Special Education
Special education teachers, support staff, consultants, speech and psychology staff, and the administration, are dedicated and committed to increasing achievement and well-being of our exceptional students. They ensure our students try and reach their potential and achieve their dreams. Special Education is a vocation and teachers and support staff strive to do God’s work as we support students to develop into self-directed, responsible, lifelong learners who demonstrates a confident and positive sense of self and respect for the dignity and welfare of others.
The department successfully facilitates students meeting I.E.P. goals, completing identified and measurable performance tasks and making major gains in provincial, school, and board-wide assessments. The Board makes it possible for students to access technology to assist in learning and for the necessary accommodations required for completing assessments.
Together we are striving to “raise the bar” so that students achieve higher standards and student specific goals and “close the gap” between student potential and their performance. Monitoring student improvement is critical. Results indicate that gaps in learning are closing.
The responsibility for inclusive education is shared between classroom teachers, special education teachers and support staff, who collaborate to plan and deliver programs that motivate and engage students in learning.
Special Education Curriculum Chair, ESL and Library
Kayla Kempt, kkempt@pvnccdsb.on.ca, ext. 230Special Education Resource Teacher (SERT)
Doug Gervais, dgervais@pvnccdsb.on.ca
Identification, Placement and Review Committee (IPRC)
After an Identification, Placement, and Review Committee (IPRC) identifies a student as exceptional, an individual Education Education Plan (IEP) is developed and maintained for that student. An IEP may also be prepared for students who are receiving Special Education programs and services but who have not been formally identified as exceptional by IPRC.
- IPRC meetings are held once a year to review Identification and Placement. The meeting is approximately 5-10 minutes in length.
- Parents can waive this meeting if there is no change to identification and/or placement from the previous year.
Individual Education Plans (IEPs)
The IEP is based on the thorough analysis of the student's strengths, needs, and interests. Students Individual Education Plan (I.E.P.) will indicate the manner by which the school will fulfill and support the needs of each exceptional student. An exceptional student is one whose behavioral, communication, intellectual, physical or multiple exceptionality is such that the student may benefit from placement in a Special Education Program.
Students Individual Education Plan (I.E.P.) will indicate the manner by which the school will fulfill and support the needs of each exceptional student. An exceptional student is one whose behavioral, communication, intellectual, physical or multiple exceptionality is such that the student may benefit from placement in a Special Education Program.
Developed and mailed home in the Fall and with each change thereafter.
Please do not hesitate to contact Kayla Kempt at kkempt@pvnccdsb.on.ca to arrange an appointment to review the IEP during the course of the academic school year.
Students who have an IEP or an IPRC designation generally receive the following support:
Accommodation
The process of changing, for the individual students, the way the curriculum is delivered to them in the ways that are appropriate to their identified learning needs. These may be in the form of individualized teaching and assessment strategies, human supports, and/or individualized equipment. Accommodations allow the student to participate in learning without any changes to the knowledge and skills the student is expected to demonstrate.
Modification
Modifications are changes made in the age-appropriate grade-level expectations for a subject or course in order to meet a student's learning needs. Such changes may reflect a decrease in the number or complexity of expectations.
Special Education Resource Room
- Students who have an IEP have access to the Resource Room.
- During the school day, students can access the resource room to write tests, and complete assignments and get assistance with daily classwork with the support of a Special Education Resource Teacher (SERT).
- Students who have an IEP can have up to double time to complete assignments and tests.
Life Skills and Learning for Living Program
- Students work on valuable life skills such as cooking, shopping, functional literacy and numeracy skills, social skills development, etc.
- Students will receive a Certificate of Accomplishment upon leaving the school.
- Please speak to Kayla Kempt, Head of Special Education Department regarding this excellent program, as it is suited for students who have specific learning circumstances/profiles.
Resource Room
- Students use this period to receive support with gaining valuable organization skills and to develop learning strategies for success.
- Students can use some of the class time to work on homework or course work.
After School Supports
- Educational Assistants support students after school until 3:00 pm with homework and coursework.
