Special Education Needs & Inclusion Policy

Política de IB para las necesidades de educación especial de Ogden High

Purpose

The faculty and staff of the Ogden High School International Baccalaureate Program work to build a student community that supports all students in their mission to achieve academic success through the International Baccalaureate programs offered at Ogden High. Both the Career-Related and Diploma Program are open to any interested Ogden High student. The Inclusion Policy details the supports necessary and available to students to achieve academic success. It also provides information regarding State and Federal requirements and the roles and responsibilities of stakeholders.

State and Federal Requirements

The Free and Appropriate Public Education Act (FAPE) is an education right for children with disabilities within the United States. FAPE is guaranteed by Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and by the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA). These bills protect the rights of individuals with disabilities in programs and activities that receive federal financial assistance, including federal funds the U.S. Department of Education which includes public school districts.

• IDEA is a United States special education law. IDEA requires that public schools create an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) for all eligible students under both the federal and state eligibility/disability standards. The IEP is the cornerstone of a student’s educational program and specifies the services and accommodations to be provided to students to help them achieve their educational goals. IEPs are reviewed annually.
• Students that do not qualify for services under IDEA may be served with a 504. To qualify for a 504 plan a student must 1- have a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities; or 2- have a record of such an impairment; or 3- be regarded as having such an impairment. 504 plans are reviewed annually.
• The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) protects the civil rights of people with disabilities in all aspects of employment and guarantees access to all public buildings.

Ogden High School and Ogden School District follows all state and federal laws and makes all appropriate accommodations. Both the Career-Related and Diploma Program are academically rigorous and time intensive. Students with either an IEP or a 504 are welcome to participate in either program in accordance with federal law. All appropriate stakeholders have direct access to all student accommodations.

IB Rules & Regulations in Regards to Special Education Needs

The publication Candidates with Assessment Access Requirements (IBO, 2009) states the following principles as part of the expectation of accommodating students in the IB programme that have special needs.

1.1: The IB must ensure that a grade awarded to a candidate in any subject is not a misleading description of that candidate’s level of attainment, so the same standards of assessment are applied to all candidates, regardless of whether or not they have learning support requirements.

1.2: Inclusive assessment arrangements are intended to reduce the adverse effects of a candidate’s long-term challenge(s) when demonstrating his or her level of attainment. The arrangements requested for a candidate must not give that candidate an advantage in any assessment component.

1.3: The inclusive assessment arrangements described in this document are intended for candidates with the aptitude to meet all assessment requirements leading to the award of the diploma or course results.

1.4: If inclusive assessment arrangements are necessary for a candidate during the course of their study of the Diploma Programme or practice examinations, the school may provide the arrangements. If the arrangements are required for assessment, this document lists the arrangements that do not require prior authorization from the IB. For all other arrangements, prior authorization from the IB Assessment centre is mandatory. Similarly, if a Diploma Programme candidate has difficulties meeting the requirements for creativity, action, service (CAS), IB Answers must be consulted.

1.5: The IB aims to authorize inclusive assessment arrangements that are compatible with those normally available to the candidate concerned. However, authorization will only be given for arrangements that are consistent with the policy and practice of the IB. It should not be assumed that the IB will necessarily agree to the arrangements requested by a school. Coordinators are required to provide information on the candidate’s usual method of working in the classroom.

1.6: The IB is committed to an educational philosophy based on international-mindedness. Therefore, the inclusive assessment arrangements policy of the IB may not reflect the standard practice of any one country. To achieve equity among candidates with assessment access requirements, the policy represents the result of a consideration of accepted practice in different countries.

1.7: The IB will ensure that, wherever possible, arrangements for candidates with a similar type of access requirement are the same. Due to the cultural differences that occur in the recognition of learning support requirements and the nature of access arrangements granted in schools, there may be some compromise which may be necessary to help ensure comparability between candidates in different countries.

1.8: Each request for inclusive assessment arrangements will be judged on its own merit. Previous authorization of arrangements, either by the IB or another awarding body, will not influence the decision on whether to authorize the arrangements that have been requested by the coordinator.

1.9: The IB treats all information about a candidate as confidential. If required, information will only be shared with appropriate IB personnel and members of the final award committee, who will be instructed to treat such information as confidential.

1.10: The IB does not flag or annotate in any way the results of a candidate for whom inclusive assessment arrangements have been authorized.

1.11: If a school does not meet the conditions specified by the IB when administering inclusive assessment arrangements or makes arrangements without authorization, the candidate may not be awarded a grade in the subject and level concerned.

1.12: If it can be demonstrated that a candidate’s lack of proficiency in his or her response language(s) arises from an identified learning support requirement, inclusive assessment arrangements may be authorized. (For subjects in groups 3 to 6, all candidates are allowed to use a translating dictionary in the written examinations.)

1.13: If inclusive assessment arrangements are authorized for internal assessment, the IB may require the candidate’s work to be submitted to the IB Assessment centre for review.

1.14: A school must not inform an examiner of a candidate’s condition or adverse circumstance. Similarly, in the case of internally assessed work, teachers must not make any adjustments when marking a candidate’s work. If appropriate, the IB will ensure that reasonable adjustments are applied.

1.15: The list of inclusive assessment arrangements available is revised regularly. The IB will consider alternative arrangements proposed by a coordinator, provided those arrangements could be made available to all candidates with similar requirements.

1.16: According to the document General regulations: Diploma Programme, a Diploma Programme candidate may participate in three examination sessions to be awarded the diploma. At the discretion of the IB, a candidate with learning support requirements may be allowed additional sessions.

1.17: If the nature of a candidate’s challenge and/or the authorized inclusive assessment arrangement might disturb other candidates during an examination, the candidate must take the examination in a separate room and be supervised according to the regulations governing the conduct of Diploma Programme examinations.

1.18: Written examinations must be invigilated according to the regulations governing the conduct of Diploma Programme examinations. The person invigilating the candidate’s examination must not be a relative of the candidate, or any other person with whom there may be an apparent or perceived conflict of interest.

1.19: Any issues that arise from the nature of the inclusive assessment arrangements, or any unforeseen difficulties encountered by the candidate, should be reported to IB Answers as soon as possible.

Roles & Responsibilities

Responsibilities of the Coordinator:

• Coordinator will communicate with administration regarding all requests for inclusive arrangements and collaborate with administration on implementation of any approved accommodations.
• Coordinator will submit inclusive assessment requests to IB on behalf of student.
• Coordinator will communicate assessment accommodations, IEP and 504 accommodations to IB teachers
• Coordinator will collaborate with teachers, counselors, administrators, students, families and other support professionals to support all students in achieving academic success

Responsibilities of the Teacher:

• All teachers will follow state and federal guidelines and laws pertaining to Special Education services
• Will communicate any concerns to the IB Coordinator
• Will implement any accommodations as required by law
• Will maintain student confidentiality in dealing with a student’s disability

Responsibilities of the Parent & Student:

• Actively participate in the education of the student
• Read and follow district policies
• Communicate with the school regarding any changes to a student's disability and needs
• Provide documentation needed for accommodation requests

Support Opportunities

Ogden High provides support opportunities for all students, not just those with special education needs. Any student may take advantage of the following additional supports:

• Weber State tutors available after school in the library or in the library throughout the week. Check the library for availability.
• Math tutors after school Mon-Thurs in room 309
• Study Hall
• Avid Elective

In additional to the support opportunities provided for all students, our students with special education needs may be given curriculum modification, enrichment activities, time accommodations, or physical classroom accommodations. Modifications will also be made for assessments as outlined in a student’s 504 or IEP. If additional support is still needed, then students may be placed in a Study Hall which is built into their schedule.

Policy Use and Review

Ogden High School’s assessment policy is a working document that guides teacher practice and furthurs student development as balanced, whole learners. It will be reviewed and revised yearly, or as necessary, by the school’s pedagogical leadership team (administrators, IB Coordinator, department heads and interested teachers).