Growing Success Document Summary

Growing Success Assessment Evaluation and Reporting in Ontario Schools (2010) outlines policies and practices for assessment, evaluation, and reporting. These policies and procedures were enacted in September 2010. The 159 page document including glossary and references contains a great deal of information for educators. The intention of this summary is to highlight references to students with special needs within the document. This summary will focus on the first 70 pages as Jason has created similar highlights for the remaining sections. 

Fundamental Principles

One of the 7 fundamental principles listed on page 6 directly relates to students with special needs. The second principle: support all students, including those with special needs, those who are learning the language of instruction (English or French), and those who are First Nation, Metis, or Inuit. 

The context section of this chapter refers to the Education for All (2005) quote: 

Treating all children exactly the same means that children who need accommodations or modifications to the program in order to succeed will be disadvantaged. Some students require more or different support than others in order to work at a level appropriate to their abilities and needs (p. 5). 

Growing Success then goes on to explain, 

For some students, therefore, assessment, evaluation, and reporting will be based on modified expectations. For a few other students, where the expectations in the Ontario curriculum do not form the basis of all or part of their program, assessment, evaluation, and reporting may be based on alternative expectations. In addition, accommodations must be provided for many students with special education needs (p.7)

Quotations regarding fairness and inclusive education can be found on page 8. 

Assessment FOR Learning and AS Learning

Chapter 4, page 32 provides an Assessment Framework listing “3 key processes” that, although are not specifically directed at students with special needs, are critical for choosing effective IEP goals:

• establishing where the learners are going in their learning;
• establishing where they are in their learning;
• establishing what needs to be done to get them to where they are going. 

Evaluation

Chapter 5 discusses evaluation as it relates to students with special needs. 

For students with special education needs and English language learners who may require accommodations but who do not require modified expectations, evaluation of achievement will be based on the appropriate subject/grade/course curriculum expectations and the achievement levels, as described in Chapter 3. For students who require modified or alternative expectations, evaluation of achievement will be based on the modified or alternative expectations rather than the regular subject/grade/course curriculum expectations (p. 38).

Page 41 explains the meaning of the code “R” and its use in reporting in Grades 1-8. “R” signifies student achievement that is below level 1. It states, 

In Grades 1 to 8, students with an Individual Education Plan [IEP] who require modified or alternative expectations and beginning English language learners with modified expectations would rarely receive an “R”.

Reporting Student Achievement

Pages 61-63 of Chapter 6 provide information regarding how to report on the following for both elementary and secondary students with special needs:

• IEP with Modified Curriculum Expectations
• IEP with Alternative Learning Expectations
• IEP with Accommodations Only

References

Growing Success Assessment, Evaluation, and Reporting in Ontario Schools, First Edition, Covering Grades 1 to 12, 2010, Ministry of Education. 

Ontario. Expert Panel on Literacy and Numeracy Instruction for Students With Special EducationNeeds. (2005). Education for all: The report of the expert panel on literacy and numeracy instruction for students with special education needs, Kindergarten to Grade 6. Toronto: Author.