSEL-TF). Eighty percent of the Task Force were people of the global majority and included representation from the LGBTQ+ and the disability communities along with many other intersectional identities.

The following policy statements were developed with our focus on legislative action and advocacy related to special education programs. The CASE Policy Committee has developed two new policy statements.

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Data excludes private schools, school authorities, provincial/demonstration schools, Education and Community Partnership Program (ECPP) facilities, summer, night and adult continuing education day schools

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