Grand Erie Special Education Plan 2023-24
Standard 4
Early Identification Procedures and Intervention Strategies
The purpose of the standard is to provide details of the Board’s early identification procedures and intervention strategies to the ministry and to the public.
Early identification and intervention is needed to determine each child’s strengths and learning needs, and Policy/ Program Memorandum 11 guides the work in Grand Erie in that; “These procedures are part of a continuous assessment and program planning process which should be initiated when a child is first enrolled in school or no later than the beginning of a program of studies immediately following Kindergarten and should continue, ongoing, throughout a child’s school life for students at all ability levels.”
Grand Erie strongly supports an early identification and intervention process for students with special education needs. For students in Kindergarten or the early primary grades, early identification usually refers to the recognition of particular strengths, abilities, and needs, rather than a formal identification process through an Identification, Placement, and Review Committee (IPRC). Although identification can happen at any age early identification and intervention includes assessment, monitoring, instruction, intervention, and community support as needed. Many of the early identification steps will be taken for all students – some specific interventions will be required for individual students as learning needs are noted. The purpose of early identification is to determine each child’s strengths and learning needs. Movement toward an IPRC and formal identification is dependent upon sufficient time at school to first track the success/lack of success with attempted interventions and determine if an educational identification is required.
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- Many early identification procedures and strategies will be utilized for all students. Some specific interventions will be required for individual students to be responsive to the learning needs.
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- For students in kindergarten or the early primary grades, early identification usually refers to the early recognition of particular strengths, abilities and needs rather than a formal identification process through an Identification, Placement, and Review Committee meeting (IPRC).
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An IPRC and formal identification may be appropriate after the student has transitioned to school, and rigorous interventions and supports are being utilized, with sufficient assessment data maintained by the classroom teacher.
Guiding Principles that are critical to the success of the entry to school planning process:
- a focus on the whole child and the family collaboration
- full participation for the student
- responsiveness
- Planning Entry to School: A Resource Guide, Ministry of Education, 2005
Early Identification
Educator Team and Parent/Caregiver Collaboration
Information Sharing
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Kindergarten Registration Information on the Grand Erie Website
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Kick Start to Kindergarten Event (Winter) offered by the school and community agency partners for families
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Welcome to Kindergarten Event (Spring) offered by the school for families
- Individual Case Conference (if needed).
- Community Agency Reports (if available).
Home Connection Form
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Educator team provide questionnaire or input form to the family, with the purpose of getting to know the student.
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Caregivers may provide information or assessments about the child that are pertinent to school (i.e.; Speech Language Assessments).
Open Communication
- Educator team monitors student development, learning abilities and needs and shares observations and evidence from school.
- Family dialogues with Educator team on observations, learning and growth.
- To communicate with each other about any concerns as they arise, with suggestions about appropriate resources and personnel for support as needed.
Communication of Learning
- Provide parents/caregivers with an overview of observations of the child’s learning in relation to the overall expectations of the Kindergarten Program or curriculum documents with information about appropriate next steps to further the child’s learning.
Interventions and Support
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To implement strategies of intervention and work with all support personnel as needed to address observed needs of the child.
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Communicate concerns as they arise, with suggestions about appropriate resources and personnel for support as needed. Be involved in decisions about the education and learning of the student.
Community Support
- Access available community agencies that can assist with the child’s growth and development, as needed.
Learning Partnership
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Caregivers play an important role in children’s learning.
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Studies show that children perform better in school if caregivers are involved in their education.
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By becoming familiar with the Kindergarten program, caregivers can better appreciate the value of play-based learning and learn about the attitudes, skills, and strategies that the children are developing.
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This awareness will enhance caregivers' ability to discuss the children’s learning with them, to communicate with educators, and to ask relevant questions about the children’s development.
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Knowledge of the program will also help caregivers understand the children’s growth in learning and will enhance their ability to work
The Tiered Approach
Interventions, supports and services within Grand Erie are tiered, offering differing degrees and kinds of assistance to help students be successful. Full understanding of a student’s learning profile is necessary to determine appropriate programming and services to address learning needs.
For all students, educators collect information through classroom observations, conversations and other forms of assessment. Educators review support strategies in consultation with caregivers and specialized services staff. With parental consent, information from professional assessments and/or community-based resources are also reviewed. Staff use this information to plan the responsive next steps for student learning.
Educators use the framework of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) to provide access to the curriculum for all students in their classroom. This makes learning accessible to all students, regardless of skill, age or situation. This looks like creating classrooms, school environments, lessons, activities and assignments that are reflective of the identities and experiences of the students.
With the implementation of UDL, specific interventions for some students are utilized. Interventions, and their success, are monitored by the classroom educator(s). Consultation with the School Team (ST) for instruction, and classroom management strategies to meet the needs of their students is a support that is available. For more complex or persistent issues the School Team can consult their Resource Team (RT), to access specialized consultation, action-planning, targeted intervention and staff coaching to meet a wide variety of student needs. Teachers are required to keep parents/caregivers informed about difficulties experienced by their child and the kinds of supportive interventions put in place.
Throughout the pathway of support some students may require the creation of an Individual Education Plan (IEP) and access to an Identification, Placement and Review Committee (IPRC). Additional information about these processes to support students can be found by clicking the links.
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