Special Education Language – 10 Acronyms You Should Know
Posted by admin in Education Language on September 26, 2011
The Special Education system in Ontario has a language of its own. If you are the parent of a child who has been recently identified as exceptional by the school board, you can get lost in the language during your first school meetings. There are many acronyms that are used by school administrators and school staff and most often they don’t think about the fact that parents may not understand their “language”. So it’s up to the parents to become knowledgeable about the language of special education. In this article, I am going to explain the meanings of ten of the most important acronyms in special education.
IEP – Individual Education Plan.
The IEP is a document that lists the strengths and needs, and the programs, services, accommodations and supports that are required by a particular student. It lists the annual goals in each alternative or modified subject area, as well as the learning expectations for each term, which are determined by the student’s strengths and needs. A student does not have to be formally identified as an exceptional student to receive an IEP. But if the student is formally identified by an IPRC, it is a requirement of the Regulation 181/98 of the Education Act that they receive an IEP. Read the rest of this entry »
How to Write a Letter to Your Child’s Elementary School
If you have a child in elementary school who has special education needs, you will need to know how to write letters to the school. You want your letters to express a desire to work collaboratively for the benefit of your child. By communicating and sharing information with the school, you encourage the school to communicate and share information with you in return.
Your very first letter to the school should be a letter describing your child. His or her strengths and interests, likes and dislikes, special skills and odd behaviours, any health issues, and any relevant experiences that you want to share with the school that might help them understand your child better.
Your future letters might be to request information or clarification, or request a particular program or service, or it might be to document an incident that occurred. Read the rest of this entry »