The Landscape of Special Education in Ontarios Christian Schools: From Research to Practice

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The Landscape of Special Education in Ontarios
Christian Schools From Research to Practice

• Steve Sider, Ph.D.
• Redeemer University College

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The 2006 Study of Special Education in Christian
Schools

• Why study the issue?
• Cross-organizational
• Use of MOE descriptors/categories and cascade
  model of services
• formal identification vs. special education
  programs and services
• Investigation of policies/processes and
  prevalence

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Key Statistical IndicatorsGeneral Overview

• 59 school responses (41 response rate)
• 46 elementary schools (total population of 7,510
  students avg. size 163)
• 8 secondary schools (total pop of 2,326 students
  avg. size 291)
• 5 combined schools (total population of 1,871
  students avg. size 375)
• total students represented 11,707 students

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Cascade of Services
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Key Statistical IndicatorsCascade of Services -
Elementary
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Key Statistical Indicators Cascade of Services
- Secondary
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Some Notes About the Stats

• Multiple Exceptionality the difficulty of
  categorizing
• Combined schools
• Looking for trends
• Awareness of contributing factors
• Issues of statistical significance

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Key Statistical IndicatorsElementary Christian

• 46 schools representing 7510 students
• Number of students receiving spec ed services
  936 (12.5)
• Learning Disability Male 4.2 prevalence of
  entire student population Female 2.7 prevalence
  of entire student population
• LD approximately 56 of all exceptionalities
• Fairly equal spread of students receiving support
  for behaviour, ASD, speech/language, gifted, and
  MID (approx. 4 of all exceptionalities for each
  less than 1 prevalence amongst all students)

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Key Statistical IndicatorsElementary Christian
(contd)

• Interesting notes
• 4xs as many boys as girls in behaviour and ASD
  categories
• 3x as many boys as girls in gifted category
• Overall, nearly 2x as many boys as girls
  receiving spec ed services
• Only 7 students reported as deaf/HOH and 0
  reported as blind/low vision
• Fairly significant numbers of MID, DD and
  Speech/Language students (179)

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Comparisons to MOE Data (Elementary)
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Key Statistical IndicatorsSecondary Christian

• 8 schools representing 2,326 students
• Number of students receiving spec ed services
  258 (11.1)
• Learning Disability Male 3.5 prevalence of
  entire student population Female 2.2 prevalence
  of entire student population
• LD approximately 52 of all exceptionalities
• More diverse spread of exceptionalities than
  elementary e.g. Behaviour approximately 8 of
  all exceptionalities (all male), MID approx. 6,
  Gifted approx. 2, ASD only 1 of all
  exceptionalities

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Key Statistical IndicatorsSecondary Christian
(contd)

• Interesting notes
• Behaviour males only represented
• 3 students identified as deaf/HOH and 3 blind
• Overall, nearly 2x as many boys as girls
  receiving spec ed services

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• Only 5 students identified as receiving spec ed
  support for gifted (all boys)
• 1/10th the number of ASD students in secondary
  than elementary (3 vs 43)
• 1/3 as many receiving support for MID and DD in
  secondary than elementary (24 vs 84)

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Comparisons to MOE Data (Secondary)
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Students Receiving Spec Ed Services
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The Growth of Exceptionalities

• How many children in Ontario have
  exceptionalities (from MOE)?
• 1990 7.9
• 1995 8.9
• 1997 9.24
• 2002 12.8
• 2005 13.7
• Will we see similar increases in Christian
  schools?

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Other Demographics (from MOE)

• In 2005-06 school boards reported
• 13.72 of total student population was receiving
  spec ed programs and services
• 9.06 identified exceptional by IPRC and 4.66
  not formally identified

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• 100,401 (7.12) elementary and 91,501 (12.93)
  secondary formally identified by IPRC
• 75,186 (5.33) elementary and 23,637 (3.34)
  secondary students were receiving spec ed
  programs and services but not formally identified
• Approximately 82 of students receiving spec ed
  are placed in regular classrooms for more than
  half of the instructional day

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Discussion Points

• Gifted students very limited number receiving
  spec ed support
• MID fairly significant proportion receiving
  spec ed support but approx. ½ of public school
  systems
• Speech/language fairly significant support
• Blind/Deaf/Physical/DD very limited number

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• ASD similar trends to public schools?
• Do all Christian schools have students with
  special education needs?
• Self-contained classes
• Wide range of policies and processes
• Short history significant progress but are we
  done?

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Current and Best Practices Developing a Culture
of Differentiation
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A Scriptural MandateServing AllChildren Well
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From Research to PracticeThe Christian Schools
Support Team

• Education in-service opportunities, informal
  vs. formal
• Communication in-school teams, parental and
  student voice, administrative commitment
• Processes clear, consistent
• Assessment dynamic, collaborative, authentic,
  ability-achievement, labeling

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Students Who Are Gifted True or False?

• Gifted students should be able to accommodate
  their own needs.
• Gifted students are bored with school,
  disruptive, and antagonistic.
• An IQ test score is the best way to identify
  giftedness.
• Children who are gifted never have learning
  disabilities.

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Types of Giftedness

• Howard Gardner Multiple Intelligences, 1983
• Linguistic intelligence
• Logical-mathematical intelligence
• Spatial intelligence
• Bodily-kinesthetic intelligence
• Musical intelligence
• Interpersonal intelligence
• Intrapersonal intelligence

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• Renzullis
• Enrichment Triad

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Strategies

• Motivation and engagement
• Blooms taxonomy, Vygotskys ZPD
• PBL
• Use of technology, distance learning (CTY _at_ Johns
  Hopkins)
• Advanced Studies Program
• Advanced Placement

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Twice Exceptional Students

• Maintain complexity provide structure
• Clarity, Explicitness
• Anchor learning make connections
• Emotional support

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Reading Disabilities A Model from Catts and
Kamhi (2005)
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How Do I Support Comprehension Skills?

• 1. Connect oral language to reading
• 2. Interesting texts
• 3. Varied texts
• 4. Scaffolding
• 5. Multi-sensory Approach
• 6. Organizers and Structure
• 7. Bridging Narrative to Expository Texts
• 8. Remember PAR

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The Child with a Reading Disability Keys to
Programmatic Success (From Shaywitz, 2005)

• Early intervention
• Intense instruction
• High-quality instruction
• Multi-sensory
• Sufficient duration 150-300 hours (90 min/day
  for 1-3 years)