Glossary of Terms & Operational Definitions

Central to the philosophy and education of all students in the Good Spirit School Division is the understanding of the following terminology:

Adaptive Dimension: The concept of making adjustments in approved educational programs to accommodate diversity in student learning needs (a principle of Saskatchewan’s Core Curriculum). This is a requirement in all Regular and Alternative Education Programs for Kindergarten to Grade 12. Adjustments may be made in the material, instruction, assessment and environment. The Adaptive Dimension does not allow for adjustments to be made in the Foundational or Learning Outcomes as outlined in the curriculum.

Age-appropriate Placement: All students are placed in regular classrooms in their local neighborhood school. The actual grade placement corresponds appropriately with the students’ chronological age plus or minus two years.

Collaboration: Collaboration is a style of interpersonal interaction between two or more parties in which they engage in shared decision making. It involves working together in a supportive and mutually beneficial relationship toward a common goal. A very strong emphasis is placed on cooperation, clear communication, joint decision making and consensus.

Differentiated Instruction: DI is a form of instruction that seeks to maximize each student’s growth by meeting each student where he or she is and helping the student to progress. In practice, it involves offering several different learning experiences in response to students’ varied needs. Learning activities and materials may be varied by difficulty to challenge students at different readiness levels, by topic in response to students’ interests, and by students’ preferred ways of learning or expressing themselves. A differentiated classroom provides different avenues to acquiring content, processing, or making sense of ideas, and developing products.

Diversity: Within any given population, including a school population, individual members are unique with specific needs and abilities. Students can be affected by a variety of physical, social, cultural, and environmental factors. These include physical, intellectual and learning disabilities, sensory impairments, social, emotional or behavioural challenges, and language delays and disorders. Aboriginal ancestry, recent immigration or learning English as a second language may also reflect a diversity of need. As well, environmental factors such as poverty, family dysfunction or transience, neglect or abuse, family alcohol or drug abuse and teenage parents can also place students at risk of school failure.

Effective Practices: Effective practices are those practices, methods or techniques at the classroom, school, community or school division level that have been identified through research and practice to be successful in meeting the specialized needs of individual students and/or groups of students. Effective practices and instructional processes that complement and facilitate diverse learning have been developed and recommended by the Ministry of Education.

Equity: Equity refers to the provision of equality of opportunity, access and outcome, and is characterized by the fair and respectful treatment of all people, regardless of age, gender, race, religion, lifestyle, sexual orientation, creed, and ability or disability. It hinges on equal rights, equal opportunities, and equal results. Equal treatment does not mean the same treatment. The concept of equity recognizes that some people required additional or specialized supports in order to achieve equal benefit.

Inclusion: Inclusion is about membership and belonging to a community. It is a philosophy that seeks to establish collaborative, supportive, and nurturing communities of learners that are based on giving all students the services and accommodations they need to learn, as well as respecting and learning from individual differences, regardless of ability. It is a value system that supports membership and belonging in regular education settings for all students. The inclusive philosophy brings students, families, educators and community members together to create schools and other social institutions based on acceptance, belonging and community.

Inclusive School: An inclusive school is a supportive, caring and responsive learning community in which diversity is honoured and students are provided with a continuum of services within the regular classroom, school and home community. Inclusive schools reflect the belief that all students belong and are valued members of the community. The focus is on each child as an engaged learner, recognizing that the benefits he or she receives from the educational program are dependent on the provision of appropriate programs and supports that are responsive to individual differences and needs.

Response to Intervention (RtI): An array of procedures that can be used to determine if and how students respond to specific changes in instruction and the environment. RtI provides an improved process and structure for school teams in designing, implementing, and evaluating educational interventions. The basic principle of RtI is that we can effectively teach all children through early intervention and the use of a problem-solving method to make decisions within a multi-tier model. Evidence-based instructional strategies, including assessment in screening, diagnosis and progress monitoring are emphasized at all levels of intervention. Regular classroom teachers and student services personnel share responsibility for all students within this model.

Transactional Support: The development and implementation of supports to help partners (in school, partners may include adults or other students) respond to the student’s needs and interests, modify and adapt the environment, and provided tools to enhance learning. The concept of transactional support recognizes that there is an ongoing mutual influence between two or more partners in social exchange and that all partners bear some responsibility to make it successful.

* These definitions have been adopted from a variety of Saskatchewan Ministry of Education documents, including the following:

• Adaptive Dimension in Core Curriculum (1992)
• Caring and Respectful Schools: Toward School (2004)
• Children’s Policy Framework (2002)
• Creating Opportunities for Students with Intellectual or Multiple Disabilities (2001)
• Directions for Diversity (2000)
• Our Children, Our Communities and Our Future – Equity in Education: A Policy Framework (1997)
• Strengthening Supports: Minister’s Response to the Report of the Special Education Review Committee (October 2000)

 

GSSD Professional Service Provider

THERAPY DELIVERY DEFINTIONS

Amended Sept. 1/11

THERAPY DEFINITIONS

 

Block Therapy
Defined amount of time in which consistent intervention is provided directly by our Professional Service Providers during that time.  This could be accomplished one to one, small group or whole class. Goals must be clearly defined, per and post measurements must be completed (informal, standardized, benchmarks, running records, observations, curricular based, etc).   

 

Direct Therapy

The student receives “hands-on” assessment or intervention directly from the Professional Service Provider either in or outside of the classroom.

 

Indirect Therapy

The Professional Service Provider provides training and education on the intervention procedure.  This procedure can be carried out by an individual who does not have the background knowledge and training (e.g. other Professional Service Provider, classroom teacher, SST, EA, parent &/or guardian), but is being given assignments which they feel they can comfortably deliver. PSP works in a consultative manner in monitoring the goals.

 

CASE LOAD DEFINITIONS
 

Active
There are four subcategories:  direct, indirect, consult and monitor any student in one of these categories is considered to be active. Psychologists must follow their professional guidelines.

Consultative
General consultative:  Applies to student(s) (not necessarily those that have been referred) who are experiencing difficulties.  For example inter- disciplinary team, tier one, teacher talking to you in the hallway about one of their students.  This consult may result in a referral and may require tier two and tier three interventions.

 

Specific Consultative:  Student is no longer receiving direct therapy services, but PSP is familiar with the student background to assist the teacher with techniques and strategies.

 

Monitor

PSP does check-ins with student’s team to insure that student is maintaining skills and to monitor his/her ongoing progress.

 

Discharge

When the student has achieved the outlined goals and the therapy is no longer required, or when the student no longer attends the Good Spirit School Division.  Psychologists must follow their professional guidelines.

 

 

PARENTAL LEVEL OF INVOLVEMENT IN THERAPY
Home program fits under Indirect Therapy

The student program is sent home after the parents/guardians have been invited to the school for a session where the skills are demonstrated and then the materials are provided for home programming.

Parent Practice

Reinforcement of something that has already be taught, similar to homework.