Appropriate Educational Programming in the Rolling River School

Division

Presented to the Rolling River School Division Liaison Committee

June 8, 2011

Introduction

• Welcome to the Liaison Committee

• Those present from the Rolling River Teachers’ Association (RRTA)

• Purpose of the presentation

• Why the RRTA carried out this review

Introduction to the Legislation1982 – The Canadian Charter

of Rights and Freedoms

1985 – The Equality Rights enacted for all Canadians

2005 – “The Appropriate Educational Programming Amendment” to The Public Schools Act in Manitoba

Introduction to the Legislation

Student Support Services from the FRAME Reporting System

• RRSD allocations for Student Support Services

• Benchmarks set by trustees across the province

• The potential of the Manitoba public school finance model

Survey and Focus Group Results

The Data Collection Process:All member surveys –

February 2011Focus group meetings –

May 2011Emailed focus group

questions – May 2011

Key Results

1. Diversity of Students

“English as an Additional Language” students

Emotional behaviourally challenged students

Students with mental health disorders

Key Findings

Implications:1. Individual education plans “must” be developed for

all “English as an Additional Language” students.

2.Teachers need professional development and additional human and print resources to assist them in meeting the needs of these students.

Key Findings

2. Specialized Assessment Allocations

Waitlist for specialized assessments

Quota allocationsShortage of clinicians

Key Findings

Implications:

1.Additional clinicians are needed, whether hired as divisional employees or contracted by the division, to assess the backlog of students. Every student has the right to be assessed when there are disabilities or issues which interfere with their learning capacity.

Key Findings

3. Student /Teacher Supports

Guidance counsellorsEducational assistantsStudent Support

Facilitators

Key Findings

Implications:

1. Guidance counsellors provide some support for students with social skills and emotional behavioural needs.

2. Hiring more certified teachers, and thereby reducing the number of educational assistants, allows for reduced class sizes and the potential for alternative classes to be established.

Key Findings

3. The school division is placing itself in jeopardy by allowing Student Support Facilitators to run their own classrooms in the absence of a certified teacher. They are currently instructing students in the absence of a teacher, which is outlined in the Public Schools Act as the responsibility of a qualified classroom teacher.

Key Findings

4. Professional Development

Teacher requestsEducational assistantsResource teachers

Key Findings

Implications:1. Rather than having the big name speaker, increase the PD

allocation per teacher to attend meaningful and relevant events or to set up learning communities.

2.Educational assistants need orientation and professional development to maximize their use.

3. Resource teachers required training and support to enable them to make appropriate decisions when programming for students with special needs.

Key Findings

5. Competencies and Certification

Special education certificates for resource teachers, principal certificates for school administrators and school counsellor certificates for guidance personnel

Key Findings

Implications

1. Without their certification credentials, the school division is in jeopardy should there be a parent who decides to pursue the dispute resolution process or litigation. In case law, one of the first questions asked by lawyers is regarding the special training or competencies of the personnel involved in making programming decisions for the student.

Strategies

These strategies are based on survey results and discussions held with teachers in focus groups:

1. There is a need for additional resource program funding for the purchase of reading resources, both print and software.

2. Reading intervention programs for older students were suggested.

3. A learning assistance class developed in both the north and south ends of the division was another recommendation.

Strategies4. Resource teachers discussed the need for additional time to

consult and collaborate with classroom teachers and work with students. Suggestions for building in more time included increasing the allotted resource teacher time in schools, hiring additional resource teachers, holding an early dismissal afternoon on a regular basis and/or hiring rotating substitute teachers on a regular basis to cover teachers’ classes.

It was noted declining enrolments do not equate with decreased needs for resource teacher time.

Strategies5. Develop a Behaviour Support Team who spends extended time

in a school to support students who are behaviourally challenged and their teachers.

6. Hire additional clinicians to allow them time to work with classroom teachers and model strategies.

7. Spend time clarifying the roles of resource teachers and clinicians with regular classroom teachers to ensure everyone is aware of their specific responsibility.

8. “English as an Additional Language” training for resource and classroom teachers was requested.

Strategies9. Ensure that teachers new to the division and the profession

working in Rolling River are given the training which has been offered by clinicians to teachers in the past.

10. There is a need for a mental health worker to support resource and classroom teachers in developing effective strategies to work with students with mental health issues.

11. Thinking “outside the box”, suggestions included equine assisted learning, work education programs, and special in-school clubs and programs.

Barriers to these Strategies

Brainstorming Time:

What are the barriers to addressing these findings and strategies?

Where do we go from here?

What can the Rolling River Teachers’ Association do to assist you?

The Need for CollaborationThere are some challenges to

current practices that will only be possible if we all work together.

The RRTA is interested in supporting efforts made to address these issues.

Thank you for allowing us the time to bring our findings to your attention.