The ISSP & Pathways Commission Report - Government of ...

Principle 4:The Commission’s data collection and reporting processmust be thorough.The area of special education generally, and of inclusive education particularly,has been the subject of extensive research across many jurisdictions. Inrecognition of both the constancy of change within the field and the often-uniquecircumstances within education in our province, the Commission subscribed tothe need for its data collection and reporting to be thorough. Accordingly,extensive consultations (through focus groups, surveys and submissions) wereaugmented by reviews of the literature, and cross-jurisdictional studies.Principle 5:The original intent and design of both the Pathways andISSP models will be analyzed vis-à-vis current practice.The necessity of models such as Pathways and the ISSP as organizingframeworks for the delivery of educational and inter-agency services isrecognized. However, the Commission is charged to examine the realities ofcurrent implementation of these models, within the context of their originalintent and design.1.5 Methodology/Framework of the StudyAn approach combining quantitative and qualitative methods was used for thisstudy. Quantitative information was collected using an intensive telephone surveyof teachers that yielded a 74.3% return rate. Qualitative data was collectedthrough district visits, open submissions, scheduled focus groups, and interviewswith key informants. This multiplicity of data gathering, cross analysis with aFocusing on Students:A Report of the ISSP & Pathways Commission17