The responsibility of the Special Education Department is to help EXCEPTIONAL students meet their learning needs through the development and implementation of the Individual Education Plan. 

The term Exceptional is used to describe a student who has exceptional learning needs and requires special programming to enable them to be more successful at school.  Students are IDENTIFIED as exceptional through an Identification, Placement and Review Committee (IPRC). 

An Individual Education Plan is a written plan of action.  It is a working document which describes the strengths and needs of an individual exceptional pupil and the special education program and services established to meet the pupil’s needs. 

At Father Goetz, the Special Education Department is responsible for the delivery of services in three basic areas:

First, we oversee the Planning for Independence Program at Goetz.  This program is designed to meet the diverse learning needs of we refer to as “Students with High Needs” and/or “Students with Moderate Needs”.  Every student in this program has an Individual Learning Plan based on their Individual Education Plan.  Students take ‘K-Code’ courses that are modified to meet the needs of the student.  Examples of courses offered in the Planning for Independence Program are In-School and Out-of-School Co-op, Literacy, Numeracy, Social Skills, Personal Life Skills, Personal Health and Fitness and many more.

For the most part, these students work in a self-contained class, but our PIP teachers provide our students with every opportunity to integrate with our mainstream students or in the community at large.

Students in the Planning for Independence Program are working towards a High School Certificate and remain Goetz students up to the age of 21.

A second area of responsibility of the Special Education Department is the management and implementation of the IEP process for students who are in regular classes.

Identified students are entitled to accommodations in three areas…Instructional, Environmental and Assessment.  Accommodations are determined by an IPRC and are designed to help students manage their learning needs.  Examples of accommodations include extra time for tests, memory aids, use of assistive technology and working in a quiet or alternative setting.  Extra time is also provided for the Literacy Exam (written in grade 10) and EQAO Math test (written in grade 9).  When possible we do provide identified students with individual help in the resource room.

Members of the Special Education Department meet with all identified students in September to inform or remind students of accommodations available to them and also to encourage students to access the resource room.

A third area of responsibility for the Special Education Department at Father Goetz is overseeing the General Learning Strategies course (GLE). 

The GLE course is an alternative to French.  That is, identified students (or in some cases other students) may replace a grade 9 French course with GLE course.  This decision is usually made at a grade 8 transition meeting before the student starts grade 9 in September.

The GLE course helps students with time-management skills, organizational skills, study skills and the use of assistive technology.  The course is designed to prepare students for the challenges they will face in high school and to give students every opportunity to achieve success in future educational endeavours.

Special Education Department

Fr. Michael Goetz Catholic Secondary School