IHB-P1 Students Specific Plans

Manitoba school divisions and schools are required to engage in a process of 

planning in education and of reporting progress toward meeting identified

outcomes annually. It is important to involve the community, parents, and

students in planning. Planning in education includes the school division,

school, classroom, and student-specific planning.

Planning in school divisions and schools to meet the needs of all students is a

priority. The student services administrator has responsibility for coordinating

supports and services across the school division and plays a key role in

supporting the planning efforts of school teams.

Teachers plan and use instructional practices to meet the diverse needs of all

students in their classes. For some students who have special learning needs or

abilities, student-specific planning is necessary. Principals, teachers, parents,

and students (the in-school team) all have a role to play in student-specific

planning. School clinicians provide consultative-collaborative services for

school personnel and parents and may become active members of a student’s

support team through the school division referral process. Other school

support team members, including but not limited to Elders, mental health

professionals, and/or community resources personnel, may be called upon to

participate in the planning process.

A.School divisions must

1.annually engage in planning, assessment, monitoring, and reporting

progress in relation to divisionally identified targets and provincial

priorities, including

-supports and services available to students

-information on how to access the supports and services

-information on expenditures related to student services

Student Specific Planning

Student-specific planning is the process through which members of

student support teams, including educators and parents, collaborate to meet

the unique needs of individual students. The purpose of student-specific

planning is to help students attain the skills and knowledge that are the next

logical step beyond their current levels of performance. Through the student-

specific planning process, the student support team works to identify a

student’s learning needs and to develop, implement, and evaluate appropriate

educational interventions. These interventions may range from short-

term strategies applied in the classroom to comprehensive, individualized

programming. The student-specific planning process is sufficiently broad-

based to address, in a systematic way, a wide range of learning needs.

The term student-specific plan in these standards reflects terminology currently used in the field to represent the global term individual education plan (IEP), as referenced in section 5 of The Appropriate Educational Programming Regulation 155/05.

Student Specific Plan is a global term referring to a written document developed and implemented by a team, outlining a plan to address the unique learning needs of a student. An SSP is a document that functions as a planning, record-keeping, and communication tool. A wide range of students with different strengths and needs can be served through student-specific planning, and each resulting plan is specific to the student for whom it is designed. The format, length, and content of the SSP will reflect the needs of the student, and they range from one or two pages to longer, more detailed and comprehensive SSPs.

It is expected that students who are learning English as an additional language

(EAL) have an EAL learning plan, which is a specific type of SSP. (Please

see the EAL Curriculum Framework at www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/cur/eal/framework/index.html.). Students in the Français program who are learning Français as an additional language (Littératie française) may have a Plan éducatif de littératie française (PELF), which is also a specific type of SSP.

An SSP is required when

■it is determined that a student requires student-specific outcomes in addition

to the provincial curriculum

■in K to Grade 8, it is determined that a student is eligible for the EAL or

Littératie française designation in a subject, modification of curricular

learning expectations in a subject, or individualized programming

■in Grades 9 to 12, it is determined that a student is eligible for the English as

an Additional Language (E) designation, Littératie française (L) designation,

the Modified (M) course designation, or the Individualized Programming (I)

designation

■it is determined that a student has an identified need and requires

adaptations consistently in order to meet or approximate the learning

expectations of the provincial curriculum

■a student has been suspended out of school more than two times during a

school year

■it is determined that a student has special learning needs and abilities that

require student-specific planning and documentation

School divisions use a variety of terms specific to the purpose of the plan to

identify the written document for the student-specific planning process.

A.School divisions must

1. provide parents with the information needed to make informed decisions

2. provide parents with the opportunity to participate in planning,

problem solving, and decision making that affect students’ education

3. require principals to designate a case manager and ensure that SSPs

are developed with the assistance of the teacher and other in-school personnel

4. provide the opportunity for parents and students to participate with

teachers and other professionals in the development, implementation,

monitoring, and evaluation of students’ SSPs

5. include in each SSP information about the student’s current level of

performance and adaptations and/or student-specific outcomes that the

student can reasonably be expected to meet

6. ensure that written SSPs are developed, revised, implemented,

monitored, and evaluated at least annually for all students identified as

having special learning needs and abilities

7. inform parents of students’ progress at the regularly scheduled

reporting periods throughout the year, or more frequently if

programming changes are deemed appropriate (MR 468/88)

8. ensure that students have a transition plan where required, according to

interdepartmental protocol agreements respecting students’ transition

to and from school

9. ensure that the student support team meet (or be formed) to engage in

the student-specific planning process as part of a post-event debriefing

process

10. identify school principals as being accountable for the delivery and

implementation of educational programming and services for students

with special learning needs and abilities (MR 468/88)

11. ensure that access to SSPs and student records complies with the

Manitoba Pupil File Guidelines, The Freedom of Information and Protection

of Privacy Act, The Personal Health Information Act,

And The Protecting and Supporting Children (Information Sharing) Act

B. School division policy on planning in education must

1. provide educators with access to professional learning opportunities that

assist them in supporting students with a full range of strengths and needs

2. ensure that schools have access to the necessary supports to provide

consultation, planning, and problem solving related to appropriate

educational programming for all students

3. obtain written informed parental confirmation on SSPs to indicate

involvement in the SSP development process

4. document the reasons for refusal and/or actions undertaken by schools

to obtain consent and/or resolve concerns in cases when parents refuse to

participate in the student-specific planning process

Principals are responsible for

1. ensuring that an SSP is prepared for a student when

- it is determined that a student requires student-specific outcomes in

addition to the provincial curriculum

-in K to Grade 8, it is determined that a student is eligible for the EAL

programming designation in a subject, modification of curricular

learning expectations in a subject, or individualized programming

- in Grades 9 to 12, it is determined that a student is eligible for the

English as an Additional Language (E) designation, the Modified

(M) course designation, or the Individualized Programming (I)

designation

- it is determined that a student has an identified need and requires

adaptations consistently in order to meet or approximate the learning

expectations of the provincial curriculum

- a student has been suspended out of school more than two times

during a school year

- it is determined that a student has special learning needs or abilities

that require student-specific planning and documentation

2. ensuring that the SSP

- is prepared and updated collaboratively with parents, the student,

teacher(s), other school and/or division personnel, and outside agency

support personnel

- is consistent with provincial protocols respecting a student’s transition

to and from school

- is updated annually, or sooner if required by a change in the student’s

needs

3. ensuring that a student’s parents and the student have the opportunity

to be accompanied and assisted by a person of their choosing during the

student-specific planning process

[Ed. Admin. Act (4) (r) (r.1) (r.2)]

[M.R. 468/88 (12-16, 28, 35, 39)]

(PSA 41(1) ( r ) ( x ), 42.1, 58.6, 96)

Procedure Number:   IHB-P1

Procedure Title: Student Specific Plans

Adoption Date:

Amendment Date(s):  

Legal Reference:

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