Characteristics
The IPRC members meet initially to determine:
1) If the student should be identified as exceptional and, if so, the category and the exceptionality.
2) The appropriate educational placement.
Thereafter, the IPRC reviews the identification (category and exceptionality) and placement annually.
Related Definitions
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Identifying Needs
What it is
In Ontario, some students with special needs are formally identified as exceptional by an Identification Placement and Review Committee (IPRC), which is made up of at least three people, one of whom must be a principal or superintendent. The Committee determines if a student meets the established criteria for one of the twelve recognized exceptionalities, as determined by the Ontario Ministry of Education and reflected in the individual school board’s special education plan. The IPRC also determines the appropriate educational placement for the student’s needs. The identification and placement are reassessed every year.
Categories and Exceptionalities:
| Categories | Exceptionalities |
|---|---|
| Behaviour | Behaviour disability |
| Communication | Autism, Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Speech Impairment, Language Impairment, Learning Disabilities |
| Intellectual | Gifted, Mild Intellectual Disability, Developmental Disability |
| Physical | Physical Disability, Blind and Low Vision |
| Multiple | Multiple Exceptionalities (2 or more prominent) |
Placement Options:
• A regular class with indirect support, where the student is placed in a regular class for the entire day, and the teacher receives specialized consultative services.
• A regular class with resource assistance, where the student is placed in a regular class for most or all of the day and receives specialized instruction, individually or in a small group, within the regular classroom from a qualified special education teacher.
• A regular class with withdrawal assistance, where the student is placed in a regular class and receives instruction outside the classroom, for less than 50 per cent of the school day, from a qualified special education teacher.
• A special education class with partial integration, where the student is placed by the IPRC in a special education class in which the student-teacher ratio conforms to Regulation 298, section 31, for at least 50 per cent of the school day, but is integrated with a regular class for at least one instructional period daily.
• A full-time special education class, where the student-teacher ratio conforms to Regulation 298, section 31, for the entire school day.
Teaching Strategies
• Students who are identified as exceptional must receive a Special Education Program that includes an Individual Education Plan (IEP) (put into place within 30 days of the original IPRC and then within 30 days of the start of each school year).
• For specific strategies and additional information on each exceptionality, see the individual Teaching Strategy pages by clicking on the items in the list below.
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Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Behaviour Exceptionality Blind and Low Vision Deaf and Hard of Hearing Developmental Disability (DD) Giftedness |
Language Impairment Learning Disabilities (LD) Mild Intellectual Disability (MID) Multiple Exceptionalities Physical Disability Speech Impairment |
In Ontario, some students with special needs are formally identified as exceptional by an Identification Placement and Review Committee (IPRC), which is made up of at least three people, one of whom must be a principal or superintendent.
A formal exceptionality, identified by an Identification Placement and Review Committee (IPRC), in the category of Communication.
A formal exceptionality, identified by an Identification Placement and Review Committee (IPRC), in the category of Physical.
A formal exceptionality, identified by an Identification Placement and Review Committee (IPRC), in the category of Multiple, which indicates that the student’s needs are in two or more categories of exceptionality.
A formal exceptionality, identified by an Identification Placement and Review Committee (IPRC), in the category of Intellect, based on a psychological diagnosis characterized by below-average intelligence.
A formal exceptionality, identified by an Identification Placement and Review Committee (IPRC), in the category of Communication. Learning Disabilities are also a diagnosed psychological condition.
A formal exceptionality, identified by and Identification Placement and Review Committee (IPRC), in the category of Communication.
A formal exceptionality, identified by an Identification Placement and Review Committee (IPRC), in the category of Intelligence.
A formal exceptionality, identified by an Identification Placement and Review Committee (IPRC), in the category of Intelligence. Also a psychological, diagnosed condition characterized by significantly below average intellectual ability, approximately the second percentile or below. Deficits in adaptive functioning are also present.
A formal exceptionality identified by and Identification Placement and Review Committee (IPRC), in the category of Communication. Also a medically-diagnosed condition, involving the inability, or severe reduction in ability, to hear.
A formal exceptionality, identified by an Identification Placement and Review Committee (IPRC), in the category of Physical. Also a diagnosed medical condition, involving the inability or reduced ability to see.
A formal exceptionality, identified by an Identification Placement and Review Committee (IPRC), in the category of Behaviour.
A formal exceptionality, identified by an Identification Placement and Review Committee (IPRC), in the category of Communication. Incorporates a diagnosed group of three specific psychological conditions: Asperger’s Syndrome; Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS); and Autistic Disorder.
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Resources
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Ontario Ministry of Education site with info on timelines and appeals. |
IPRC Protocols |
