Creating Student Profiles

• Typically a 1-2 page summary

• Highlights important information could be very helpful for TOCs and all other "occasional adults" in the student's life (e.g. other teachers, administrative staff, community-based support team members)

• • Formatting to make information quickly accessible are best

TIPS!

• • Be concise with words

  • Use spacing and visuals appropriately (e.g. organize information into tables)

  • Laminate it so it is easily stands out and doesn’t get lost in the many papers 

Strengths-based Profiles, Competency-based IEPs, are simply those that emphasize a student's natural strengths in relation to a student's natural weaknesses. Knowing that students rely on their strengths to grow and progress in all areas, we now strategically plan to utilize students strengths

What's best to include in each profile depends on a student's needs, and also who might be viewing that document ie. what services a teacher is sharing information with. For example, in a profile for a student with an ASD diagnosis, a section on "triggers and motivators" would be very relevant.

Other sections might be:

• Likes / Dislikes (e.g. triggers or motivators; sensory preferences, other interests)

• Learning Strengths / Stretches (related to context)

• Communication Style & Social interaction description (peer preferences?)

• Health Concerns / Self-Care 

• Other Notes: Specific behaviour(s) to watch out for, Contact Info of Key support personnel

• Recent Photo

When we incorporate student voice into profiles, we call them "Authentic" profiles. Practically, how to do it and what that looks like is

• Interviewing students live and/or supporting them in filling out templates to garner their ideas and words. 

• Using "I can" sentence starters for goals anda bilities, or "Name can" if this is a "team-generated" idea

• Ensure student voice is sought and represented in all their documents (profiles, learning goals, and other documents e.g IEPs and meetings)