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

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design and structure <strong>of</strong> curriculum. Today, Essential Graduation Learnings, theprescribed curriculum framework in NL, reflects:…a focus on inclusion, where supports and services were mandated toassist students in accordance with their individual ability levels, toachieve the approved regional curriculum. <strong>The</strong> curriculum that specialeducation teachers were delivering to students <strong>of</strong> very diverse abilitylevels had to reflect the goals and objectives <strong>of</strong> the regular curriculum,and the regular classroom was seen as the preferred place in whichthis was to be done. <strong>The</strong> curriculum guides outlined many ways toteach a concept and equally diverse ways to measure acquisition <strong>of</strong> thecurriculum content (Philpott & Dibbon, 2007).Inclusion and meaningful participation <strong>of</strong> persons with disabilities is a fact <strong>of</strong> life in21 st century Canadian society generally, not just a feature <strong>of</strong> our education system.Polls and research studies indicate “Canadians support inclusion, but individualswho must fulfill these expectations, whether they are employers or teachers, reportthat they need guidance and support” (Hutchinson, 2007, xxiii). And herein lies thechallenge for parents and educators: amidst shifting social values, evolvingparadigms <strong>of</strong> service provision and changing policies, how to provide the optimalset <strong>of</strong> conditions, resources and supports to ensure that education is characterizedby a practice that remains focused on students.2.2 <strong>The</strong> Model for the Coordination <strong>of</strong> Services to Childrenand YouthCentral to the process <strong>of</strong> planning for children with unique needs was theIndividualized Education Plan (IEP), first developed in the 1980’s as a means <strong>of</strong>ensuring accountability and effectiveness in programming within education. Likeshifting perspectives on disability, the IEP has since evolved into a growingpreference for collaborative, interagency approaches to case management (PhilpottFocusing on Students:A <strong>Report</strong> <strong>of</strong> the <strong>ISSP</strong> & <strong>Pathways</strong> <strong>Commission</strong>23

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