Students with learning support needs will be included on the school's learning support register and will have an International Individual Learning Plan (IILP) which sets targets to help overcome difficulties. A small number of students will continue to find it difficult to progress at school despite support during the school day. We will then ask other professionals from outside agencies to help (e.g additional tutoring, Counseling, O/T, Speech and Language therapy, etc.)

What is the Learning Support Department?

Some students may have needs that are additional to or different from those of other students at school. These students may have learning difficulties, communication problems or attention and concentration difficulties. It is the job of the Learning Support Department to help these students by giving them strategies and remediation.

How do we know which students need help?

• Students who are making very slow or no progress academically and have not responded to teacher interventions are referred to the Child Study Team (CST).
• Members of the CST then work with teachers to develop a plan for intervention which may include testing of specific skills. Functional assessment of behavior and attention which may lead to development of a behavioral plan and/or recommendations for strategies to be used in the classroom.
• By direct observation we will look at:
  1. How does the child perform academically and behaviorally in the classroom? E.g. effort, affect, time on task, level of independence, frustration.)
  2. How does the child's performance compare with the other children in the class?
  3. Is instruction differentiated and at an appropriate level of difficulty for the child?
  4. What are the environmental conditions, academic demands, behavioral expectations, and consequences for successful and unsuccessful performance associated with learning tasks?
  5. What stressors or distractions appear to affect the child?
• If Students continue to need learning support after third grade, a complete psycho-educational evaluation will be required.

How do we help?

• An International Individual Learning Plan (IILP) will be developed for students who have been determined by the child study team or who have been identified before being admitted to BFIS to need direct support from the Learning Specialist.
• If students need specific short term remediation for skills that are no longer being taught in the general education classroom, they may receive learning support.
• Some students will be placed on learning support monitor if they have been diagnosed with a learning disability, and have been recommended to be monitored by the psycho-educational report. Teachers will be informed of any accommodations they will need in order to be successful, and the learning support department will conduct periodic check-ins with students and teachers.
• Weekly support to focus on organizational skills, academic remediation, study skills, etc.
• In-class support, generally for writing
• If students are significantly below grade level in reading, they may receive reading instruction with the learning support teacher.
• Learning specialists will help create and revise behavioral plans.

A close partnership between school and home is essential if students are to make progress. Parents will always be fully involved and informed of their child's learning support needs. Parents are also central in supporting the measures taken by school. Students also have a responsibility in making the correct decisions and for taking responsibility for their actions while at school.