Adaptations and Differentiations

SSa Core practices

Trauma-Informed framework

SSA educators display trauma‑informed principles across climate, culture, policies, and daily practices:

Safety: Ensure predictable, structured environments (consistent schedules, routines, clear expectations).

Trust and Transparency: Be open about lessons, expectations, and changes in routines.

Choice and Autonomy: Provide options in how students demonstrate learning.

Collaboration and Empowerment: Invite student voice in goal setting, tasks, and feedback.

Cultural and Historical Awareness: Recognize how trauma intersects with cultural identity and systemic factors

Relationship and Community

a) Student–Teacher Relationship Building

SSA educators prioritize rapport and trust over compliance. We take time to:

Learn student interests
Set collaborative goals
Use regular authentic check‑ins

b) Link to Support Services

Collaborate with counsellors, youth workers, and families.
Share insights with support teams when relevant and with consent.

Inclusive Environment

Respect and Belonging: Foster a culture where every student feels valued, heard, and respected regardless of background, ability, or life experience.

Student Voice and Agency: Include all students in decision-making about classroom norms, project choices, and ways of learning to strengthen ownership and engagement.

Celebration of Diversity: Recognize and integrate students’ cultures, identities, and experiences into daily lessons and discussions.

Student-Centred Learning

Personalized Learning Plans: Tailor tasks, pacing, and outcomes to student goals and strengths.

Flexible Scheduling and Pacing: Allow for varied start times, extended project timelines, or asynchronous work to meet individual needs.

Choice in Learning Activities: Students can select projects, mediums, or methods of demonstrating understanding.

Real-World and Experiential Learning: Incorporate hands-on, community-based, or outdoor learning opportunities that connect to students’ interests and experiences.

Responsive Adaptations: Quickly adjust lessons in response to student stress, engagement, or energy levels.

Classroom Adaptations

In education, Adaptation/Modification is often more reactive, changing the standard, content, or assessment to fit a student's specific needs, which may involve altering the level of difficulty.

Personalized Instruction

Educators break tasks into smaller, manageable steps for students who may struggle with executive functioning or overwhelm. This instruction can involve one-on-one guidance and unique changes to assignment outlines to personalize the learning process.

Adjusted assessment

Educators modify the length, complexity, or format of an assessment while maintaining core learning outcomes based on student needs. Mental health and wellness, educational gaps, socio-emotional needs are factors often taken into consideration when adjusting assessment.

Assistive technology

Students have access to physical and digital texts with accessibility features, such as e-books, PDFs with text-to-speech, adjustable font size, or color overlays. For output, talk-to-text, recorded submissions, and scribe opportunities are available. Additionally, videos, podcasts, interactive simulations, and animations are used to present the same concept in multiple formats.

Differentiated Instruction

Differentiation is a pedagogical approach aimed at tailoring instruction to different levels to ensure all students can access the learning, often focusing on varied content or products. It is about proactive planning for diversity in the classroom.

Universal design for Learning (UDL)

We present content in multiple ways (visuals, audio, hands-on) so all students can access it. In turn, students have a wide variety of options for displaying learning, including oral, written, visual, or artistic expression.

TIERED ASSIGNMENTS

Tasks are designed at varying complexity levels for the same learning objective. Each tier is scaffolded to build knowledge from the foundation, however, all students achieve the same common goal.

INQUIRY BASED METHOD

Students generate questions based on their interests or curiosity, giving ownership of the learning process. Then, they are supported in the independent research process and exploration.

Flexible GROUPING AND PACING

We organize students into mixed-ability or interest-based groups to scaffold learning collaboratively. As a result, students can progress through the content at varying speeds.

INTEREST-BASED EXTENSIONS

Opportunities for enrichment activities or challenges for students ready to go beyond the standard curriculum.

unique work settings

Students can chose to work individually or in small groups based on comfort level. We offer a cozy classroom setting with dimmed lighting and soft music. If needed, students can also opt for a completely quiet space, seperate from their peers.

Regular movement and outdoor/ experiential learning

The nature of our alternate program allows for increased movement during lessons. Additionally, we take every opportunity to provide our students with hands-on or outdoor learning opportunities to increase engagement and build confidence.

executive functioning tools

We provide organizers, templates, or guided notes for all students to support understanding. Setting timers and using visual reminders for assignments and deadlines.

Staff Professional Development

How do we ensure our educators are prepared to achieve these goals?

On-going Professional Development

Sea to Sky School District 48 has six professional development days in the 2025/26 school year. This includes Implementation Day, which featured presentations from ethnobotanist, Leigh Joseph, and Hereditary Chief, Ian Campbell. These keynote speakers shared stories and perspectives of the Squamish Nation, promoting Indigenous knowledge, land-based learning, and cultural understanding in schools.

By centering Indigenous voices in professional development, the district demonstrates a commitment to reconciliation and to embedding Indigenous worldviews, histories, and ways of knowing into classroom practice. This ongoing learning supports educators in moving beyond token inclusion toward authentic integration of Indigenous perspectives across curriculum areas, helping students develop respect, cultural humility, and a deeper understanding of the communities in which they live and learn.

AlternatE Education FOcus

SSA educators attend annual BC Alternative Education Conference to promote ongoing professional growth and gain a comprehensive understanding of diverse student needs and effective strategies for learning. This conference provides opportunities to engage with current research, share best practices, and explore innovative approaches tailored to alternate education settings.

Beyond formal professional development events, SSA teachers regularly collaborate to strengthen instructional practice. Through team meetings, informal check-ins, co-planning sessions, and shared reflection, educators work together to refine learning strategies, adapt instruction, and respond proactively to student needs. This collaborative culture supports the development of flexible, trauma-informed, and relationship-based approaches that prioritize student voice, engagement, and success. By consistently sharing strategies and reflecting on practice, SSA staff foster a cohesive learning environment where students benefit from aligned supports and intentional, responsive teaching.

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