Inclusive Education
Inclusive Education Supports and Services
Students who have been identified with diverse learning needs will be provided with appropriate assessments and Individualized Program Plans (IPP), Learner Support Plans (LSP) or Behavior Support Plans (BSP). The program of studies may be modified or adapted to meet the students’ learning needs and there will be a team approach to deliver the supports and services to the student.
St. Paul Education strives to offer all students quality instruction and necessary support to be successful. Below are some of our common team members that work together to provide supports to our students.
Coordinators Of Student Supports
Each school within St. Paul Education has a Coordinator of Student Supports (COSS) to consult and collaborate with school staff, parents, outside agencies, professional service providers and ministerial partners regarding students with unique learning needs. They may administer individual achievement tests to provide information for programming, provide support in individual, small group or whole class settings, coordinate the development of Individual Program Plans (IPPs) or Learning Support Plans (LSPs), provide instructional support and coordinate referrals to professionals or outside agencies.
Referral Process to Student Supports
Referrals are usually made by the classroom teacher or school administration to the Student Supports Department. Parents who have concerns regarding the progress of their child may access involvement of the COSS directly or through the classroom teacher or administration.
Educational Assistants
St. Paul Education employs educational assistants as paraprofessionals to work under the direction of classroom teachers to assist all students with academic, behavioural, social and/or personal care needs.
Supporting Services
Psychological and Educational Consulting
Educational Psychologist services may be contracted for the purpose of assessing the learning needs of a student and providing programming support and recommendations for the school-based team and for the family.
Speech and Language
Speech-language pathology services are implemented Speech Language Pathologist (SLP) with the help of our partners in Alberta Health Services or independent private contractors to support students whose educational and/or social progress is adversely affected by communication difficulties. The speech-language pathology services include a full range of services encompassing prevention, identification and assessment, direct instruction of students (individually, in classroom settings, or in small groups as appropriate), consultation, collaboration with educators regarding the student's needs in the classroom and other school environments, in-service training, and information sharing with families.
St. Paul Education employs two Speech Language Pathology Assistants (SLPA) who work under the supervision and direction of the SLP.
Occupational Therapy
The Occupational Therapist’s role is to provide direct and indirect support to allow students to be successful in the classroom setting. Through identification of fine or gross motor, sensory and self regulation concerns that are impacting the student’s performance at school; the Occupational Therapist will assist the student to function with the greatest level of independence possible.
Counselling Support
St. Paul Education employs Family School Liaison Workers (FSLWs) as counsellors who are assigned to the each school. They provide consultation to teachers and counselling services for students with social, emotional, or behavioural concerns, as well as acting as liaison with outside agencies. They also work with our ministerial partners in Mental Health and/or other privately contracted services to provide support to our students. All schools have access to a Success Coach through our Together We’re Better Program supported by the Mental Health Capacity Building grant. Success Coaches provide universal and targeted programming to small and large groups on mental health topics through programs such as Fun Friends, Friends for Life, Kelso the Frog, Rainbows and Assertiveness Training.
Other Supporting Service Providers
Other professionals may be consulted on an as needed basis to meet a child’s needs and provide programming suggestions for students. This may include but is not limited to: Behaviorist, Vision Specialist, Deaf/Hard of Hearing Specialist, Audiologist, Psychiatrist, Relaxation Therapist, etc.
Kindergarten and Early Intervention
All Elementary schools offer ECS or Kindergarten programming. In addition to regular Kindergarten programming, we also offer early intervention programming for students with identified needs under Program Unit Funding (PUF) or Jordan’s Principle.