LEAP 2011 Windsor Ontario Kerry Sweeney Windsor Greater Essex County Board Kerry Sweeney

The questions I asked when I visited educational settings were: Do School and District Board Improvement Plans have targets for Special Education students? How do teachers plan and assess for learning for students with special needs? How do teachers track and report student achievement over time? How are teachers trained to support students with special needs? There is a common curriculum across the province. It does not set standards for students who are not able to achieve grade expectations. If students are more that 2 years behind in they scer schooling they go to a special ed. Room for ½ day. Schools are expected to make modifications for students with complex needs. IEPS are standardised and written based on reports from health care professionals. The IEPs I saw did show growth over time. Planning and assessing for special ed kids depended on the skill of the teacher. Most people I spoke to gave me a stock standard answer about EQAO tests, but did not appear to have any real knowledge. You can become a special ed. Teacher by doing three courses on line. Kerry Sweeney

EQAO Scores Rule Kerry Sweeney

Reaching Every Student Classes are well supported. Kerry Sweeney

Reaching Every Student The goal is to close the gap. The Board provides health care professionals to support students. There is no paperwork. The student needs support and the Board provides it. Kerry Sweeney

Three processes of assessment For learning Teachers know “where students are” as they begin the learning cycle. Teachers know if students are “getting it” while they are still learning and can take action to improve. As Learning Students know “where I am” as they begin the learning cycle. Students know if they are “getting it”. Students learn how to “get it” better. Of Learning All parties know if the student “got it”. Kerry Sweeney

Differentiation Teachers differentiate through: Content Process Product Interests Teachers consider the factors that will influence their planning, teaching and assessment of students. Teachers complete a profile the sets out background information, interests, learning style, intelligence preference etc. They then consider the implications for teaching. Kerry Sweeney

What I was hoping to see was a plan that broke the curriculum down for special ed. students. Number – Whole Numbers NES1.1 Counts to 30, and orders, reads and represents numbers in the range 0 to 20. Goal: N1.1 Students access/interact with the representation of a numeral. Indicator FP PP M G/S V I Makes eye contact Reaches for Makes physical contact with FP – full physical assistance PP – partial physical assistance M – modelled response G/s – gestural/sign V – verbal I - independent Kerry Sweeney

Classrooms Kerry Sweeney Classrooms mostly had a lot of equipment. This is provided by the Board. The timetable represents 2 secondary students at Pelee Island school who do their work on line. Kerry Sweeney

Balance of work and play. Kerry Sweeney