Board Policies & Administrative Procedures

Administrative Procedure 213: INCLUSIVE EDUCATION

Background

All children have the right to quality education, an education that shall provide a sense of belonging and acceptance in the school community and which will lead to personal growth, development and success of the individual child.

As defined by Alberta Education, an inclusive education system is a way of thinking and acting that demonstrates universal acceptance of, and belonging for, all students. Inclusive education in Alberta means a value-based approach to accepting responsibility for all students. It also means that all students will have equitable opportunities to be included in the typical learning environment or program of choice.

In the Alberta context, inclusion means every student will be included in the greater school community and will be physically placed in the setting that is best for them at a particular time, based on the input of all parties. Inclusion does not necessarily mean that every student registered in an Alberta school system will be placed in a regular classroom. Physical placement will be flexible and changeable, always with the student’s success in mind.

Procedures

1. All students shall be given the opportunity to participate in all aspects of school life.
   1. School life shall include all those activities to which students are exposed as part of their school experience.
   2. Collaborative program planning and development will allow students to be fully participating members of the school community with programs and supports in place which best suit their educational needs.
   3. Appropriate screening and diagnostic assessment information contribute to a learner profile that allows for planning, program development, and implementation. Information gathered at all levels of the system, beginning with the teacher and family and extending to specialists, will allow teachers to program to meet the diverse learning needs of all students.
      1. Program planning and development will consider all relevant aspects of a child's development. The school-based learning team will utilize collaborative practices based on the principles of wraparound to facilitate timely supports and services within the pyramid of interventions for student success.
      2. The school-based learning team may consist of the classroom teacher, parents, students (where appropriate), other school and Division staff aware of the students' needs, and others as required.
          
2. The classroom teacher is responsible for all students in his/her classroom.
   1. The classroom teacher is accountable for the development, implementation and evaluation of the student's program.
   2. The teacher provides meaningful educational experiences that support and challenges the student's levels and styles of learning.
       
3. Parents will be given opportunities and encouraged to participate in their child's education as an integral part of the learning team to collaborate with program planning and implementation.
   1. Before the teacher provides a student with significant program modifications, the school-based learning team, and when appropriate the student, will collaborate to identify and provide effective instruction and supports.
   2. School-based learning teams will involve parents in the identification, referral and assessment process for students requiring consultation or specialized assessments.
   3. Principals must obtain parents’ written informed consent for specialized assessments or referrals.
      1. In cases when parents refuse consent, principals are to document and place in the student record the reasons for refusal and/or actions undertaken by the Division to obtain consent.
   4. Using all relevant assessment data, school-based learning teams, in collaboration with parents and when appropriate the student, will ensure that there is an individual program plan developed, implemented, monitored and evaluated.
   5. Principals will identify whose responsibility it is to coordinate, develop, implement, monitor and evaluate the school-based individual program and services.
   6. Principals must obtain written informed consent from parents to provide coordinated services to students when required, and as identified in students' individual program plans.
      1. In cases when parents refuse consent, principals are to document and place in the student record the reasons for refusal and/or actions undertaken by the Division to obtain consent.
   7. A designate of the school-based learning team will arrange opportunities for regular communication and feedback with the parents relating to the individual program plan throughout the school year.
   8. Consistent with Administrative Procedure 390 – Appeals Concerning Student Matters and Policy 13 – Appeals and Hearings Regarding Student Matters, a parent and/or a student, sixteen (16) years of age or older, have the right to appeal decisions made by school administrators and/or the Board which significantly affect the education of the student.
   9. When a student is exceptionally vulnerable to severe reaction or injury, the Principal, with the parent(s) or caregiver(s), is responsible for ensuring appropriate arrangements are made for the welfare of the student. To fulfill this responsibility the Principal shall, as per Administrative Procedure 316 – Administering Student Medication:
      1. Make reasonable provisions that will enable the student to receive special medical treatment as required at school.
      2. Request that the Superintendent locate a more suitable educational setting for the student to attend school.
          
4. Normally, all students will receive their education in an age-appropriate setting and within the student's own attendance area.
   1. Usually, at the elementary and junior high school level, the age of all students within any classroom shall vary by not more than one (1) year from the average age of students in that grade. Any variation will be done collaboratively and in consultation with the parent, school staff and Superintendent.
   2. At the high school level age is not used as a criterion for placement in courses. Flexibility, therefore, is available for students wishing to obtain certain program standards or credits.
      1. Consistent with Administrative Procedure 300 – Age of Admission, there is an expectation that all students will complete high school within three (3) years of completing grade 9.
      2. Students completing a Certificate of High School Completion may, on an exceptional basis and with the approval of the Principal, be enrolled for a fourth or subsequent year in a Division high school.
   3. If the Board determines it cannot meet the complex needs of a student in an education program provided by the Board or a funded program elsewhere, it shall, within ten (10) days of such determination, refer the matter to the Complex Education Needs Tribunal as prescribed under Section 40 of the Education Act.
      
      

Appendix

Designated Special Education Private Schools

Reference

Section 3, 11, 40, 42, 43, 44, 53, 56, 196, 197, 204, 222 Education Act
Student Record Regulation 225/2006
Guide to Education: ECS to Grade 12
Standards for Special Education
Standards for the Provision of Early Childhood Special Education

Approved: September 12, 1996

Amended: May 7, 2001; August 21, 2018

Last Reviewed: July 2021

Last Updated: July 29, 2021