I.E.P. Meetings Fall Semester 2013

Individual Education Planning or I.E.P Meetings: Fall Semester

When

Week One

Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Thursday, October 3, 2013

Week Two

Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Thursday, October 10, 2013

Who attends: usually

parent/guardian

student: opportunity to learn to advocate for themselves and be part of the process

5 classroom teachers per semester: math, English, science, social studies and physical education as well as complementary classes like art and metals.

resource teacher 

sometimes other important people in a student's life such as,

counsellors

social workers

What: The Agenda

A) Progress: how things are going with the course so far

B)Student strengths: those qualities a student displays that is leading to successfully obtaining the credit, such as using class time well, arriving to class on time, good attendance,participating in discussions etc.

The student, parent and teacher share information about what they each feel is a strength

C) Student Challenges: this depends upon each individual student

sometimes student choices that make it harder for the student to obtain the credit such as arriving late to class, not attending classes, time management of class time etc.

sometimes the course moves quickly so the student requires extra time to complete identified tasks, tests etc. 

sometimes the course notes need to be provided to the student as they may not write quickly enough or well enough to use their own notes to study for a test

sometimes the student requires a reminder to record homework or pass in homework 

C) What can we do to better face these challenges, what does the student need to succeed?

Based upon the challenges above and input from the student as well as the teachers the following things help the student.  We call them adaptations. These are only a couple of the many adaptations that can be chosen and agreed upon for use in the classroom during the IEP meeting.

extra time,     copy of the notes,  reminders to hand in homework,  watch set to beep when it is time to go to class,

D) These solutions to facing challenges lead to goals the student can work towards each semester in each course.

Ex. If a student struggles with arriving late then we could write a goal.  Johnny will set his watch to beep when it is time to go to class and arrive to class no later than 5 minutes after the bell for the first 2 weeks, than arrive no later than 3 minutes after the bell for the next 2 weeks, than no later than 1 minute late with the final goal to arrive on time for the rest of the semester of fall 2013.

The goal of course is to get to class on time as soon as possible.

E)The meeting ends with the IEP signed by everyone present and the next meeting date set for the winter semester.

Welcome Back M.B.C.I. Students & Parents: The first week, Days 1,2,3

September 5, 2013

SA. Meetings usually the Wednesday of the first week of September each fall.

Grade 9-12 students arrive their first day and spend an hour with their SA/Homeroom teacher.

Student fees are collected from students.
Locker numbers and lock codes handed out to students.
Computer sheet with password and maplewood access is given to students.
Parents can access maplewood to see student attendance and marks.

Hand out M.B.C.I. Booklet of school rules and the dates of important events.
Review M.B.C.I. Attendance Policy
Review M.B.C.I. Late Policy
Review dress code
Review student responsibilities for their own learning as a high school student.
Review teacher's role to deliver content and guide students.
Review semester timelines 4 months versus 10 to obtain a credit as compared to middle school.
Review importance of students asking for assistance when a situation or assignment finds a student stalled and unable to proceed; pretending the problem is not there or delaying seeking help won't solve the problem or get the assignment completed and can actually cause a student to lose a credit.


Fall Schedules are handed out to students and forms are provided for students who need to change their schedule.  

Students have two days to make all changes to their schedule.  After this deadline administrative permission is required to make schedule changes to timetables.

Currently the deadline to change timetables is Friday, September 6, 2013.

Credit Tracking sheet that: Once the students look at their history of credit sheet, they can record the credits they have obtained and track their progress.  They can better see what they need to obtain their high school diploma.

Provincial High School Diploma: 30 credits
M.B.C.I.  High School Diploma: 33 credits

At 10:00 a.m. grade 10-12 students are released and classes start the following day.

Grade 9 students and students new to M.B.C.I.  stay for orientation to high school. Students are dismissed after orientation and start class the next day.

Day 2: Classes Start 

Day 2: The first day of classes usually the first Thursday of the first week in September.

Course syllabus handed out: this describes how the course will be broken down with regards to daily work, assignments, quizzes, tests and exams.  Often each section is assigned a percentage of how much it is worth to the course overall.

Course Expectations for students to obtain the credit
textbooks handed out

Be prepared: bring supplies this day as lessons can start right away.

Day 3: The 2nd day of classes usually the Friday of the first week of September.

It is not uncommon for class lessons to start immediately on the first day and the world of homework and assignments starts right away.  High school students will have homework.

An important note...
There is no such thing as "No Homework" for high school students, they simply have too much text to read such as the chapters they are working on in science and social studies and content the teacher provides with the textbooks. There are novels, short stories etc as well not to mention many new words to define. After all a credit is completed in 4 months not 10 months!

Study Habits and Memory
Students need to review daily what they learned in class and study on a regular basis so that they can remember and use the information for quizzes, tests, final exams and more importantly to learn new things in school.

 Studying a day or two before the test leads to high levels of stress and anxiety.  Our brains do not learn or remember this way.  A student may be able to cram and get a good grade but the information is only stored in the brain's short term memory. When a student needs to use that information again to learn the next level or next thing they tend to struggle even more.

Students, therefore, need to study on a regular basis so that their brains can put that information into the long term memory where it will stay and where it is available to them to use again in the future. A student learns new content and learns to use that content much more easily when they can draw on the information from their long term memory.  Students who review what they learn daily and study regularly experience less stress and very little to no anxiety in quiz, test, and exam situations. This is a scientifically proven fact... .

Various Classes for Student Placement at M.B.C.I.

Regular Classrooms: Regular Credits, most are offered in one semester,4.5 months

 Semester 1: September until end of January Semester 2 February until end of June

• time moves quickly to include as much material and course work as possible
• less reminders and guidance regarding all parts of learning is based upon independent student skills
• lessons are longer and include more information per lesson with some examples and then students work on their own, with the option of course to ask for clarification or support
• assignments are presented with each part identified and then students work independently to complete the assignment as a whole and hand it in at a designated date.
• homework is posted on the whiteboard or in blogs.Students are told about the homework then they are expected to record and complete their homework.
•  material is both concrete and implied with less emphasis on drawing the links between the two types of information, students are encouraged to discover these links and express them in discussions and writing activities.

Tutorial Classrooms: Regular credits that exclude extra information and activities as approved by the Department of Education.

• the same core information as the regular credit is provided and the same learning goals are worked upon in a tutorial classroom.
• to ensure there is more time for students to learn material and do course work.
• more reminders and more guidance to support each part of student learning.
• teacher takes a mini lesson approach, does a high number of examples with students before students do the work on their own.
• teacher breaks down each part of assignments and demonstrates to students how to complete each section until the whole assignmet is complete.Students pass in each part of of the assignment they complete until the whole assignment is done by a given date.
• frequent reminders about homework and due dates as well as reminders to hand in completed work.
• many links are made between concrete information and information that is implied.

Independent Study Option:ISO Regular credits delivered through modules/packages that  can be purchased from the Department of Education through Student Services here at M.B.C.I. The Guidance Counsellors Heather Marlow and Merrilee Hamilton are the ladies to contact about ISO's.

• Students need to be very motivated and able to work independently to meet the deadlines for course work and exams. 
• A minimum of two hours a day is required to work through the material and meet the course completion deadlines.
• ISO's cost about $135.00 per course, the counsellors can speak to this more accurately than I.

Alternative Academic Program Classroom:(AAP) regular credits as described above with no teaching in front of the students, its a modular based way to complete credit work.

• Core credits from grade 9-12 such as Math. English Language Arts, Science and Social Studies are taught in AAP.Advanced credits such as biology and precalclius are taught in regular classes.
• Less students,18 at most, per period so very limited access to this class.
• An educational assistant to support student learning.
•  Each student works independently on packages or modules. 
• The teacher provides 1 to 1 instruction as the student needs it.
• Attendance is tracked carefully as students are still expected to attend on a fairly regular basis so that they can actually learn concepts. 
•  If attendance drops too far then students are designated as skill building and are shifted to a study hall time slot until such time as their attendance improves with enough consistency to be reconsidered for AAP.

Modified Credits: identified students must meet very specific criteria to do Modified or M credits. There are very few students who do modified credits. Modified credits can be obtained in all the classrooms described above, as well as lifeskills below, it depends upon the student, family and realistic doability of the credit.

• the same topics, where possible, as the Department of Education approved curriculum for each credit for example Grade 9 science has the topic electricity so a student attending grade 9 science and doing a modified credit still explores electricity with his/her peers.
• less than 50% of Department of Education approved curriculum content and learning goals.
• teacher selects the most concrete material and most doable activities for the student to do.
• students are expected to complete the selected work and where possible master the content just like their peers.
• IEP meetings happen 2 times a year where the teachers, families and resource work together to support these students.
• Entrance to post secondary education programs is severally restricted by the modified credit high school diploma or completion certificate.

 Lifeskills Classroom:  Mrs. Angelika Bate,our other resource teacher, and her team of Education Assistants.

Individualized Programs involve:

• more 1 to 1 instruction all core subjects math,English Language Arts, Science, Social Studies. 
• work place experiences and training in local businesses around The Pas.
• life skill training such as shopping, cooking, laundry etc.
• community based activities such as skating, visiting the library etc.
• involvement in classes with peers where ever possible. 
• modified credits and completion certificates (see above)
• Individualized Education Programs and family support agencies from our community.
• Depending upon the need of the student there have been regular credit strudents associated with lifeskills who just needed a daily "home base and emotional support" .

Study Hall: Room 204

• 1 to 1 help provided by an educational assistant
• only 10 spaces per period; so extremely limited access
• attendance is taken and monitored very closely so that those who really need it and use it have first chance to access it as a support. 
• students must bring school work, it is not a free period or a spare
• students sometimes write tests and quizes there.
• the main office tracks students who do not have study hall in their time table and page visiting students into the room where the educational assistant records the reason for their visit.

M.B.C.I. Academic Student Support Services for Grade 8 S.B.M.S. Students Transitioning to M.B.C.I.

Parents of identified grade 8 students currently attending S.B.M.S. are invited to attend a Transition Meeting usually during the Month of May or first the part of June.

 S.B.M.S. Resource contacts parents of identified grade 8 students to arrange a meeting with M.B.C.I. Resource to take place at S.B.M.S. .

Transition Meeting Agenda can look like the following:

*an opportunity to meet M.B.C.I. Resource

*an opportunity for M.B.C.I. to meet the family and the student

*an opportunity for the family and the student to tell M.B.C.I. Resource about themselves and identify what they hope will be the best way to achieve success at the high school.

*the family and the student will learn about supports offered at the high school to assist the student with:

• daily class work
• quizes
• tests
• exams

*ask questions about what to expect at the high school regarding a wide variety of topics:

•    types of credits

•    how credits are taught at high school

•    academic expectations to obtain credits

•    academic supports

•    current plans to achieve future goals for after high school

•    volunteer and work opportunities

          
The Transition Meeting is a neat way for us all to learn about each other and look forward to the future for grade 8 students starting grade 9.

S.B.M.S. Resource

English Language Arts Final Exams

Grade 9, 10, 11 English  are process exams. June 17-20, 2013.

Students need to be present for their English classes this week so that they receive every opportunity to prepare for the final write up.

Monday June 17, 2013: Theme of Exam is presented and group discussions occur.

Tuesday June 18, 2013: Readings of a variety of text about the Theme takes place.

Wednesday June 19, 2013: Taking notes from the text and organizing ideas to use in a final write up. Choose method of writing such as an essay, short story, letter, journal etc. 

Thursday June 20, 2013: Final write up day.

Grade 12 Standard Exams Schedule for June 2013

Grade 12 Standard Exams Schedule for June 2013


Grade 12 English Language Arts Standards Exams: June 3-6, 2013


Grade 12 Math Standards Exams June 12-13, 2013


Pre-Calculus 40                       June 11, 2013
 

Essentials Math 40                   June 12, 2013 


Applied Math 40                        June 13, 2013

Grade 12 Standard Exam Department of Education Student Supports

 Grade 12 Standard Exams Department of Education Approved Exam Supports

The resource teacher and the principal request adaptations(3.3.1 Proceedures for requesting adaptations document pg.5, using the arrow button its pg. 11 ) Department of Education at the beginning of every fall and winter semester to obtain approval for identified students to receive exam supports.  

 

The Resource teacher organizes Educational Assistant (E.A.) support for students who write their final exams.   

Department of Education Approved Supports (supports.3.2 Adaptations pg7-8 of document, using the arrow button its pg.13-14) listed below:

*Alternate place to write exam, less distractions     

 

* Supervised movement breaks to refocus

*Reading the exam questions                                    

 

 *Use of computer to type answers

 
*Check the exam question and student’s understanding of what that question is asking them to do (this does not involve telling students the answer to the question)

*Restating the word with another word that means the same thing but is more familiar to the student

*Scribe: E.A. writes exactly what the student says with no changes to the answer given by the student

*Cue: remind student of an activity they did in class to jump start their memory 

Please know that support during the exam follows strict rules to preserve the validity of the exam and simply evens the playing field for your son/daughter to realistically show what they learned in the above courses.   

Lisa Holbert: Resource