OFIP 2 - Windsor-Essex Catholic District School Board

2008 Special Education Plan Amendments Page 45 of 264OPA STUDENT ASSESSMENT PROJECTPRESENTATION TO PRINCIPALSIntroduction: C. Geml – Where, Why and How (background)Step 1/Step 2 Process: Jennifer Ellwood: describe put in place 2005/2006 school year a version of the Continuous Assessment Process described in the Educationfor All document 500 Step 2 meeting conducted that year – from there, 160 placed onassessment waitlistOPA Assessment Capacity Building Plan We needed to develop a plan to address growing waitlists for psychologicalassessments – a problem that is province wide The funding provided is a one-time deal – our board – 225,000.00 available Because it is one time funding, the plan needs to be sustainable Our approach:(a) Hire graduate students on contract to help address existingbacklog(b) Purchase resources/tools to bring practices in line with collegestandards, permit assessments to be tailored to individual needs,broaden scopes of assessments where needed – build capacity withinthe system to provide assessments covering the range of childhooddisorders(c) pilot an early intervention/prevention program, quicklydemonstrate to stakeholders that a Grade 1 prevention program hasthe twin virtues of reducing reading problems and pressure on thediagnostic system – ensure that the delivery of the program isconsistent with the Ministry’s mission of “closing the gap and raisingthe bar”- here’s the thing – we know that there is a whole group of studentswho are currently parked on our waitlist who need not have beenthere had we intervened early on - if the literature is to be believed,up to 70% of these children shouldn’t have been there in the firstplace- it will take time for this program to take root and for the impact to befelt – although it won’t have an immediate impact on waitlists, it will