Education
June 19, 2008

Minister Outlines Improvements Underway
to Services for Students with Special Needs

An investment of $2.4 million announced in Budget 2008 will see changes to the current system for delivering programming and services to students with special needs. The Honourable Joan Burke, Minister of Education, provided an update today on the implementation of recommendations stemming from the ISSP and Pathways Commission report. The report was released this past December, with the Provincial Government accepting 70 of the 75 recommendations.

"We began work immediately to implement the recommendations and some changes are already in effect, primarily dealing with a decrease in the amount of paperwork required for the ISSP and Pathways model," said Minister Burke. "Our investment in this year�s budget demonstrates our commitment to improving services for students with special needs and will provide a tremendous amount of support to see the recommendations acted on and moved forward in a timely manner."

The Department of Education is working with educators and other partners in education across the province to effect change in almost every aspect of special needs services. This includes the development of resources and training for teachers and a comprehensive and sustainable professional development plan. Parents will also be provided with resources and training, through a handbook and website which will cover a wide-range of student issues and services.

The commission report highlighted a gap in services for gifted students. A consultant position has been created within the Department of Education that will be dedicated to identifying the needs of gifted students and developing guidelines for appropriate programming and resources.

Work has already been completed to streamline the process for Pathway Two. This has resulted in a significant reduction in the amount of paperwork required of teachers. Further workload issues for teachers will be addressed by providing specialized materials and an on-line resource for alternate curriculum, programs and courses.

According to Minister Burke, the work currently underway will help address systemic issues with the delivery of special services, most notably regarding student assessments and waitlists and accountability to students and their families. A provincial database is being established based on a case management model, which will help establish standards and guidelines for the timely completion of assessments.

"The area of referrals and assessments is a critical component of student support services and must be conducted in a structured way, with timelines and checks and balances built in to ensure students get an optimum level of service," said Minister Burke. "The database will allow for greater accountability and appropriate recordkeeping of assessments and the actions taken to address a students needs."

Minister Burke also noted that changes are underway to better support students when they are writing public exams. As recommended by the ISSP and Pathways Commission, technologies used by students when writing tests throughout the year may now be provided when they write their public exams.

The $2.4 million announced in Budget 2008 to support the implementation of the recommendations of the ISSP and Pathways Commission report is part of the additional $70 million the Provincial Government is investing in the K-12 and post-secondary education systems this year.

"This is a period of renewal in education with significant initiatives and investments to improve every aspect of the system, from infrastructure to programming and services," said Minister Burke. "We will continue to work with our partners in education, which is reflective of our approach to effecting change and building a better system for students, teachers and parents."

- 30 -

Media contact:
Jacquelyn Howard
Director of Communications
Department of Education
709-729-0048, 689-2624
jacquelynhoward@gov.nl.ca

2008 06 19                                                    9:40 a.m.

 


SearchHomeBack to GovernmentContact Us


All material copyright the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador. No unauthorized copying or redeployment permitted. The Government assumes no responsibility for the accuracy of any material deployed on an unauthorized server.
Disclaimer/Copyright/Privacy Statement