SPECIAL NEEDS STUDENT
Individualized
Education Plan
Information for parents
The individualized education plan is a key tool for supporting special needs students by focusing on collaboration between the school, parents and professionals. It aims to provide suitable, scalable and personalized support. Your participation is valuable in adjusting the measures according to your child’s real needs. The individualized education plan is not fixed: it adapts to the strengths, challenges and progress of each student.
What is an special needs student?
The term special needs refers to students with disabilities or with adjustment or learning difficulties.. This is a category used to identify students who need special support to promote their academic success, whether through support measures, adaptations or specialized services. There are two main realities in this name:
Disabled : These are students with a recognized and often permanent disability, such as an intellectual disability, an autism spectrum disorder (ASD), a hearing, visual or physical impairment. These situations are usually accompanied by an official diagnosis and provide access to specialized services, adapted equipment or more intensive support.
Difficulty adapting or learning : This includes students who do not have a recognized disability, but who encounter significant and persistent difficulties. Adjustment difficulties include, for example, behavioral problems, anxiety or emotional disturbances, while learning difficulties affect reading, writing, mathematics or attention, as in cases of dyslexia, dysorthographia or ADHD.
What is an individualized education plan?
The Individualized Education Plan is a personalized document put in place to support students with special needs due to a disability or an adaptation or learning difficulty. It aims to organize and coordinate the interventions necessary for their academic success and their harmonious integration into the educational environment. This plan is based on collaboration between the various school stakeholders, parents and, where possible, the student himself.
The individualized education plan helps identify the child’s specific needs and determine concrete ways to meet them. It is not simply an administrative form, but a living tool that evolves according to the student’s progress and challenges.
Who is involved in an individualized education plan?
The development and implementation of an individualized education plan involves several actors who each play an essential role in the process:
- The student , when he is able to express his needs and actively participate in the development of his plan.
- The parents, who provide valuable knowledge about their child, their experiences and their specific needs. Their collaboration is essential to ensure consistency between school and family environment.
- The teaching staff , who implement teaching strategies and adjust teaching methods according to the plan.
- Professionals in complementary educational services , such as special education teachers, psychologists, speech therapists or psychoeducators, who provide specialist support.
- The school management , which coordinates the implementation of the individualized education plan, ensures its follow-up and ensures communication between the different parties.
External partners , such as health network stakeholders or community organizations, can be involved to supplement the student’s support.
What is a individualized education plan used for?
The individualized education plan is above all a structuring framework which helps guide the actions of teachers and professionals who support the student in their academic journey. It ensures that the interventions implemented meet the child’s specific needs at all times, while providing the best possible learning conditions. The individualized education plan thus makes it possible to establish a link between the school, professionals and the family, guaranteeing a coherent and concerted approach.
One of the main objectives of the individualized education plan is to set clear and achievable objectives, adapted to the pace and abilities of the student. This could involve, for example, improving concentration in class, developing social skills or adapting teaching methods to facilitate understanding of the concepts taught. The intervention strategies chosen may include the use of adapted educational materials, flexible schedules, break times, technological tools or even increased support from professionals.
The individualized education plan is not a fixed document: it evolves throughout the student’s academic career. Regular monitoring is planned to assess the effectiveness of the interventions implemented and make any necessary adjustments. In this way, the student always benefits from the best conditions to succeed and progress at their own pace.
The role of parents in the individualized education plan
Parents play a vital role in implementing and monitoring their child’s individualized education plan. Their participation is a right (art. 96.14 LIP) and a lever for success. Their involvement begins with the identification of the student’s needs and continues throughout the process. As the first observers of their child’s development, they possess unique knowledge that can enrich the development of the PI. They can thus share valuable information about their child’s behavior at home, their reactions to learning and their specific needs.
Parents actively participate in individualized education plan meetings, where they can discuss the strategies put in place, ask questions and suggest adjustments if necessary. They also have a role to play in implementing interventions by supporting their child at home, applying certain recommendations and maintaining open communication with the teachers and professionals involved. During the meetings, parents may be accompanied by a person of their choice. They can suggest adjustments and request re-evaluations.
If parents disagree with the proposed measures, they have the right to request a reassessment of the plan and obtain a second opinion. They can also consult the resources of the school service center or specialized organizations to ensure that their child’s rights and needs are fully respected.
The steps of the Individualized Education Plan
The implementation of an individualized education plan follows several structured steps to ensure its effectiveness and continued adaptation to the student’s needs.
- Collection and analysis of information : This first phase consists of collecting all relevant data on the student, in particular from teacher observations, professional assessments and parent feedback. The goal is to have a comprehensive understanding of the child’s challenges and strengths in order to better target interventions.
- Intervention planning : Once the needs are identified, specific objectives are established for the student. These objectives must be realistic, measurable and adapted to their learning pace. At this stage, the concrete means to achieve these objectives are defined, as well as the necessary human and material resources.
- Implementation of interventions : This is the phase of applying the plan in the student’s daily school life. Teachers and facilitators implement the defined strategies, and adjustments can be made based on the student’s response.
- Review and adjustments : The individualized education plan is not a fixed document. It is reviewed regularly (usually once or twice a year) to assess the effectiveness of interventions and adjust objectives and strategies based on the student’s progress.
Monitoring and adjustments
Monitoring the plan is a crucial step that allows the impact of the interventions implemented to be assessed and the necessary adjustments to be made. Typically, a formal review of the plan is conducted once or twice a year, but adjustments can be made at any time if the student’s needs change.
During each review meeting, the school team and parents meet to analyze the student’s progress, assess the achievement of the set objectives and identify adjustments to be made. If some strategies do not work, they can be replaced or modified. Conversely, if the student is progressing well, it is possible to introduce new challenges and objectives adapted to his or her development.
Good monitoring relies on constant communication between the school and the family. Parents are encouraged to report any changes in their child’s behavior or needs that may impact their academic success. For their part, teachers and professionals must keep parents informed of the progress made and any adjustments that may need to be made.
If necessary, parents can request an additional meeting with the school team to discuss possible adjustments. It is essential that the individualized education plan remains a flexible and evolving tool that adapts to the changing needs of the student, in order to guarantee them an optimal learning environment adapted to their abilities.
Types of interventions
Means
These are the concrete actions that the school team puts in place to support the student. They do not change academic requirements, but aim to support learning or facilitate success.
- Specialized educational support (specialized help in reading/writing/maths)
- Tutoring or recovery periods
- Help with planning or organizing tasks
- Regular follow-up with a significant adult
Adaptations
These are adjustments or arrangements that allow the student to access academic content without modifying the assessment criteria. They aim to provide equity of access to learning.
- More time for exams
- Use of correction or speech synthesis software
- Reading the instructions aloud
- Work presented orally rather than in writing
These measures do not affect the validity of the diploma or the assessment.
Modifications
These are changes to program requirements or assessment criteria. They are used when the student cannot achieve the objectives of the regular program, even with adaptations.
- Simplification of the content to be taught
- Assessment on modified or different objectives
- Reduced workload
- Personalized learning objectives
May have an impact on graduation: a student with too many modifications may not be eligible for a regular diploma, but rather for a training certificate.
TEVA (Transition École-Vie Active – School-Active Life Transition) Objectives
Used for students for whom graduation is not realistic, often in job-oriented training or on a specific path. The TEVA objectives aim to develop skills useful for adult life: autonomy, work, management of daily life.
- Learn to take the bus alone
- Participate in work placements
- Manage a simple budget
- Developing social skills for employment
These objectives are individualized and prepared for the end of schooling, often with the support of external stakeholders (e.g. CIUSSS, employability organizations).
Example of an Individualized Education Plan
The intervention plan for Émile, a 6th grade student, was put in place to help him overcome his reading and writing difficulties linked to dyslexia. Although he understands oral instructions very well and is curious, particularly in science, he needs specific support to progress in his school learning.
This plan was developed in collaboration with his parents, his teacher, the special education teacher and the special education technician. Together, they determined two concrete objectives: to improve his reading and to get him to write a short narrative text in a structured manner.
To achieve this, various means are put in place, such as regular support with the special education teacher, the use of reading assistance software, audio readings and personalized support in class. These are what we call adaptations: they facilitate learning without changing what is expected of students.
In some cases, such as when writing the text, the evaluation criteria are also adjusted. For example, Émile can dictate his text to an adult and less attention is paid to spelling. These are modifications that allow you to take into account your abilities while maintaining realistic expectations.
This plan is updated regularly according to Émile’s progress. It allows the entire team, including parents, to monitor their progress and work together to support their academic success, while respecting their needs.
Image taken from the individualized education plan template to facilitate the monitoring of students with disabilities or those with adaptation or learning difficulties and consultation among stakeholders (MEQ)