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Special Education - Programs, Admission & Delivery Policies

HCOS Response to Intervention (RTI) Model

For further details, consider Tiered Approaches to the Education of Students with Learning Disabilities

Tier 1: Universal Programming

Most students, roughly eighty percent, are in Tier 1 with mainstream teachers and mainstream expectations and achievement.

Tier 1 may include Learning Services (LS) Monitoring students, those who are minimally meeting expectations but whose needs are being managed by teachers with minimal Learning Services Consultant (LSC) invovlement.

Depending on the teacher's training and experience, they may ask their LSC for suggestions. If the teacher asks and there seems to be reason for concern, then the student will be considered to be on LS Monitoring status.

Tier 2: Targeted Interventions

Tier 2 students comprise approximately fifteen percent of the student population. They are typically in one of two categories.

LS Student

LS students are struggling to minimally meet or are not meeting expectations. They have been referred to LS using the LS Referral Form and their teachers are receiving regular LS consultation on how to help these students and families.

These are non-designated students who have adaptations in place in the Student Learning Plan (SLP) Adaptions Box. For students requiring significant support, an Individual Education Plan (IEP) may be considered along with diagnostic assessment; these students are expected to have regular or adapted courses.

If needed, students may receive a small subsidy for therapy or investigative assessment (e.g. Speech and Language Pathologist (SLP) assessment for speech impediment, psycho-educational testing for programming direction, etc.)

High Incidence Students

Students’High Incidence students’ needs are too high for IND teacher to handle so after due process, students may be moved to an Special Education (SE) teacher’s caseload upon designation

LS consultants meet with SE Regional Admin and High Incidence SE teachers to discuss the transfer from LS to SE

If transfer happens mid-year, then often the IND teacher and SE teacher will “share” the student and collaborate for the remainder of the year to reduce disruption to student and family

These students are designated K-R (unfunded) and may receive a subsidy to meet their needs

Some students may have selected modified courses and thus, IEPs in place for those modified courses

Tier 3: Low Incidence SE Students

  • SE students with an A-H (funded) category designation on an SE teacher’s caseload, receiving a substantial needs-based student budget to meet the proposed IEP goals
  • SE Admission process described under programs below

Programs, Admissions, and Delivery

 K-9 Learning Services Student Support Services
Our LS support team supports the IND teacher who in turn is better able to serve the needs of their Tier 2 and Tier 3 students.

Admission
To provide equitable access to all students’ IND teachers should confirm student learning needs with an LS consultant, and, if further intervention is needed, recommend the LS Referral process to the family. The parent then submits the LS Referral Form to the LS team, who upon review, continues to assess the need through our internal screening assessments (numeracy and literacy achievement, and cognitive skills).

Delivery
IND teachers who have an LS student on their caseload, are encouraged to attend one-to-one monthly sessions with their LS consultant. Consultations offer practical support for individualized LS/SE related strategies, adaptations, modifications, resources, screening and/or programming assessments, and appointments/therapies, and IEP creation. LS consultants draw from experience, research and professional development, and from the various LS-SE resources available through our Learning Commons (library). For further information about their process, see the “LS-SE ID Process” workflow.

LS & SE Resources

  • Susan Barton Reading System for Dyslexics
  • Quest Atlantis with EA support for grades 5 to 9
  • Hands-on learning games, DVDs, children’s books, parent resources, etc.
  • SE related technology and equipment on loan
  • 3rd party outsourcing of Fast ForWord, Interactive Metronome, Neurodevelopment, and other therapies based on brain plasticity theory

K-12 Designated SE Student Support Services
Our SE teachers work with Tier 4 and 5 students. The SE teachers direct and meet the educational needs of these students in collaboration with the students’ IEP team, which includes parents/guardians, education assistants, and/or community professionals working with the students.

Admission

  1. Three program intakes: September, February, and June (pre-approval for following school year)
  2. To indicate interest, parent fills out HCOS application for Distributed Learning Enrolment at www.onlineschool.ca (NOTE: “Registered” students do not receive assistance from our HCOS SE program)
  3. SE Regional Administrator calls parent to discuss DL and SE program requirements, SE funded categories, and documentation necessary for HCOS to apply for supplemental funding
  4. If both the parent and the SE Regional Administrator agree that HCOS is a good fit for the family, and a teacher is available in the region, then the SE student is “Conditionally Accepted”
  5. Once all supporting documentation is received from the parent and the SE admin approve an SE category, then the student is accepted into the SE program (i.e., is considered “SE Approved”)
  6. The SE teacher contacts the family to set up the first home visit and begin IEP collaboration and programming. There will be a minimum of four home visits throughout the year, depending upon proximity between SE teacher and family.

Delivery
The IEP is key to understanding individualized programming and delivery of support services to each SE designated student. Generally, the SE teacher directs through weekly communication with the parent, a minimum of four home visits a year to assess IEP goals and gather/observe samples and progress, weekly communication with education assistants, at least one progress report a year from 3rd party professionals, and if the student is old enough, direct communication with the student. Many of our SE teachers also connect with their students and SE families locally through HCOS Learning Group options, online through Quest Atlantis, etc.

LS Grad Adapted Program

Adapted Dogwood Track
This adapted Dogwood diploma track grew out of the need that many Tier 2 and Tier 3 students were not coping well with the transition from having only one teacher, to the high school expectation of numerous teachers, as well as increased workload expectations. It is also serves to match their LS needs with high school teachers who have an affinity towards helping LS students through adaptations, making high school education accessible.

Admission
LS Grad, both adapted and the modified versions below, are available based on need for both designated and non-designated students. Admission is through an internal referral system from an IND/SE/Online teacher, LS K-9 consultants, the mainstream Grad Advisors or the SE Grad Administrator, or from the SE/IND Regional Administrators after their introductory HCOS admissions screening call.

Delivery
Our LS Grad team is made up of subject groupings: LS Humanities (Bible, English, and Social Studies), LS Math, and LS Science. The LS Grad Administrator and Grad Advisors monitor credits collaboratively. The LS Grad Administrator is the Case Manager for each student in this track.

School Completion Certificate Program Track

The School Completion Certificate Program (SCCP) track is for LS students who are not Low Incidence SE designated (A-H funded) but are not planning to graduate and may need IEP modifications in select courses in grades 10-12. Students are typically designated High Incidence (K-R unfunded).

Admission
Same as Adapted Dogwood Program above

Delivery
The LS Grad Administrator/SE Grad Administrator and the mainstream Grad Advisors direct program collaboratively. Case Managers are assigned on a student-by-student basis, depending upon who has the most contact with the student/family. In most cases, the K-9 SE teacher remains the case manager through grades 10-12. Program may consist of a mix of individualized, LS, and/or online mainstream grad courses depending upon student capability and learning style.

SE Grad Program

When an SE designated (A-H funded) student reaches grade 10, the SE Grad Administrator is added to the student’s IEP team; the SE teacher continues to be the Case Manager, as they know the student/family the best; and the IEP now serves a dual purpose in that it becomes the School Completion Certificate Program (SCCP) for the fully modified SE students.

The role of the SE Grad Administrator is to oversee the student’s transition into adulthood, and give suggestions towards independence through work experience and/or connecting with community supports. Much of the collaboration around community transition happens through the goals created in the following IEP courses:

  • Grade 10: IEP Planning 10 and/or IEP Life Skills 10
  • Grade 11: IEP Career Explorations 11 and/or IEP Life Skills 11
  • Grade 12: IEP Grad Transitions 12 and/or IEP Life Skills 12
  • The SE Grad Advisor may also collaborate with the mainstream Grad Advisors when a Dogwood diploma is the goal.
  • NOTE: These courses are required to ensure students are intentional about their transition into adult life.
Extended Enrolment Exceptions

NOTE: It is HCOS’s intention that adult community transition be completed at the end of a student’s aging out year.

If a student needs to extend high school enrolment beyond their age out year, the following protocol applies:

  1. SE teacher and parent talk about the exceptional need to extend the student’s high school enrolment beyond their current aging out year
  2. SE teacher and the parent each email their request and rationale to SE Director before the May category pre-application deadline
  3. IEP team ensures that the IEP is as they want it to be for the next year (or two), because it will no longer be fluid after the student finishes their age out year
  4. SE Director brings requests and rationales to the SE Admin team for accountability and feedback
  5. Student goes through our internal category review process to ensure the student is SE fundable for coming school year
  6. SE Director reads through request and IEP program, focusing on the transitions, to see if it is a reasonable plan.
    • Has the student completed enough of the intended goals to be independent without an additional year?
    • Are community supports ready and in place for transition to go smoothly and not undo years of progress?
    • Does the non-grad student need more time to complete their Dogwood or Adult Dogwood program?
  7. If reasonable, then SE Director approves Extended Enrolment on a year-to-year basis with the preference being only one additional year, with a second year being really exceptional.
 High School Leaving Options
  1. Dogwood – for high functioning LS/SE students
    • Requirements as laid out by the province
  2. Adult Dogwood – for capable LS/SE students
    • Requirements as laid out by the Adult Non-Grad Policy for Independent schools
    • Extended Enrolment is granted by the SE Director, if completing an Adult Dogwood is part of their IEP program and they need more time to finish
  3. School Completion Certificate – a common option for Low Incidence (A-H funded) SE students, as laid out in the student’s IEP and Adult Non-Grad Policy for Independent schools
    • Extended Enrolment, to finish one’s SCCP/IEP, is only granted by the SE Director under extenuating circumstances.
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