The Inclusive Education Team is the group of specialists who collaborate with classroom teachers and families to establish and monitor the interventions, goals and strategies being put in place to help your child be safe and successful at school. For some learners, this also involves the creation of an Individualized Education Plan or Learning Plan.
An Inclusion Support Teacher works with your child’s classroom teacher to provide support to your child and co-ordinate your child’s support plan.
Education Assistants are assigned to learning environments and provide additional support to a variety of students.
Additional support from a Speech Language Pathologist, English Language Learning Teacher, School Psychologist, or Child, Youth & Family Support Worker, may also be recommended.
District support is also available for students with hearing and visual impairments.
Referrals for these services are made through your child’s classroom teacher to the School-Based Team. Your child’s teacher is the best place to begin when you have a question or concern.
Counselling Support
School counsellors facilitate social-emotional and behavioral support for learners at school (i.e. self-regulation, friendships, anxiety in the school setting).
Where a student is experiencing difficulties across a variety of settings, or is presenting with a need requiring more intensive, individualized support, the school’s counsellor will work with the student and family, to refer the student to an outside service provider.
Support with Supervision and Personal Care
Additional support may be provided for students who require support to be safe when playing outside, or for those with personal care needs. Please ask your child’s teacher if you have questions or concerns.
Learning Environments at School
Your child’s key learning space is his or her classroom.
Other learning spaces are provided when an alternative environment is needed for small group or individual support with specific, targeted skills. We are always working to provide students with the best learning environment to meet their individual needs.
The School Based Team is the school committee that works to determine the supports and interventions for individual students. If you have a concern, begin with a conversation with your child’s teacher.
The Inclusive Education Team is the group of specialists who collaborate with classroom teachers and families to establish and monitor the interventions, goals and strategies being put in place to help your child be safe and successful at school. For some learners, this also involves the creation of an Individualized Education Plan or Learning Plan.
An Inclusion Support Teacher works with your child’s classroom teacher to provide support to your child and co-ordinate your child’s support plan.
Education Assistants are assigned to learning environments and provide additional support to a variety of students.
Additional support from a Speech Language Pathologist, English Language Learning Teacher, School Psychologist, or Child, Youth & Family Support Worker, may also be recommended.
District support is also available for students with hearing and visual impairments.
Referrals for these services are made through your child’s classroom teacher to the School-Based Team. Your child’s teacher is the best place to begin when you have a question or concern.
Click the boxes below to learn more about our support systems
An Integration Plan is a formal document used to guide the interventions and supports provided for a learner under the age of 16 who is attending school on a part-time program.
What is an Integration Plan ?
An Integration Plan is a formal document used to guide the interventions and supports provided for a learner under the age of 16 who is attending school on a part-time program. There are two reasons why this type of plan is implemented:
the school team determines that a student is not able to participate in a full-time educational program due to significant medical, social-emotional or behavioural needs, and a temporary reduction in the length of the school day is necessary.
a student’s parents or guardians wish to have their child regularly participate in activities outside of the school setting during the school day.
Integration Plans are time-limited supports which assist the student while they develop the stamina and skills required to be successful for a full school day.
Elements of the Integration Plan include:
A rationale for part-time attendance
The student’s personalized schedule
Specific criteria for increasing time
A mechanism for regular, ongoing monitoring of the student’s progress and the collection of data
A clear structure for regular, ongoing communication with parents/guardians
A plan for the student’s learning outside of the hours they are attending school
Any additional notes or relevant background information
Who creates Integration Plans?
Integration Plans are developed collaboratively, and often involve consultation with a large team.
The team typically includes:
The principal or vice-principal
An Inclusion Support Teacher (where the student is formally designated, this is typically the case manager)
The classroom teacher
The school counsellor
The student’s parent/guardian
Other members of the student’s team outside school, as requested by the parent (e.g. medical doctor, behaviour consultant or interventionist, mental health clinician, social worker)
Integration Plans are most successful when families and school teams work collaboratively to develop a program that is specifically tailored to a student’s individual needs.
Where the broader team (e.g. medical doctor or out-side therapist) is unavailable for a team meeting, the school team will request consent to exchange information through other means (e.g. emails, phone calls).
The more we learn about the student and their needs, as well as the strategies and supports that are effective in other settings, the better we are able to support them.
How do we know when my child is ready to increase their time?
Every Integration Plan is supported through ongoing data collection. Typically, this data is recorded on a personalized schedule, which identifies the antecedents, observed behaviours, and outcome, of the activities your child engages in while at school.
All data collected is reviewed by the school team, and shared with parents/guardians on a regular basis (typically weekly or every two weeks). Each time the child demonstrates success with a particular set of criteria, their time is increased, and the criteria revised.
School teams understand that children who require Integration Plans have additional needs. The criteria for increasing time is developed with the learner’s needs in mind. Where the student is very complex, additional district resources may be provided, or staff may be provided additional training, to ensure everyone at school under-stands how to successfully support the learner.
Why might a school team require my child to be on an Integration Plan?
Our goal is for all of our learners to be safe, successful, and thriving in school.
There are times when learners experience significant barriers in finding this success in their school day. School teams will collaborate with families to explore all possible solutions toward limiting the need for an Integration Plan.
While strategies to support children are as diverse and individualized as the learners themselves, some examples of support that is available includes:
Personalized schedules—including adaptations and accommodations for learning tasks
Access to break spaces and flexible learning environments
Access to tools such as flexible seating, fidgets, and quiet spaces
Strategically scheduled learning opportunities outside of the classroom
Additional adult support in class
Additional adult support outside of the classroom environment
Can the school implement an Integration Plan if I do not wish for my child to attend part-time?
Sometimes, even with a large number of supports and interventions in place, students continue to experience significant difficulties in the school setting. The decision to place a student on an Integration Plan is never taken lightly.
The school team will work with parents/guardians to find a solution that works for everyone, but there are times when this is not possible with a full-time schedule at school. There are two occasions where the school team will require a part-time schedule:
The learner is exhibiting such a high level of distress in the school environment that the staff is concerned for their health and dignity.
The learner is experiencing significant, ongoing behaviour escalations, and is placing themselves, or others, at risk.
School staff are trained in Non-Violent Crisis Intervention, and will implement pro-active strategies to minimize the risk and keep students and staff safe, to the best of their abilities. Wherever possible, the school team will work with the parent/guardian to schedule this part-time pro-gram in a way that does not place undue hardship on the family, but it is important for families to be aware that school teams are able to require this schedule to be in place where a student is placing themselves, or others, at significant risk. Ongoing data collection and communication with the family are requirements of these plans, and they are monitored at the district level.
The team at your child’s school values parent input, questions, and collaboration in supporting your child toward having a positive experience at school. Students are always more successful when home and school work together.
We need your WISDOM!
You’ve heard the adage “it takes a village to raise a child.” The team at your child’s school values parent input, questions, and collaboration in supporting your child toward having a positive experience at school. Students are always more successful when home and school work together.
Families bring an in-depth understanding of the needs of their children; school teams bring expertise on curriculum, educational programming, and knowledge of the experiences students in the school setting.
There are many benefits to engaging in meaningful consultation. It helps to:
Build trust between the home and school teams
Collectively share ideas and solve problems together
Find successful, supportive opportunities for the student
Principles of meaningful collaboration
Mutual respect between home and the school team is essential. Mutual respect develops when all participants recognize that everyone is working to achieve balanced decisions and the best outcome for the child
Meaningful collaboration creates an atmosphere that allows all participants to feel that they have the opportunity to express their point of view and to feel their opinions and input are respected
The conversation is focused on problem solving about the student and their needs. Conversations will be paused and/or reframed if:
The discussion involves school staffing or personnel matters
The discussion involves other the needs of, or support being provided to, other students
The conversation becomes a direct challenge or is confrontational in nature
One of the participants creates intentional conflict in the relationship or engages in bullying behaviours
Attributes of meaningful consultation
The school and family gather to openly discuss decisions and options available
All participants share a willingness to listen to each other,
An atmosphere of mutual respect. Mutual respect is characterized by an understanding that all individuals involved in the consultative process have a contribution to make. Mutual respect is best maintained when everyone is working to achieve decisions that are in the best interests of the child.
The result is clear communication of the results to all participants, including the decision reached or action taken, with the rationale for the decision.
Our goal is for all of our learners to be safe, successful, and thriving in school.
An advocate supports parents in:
Expressing their views and concerns
Accessing information and services
Defending and promoting their rights and responsibilities
Exploring choices and options
A positive advocate supports and promotes the Principles of Meaningful Collaboration, assisting parents with sharing their perspectives, asking questions, and understanding the processes and structures in place at the school. To facilitate open communication and a spirit of collaboration, formal advocates are asked to sign a confidentiality agreement before participating in a meeting at the school. If you are interested in engaging with an advocate, please ask your school principal for a copy.
What if the Team disagrees?
While our goal is always to achieve balanced, collaborative decisions, there may be times that families and school teams disagree.
Your first point of contact is always your child’s classroom teacher. If you still have questions after speaking with the teacher, please request an appointment with the school’s principal.
On the rare occasion that you are still in disagreement with the school’s decision, you may choose to appeal the school’s decision. Additional information about this is found on the school district website.
There are a variety of supportive plans which are created for learners with individualized needs. Plans are created for any students who require support that is above-and-beyond the universal and flexible supports that classroom teachers provide for all learners.
Supportive plans serve a number of specific purposes:
They outline specific goals, strategies and interventions to support a student’s learning and growth
They identify any classroom-based accommodations and adaptations which will be provided for your child
They identify who is responsible for implementing these strategies and interventions
They identify the data and other assessment information which will help guide this process
Types of Supportive Plans
There are a variety of formal documents which may be created to support your child. Below are short descriptions of the some of the most common ones.
Inclusive Education Plan (IEP): IEPs outline the specific goals, strategies and accommodations for a student who meets the criteria for a formal Ministry of Education designation. Formal medical or assessment documentation is required in order to designate a student Annual
Instructional Plan (AIP): These plans are developed for English Language Learners Learning Plan: These are similar to an IEP, but are for students who do not meet criteria for a formal Ministry of Education designation. They are used for students with a variety of needs: academic, social-emotional, behavioural.
Integration Plan: A document that outlines the interventions and supports provided for a learner attending school part time, due to significant medical, social-emotional or behavioural needs. They may be initiated by the school or the parent.
Regulation Support Plan: A plan which out-lines the observable behaviours of a student who experiences significant behavioural escalations while at school, as well as the appropriate staff responses to these behaviours
Employee Safety Plan: These plans guide staff responses to student behaviours that pose a risk to the safety of staff who are supporting the student. These are formal WorkSafe documents and are kept on file in the district Health and Safety office. The Response Plan portion of this document is shared with parents
Other Tools
There are a variety of other documents which are sometimes created to assist with the implementation of a supportive plan.
Visual Agenda: This may be a simple frame such as first-then, or a more detailed agenda outlining the events of the day. Personalized Schedule: This is typically provided for learners who spend part of their school day working in smaller space, or on alternate activities. It sometimes doubles as a data-collection tool.
Elopement Protocol: These are created for students who run away from their classroom or the school building, to ensure staff know how to respond when an incident occurs. Escalation / De-escalation Protocol: This one-page graphic provides a snapshot of essential response strategies for staff . It outlines what to do when escalations occur.
Transition Plan: This is a plan used to guide the transition of a student between schools or to adult services. These plans are sometimes built into an IEP or Learning Plan, and are commonly used when a student with complex needs:
Changes schools
Transitions from elementary to secondary school
Graduates and will receive adult services.
Open Communication
While we’ll do our best to stay in regular contact with you, and to plan for your child’s needs together, from time-to-time, concerns may arise.
Classroom teachers have the primary responsibility for the learners in their class, and are the person to speak to first when you have a question or concern about your child’s program or other needs.
Case Managers are responsible for establishing and monitoring your child’s plan. This is usually an Inclusion Support Teacher or Counsellor. They will set up review meetings, and are the best person to ask about the details of the plan.
Education Assistants know the children they work with well, and their feedback and input is invaluable to us, however, they are not able to make changes to IEPs or curriculum activities, or to deal with situations involving other students.
This is why we ask that you direct questions to your child’s classroom teacher or case manager, and why EAs are not responsible for coordinating home-school communication books. We will work with you to establish a system that allows you to get the information you need, while making sure everyone on the school team is aware of your child’s needs.
Principal Should you feel your concern is unresolved after speaking with the teacher or case manager, please connect with the principal at your child’s school, who will assist.
It’s all about working together…
The intervention and other support students receive both inside, and outside of school, is critical for their success. School teams value open, ongoing collaboration with the home team and the outside specialists who work with students when they are not at school.
To help support a seamless and open process in planning for your child’s needs, it’s important to make sure that your child’s principal and case manager know who is part of your home team, so they are able to facilitate collaboration in the school environment.
Specialists such as Counselors, Speech-Language Pathologists, Occupational Therapists and Physio-therapists, are bound by Professional Codes of Ethics, which guide their interactions with other specialists in similar roles, and should be part of the planning and conversation when an outside specialist visits the school for an observation or team meeting.
Having a conversation as a team will allow you to clarify everyone’s roles and responsibilities on the team, and will help to determine the appropriate channels of communication and flow of information.
There are two ways to help us with this collaboration:
Consent to an Exchange of Information, which allows the school team to speak with your outside specialists and medical professionals.
Request a copy of the Private Practitioner Protocol from the principal. This allows out-side support people to complete observations and participate in meetings at the school.
NLPS has a Teacher of the Deaf / Hard of Hearing (TDHH) who provides direct service to students Kindergarten to Grade 12 whose educational and social emotional development is significantly impacted by hearing loss.
Services may include:
Collaborating with teachers to meet the needs of students who are deaf or hard of hearing
Optimizing inclusion for deaf and hard of hearing students
Providing tutorial support
Assisting students in developing auditory skills
Teaching appropriate use and care of assistive listening devices
Providing in-service for school staff, families, and student about deafness and/or hearing loss, and inclusive approaches to learning
Liaising with parents and community agencies
Supporting and guiding interpreters, transcribers and education assistants working with deaf/hard of hearing students
Collaborating with school based team to pro-vide accessible materials from provincial resource programs
Specialist Teacher Support
If your child requires support from a specialist teacher, their classroom teacher will submit a referral to the School-Based Team.
Each referral is considered on an individual basis— the amount of support, and resources chosen, will be selected for each learner to best meet their needs.
We begin by exploring universal options (things available to everyone), and/or specific tools in the classroom setting, in order to provide your child with inclusive learning opportunities.
Additional individual or small group support may be provided by a variety of adults in the school: the Specialist Teacher, school-based Inclusion Support Teacher, Classroom Teacher, Education Assistant or Speech-Language Pathologist.
We are always working to build independence for students, so the support and intervention for your child will change over time as they build the stamina and skills needed to be a successful learner. Sometimes, we will provide specific intervention for a period of time, and then give them a bit of time to practice these skills back in their classroom, before resuming individual interventions.
We will work with you, and the others who support your child outside of school, to develop an individualized approach to meet your child’s needs.
Referrals for these services are made through your child’s classroom teacher to the School-Based Team. The team will require copies of medical and other assessment reports, to determine the support required, and to guide the development of the plan.
School Support Team
The Inclusive Education Team is the group of specialists who collaborate with classroom teachers and families to establish and monitor the interventions, goals and strategies being put in place to help your child be safe and successful at school.
Students who meet Ministry of Education Criteria will be formally designated in Category F: Deaf and Hard of Hearing, and assigned a case manager, who will help to develop an inclusive education plan (IEP) for your child.
An Inclusion Support Teacher works with your child’s classroom teacher to provide support to your child and coordinate your child’s IEP.
Education Assistants are assigned to learning environments and provide individual support to a variety of students. Some students will receive individualized support, others may have shared support. This is allocated on the basis of the student’s individualized needs.
Additional support from a Speech Language Pathologist, English Language Learning Teacher, School Psychologist, or Child, Youth & Family Support Worker, may also be recommended.
Tools to Support Students who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing
Microsoft Ease of Access Options
Closed captioning – this is available in all Microsoft applications, including TEAMS
Google Live Transcribe (converts speech to text)
iOS Accessibility Features
Voice over
Audio descriptions, and spoken content
Mono audio and balance
LED alerts
Subtitles and captions
RTT ( real-time-text)
Live Listening tunes out background noise made for iPhone hearing aids
NLPS has a Teacher of Students with Visual Impairments (TSVI) who provides direct service to students kindergarten to grade 12 whose educational and social emotional development is significantly impacted by vision loss.
Services may include:
Functional vision assessments, as required
Direct instruction in areas such as braille, visual aids, specialized technology, social skills, self-advocacy, orientation and mobility, and independent living skills
In-service for school staff, families, and student about eye conditions, visual impairments and inclusive approaches for learning
Collaboration with braillists regarding braille transcription, adapting maps/diagrams and access to classroom materials & curriculum
Supporting effective communication between home, school, eye doctors and community agencies
Collaboration with the school based team to provide accessible materials from provincial resource programs, such as braille textbooks, large print textbooks and e-pub
Accessing Specialist Support
If your child requires support from a specialist teacher, their classroom teacher will submit a referral to the School-Based Team. Where a child has vision loss, the Teacher of Students with Visual Impairments will be included as part of this team.
Each referral is considered on an individual basis— the amount of support, and resources chosen, will be selected for each learner to best meet their needs.
We begin by exploring universal options (things available to everyone), and/or specific tools in the classroom setting, in order to provide your child with inclusive learning opportunities.
Additional individual or small group support may be provided by a variety of adults in the school: the Specialist Teacher, school-based Inclusion Support Teacher, Classroom Teacher, Education Assistant or Speech-Language Pathologist.
We are always working to build independence for students, so the support and intervention for your child will change over time as they build the stamina and skills needed to be a successful learner.
Sometimes, we will provide specific intervention for a period of time, and then give them a bit of time to practice these skills back in their classroom, before resuming individual interventions.
We will work with you, and the others who support your child outside of school, to develop an individualized approach to meet your child’s needs.
Each referral is considered on an individual basis— the amount of support, and resources chosen, will be selected for each learner to best meet their needs.
School Support Team
Students who meet Ministry of Education Criteria for Visual Impairment will be formally designated in Category E: Visual Impairments, and assigned a case manager, who will help to develop an individualized education plan for your child.
An Inclusion Support Teacher will be your child’s Case Manager. This person works with your child’s classroom teacher to provide sup-port to your child and co-ordinate your child’s IEP.
Education Assistants are assigned to learning environments and provide individual support to a variety of students. Some students will receive individualized support, others may have shared support. This is allocated on the basis of the student’s individualized needs.
Additional support from a Speech Language Pathologist, English Language Learning Teacher, School Psychologist, or Child, Youth & Family Support Worker, may also be recommended.
Referrals for these services are made through your child’s classroom teacher to the School-Based Team. The team will require copies of medical and other assessment reports, to determine the support required, and to guide the development of the plan.
Tools to Support Students with Vision Loss
Students with vision loss access materials and resources in very individual ways. The school team can help you determine which of these tools may be right for your child.
iOS Accessibility Features
Voiceover: gesture-based screen reader (audible descriptions) to use iPhone even if user is unable to see the screen
Zoom for magnification; take pictures to save notes from whiteboard, for example, and zoom in to view.
Changes to text size & display
Guided access
Voice access (Siri)
Apps for iOS devices such as Talking Calculator (iOS only) for audio access to math calculations; Magnifying Glass with Light and My Vision Helper (iOS only) for magnification ; TapTapSee, Viz Wiz, Be My Eyes, Ai Poly Vision for object identification. Learning Ally, Kindle, KNFB Reader for text-to-speech.
Microsoft Ease of Access Options
Audio prompts/narration
High-visibility/contrast screen settings
Magnification of mouse pointer, cursor, text etc.
Keyboard shortcuts
Microsoft Immersive Reader and Google
Other Options
School teams are able to access re-sources through provincial resource programs (PRCVI, ARC-BC), to obtain digital text for text-to-speech, hard copy large print and braille textbooks and literary resources.
Specialist teachers also access a range of assistive technology (e.g. digital magnifiers for students with low vision, refreshable braille displays and non-visual screen reader programs) for students who are blind through another provincial resource program called SET-BC.
Students with vision loss will access materials and resources in very individual ways.
The school team can help you to determine which of these tools may be right for your child.
Over the past few years, changes to technology have made it easier and more accessible than ever for our students.
As you get started with these tools, there are a few tips to keep in mind:
Like any new skill, comfort with using these tools independently takes time. Plan to spend some time exploring things together—play with the features ,try out different voices/speeds etc., and have some fun before trying to use it to complete a specific task
In the beginning, many students find that using these tools at home is more comfortable than using them at school—especially within classrooms that use them less often. We do our best to support our students, but there isn’t always an adult available to assist, so the more independent kids are in using them, the more successful they will be.
If you are curious about which tools your child has access to at school, or know they have been practicing something at home that could be helpful in school — reach out to your child’s teacher. The more we work together, the more successful the students will be!
The school district has invested in Read and Write for Google for all of our staff and students, and it can be accessed from any computer with Google Chrome, once the student logs into their school district Google Chrome account.
Once your child clicks on the “purple puzzle piece” on their toolbar, a floating toolbar will appear, and give them access to a range of tools.
Thinglink has a website with short video tutorials for all of the features listed below.
Text Prediction: Use this to have words predicted as you write.
Hover Speech:
Dictionary: Look up words. Program will read the definition to you.
Picture Dictionary: Look up words with an image as assistance.
Play: Read selection aloud. Voices can be changed in settings.
Pause: Pause reading.
Stop: Stop reading.
Screenshot Reader: a screenshot of text will convert it to a format that can be read out loud
Audio maker: converts text into an audio file which will be automatically downloaded
Screen mask: Allows the user to focus on a specific area of the screen, reducing distractions
Talk and Type: Allows user to talk to the microphone and have it typed onto the screen
Translator: Select a word and it will be translated to Spanish or French- Adjust in settings.
Hilighters: Highlights selected words in a variety of colors.
Erase Highlighting: Removes all highlighting within selection.
Collect Highlights: Creates new document of just the highlights.
Vocabulary: Creates document of words highlighted and includes a pictures of many of the words for reference
Simplify Page: remove clutter from webpage and place simplified text on a new webpage
Practice Reading Out Loud: To practice and record yourself, using selected texts, and send it to the teacher for feedback
What can you do with a phone?
There are a variety of tools built right into phones that can assist with literacy tasks. Check the device settings for Accessibility Options to enable features. Most of these tools will work on both Android and Apple devices.
If you’re not sure how to get going—do a quick YouTube search, there are lots of tutorial videos available!
Dictation: iPhones have a built-in micro-phone and Dictation, allows students to speak instead of typing their thoughts.
Speak Screen: Students can use Speak Screen to follow along as highlighted words or sen-tences are read aloud, making it easier for them to comprehend the meaning of the text and its proper pronunciation.
Dictionary: definitions and commonly used phrases are integrated to help with spelling, pronunciation, and grammar.
Typing Feedback: when activated, students can hear a letter or word spoken back to them as they type it. This confirms they’ve selected the right letter or correctly written a word.
Predictive Text: suggests options for words that students can listen to and choose from, which helps them develop vocabulary and check their spelling
Camera: Pointing a camera at pictures of text will have them read aloud. This varies with android devices. Use the “live text” fea-ture on an iPhone with iOS 15.
Other helpful tools for intermediate and secondary students
Summarize This is a tool that helps you summarize any piece of text into shortened, simplified content. It is used by copy-pasting the text into a box onscreen. www.summarizethis.com
Rewordify simplifies difficult English, and help build student vocabulary. Reworded words are highlighted to help the reader see what was changed. https://rewordify.com/
Learning Tools for OneNote are available free for Microsoft users.
One Note is a “digital file folder” which helps students stay organized. It can hold notes, screen shots, audio notes. It can also be shared between users.
Immersive Reader is free tool that allows students to read text out loud, increase spacing between lines and letters, and sup-port reading fluency. https://www.onenote.com/learningtools
Common Lit is a source for digital versions of fiction and non-fiction text. It includes text-to-speech and highlighting tools to support comprehension. https://www.commonlit.org/
