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TPGP Reflection

Individualized Program Plans (IPPs) are created for students with exceptionalities or significant mental health needs. An IPP requires a diagnosis from a medical professional and outlines goals and strategies to support the student's learning. If an IPP is not sufficient, a student may be referred to a Special Education Program like The Class, which supports students with severe internalizing behaviors impacting their learning. The Class uses morning meetings to build regulation skills and gradually integrates students into typical classes to prepare them for mainstream learning. This document provided an overview of the IPP process and The Class program to help teachers identify student needs and access appropriate supports.

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60 views

TPGP Reflection

Individualized Program Plans (IPPs) are created for students with exceptionalities or significant mental health needs. An IPP requires a diagnosis from a medical professional and outlines goals and strategies to support the student's learning. If an IPP is not sufficient, a student may be referred to a Special Education Program like The Class, which supports students with severe internalizing behaviors impacting their learning. The Class uses morning meetings to build regulation skills and gradually integrates students into typical classes to prepare them for mainstream learning. This document provided an overview of the IPP process and The Class program to help teachers identify student needs and access appropriate supports.

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© © All Rights Reserved
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I had set out to gain a better understanding about how IPPs are created and the unique

program at my school that supports students with significant mental health needs. The two
concepts are significantly connected to one another as students in this program need an IPP and
Alberta Learning Code to be referred to The Class. After conversations with the living resources
around me; my Teacher Mentor, School Inclusive Education Specialist, and Behaviour Support
Workers, I have a stronger foundational knowledge about different Inclusive Education programs
offered by the CBE.
The first step in identifying how to support a student with a potential exceptionality is
creating an Individualized Program Plan (IPP). The IPP is a document that starts with a
diagnosis. In order to have an IPP, a student must have a diagnosis from a specialist,
psychologist, or physician. Some diagnoses come with suggestions to help students find success.
Some diagnoses do not have these so when writing a student’s IPP, a teacher must find relevant
strategies to support a student. Most schools have resources for teachers to create these IPPs. My
practicum school’s Inclusive Education Specialist created a document with all sorts of strategies
for teachers to try. Once an IPP has been written, it is sent home with students for them to review
with their parents.
It is important to identify that when teachers are creating a document to note down their
observations about a student, they avoid any language that could suggest they are trying to
diagnose a student. Our job is to observe and write our observations, not to come to any
conclusions that may suggest a diagnosis. IPPs include goals that students are working towards
within a learning cycle. Given their diagnosis, for example, ADHD, we create a learning goal for
them, like organization of thoughts. With that learning goal in mind, we create strategies for
them to find success with that goal, like using graphic organizers, or chunking assignments.
Learning goals should be realistic, specific, and attainable.
What I learned in a meeting with my school’s Inclusive Education Specialist was that if a
student has a severe exceptionality that an IPP alone cannot support, we may begin looking into
Special Education Programs to support a student. Our school’s Inclusive Education Specialist
showed me a page on the CBE website that explains all of the different Special Education
Programs the CBE offers. These programs are designed to support students’ complex learning,
social emotional and medical needs.
One of the programs offered by the board is The Class. The Class is a program created
for students “with severe internalizing behaviours, which significantly impact their learning and
social success in a traditional education setting.” (Calgary Board of Education, 2022) Students
are enrolled in the program based on the observations and recommendations of school personnel.
After observing some behaviours, teachers may further discuss a student with a School Learning
Team (SLT). The SLT allows teachers to identify further support for students. If the concern is
extreme enough that a teacher may believe that the student needs a specialized program,
additional support will then be brought in. The Inclusive Education Specialist at a school may
then become involved with creating a document for this student. If they agree that this student
needs a specialized program, Area Directors may then get involved and the correct specialized
program will be selected for the student. During this time, their Alberta Learning Code may also
change with further diagnosis from a professional to support the shift into a social emotional
program.
If a student is diagnosed with a severe emotional or behavioural disability, also known as
a code 42, they would be eligible for The Class. What makes a code 42 different from a 53
(emotional or behavioural disability) is the level of severity in how students are coping with the
disability. The Class is a program for students with severe emotional or behavioural disability
who address issues with large internal reactions including, but not limited to self harm.
The ultimate goal with The Class is to provide students with the tools they need to help
regulate when facing a challenge so they can work towards being in a traditional classroom. In
our school, students in The Class begin their day with a “morning meeting” to work on
regulation skills. They then move onto curricular learning later in the day. The teachers for The
Class are part of each grade team so they can teach topics at the same time as other school
teachers. In terms of integrating students from The Class into traditional learning settings, they
begin with CTF courses first. When that becomes manageable, students are gradually integrated
into a PE class, eventually moving to integrating into a few core subject classes by the end of the
year. In high school, students in The Class will have the opportunity to stay in a similar program
but it is operated very differently. Students will go to regular classes and will then have one
period to go back to the classroom that The Class operates in.
Teaching a CTF class means that I have had the chance to get to know a few of the
students from The Class from the beginning of the year. Specialized programs allow students
opportunities to develop regulation skills that will continue to help them for years to come.
However, the process of being referred into such a program takes a long time for many students.
This professional growth plan has introduced me to the support that exists for our students.
Having a better baseline understanding of these resources will allow me to identify concerning
behaviours as they arise to get students support as early as possible.

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