District Peel ...._,

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School Board

AGENDA

Special Education Advisory Committee Tuesday, March 29, 2016 7°00 p mo Brampton Room

PEEL DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD

Special Education Advisory Committee Meeting

AGENDA

Brampton Room

Tuesday, March 29, 2016

OPEN SESSION 1.

Call to Order 1.1 Approval of Agenda

2.

Declaration of Conflict of Interest

3.

Minutes 3.1 Special Education Advisory Committee Meeting, February 16, 2016

4.

Chair•s Request for Written Questions from Committee Members

5.

Notices of Motion and Petitions

6.

Delegations

7.

Ministry and Board Policy Review

8.

Program Review

9.

Reports from Officials and Staff/Department Work Plan Review 9.1 Superintendent's Report- oral 9.2 Special Education Plan- plan revision update and schedule Special Education Plan development- PD plans Elementary 9.3 9.4 Special Equipment Amount (SEA) - project overview and showcase

10.

Communications- for Action or Receipt

11.

Response of Administration to Former Questions

12.

Reports from Representatives on Councils/Associations

13.

Questions asked of and by Committee Members

14.

Public Question Period

15.

Adjournment

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3.1

PEEL DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD Minutes of a meeting of the Special Education Advisory Committee of the Peel District School Board, held in the Brampton Room, the H. J. A. Brown Education Centre, 5650 Hurontario Street, Mississauga, Ontario on Tuesday, February 16, 2016 at 19:00 hours. Members present: Barbara Byers, Fragile X Research Foundation of Canada, Chair Nancy Bratkovic, Canadian Mental Health Association, Peel Branch Barbara Cyr, Association for Bright Children, Peel Chapter David Green, Trustee Sue Lawton, Trustee Nancy Leaton, Autism Ontario, Peel Chapter Carol Ogilvie, Learning Disabilities Association of Peel Region Dorothy Peddie, FASworld Canada, Peel Chapter Harkirat Singh, Trustee Ann Smith, Brampton-Caledon Community Living Mary Wright, Peel Caring Network for Challenged Kids Absent: (apologies received marked*) Shelley Foster, VOICE for Hearing Impaired Children, Vice-Chair* Jennifer Knight, Easter Seals Ontario* Wes McDonald, VIEWS for the Visually Impaired Carol Oitment, Tourette Syndrome Association of Ontario* Also present: Stan Cameron, Trustee Robert Crocker, Trustee Karen Del Ben, Educational Resource Facilitators of Peel Fauzia Reza, Autism Ontario, Peel Chapter (Alternate) Administration: Ted Byers, Superintendent of Special Education Support Services (Executive Member) Pertia Minott, Superintendent of Education (Executive Member Back-up) Marina Amin, Board Reporter

1.

Approval of Agenda SE-19, moved by Dorothy Peddie, that the agenda be approved. .. ............ carried

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2.

Conflict of Interest There were no declarations of conflict of interest.

3.

Minutes of the Special Education Advisory Committee Meeting, January 19, 2016 SE-20, moved by Nancy Leaton, that the Minutes of the Special Education Advisory Committee Meeting, held January 19, 2016, be approved. . ............. carried

4.

Superintendent's Report Superintendent of Special Education Support Services, Ted Byers, welcomed Julie Tidman, Coordinating Vice-Principal for Section 23 classes, noting that she has recently joined the Special Education department. Recalling information provided at the last meeting about the Student Needs Assessment Form (SNAF), and questions raised about the allocation process and effective use of Teaching Assistants (TAs) in schools, Superintendent Byers reported that a research study is being undertaken to assess the process for allocation ofTAs. He advised that Lindy Zaretsky, a Consultant at Reaching Education Resolutions Inc., will review the current allocation practice from a sufficiency, efficiency, and effectiveness standpoint. She will poll staff at approximately 60 schools, both elementary and secondary, to ascertain whether theTA allocation process is meeting administrative needs. Results and feedback will be brought back to this Committee. Acknowledging input from members, Superintendent Byers invited SEAC's involvement in the study being conducted by Lindy Zaretsky. Members expressed interest in the Committee's involvement in the study, and some offered to represent SEAC on the study group. SE-21, moved by Ann Smith, that the Superintendent's Report (oral), be received . .............. carried

5.

Special Education Plan Development- Staff Development Plans Superintendent Byers stated that one of the priorities from the list identified by SEAC for discussion and review in developing the Board's Special Education Plan is related to staff development. He noted that, as a result of several meetings with department staff, and to better explain staff development plans, a visual was created that outlines the tiered approach to staff training in order to build knowledge and skills that will support staff and students. Describing the different levels of support, Superintendent Byers advised that workshops can be reformatted into this tiered model. Reviewing the graphic outlining the tiered approach strategy, Coordinator of Special Programs, Gillian Kajganich, highlighted the continuous professional development opportunities offered to teachers and TAs, including training modules which are regularly updated, and which teaching assistants are required to complete.

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5.

Special Education Plan Development- Staff Development Plans (Continued) Gillian Kajganich spoke about job-embedded training to better support teaching practice and student achievement, and described the proactive processes that are used at the universal and targeted approach levels. She explained that in-depth learning takes place at the intensive level, and noted that TAs generally work with the more vulnerable students in the Board. Commenting on the tiered approach, a member suggested that a detailed explanation of professional development be offered, so as to distinguish it from the tiered approach used for intervention with students. Suggestions were noted and the Special Education Staff Development Plan will be brought back to the Committee. A handout summarizing the Board's Mental Health Strategy, and the draft version of Supporting Minds 2013, an educator's guide to promoting students' mental health and well-being, was circulated. Providing background information, Superintendent of Education, Pertia Minott, stated that the Ministry document, Open Minds, Healthy Minds, provides the context for implementation and development of a mental health support strategy in the Board, and she highlighted the four guiding goals: improve mental health and well-being for all Ontarians; create healthy, resilient, inclusive communities; identify mental health and addictions problems early and intervene; provide timely, high quality, integrated, person-directed health and other human services. Superintendent Minott spoke about School Mental Health ASIST (Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training) which promotes mental health well-being with a focus on leadership capacity building and implementation supports. Reviewing the handout, Coordinator of Student Well-Being, Maureen MacKay, provided details of the Board's Mental Health Strategy, which commenced in May 2012 with System Mapping and the creation of a Mental Health Steering Committee and Working table. She outlined five mental health priorities that the Board will focus on: to actively promote mental health awareness and decrease stigma across the system; to promote a broad understanding of suicide prevention, intervention and postvention; to develop a deeper understanding of what mental health means in the diverse community groups; continue to promote and deepen collaborative working relationships; increase the system's responsiveness to mental health needs. Maureen Mackay described the various resources, including training modules and workshops, being developed to bring awareness and build capacity to support mental health issues. She spoke about discussion with focus groups consisting of parents and students to better understand their issues and needs, so as to help families get past all barriers. More than 200 faith-based leaders have been trained to recognize the signs and symptoms of mental illness, and through Community Care Access Centres (CCAC), Peel has access to seven mental health and addiction nurses, who assist with transitioning students back to the school environment. Maureen MacKay also provided details about the Ontario Telemedicine Network partnership with the Hospital for Sick Kids in the area of telepsychiatry. She spoke of plans to extend support to the Syrian refugees arriving in Ontario, and to work with School Mental Health ASIST to get province wide support.

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5.

Special Education Plan Development- Staff Development Plans (Continued) Members questions of clarification were responded to by the administration, including Children's Aid Society (CAS) partnered with Peel in system mapping; parents, guardians, and foster parents are welcome to attend training events held in Peel schools; CCAC mental health addiction nurses generally meet with the student within 48 hours. Responding to a member's query about using the services of a Behaviour Mobile Team, Maureen MacKay advised that teachers have a keen understanding of the students they work with and develop an expertise that supports their needs. She highlighted that all Peel schools have social workers and psychologists who support students in need. Chief Social Worker, Jim Van Buskirk, provided details of the Joint Protocol for Student Achievement (JPSA), a Ministry initiative designed to support the most vulnerable students, in view of concerns about the decreased graduation rate of Ontario's Crown Wards. The JPSA is intended to enable collaboration between Children's Aid Societies and school boards, so that when students in the care of or receiving services from CAS register in school, a plan of action is developed that will improve their prospects for graduation. SE-22, moved by Dorothy Peddie, that the report re Special Education Plan Development - Staff Development Plans, be received. . ............. carried

6.

Operating Procedure SEPS 17 Providing an overview of the Operating Procedure SEPS 17 "Procedures for Dealing with Students Exhibiting High Risk Behavioural Difficulties, • Superintendent Byers, stated that the draft revisions to the procedure include the tiered approach to behaviour intervention, a broadened description of alternative learning environments to support behavior plans, more details about additional programs and supports for students and staff. He highlighted sections in the report relating to protocol for students transitioning to new settings; strategies to be used at the Tier I, II and Ill levels, including safety plans; procedure to be followed for students exhibiting.more unsafe behavior; responding to students exhibiting alcohol substance abuse; tips and response protocol for dealing with non-suicidal selfinjury; facts, guidance and process with respect to suicide prevention, intervention and postvention. Superintendent Byers responded to members' questions, explaining the strategies used and processes in place to support students exhibiting high risk behavior. He indicated that excluded students do not always have a community case conference, and staff look for a safe pathway back to school that supports the student's integration. This may involve a community partner, telepsychiatry, or other human resources that can be brought to the skillset. Superintendent Byers stated that students in the Tier Ill program come with multiple exceptionalities and needs, and noted that an exclusion is a temporary situation until the required supports are in place for the student to be successful. A member explained the challenges involved in setting a timeframe for exclusion, as this includes conversations with the parents and developing a specific plan that will be beneficial to the student. Another member asked whether a report can be presented to SEAC annually regarding excluded students, and average duration of an exclusion.

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6.

Operating Procedure SEPS 17 (Continued) SE-23, moved by Sue Lawton, that the report reOperating Procedure SEPS 17, be received. . ............. carried

7.

Question Period Barbara Cyr confirmed that a presentation table will be provided to SEAC at the Numeracy Conference on April 2, 2016, and that brochures for display should be forwarded to her by March 29, 2016, or brought to Rick Hansen Secondary School, after 4 p.m. on April 2, 2016. She also asked for volunteer assistance at the SEAC workshop. Barbara Cyr asked about the SEAC meeting being scheduled on March 29, 2016. She stated that, if the meeting is being moved because of a religious celebration, it is incorrect, since the religious celebration is on March 24, 2016. Ann Smith asked about "Learning for All" training programs. Gillian Kajganich explained that training and professional development is within the "Growing Success" framework, and creating success criteria for meeting the needs of every student. Dorothy Peddie inquired about when the updates to the Ministry's Special Needs Strategy will become available. It was noted that the Special Needs Strategy Group will be presenting to the Ministry in April, after which feedback will be brought back to this Committee. A Ministry plan is expected for possible implementation in the 2017-2018 school year.

8.

Public Question Period There were no public questions.

9.

Adjournment SE-24, moved by Nancy Bratkovic, that the meeting adjourn (20:30 hours). carried

.. .. ................. ... ... ........ .. .... ......... ... . . . Chair . . . .. .... ........ ........... ............ . . . .. .. ...... Secretary

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PEEL DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD

9.2

Special Education Advisory Committee

March 29, 2016

Special Education Plan: Revision Update and Schedule

Recommendation: It is recommended that this report be received.

Background: A revised template for the board's Special Education Plan has been determined, based on a review of the Special Education Plans of other school boards, with input and discussion from SEAC and Peel staff. A new Special Education Plan webpage has been built, using the new template. The webpage is still "under construction" and has not yet been posted for public view, but can be viewed by SEAC members at: http://peelschools.org/parents/specialed/sep-beta/Pages/default.aspx It is proposed that content will be loaded into this new Special Education Plan template, as material is created and/or revised and presented to SEAC for comment. The following schedule is proposed for building out the content of the Plan.

Section Section Section Section Section

A 8 C D E

Section F Section G Section H Section I Section J Section K

Submitted by:

Introduction Ministry and Board directives Service Delivery Model by Exceptionality Support Staff and Services Intervention Strategies and Procedures Transitions Professional Development Special Education Advisory Committee (SEAC) Health Support Services Mental Health and Addiction Strategy Appendices

Completion date May 2016 May 2016 (draft) May 2016 May 2017 May 2016 (partial) May 2017 (complete) May 2017 May 2016 May2016 May2017 May 2016 May 2017

Ted Byers, Superintendent of Special Education Support Services

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9.3

PEEL DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD

Special Education Advisory Committee

March 29, 2016

Professional Development Plans for Special Education Staff

Recommendation: It is recommended that this report be received.

Background: In recent meetings, SEAC identified priority areas for discussion and review in the development of the board's Special Education Plan. One of these priorities related to staff development initiatives. The Staff Development report to the February SEAC meeting identified a new graphic model to represent the tiered approach to staff development: • Universal: Generalized Special Education training for all staff working in schools • Targeted: Specific skill-building development available to all staff but targeted to some educators • Specific: Professional development for certain staff working with students who have complex needs . It was also proposed that, over a series of SEAC meetings, staff from each area within the Special Education Support Services department would report on the specifics of the staff development plan, as it applied to their area. In the February SEAC meeting, the report included staff development plans for Teaching Assistants and for the board's Mental Health Strategy. This March SEAC report on staff development includes plans related to Elementary Special Education.

Submitted by:

Ted Byers, Superintendent of Special Education Support Services

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Intensive IEP development Support Situation specific professional dialogue Site/student specific training for Assistive technology (text to speech, Eye Gaze technology) Teacher training for specific reading Intervention (e.g. Empower)

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Targeted

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IEP support with a focus on Ministry Initiatives (Numeracy) SERT training (New to the position) Collaborative Inquiry networks for contained class teachers IPRC Chairs training Interactive whlteboard training (IWB) In-service for administrators (Sunrise and sunset seminars, VP Network,) In-service- Assistlve Technology for special accommodations for provincial assessments- Kurzwell training Annual Review training In-service training for ISSP teachers Departmental collaborative Inquiry projects Interdepartmental Professional Support- IEP Development, EQAO, Assistlve Technology, Transition Planning, SEA applications (Care and/or Treatment Programs, Custody and Correctional Facilities, Speech-Language Pathologist, Secondary Heads with Special Education responsibilities, Itinerant Staff) Program Specific Professional Learning Days (COM PL Day, ELC PL) Developing resources to support ESL students with possible special education needs Training for the administration of Standardized Assessments (KTEA) AT training for In School Support Personnel and contained classroom teachers (Text to speech, Reading & Writing tools, Educational Apps, Mirroring and Tablet workshops) AT training for Educational Assistants In school support program ISSP Teacher Institute Special Education Resources Teachers (SERT) staff meetings SERT training in assistive technology SIS Training In school support program teachers mentoring

Universal

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Annual Learning Disabilities Association of Ontario conference IEP Training and support CISESS Learning Team Meetings Special Education Monthly Newsletter Posting of Professional Development Presentations and Resources (ISPP Institute, IEP Tip Sheets, ISRC Referral Forms etc.) Parent AT website for access AT information and at home resources Special Education SharePoint Sites Nurneracy and beyond Parent workshop

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9.4

PEEL DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD

Special Education Advisory Committee

March 29, 2016

Special Equipment Amount {SEA)- Project Overview

Recommendation: It is recommended that this report be received.

Background: As the Ministry of Education's guidelines explain, "the Special Equipment Amount (SEA) provides funding to school boards to assist with the costs of equipment essential to support students with special education needs where the need for specific equipment is recommended by a qualified professional." SEA funding includes both a per-pupil amount and a claims-based amount. The perpupil amount is for purchases of all computers and software, furniture identified for use by students with special education needs, as well as training costs. The claims-based amount is generated through claim submission, and provides funding for non-computer based equipment, such as sensory, hearing, vision, personal care and physical assists support. With this report, staff will provide an overview of the projects undertaken in 2015-16 and will provide a showcase of SEA technologies used to support students.

Submitted by:

Ted Byers, Superintendent of Special Education Support Services

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SEA Overview

We are having another busy year in SEA (Special Education Amount) with supporting our students with technology and instruction. Last year, we completed 800 individual SEA Laptop claims, 100 individual iPad claims and 170 cluster claims to support our contained classrooms.

Over the past two years, our SEA team has grown in order to support students and teachers with technical support and professional development. We have introduced 2 new SEA PCLAN specialist and 2 Assistive Technology Resource Teachers. This has enabled us to visit schools to support students and staff with new software.

We are very excited to let you know about our Apple TV Cluster Claim project that we started last year. In the past, we have supported our contained classrooms with Interactive Whiteboards so students could manipulate information on the board and communicate their knowledge more effectively. Now we are adding an Apple TV, iPads and laptops to contained classrooms so students can collaborate with their peers and teacher. This project has been a huge success in changing the way students demonstrate their learning and teachers are able to capture student work.

We are in our second year implementing Kurzweil3000 as our text to speech software to assist students with reading and writing. Not only is the program accessible on every

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desktop and laptop in PDSB, parents and students can download the program at home to use. Kurzweil has many great features such as, picture dictionary, translation, brainstoiTT_ling templates, study skills toolbar and the capacity to save your work in the cloud.

Feedback from the last SEAC meeting in 2014-15, there was a request for a PDSB parent friendly Assistive Technology site that would share information about software and resources available. We have created a WordPress site www.pdsbat.net that shares this information such as how to download Kurzweil 3000 at home. We also update our PDSB teacher Assistive Technology SharePoint where we offer support for all software and hardware that we purchase for Special Education in PDSB.

This year we have been supporting our high needs schools with cutting edge technology. We have been trialing an Eye Gaze system that allows students to communicate and share their learning with eye movement. Students that do not have the ability to use a mouse or a touch screen can now participate in learning activities and teachers can track their progress.

Bridges Canada are our third party instructors that work with SEA students once they receive their equipment. Bridges has 15 instructors in PDSB that visit with a student for up to 10 hours to train them on how to use their laptop or tablet with the appropriate software that will allow them to succeed in school. We make sure that the instructors

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are also working closely with the classroom teacher to support the student once the instructor has left.

We have been offering half day workshops for our special education teachers to support them with using Kurzweil 3000 and Apple TV in the classroom. There have been over 500 special education teachers that have participated in Kurzweil sessions that explained everything such as; sharing lessons with students, having text read back to them, study tools and using writing templates to organize ideas. Teachers who received our Apple TV bundle were invited to a workshop to explain how to mirror an iPad to their Interactive Whiteboard and use open ended apps that capture and share student learning in all areas of the curriculum.

We are so lucky that we have the opportunity to collaborate with our Speech and Language Pathologists with the technology we are using. We have setup various workshops to demonstrate Clicker 6 and Communicate: In Print can help students with their reading and writing. We also presented to the SLP team regarding all the built in features that the iPad has to support students in their caseload.

The SEA team is committed to deliver quality equipment, software and professional development to our students and staff in Peel.