Special Education Review 2023-2024

Following the 2023 Special Education review where the thoughts and voices of over 4,000 students, families, staff, and community members were gathered, a thorough review of all special education supports and services was conducted using additional board, department, census, and strategic plan consultation data.

This review aimed to identify the key supports and services critical for the success of students with special education needs by elevating the voices of students and families. Our goal was to use this data to inform and develop a model of support that is flexible, responsive, and tiered.

The primary reasons for the restructuring include the following:

to provide equitable access to special education support and services within a students’ home school, and to leverage current supports to meet the needs of all students.
to minimize barriers to support and services such as diagnosis, identification, and geographic location.
to provide flexible and responsive support, programming, and access to resource spaces that adapt and respond to a student’s unique learning profile.

Findings from the Special Education Review indicated the importance of the following key areas for service delivery:

Equity of access to supports and services in a student’s home school.
Flexible and responsive support, programming, and access to spaces that adapt and respond to a student’s unique learning profile.
Fully inclusive learning environments supported by caring and knowledgeable staff.
Increased access to supports/services through a reduction of siloed and identification specific service delivery.

As a result, LDSB Educational Services is moving forward with a restructuring of elementary special education services to reallocate all staffing support from self-contained programs and itinerant support to school-based support where it is needed most. Through this restructuring, 29 special education teacher positions will be reallocated to schools across the district, in addition to educational assistants, literacy intervention, mental health and clinical supports.

Our school and district teams will continue to support students within a fully inclusive learning environment in every Limestone school.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the rationale for the restructuring?

The primary reasons for the restructuring are as follows:

- to provide equitable access to special education supports and services within a students’ home school, and to leverage current supports to meet the needs of all students.

- to minimize barriers to supports and services such as diagnosis, identification, and geographic location.

- to provide flexible and responsive support, programming, and access to resource spaces that adapt and respond to a student’s unique learning profile.

What will the new school-based service delivery model look like?

Many schools will have additional Special Education Teachers and a dedicated Special Education Resource space. The special education team will provide programming and support for students with complex needs in their home schools within a flexible and inclusive approach. Additional school-based supports will be available including, but not limited to, Student Support Teachers, EAs, Student Support Counsellors, and Speech-Language services.

What centralized supports will be available?

Educational Services will continue to provide tiered supports to schools and students. Special Education Coordinators and District Teams will provide ongoing consultation, recommendations and support to in-school teams, families, and students. Professional Services staff (e.g. psychology, social work) will continue to provide services within a multidisciplinary team structure.

Are the changes related to cost savings and financial cuts?

The restructuring and realignment of special education services and supports is not related to any cost cutting or financial savings. The changes are directly related to the findings of the Special Education review and ongoing data collection across the district, including feedback from our Strategic Plan outreach. The changes support a fully inclusive service delivery model in elementary schools.

What grades are affected by the restructuring?

The restructuring affects programs and support for students in Junior Kindergarten through Grade 8. This is inclusive of students who attend Intermediate school sites. There are no current changes to the Secondary special education service delivery model.

My student attends a self-contained special education program. Is this closing?

As part of changes to our special education service delivery model we will no longer have self-contained special education programs at the elementary level. These resources have been moved into school-based supports to provide equity of access to students across the district. The current self-contained programs serve a very small percentage of students with special education needs and do not align with a fully inclusive and flexible model of support. The goal of these programs have always been short-term intervention with the goal of transitioning students back to their home schools.

What additional supports will be available for intensive reading instruction for students with Learning Disabilities?

Students with learning disabilities and differences will continue to be supported through a tiered model of support, responsive to their individual needs.

Some of these supports include the following:

Universal Design for Learning and program accommodations, access to assistive technology, Student Support Teacher small group intervention, Lexia program, and Empower program.

How will this impact a student’s identification and placement? (IPRC)

A student's identification and placement are reviewed annually by the in-school team and input from families is critical. The appropriate placement for most students is the regular class with indirect support. Some students may require a different placement such as the regular class with resource or withdrawal assistance. This will be determined in collaboration with families based on the needs of each individual student.

Can my student attend a different school where they have more/different special education supports?

The new special education service delivery model has been developed to provide equity of access to services and supports across the district. However, based on a variety of factors, some schools may have more or less of some services available. Families should work with their school team to ensure that appropriate supports are in place, and schools will consult with Educational Services to develop individualized plans for students.

Families may explore an out of boundary school for their student, if desired. Registration processes can be found on the LDSB website.

Is an identification/diagnosis required to access supports?

Moving forward, a specific identification and/or diagnosis will not be required to access the majority of special education services and supports. However, clarifying a student’s learning profile through assessment can be very beneficial to implementing personalized accommodations, instructional/assessment strategies, and support plans.

Will my student continue to have Educational Assistant support?

The changes to the special education delivery model will not directly impact the EA allocation processes. Schools will continue to be allocated Educational Assistant support based on student needs and will make decisions within a shared model. An additional 17 Educational Assistants will be added to school-based supports.

Are Choices at Seven (LEAP, Challenge) or ECPP Programs (Nexus, SOAR) affected?

Only Educational Services elementary special education programs are involved in the restructuring. Challenge, LEAP, ATLAS and ECPP programs are not impacted.

Background

The LDSB Educational Services Leadership Team embarked on a Special Education Review between February 2023 and October 2023. This extensive feedback was incredibly valuable, and we extend our deepest gratitude to the families and students for their participation in the review process.

Here are a number of reports and news updates that provide an overview of the process:

École Sir John A. Macdonald Public School

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