LEARNING SUPPORT AND INCLUSIVE EDUCATION Policy & … · 2018. 12. 27. · Policy - Learning support and inclusive education Page 4 of 18 Major Modification – Support and Extension

Policy - Learning support and inclusive education Page 1 of 18

LEARNING SUPPORT AND INCLUSIVE EDUCATION Policy & Procedures

Next review date: Currently under review

Last reviewed: May 2013 By: Head of Learning Support; Dean of Curriculum

Mission Statement St Mary’s Anglican Girls’ School aims to provide a supportive and flexible school environment that understands and responds to the individual physical, social, emotional and academic needs of all students.

Policy Statement St Mary’s Anglican Girls’ School values inclusive education. Underpinning this policy is the belief that the student should have maximum access to the curriculum presented in the classroom. This policy recognises and values the skills of the classroom teachers in supporting students with special educational needs. In order to help students access mainstream curriculum, withdrawal or external support may need to be provided. Learning support nurtures the development of innovative, effective programmes for students with special educational needs. Such students include those identified with learning difficulties and gifted students, especially those at risk of significant underachievement.

Relevant Legislation Disability Discrimination Act 1992 Equal Opportunity Act, 1984 School Education Act, 1999 The Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians (MCEETYA, 2008)

Roles and Responsibilities

Principal Support the implementation of the Inclusive Policy within the context of school development

planning;

Articulate the Inclusive Policy to the community; and

Reviewing Inclusive Policy and Procedures.

Teachers Identify students with special educational needs;

Develop and implement appropriate educational plans for students with special educational needs that match both the school’s performance indicator and meet individual student needs;

Monitor the effectiveness of these programmes in terms of the learning outcomes achieved;

Plan the educational programme with relevant staff members, parents and student (if appropriate);

Maintain and update own knowledge and competencies related to students with special educational needs;

Report in a meaningful way on the educational progress of students with special educational needs to the principal, to parents and to the students themselves;

http://www.mceecdya.edu.au/verve/_resources/National_Declaration_on_the_Educational_Goals_for_Young_Australians.pdf


Communicate with the Principal, their own professional development requirements to assist in meeting the needs of students with special educational needs;

Read all information provided regarding the profile of students at educational risk (Learning Profile);

Documentation of all discussion (interviews, telephone calls, case conferences and reviews).

School Counsellors Work in a collaborative manner with professionals involved with the student with special

educational needs to communicate information about the student;

Participate in and help document notes from case conferences to discuss concerns, needs and support for students with special educational needs;

Collect, analysis and share information about the student (via cognitive testing, academic testing, developmental history information, etc) to enable teachers, parents, students and other professionals to plan support and intervention for the student;

Assist teachers with general strategies for use in the classroom with students with special educational needs;

Facilitate the referral of students with special educational needs to other agencies as required;

Work with the LS staff and GT Co-ordinators to provide information regarding appropriate programmes and support services available to parents and teachers of students with special educational needs;

Provide or organise professional development as required related to students with special educational needs.

Head of Learning Support Monitor Learning Support programmes - whole school;

Work in a collaborative manner with professionals involved with the student with special educational needs to communicate information about the student;



Facilitate the referral of students with special educational needs to other agencies as required;

Case manage students’ learning needs – Senior School;

Case manage Individual Education Plans – Whole School;

Design and deliver programmes to cater for students’ individual needs – Senior School.

Learning Support Teachers Work in a collaborative manner with professionals involved with the student with special

educational needs to communicate information about the student;



Case manage students learning needs in allocated area of school;

Junior school Learning Support teachers complete learning profiles for students who have specialist reports – non psychometric;

Design and deliver programmes to cater for students with special educational needs.


Students Actively participate in the educational process;

Behave in an appropriate manner.

Parents are encouraged to Be pro-active in developing partnerships with the school to achieve optimum outcomes for

their child;

Ensure their child participates in the educational programme;

Communicate issues and concerns that may impact on their child’s progress at school. When families and the school community have a shared responsibility for supporting the student the chance of optimal learning outcomes is enhanced. Levels of Support

Minimal Modification – Mainstream class The need for entry level support is identified by the class teacher or advised by counsellors or teachers from previous years. The teacher makes the necessary modifications and accommodation through curriculum differentiation.

Moderate Modification – Extension and Support Programmes The need for moderate level support is identified by the class teacher, subject teacher, Learning Support and Counsellor who then ensure that the student participates in existing support/extension programmes within the school. (i) Learning Support Programme (SS) (ii) Learning Centre Programme (JS) (iii) Support programmes in departments (iv) Tutors: Boarding house (v) Private Tutors: Names provided by Counsellors for parents to arrange


Major Modification – Support and Extension

Student Learning Profile (LP) An LP is written for students who have individual needs/disabilities as diagnosed by a specialist’s assessment and/or intervention, e.g. psychologists, occupational therapists, speech therapists, paediatricians, medical practitioners, specialist teachers etc. An LP is a summary of specialist information about a student’s strengths and areas of concern and recommendations, which school councillors formulate in liaison with Learning Support, to meet the individual learning needs of these students. For example accommodations to ‘level the playing field’ for students with disabilities, e.g. extra time in tests, reducing amount of homework and specific teaching strategies to meet student’s individual learning needs. Individual Education Plan (IEP) An IEP is written for students who have highly individual needs, which are not being met in a students learning profile.

Pastoral Care Concern

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Emotional, Social, Developmental and Adjustment Behavioural

Difficulty Disciplinary

Consult with Dean of

Students

REFERRAL PROCESS

Principal, Dean of Student, Dean of Curriculum, Dean of Administration, Head of Boarding, Counsellors, Chaplain,

Head of Learning Support

Head of Department, Link Teachers, Subject Teachers

What is the Reason for referral?

Academic/

Learning Issues

Critical Incident

Consult with Dean of

Students or member

of Executive Check and review all

information on

synergetic regarding the

student.

If a support plan exists

(LP, IEP), have you tried

implementing the

recommended

strategies?

If a support plan does

not exist, collect and

evaluate evidence of

suspected learning

problem by checking

Allwell intake results

and NAPLAN.

Low mood – Prolonged changes in mood and motivation

Anxiety (Worry, Phobias, Panic, Separation Anxiety, School refusal, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder)

Self-harm or Suicidal ideation

Substance use

Eating disorders

Sleep problems

Self-esteem, Gender identity

Social isolation and Social skills development

Bullying victimisation

Aggression, anger

Family issues

Adjustment

Grief and Loss

Suspected Learning Disability

Impulse control

Executive functioning

Adjustment (Life transitions)

Developmental difficulties

Consult with Head of

Learning Support

Check and review all

information on Synergetic

regarding the student. If a

support plan exists (LP,

IEP), have you tried

implementing the

recommended

strategies? If a support

plan does not exist,

collect and evaluate

evidence of suspected

behavioural concern –

what actions and

strategies have been

taken to support the

student?

School rules and

Expectations,

Attendance, Punctuality,

Bullying, Lockers,

Transport.

See guidelines of student

behaviour development.

Consult with school counsellor

Grief: Consult with school counsellor or Chaplain


Policy for Learning Support

Learning Support Programme (Junior and Senior School) Assist in planning support via Student Learning Profiles or Individual Education Plans for identified students.

Policy Students who participate in Learning Support programmes are those students who may be at risk of not achieving major learning outcomes of schooling to levels, which enable them to achieve their potential.

Philosophy for Students with Special Educational Needs All students have a right to achieve their potential.

Each student can learn and the needs of every student are important.

Each student is entitled to the knowledge, understanding and skills that provide a foundation for successful and lifelong learning and participation in the Australian community.

High expectations are set for each student as teachers account for the current level of learning of individual students and the different rates at which students develop.

Emphasis is placed on the classroom teacher’s knowledge and understanding of the student. Knowledge and expertise of staff is the most powerful factor in meeting the needs of all students.

There is a whole school approach to intervention that considers the needs of all stakeholders.

Learning Support staff work in a collaborative manner with fellow teachers, school counsellors, administration, outside agencies, parents and students.

Focus on the individual student and their total (not just academic) needs. A student’s self esteem underpins everything that she does.


Structure

Junior School Learning Support

Senior School Learning Support

Programme Descriptors of the programme Identification The focus is on ensuring that students with Special Educational needs are identified during the

enrolment process

Curriculum Appropriate programmes are developed and are responsive to the individual needs of students at risk.

(Curriculum differentiation refers to the provision of different learning needs and preferences)


Planning for improvement Plans for improvement are developed, implemented and accountable for student educational outcomes and are based on a thorough analysis of student needs.

The learning environment The learning environment is supportive and responsive to the needs of students at educational risk. Learning Support caters for the following types of learning difficulties: 1. Students who learn more slowly than their peers:

take longer to grasp ideas and concepts;

low achievement generally related to borderline intelligence;

tend to have learning difficulties across all subject areas. 2. Students with concern in some skill areas:

pockets of low achievement that don’t match expected performancelevels;

likely cause is environmental;

prognosis is good in a stable learning environment. 3. Students with a marked discrepancy between potential and actual performance particularly in a

specific skill area:

may be considered to have a specific learning difficulty;

problems associated with processing of information rather than environment;

students are usually average to above average intelligence;

significant difficulty in language or maths;

difficulties inconsistent with performance in other areas;

do not have sensory disability or environmental disadvantage.

Learning Programme Philosophy The learning programme is underpinned by the following philosophy:

Systematic explicit instruction

A framework that provides a measure of independence but at the same time supports the learner

Specifically targeting a student's weakness and providing appropriate strategies to address learning requirements

Ensuring that students achieve success by being placed on appropriate level of work, thus increasing self-esteem and confidence

Regular feedback on work and re-teaching of tasks if necessary Junior School Programme Learning Support staff work closely with classroom teachers to provide support to the students. The programmes offered may vary from semester to semester and between year levels in order to meet the needs of the particular students within a year level. All students from Kindergarten to Year 6 undergo a variety of screening assessments in order to identify students that may require support. These assessments are used in conjunction with class teacher observations.


Learning Support Programmes include: Prelit – This programme is used in Kindergarten and Pre-primary together with a wide range of activities within a play centred environment. Phonemic awareness is the main focus in these younger years. The support groups are fluid and meet the varying needs that arise throughout the early years. Minilit - This programme targets students in Year 1 through to Year 3. The Minilit programme is comprehensive; goal orientated and addresses the fundamentals of literacy including phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension. A special placement is conducted so the students are working at a level that will encourage success. Multilit Reading Tutor Programme – This programme is one on one to meet the individual need of a student that has previously completed the Minilit intervention programme. Senior School Support Programmes Students with learning difficulties are nurtured, supported and encouraged to develop their skills and their individual strengths. Senior School Learning Support’s guiding principle is that every student has the right to fulfil her potential. For some students, difficulties with learning may be transient and can be managed with additional teaching and support time. Other girls may be challenged throughout their school years. In all instances, we develop innovative, effective programmes to help each student to participate in the classroom as an active and engaged learner. Support offered to students includes:

assistance in mainstream classroom;

modification of classroom programme;

individual or group withdrawal programme;

Year 7/8 students can attend classes in the Learning Support Unit for three periods per cycle. If students take this option they do not study a language.

Years 9 and 10 students can choose to give up an elective subject in order to receive additional assistance in Learning Support;

subject streaming, in senior school;

after school homework tutoring;

short course – essay writing (Years 11 and 12);

targeted spelling intervention programmes before school.


Support Options



Identification As there is no single measurement tool for students with special educational needs the following information will be gathered (when appropriate) to help with identification:

appropriate psychometric tests (verbal and non verbal);

past school reports;

standardised tests;

medical reports;

observations (via teacher feedback);

teacher questionnaire;

parent questionnaire;

self questionnaire;

peer questionnaire.

Whole Year Identification process Academic and cognitive testing St Mary’s aims to maximise identification of students with special educational needs during the enrolment process. Junior School Standardised testing is conducted each year. Each student has a school profile outlining any special educational needs. Incoming student’s cognitive and academic skills are requested on enrolment. Senior School Incoming student’s cognitive and academic skills are assessed as a year group on Year 7 Orientation Day. Assessment examines verbal and non-verbal cognitive skills. Students who attended St Mary’s Junior School also have a School Profile outlining any special educational needs. Collecting Information from Parents A medical form in the enrolment package provides space for parents to indicate issues affecting the student. When special educational needs have been indicated, the enrolments officer will provide a copy of the form to the School Psychologist(s). The School Psychologist(s) will follow up with parents to obtain further information. Parent Intake Interviews During Intake Interviews, if the parent indicates their child has had extension or support at primary school, the Principal will inform the School Psychologist or relevant co-ordinator. The relevant staff member will follow up by contacting the parents to obtain further information. Enrolment during the year or in Years 9-12 Identification during school term will predominantly rely on teacher awareness. Teachers who believe a student has special educational needs should discuss this with the relevant co-ordinator. The coordinator, in conjunction with the School Psychologist(s), will decide on appropriate follow up. Parents who enquire regarding special educational needs will be directed to the relevant co-ordinator for further discussion. The relevant co-ordinator may choose to involve the School Psychologist(s) in this consultation.


Case Manager The Head of Learning Support, Junior School Learning Support Teachers and Counsellors are “case manager” for their relevant students. As case manager they will: 1. work with and inform the student and their family of provisions/support provided; 2. keep detailed documentation of the provisions being offered by St Mary’s; 3. be responsible for all curriculum support/advice required by teachers in conjunction with the

Dean of Administration. Collating Information A School Psychologist collates and summarises all relevant information relating to students with special educational needs. (Learning Profile). The Head of Learning Support holds discussions at the start of each semester with Senior School teachers to discuss the needs of specific Learning Support students. Junior School support teachers consult with Junior School teachers. Disseminating Information to Staff All teachers of students with special educational needs will be made aware of the student’s profile and strategies to support them in class through meetings and also via written communication (Learning Profile). The Learning Profile is placed on the school’s intranet under the Teacher Only section (password protected for confidentiality). This information is reviewed annually by the School Psychologist(s) and updated as required. It is the responsibility of teachers to check class lists and follow up with any students who have an alert. Policy for Gifted and Talented Policy for the Education of Students who are gifted Vision Statement To identify academically gifted students in order to provide learning challenges appropriate to students’ ability, maturity and individual strengths and weaknesses. ‘Students who are gifted are students who show advanced development, or have the potential for advanced development, in any valued area relative to their age peers, to a degree that modification of their education programme is necessary.’ Giftedness refers to a student’s outstanding potential and ability in one or more domains, (e.g. intellectual, artistic or sensory motor). Talent refers to outstanding performance in one or more fields of human activity. Talent emerges from ability as a consequence of the student’s learning experience. These students are not necessarily the high achievers, the most attentive, or the most cooperative in terms of task completion and compliance in the classroom.


There are four main concepts of giftedness that are central to the policy. These concepts are: 1. Gifted students display asynchronous development, where intellectual, physical, emotional

and social development occur at different rates and may present the student with a source of inner conflict.

2. Giftedness is multifaceted and is best served by a range of identification instruments, programme provisions and assessment procedures.

3. The development of innate gifts is strongly influenced by environmental factors such as significant adults and experiences, and individual aspects such as motivation, interest and character.

4. A student’s gifted behaviour may become evident at different times throughout his/her school life in a range of valued areas such as literacy, music, drama, sport, mathematics, science, art and others.

There are many very hard working students in our school who regularly achieve highly in assessments. Some of these students may be gifted, but many gain their results through pure hard work. The purpose of this policy is to identify and support gifted students rather than high achievers. It is important to note that certain children with gifted profiles (such as those from culturally diverse backgrounds, Indigenous students or students with learning difficulties) may not be identified through cognitive/academic tests alone. To facilitate the identification of gifted children in these categories verbal and non-verbal tests are included in the assessment process, as well as checklists of expected gifted behaviour. Additionally by including checklists that focus on domains other than “academic” giftedness, the process hopes to identify students with giftedness in realms such as creativity, leadership and artistic talent. Programming St Mary’s Anglican Girls’ School aim is to provide a curriculum that is academically rigorous and intellectually stimulating to meet the educational, social and emotional needs of our gifted and talented students. Whole school provision for our students may take the form of:

curriculum differentiation;

grouping wither within the class and/or withdrawal classes;

acceleration;

workshops;

competitions;

extension programmes;

creative and performing arts opportunities;

sport. Support Programmes Operational Guidelines All students at St Mary’s Anglican Girls’ School are a part of a differentiated model of learning. This is an integral part of the teaching of everyday lessons. Learning Support (Junior School) and Gifted and Talented subject coordinators (Senior School) will plan, implement, coordinate and monitor programmes to enhance learning outcomes for gifted students with special emphasis on underachievers.


Performance Indicators A wide variety of programmes will be offered to gifted students that allow for continued appropriate curriculum differentiation. Underachievers are to be identified and continued ongoing intervention is to be actively monitored and adjusted. Gifted students’ achievement is to be monitored by Learning Support staff (Junior School) and Gifted and Talented subject coordinators (Senior School), teachers and others to identify gifted students who are underachieving or are at risk of underachievement. Underachievement will be identified by ability, achievement and parental and teacher reporting. Junior School Learning Programmes Learning Support will work to support staff in developing appropriate learning programmes for identified students. These programmes will be student-centred and include Individual Education Plans, Group Education Plans and curriculum differentiation. They will support the students’ learning styles and intelligences according to the principles of Learning and Teaching in the Curriculum Framework (1999). Learning Support will actively support the professional development of teachers and parents regarding implementing programmes that enhance students’ thinking and learning. Competitions and enrichment opportunities Throughout the year a wide range of learning opportunities are provided across all disciplines. The Junior School screening process is designed to identify those students that may be invited to join a particular enrichment programme. Entry into one discipline does not automatically qualify entry to another or for the following year. Enrichment opportunities vary from year to year and may include: Maths – Maths Online, Chess Science – Science Talent Search, Millennium Kids, Science IQ English – Tim Winton writing competition, Young Writers Challenge History – History photo book Senior School Gifted and Talented subject coordinators will actively seek to maintain extension, enrichment and cluster programmes appropriate to students’ needs. Such programmes include Academic Enrichment programmes, competitive programmes such as Future Problem Solving, Maths Olympiad, Tournament of Minds, Maths Talent Quests, Chemistry and Biology Olympiads, Science Talent Search, etc. Policy on Acceleration at St Mary’s Anglican Girls School St Mary’s aims to support the learning of all students, including those students who require extension with their learning. Acceleration is an educational consideration for students who are identified as being gifted. Acceleration can include:


Out of classrooms

Early admission to school

Grade-skipping

Subject Acceleration

Radical Acceleration (skipping more than one grade and/or accelerating in several ways at once).

Inside classrooms

Curriculum compacting

Telescoping (completing one year within a semester)

Advanced placement in courses e.g. university courses

Dual enrolment e.g. enrolled in both Year 11 and 12 at the same time Research suggests that acceleration can be a very effective way to support the students who are functioning in the gifted range. However, planning needs to be extensive and involve family, school and external professionals. This is to ensure that the best educational decisions are made. Acceleration is not a suitable option for all students who are identified as gifted. St Mary’s offers a range of extension based activities and so acceleration is not needed for many students. What to do if acceleration is being considered? Either school, external professionals or parents can raise the query about whether acceleration is needed to support a student. When acceleration is raised as a consideration information will be required to assist with a good decision making process. The Head of Junior School or Dean of Curriculum and the Principal must be involved in discussions and decision-making. St Mary’s uses the Iowa Acceleration Scale to assist with determining the most appropriate way to support students who are gifted. This means that the following information is required on a student before acceleration can be considered:

Intelligence Quotient results. This is generally the Stanford Binet IV or the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children – Fourth Edition.

Academic achievement.

“Off level” testing – determining the student’s results on assessments designed for older students.

Input from parents regarding a range of issues such as social, emotional, behavioural.

Input from teachers regarding range of issues such as social, emotional, behavioural. This information will be collated via the Iowa Acceleration Scales to help with the decision about acceleration. Parents and school staff will work on this together on this document. It is important to highlight that acceleration is not the only option for extension support.


Policy for Individual Education Plans An IEP is written for students who have highly individual needs, which are not being met in a student’s learning profile. Criteria for Formulating an IEP Parent concerns will be noted. However, there need to be school-based concerns for an IEP to be developed.

Students who appear to be working well below their intellectual potential.

Students identified through formal psychometric testing as having borderline or low intellectual function (functioning at 9th percentile or below on cognitive testing)

Students who have any disability (physical, medical, neurological, visual or auditory) that impacts significantly on their learning.

Students who have emotional, behavioural or organisational issues impacting significantly on their learning.

At the discretion of teachers and counsellors for students deemed to need more individualisation than the Student Learning profile can offer.

Process for Implementing an Individual Education Plan (IEP) When it is determined that an IEP is necessary for a student the following steps will be followed:

IEP Writing Process

IEP

Process


Junior School

1. Teacher / support teacher / counsellor to determine the need for an IEP. 2. Classroom teacher/ support teacher contact parent by sending out letter inviting them to an IEP

meeting. Also send IEP questionnaire for parent to complete and bring to the meeting. 3. Meet with parent at arranged time with relevant stakeholders. (Example - classroom teacher,

support teacher, school counsellor, and parent.) 4. At the meeting, support teacher to establish a review time for follow up of IEP. 5. Support teacher to co-ordinate IEP and distribute relevant information to stakeholders. 6. Support teacher to post IEP to parents to sign.

Senior School

7. Teacher/ Head of Learning Support /school counsellor to determine the need for an IEP. Discuss with Dean of Curriculum/Students/Administration.

8. Head of Learning Support contact parents by sending out a letter inviting them to an IEP meeting. Also send IEP questionnaire for parent to complete and bring to the meeting

9. Parent to meet counsellor, support teacher and link teacher to discuss concerns and possible strategies for inclusion in IEP. At this meeting, Head of Learning Support establishes a review date for follow up of IEP.

10. Head of Learning Support, counsellor and subject teachers to meet to make further contributions to IEP. It is the teachers’ responsibility to attend this meeting; if they are unable to make the meeting they are invited to contribute via email.

11. Head of Learning Support to co-ordinate IEP. 12. Head of Learning Support to post IEP for parent to sign and email to subject teachers.

Documents

LEARNING SUPPORT AND INCLUSIVE EDUCATION Policy & … · 2018. 12. 27. · Policy - Learning support and inclusive education Page 4 of 18 Major Modification – Support and Extension