GENESIS HIGH NEEDS POLICY

Differentiated Instruction and Assessment Policy

Genesis Combined School is able to accommodate students with mild learning disabilities.  The High Needs Service (HNS) is available to provide learning support to students in the general education classroom in form of Collaborative team teaching co-teaching, push-in model, or with periodic pull-out support if needed. We are unable to accept students beyond Tier 4 for Secondary School. Parents who have students with identified special educational needs are encouraged to read closely our High Needs section below. Parents should forward all information including evaluations, reports, and school referrals which will assist us in determining whether our school is able to meet the academic needs of your child.

The School has a ‘Gifted and Talented program. Extended Learning (EL) teachers are available in both the Primary and Secondary Schools to support students of extremely high ability levels.

 Our Differentiated Learning Policy aims to:

• Ensure the effective delivery of the Genesis Combined School curriculum.
• Support and extend the learning experiences for all students at Genesis Combined School.
• Guarantee differentiation opportunities are developed, aligned, and implemented across the whole of the curriculum.
• Aid in the monitoring and support of differentiated teaching and learning
• Create clarity in terms of differentiation expectations for all stakeholders
• Support teachers in the implementation of the approaches to teaching and learning for students of differing abilities in the same class

High Needs

The High Needs Programme at Genesis Combined School is a learner-centered department that believes in respecting students’ individual development and creating student-targeted programs in response to identified, assessed needs. Within a framework of professional collaboration and home-to-school partnerships, HNP aims to provide students and teachers with an opportunity to engage in best practices around access and extensions to learning. HN provides program development and teaching services to students with identified learning and/or behavioral needs that fit within the school’s tiered, response-to-intervention model. Genesis Combined School is equipped to serve students within Tiers 0 through 4.

For students who require Tier 5 services (secondary school only), unless the extra services are funded by the applicant (services beyond reasonable accommodation by Genesis Combined School), they are not eligible for admission.

Administrators will seek consultation with High Needs Specialist Teachers for any applicant who might require High Needs service before making a final decision about admissions.

Genesis Combined School will not deny entry to students requiring special needs unless required support is unavailable.

At Genesis Combined School, Primary School student needs are defined according to the following level of services:

• Tier 0:  Students require no services beyond English as an Additional Language, counseling, regular classroom instruction, and/or slight modifications to the physical learning environment to accommodate physical, sensory, and/or medical needs.
• Tier 1: Students without an Individualized Education Plan or Accommodation Awareness Plan who receive differentiated instruction within the regular education classroom in consultation with the HN Specialist Teacher.
• Tier 2: Students have an Accommodation Awareness Plan or Individualized Education Plan, receive differentiated instruction and accommodations within the classroom by the classroom teacher, and are actively monitored by the HN Specialist Teacher and accommodated within the classroom by the classroom teacher.
• Tier 3: Students have an Accommodation Awareness Plan or Individualized Education Plan, receive differentiated instruction and accommodations within the classroom by the classroom teacher, and are actively monitored by the HN Specialist Teacher and classroom teacher. Additionally, they receive scheduled inclusion support from the HN Specialist Teacher.
• Tier 4: Students have an IEP, receive differentiated instruction and accommodations within the classroom by the classroom teacher, and are actively monitored by the HN Specialist Teacher and classroom teacher. Additionally, they receive scheduled pullout support with or without inclusion support from the HN Specialist Teacher.
• Tier 5: Students who require services beyond reasonable accommodation, including significant classroom monitoring, modification of general curriculum, intensive one-to-one support within the regular classroom, and/or frequent, ongoing pullout support from HN Specialist Teachers, unless the student is accompanied by a parent-paid paraprofessional who is employed by the school.

Secondary School student needs are defined according to the following level of services:

• Tier 0: Students require no services beyond English as an Additional Language, counseling, regular classroom instruction, and/or slight modifications to the physical learning environment to accommodate physical, HNory, and/or medical needs.
• Tier 1: Students without an Individualized Education Plan or Accommodation Awareness Plan who receive differentiated instruction within the regular education classroom in consultation with the HN Specialist Teacher.
• Tier 2: Students have an Accommodation Awareness Plan or Individualized Education Plan, receive differentiated instruction and accommodations within the classroom by the classroom teacher, and are actively monitored by the HN Specialist Teacher and classroom teacher.
• Tier 3: Students have an Individualized Education Plan or Accommodation Awareness Plan, receive differentiated instruction and accommodations within the classroom by the classroom teacher, and are actively monitored by the HN Specialist Teacher and classroom teacher. Additionally, they may receive occasional pullout support from the HN Specialist Teacher.
• Tier 4: Students have an Individualized Education Plan, receive differentiated instruction and accommodations within the classroom by the classroom teacher, and are actively monitored by the HN Specialist Teacher and classroom teacher. Additionally, they receive scheduled, ongoing pullout support from the HN Specialist Teacher.

Either at the time of the application process or after successful registration, students with academic and/or behavioral needs may be required by administration to have a further cognitive, achievement, and/or developmental evaluations to support the student’s educational program. Assessments may be administered by the Special Educational Needs Department or by an independent, qualified Educational Psychologist as approved by the school. The cost of testing, reporting, and translating, where appropriate, is the responsibility of the family.

Any educational, social-emotional, physical, sensory, or medical needs must be fully disclosed in detail during the admission application process. All academic or psychological reports and/or any additional academic support the applicant is receiving or has received in the past (e.g. achievement or diagnostic assessments, psycho-educational evaluations, IEP, tutoring) must be disclosed at the time of application for admission. Failure to do so will delay the admission process, and may result in a revocation of an offer of admission, or the withdrawal of the student from Genesis Combined School.

Genesis Combined School reserves the right to contact previous school administrators and/or teachers to gather additional information needed to inform the student’s application.

Extended Learning at Genesis Combined School:

“Talented and gifted students need to be encouraged, nurtured and extended, and students need to be challenged to think laterally and deeply about complex ideas, issues, and situations even if a student is receiving learning support in other areas. Curriculum and learning choices should be made in collaboration with the students and their parent’s

Genesis Combined School has a ‘Gifted and Talented’ program designed to extend the learning of those with advanced skills or aptitudes in certain areas of the curriculum. Extended Learning teachers are available in both Primary and Secondary School to provide instructional support to students of extremely high ability levels.

Extended Learning Areas

• Math: Year 1-5; 2 sessions/week
• Transdisciplinary Skills: Grades 2-5:
  • 1 session/week
    • Novel Writing
    • How can I personalize my learning?
    • Specific skill development
    • Forum for leadership and creativity
    • Enriched Reading
  • Can be a small group or whole grade level.

Extended Learning in the Secondary School

The Extended Learning teacher works within the curriculum, providing differentiated instruction to students determined to need more rigor and challenge in their learning. Extended Learning teachers work with Year level teachers, using external and internal assessment data to inform possible ‘outliers’ in different subject areas. In addition to academic support, the Extended Learning Teacher is also someone who checks in with the social/emotional identity needs of these students. When justified within the curriculum, students ready for greater depth in their own inquiries may work with the Extended Learning Teacher.