IPRC
What is an IPRC?
An IPRC is an Individual Progress and Review Committee meeting composed of at least three Board persons, one of whom must be a principal or supervisory officer of the board. Your school principal and special education resource teachers are normally present.
What is the role of the IPRC?
The IPRC will: decide whether or not your child should be identified as exceptional; identify the areas of your child’s exceptionality, according to the categories and definitions of exceptionalities provided by the Ministry of Education and Training, and based on documentation and testing provided; decide an appropriate placement for your child (regular class with indirect support, special education class with partial integration, or special Education Class Full time); review the identification and placement at least once in each school year,
May parents attend the IPRC meeting?
Yes. At least 10 days in advance of the meeting, you will be provided with written notification of the meeting and an invitation to attend the meeting. This letter will notify you of the date, time, and place of the meeting. It will ask you to indicate whether you will attend. Parents and pupils are encouraged to be present at and participate in all committee discussions about your child; and to be present when the committee’s identification and placement decision is made.
Who else may attend an IPRC meeting?
Other resource people such as your child’s teacher, special education staff, board support staff, or the representative of an agency, who may provide further information or clarification about the child’s needs, or an interpreter, if one is required. You may also have a representative, that is, a person who may support you or speak on behalf of you or your child.
What will the IPRC consider in making its placement decision?
Before the IPRC can consider placing your child in a special education class, it must consider whether placement in a regular class with appropriate special education services will meet your child’s needs and, after considering all of the information, will be consistent with your preferences.
What can parents do if they disagree with the IPRC decision?
If you do not agree with either the identification or placement decision made by the IPRC, you may, within 15 days of receipt of decision, request that the IPRC hold a second meeting to discuss your concerns. If you do not agree with the decision after the second meeting, you may file a notice of appeal with 15 days of your receipt of the decision. If you do not consent the IPRC decision and you do not appeal it, the board will instruct the principal to implement the IPRC decision.
What happens after the IPRC has made its decision?
If you agree with the IPRC decision, you will be asked to indicate, by signing your name, you agree with the identification and placement decisions made by the IPRC. The statement of decision may be signed at the IPRC meeting or taken home and returned.
What if parent are unable to make the scheduled meeting?
You will be given a minimum of 10 days written notice of the IPRC meetings. If you are unable to make the scheduled meeting, you may: contact the school Special Education Department to arrange an alternative date or time; or you may choose not to attend the Review Meeting based on your on-going conferences with the school staff. Please let the Special Education Resource Teacher know you will not be attending, and as soon as possible after the meeting, the Special Education Department will forward to you, for your consideration and signature, the IPRC’s written statement of decision noting the decision of identification and placement and any recommendations regarding special education programs and services.
IEP
What is an IEP?
The IEP is an Individual Education Plan. It is developed for your child, in consultation with you and your child, and is based on relevant testing and documentation. It includes: a statement of your child’s exceptionality; a statement of your child’s Special Education placement; a list of your child’s learning strengths and needs; an outline of services that will be received; a list of accommodations your child will receive; a list of documentation upon which the IEP is based; a plan for transition to appropriate post-secondary school activities, such as work, further education, and community living, (except those identified as exceptional solely on the basis of giftedness). If your child’s curricular expectations are modified, the IEP will also include: specific educational expectations; and a statement about the methods by which your child’s progress will be reviewed. The IEP must be completed within 30 school days after your child has been placed in the program, and the principal must ensure that you receive a copy of it. Classroom teachers will also receive a copy of your child’s IEP.
What is a Special Education Program?
A special education program is defined in the Education Act as an educational program that is based on and accommodated or modified by the results of continuous assessment and evaluation and includes a plan(called an Individual Education Plan or IEP) containing specific objectives and an outline of special education services that meet the needs of the exceptional pupil.