​Academic Resource Mission Statement

Welcome to Philip Pocock’s Academic Resource Website, a valuable resource to our Students, Parents and Teachers! Our website has been designed to provide a wealth of information pertaining to special education and achieving success in high school.

Philip Pocock Secondary School is a community that is rich in Special Education Resources! Our Academic Resource Department is comprised of 3 specialty programs: The RAISE (Realize & Achieve Individualize Skills & Experiences) Program, The ASPIRE (Academic Support Promoting Independence & Resource Exploration) Program and our Regional SOAR (Supportive Opportunities for Academics & Resources) Program. Our Academic Resource Team offers support services to our mainstreamed identified students who have been deemed exceptional through the Identification, Placement and Review Committee (IPRC) or those students who are working on an Individual Education Plan (IEP).

At Philip Pocock Secondary School, all students with an Individual Education Plan (IEP) are assigned a Resource Teacher who monitors and supports the students’ needs. The Resource Teacher collaborates in the implementation, teaching and review of programs for students with special education needs. Resource teachers meet with their students to outline the support resources available and to support the students in understanding their varied learning styles and needs. It is encouraged that students also enroll in our Learning strategies courses to support use of the IEP.

At Philip Pocock we believe that every individual is unique and a true gift from God. Our mission is to strive to ensure that:

• Every individual be treated with respect and dignity
• Every day is a new day and therefore, every student should be given a fresh start
• We as a community remember to smile, laugh and always be positive. A positive approach often changes the course of a day.
• We educate our students to be powerful advocates for themselves.
• We maintain ongoing communication with our parents as they play an important part in our support team.

IEP

What is an exceptional student?

A student who has exceptional learning needs and requires accommodated programming to enable them to be more successful at school

How is a specific category of exceptionality determined and by whom?

The category is determined through:

• Assessment and evaluation by the classroom teacher (in consultation with academic resource team)
• Assessment and consultation by special services personnel, where appropriate (ex. psychologist, speech-language pathologist, social worker, child and youth worker, etc.)
• Discussion between parents/guardians and the academic resource team to determine next steps (For example moving forward to a Family Level IPRC meeting based on assessments completed by our special services team)

Categories of Exceptionalities and Definitions

BEHAVIOUR

• Behavioural exceptionalities vary from case-to-case

COMMUNICATION

• Autism
• Deaf and Hard of Hearing
• Language Impairment
• Speech Impairment
• Learning Disability

INTELLECTUAL

• Giftedness
• Mild Intellectual Disability
• Developmental Disability

PHYSICAL

• Physical Disability
• Blind and Low Vision
• Deaf Blind

MULTIPLE

• Multiple exceptionalities

What is an Individual Education Plan (IEP)?

• An IEP is a working document that details the learning profile of an exceptional student, including their strengths and needs.
• An IEP also details the special education services that have been suggested to meet the student's learning needs.

What is an Identification Placement and Review Committee (IPRC)?

• In each school, the IPRC will identify, place, and review the following:
• whether or not a student should be identified as exceptional
• the areas of a student's exceptionality, according to the Categories and Definitions of Exceptionalities provided by the Ministry of Education
• an appropriate placement for a student

Accommodations

• Accommodations refer to the teaching and assessment strategies, supports, and/or equipment required to enable a student to learn and to demonstrate learning

Three Types of Accommodations

1. Instructional accommodations are adjustments in teaching strategies (ex. extra time for processing, chunking, duplicated notes, graphic organizers)
2. Environmental accommodations are changes in the physical environment, such as in the classroom or the school (ex. quiet setting, proximity to instructor, strategic seating)
3. Assessment accommodations are adjustments in assessment methods (ex. extended time limits, memory aids, assistive technology)

The Academic Resource Room

• The Academic Resource Room is an alternate environment with the purpose of accommodating the learning needs of all students (with a focus on students with IEPs) through collaboration and the use of available resources.
• During each period, a teacher is available to work with students in an alternative setting, ensuring the individual accommodations outlined on an IEP are implemented.

Academic Resource Program (Credit-Bearing Program)

• Students are fully integrated into classes, completing the same work and meeting the same standards for subject achievement
• Students have access to a dedicated support system for students who have an IEP