Education
March 11, 2010
Advances Made to
Improve Services for Students
In keeping with the
Provincial Government's commitment to improve services
for students with special needs and support inclusive
education, a new accommodations policy has been
implemented for students writing public examinations.
The Honourable Darin King, Minister of Education,
provided details on the new policy today.
"It is important to provide reasonable accommodations
and assistance to students with identified special
needs," said Minister King. "Our education system is
based on equality and accessibility. Students must be
provided not only the highest quality education, but
also the means to access that education. With this new
policy, students with special needs will have the
necessary supports to succeed in the public exam
environment."
The new policy expands on the type of accommodations
students can access, and clarifies the most common
adaptations and accommodations used by students. Some
examples of new accommodations are:
-
The use of software
with spell check and grammar;
-
Extended time to
complete an exam; and,
-
The use of voice and
text-recognition software.
Any accommodation
contained in the policy will be automatically approved
at the district level as long as it is consistent with
the Individual Education Plan and/or Pathway Record of
Accommodation/Adaptations.
In 2008, following the release of the ISSP/Pathways
report, the Provincial Government committed to a review
of the public exam policy with input from
representatives of school districts, advocacy groups,
parents and various divisions within the Department of
Education. This review, combined with an analysis of
other Canadian jurisdictions, has helped to formulate
the new policy document.
"While a number of these procedures have been in place
for the past couple of years, we now have our policies
clearly outlined and documented," said Minister King.
"And with this document, we have developed an
accommodation policy that is among the best in the
country so that our students have the most appropriate
opportunities for success."
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Media contact:
Tara Power
Director of Communications
Department of Education
709-729-0048, 727-5953
tarapower@gov.nl.ca
2010 03 11
11:25 a.m.
