Identification, Placement and Review Committee (IPRC) Process

Some students may require a formal identification and/or placement in a special education class through the Identification, Placement and Review Committee (IPRC) process.  In practice, Dufferin-Peel has divided IPRCs into three levels: board, family and school.  At the board and family level, the IPRC:

• Decides whether a student is exceptional or not;
• Applies the category of exceptionality according to the Ministry of Education categories and definitions of exceptionality;
• Decides the placement of the student and must recommend placement in a regular class if satisfied that such a placement meets the student’s needs and is consistent with parent/guardian/adult student preferences. If recommending placement in a special education class, the IPRC must set out the reasons for this recommendation in their decision.

School level IPRCs are convened annually for the review of identification and/or placement.  A parent/guardian/adult student may request a review of the IPRC decision three months after the placement has begun.  The review cannot be requested more than once every three months.  Parents/guardians/adult students may agree in writing to dispense with or "waive" the annual review.

Individual Education Plan (IEP)

An IEP is...

• A written plan describing the special education program and/or services required by a particular student, based on a thorough assessment of the student’s strengths and needs;
• A record of the particular accommodations needed to help the student achieve his or her learning expectations;
• A working document that identifies learning expectations that are modified from the expectations for the age-appropriate grade level in a particular subject or course, as outlined in the Ministry of Education’s curriculum policy document and/or alternative expectations, if required, in program areas not represented in the Ontario curriculum;
• A record of the specific knowledge and skills to be assessed and evaluated for the purpose of reporting student achievement of modified and/or alternative expectations.

In Regulation 181/98 principals are required to ensure that an IEP is developed for each student who has been identified as exceptional by an IPRC.  Special Education: A Guide for Educators: October 2001

IEPs may also be prepared for students who are receiving special education programs and services and regularly require accommodations for instructional, environmental, or assessment situations.

As per Ministry of Education policy, teachers are not required to indicate that students have an IEP on their report cards if they are only receiving accommodations to their courses.  For students who are working on a modified program, teachers will indicate that they have an IEP on their report cards.