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Referrals and Applications

Student Characteristics

Characteristics listed below can assist parents and school boards in comparing potential applicants with the present population of Provincial Demonstration School students. In these days of greatly increasing numbers of applications coming before the committee, it is hoped that this information, in combination with the criteria for eligibility set out by the Ministry, will help both parents and school boards judge the suitability of their students for Demonstration School programs. Students must be formally identified through the I.P.R.C. process and identified as Communication: Learning Disability, as well as have a clinical diagnosis of a learning disability.

Characteristics include:

• average to above average assessed cognitive ability;
• very significant discrepancy between assessed cognitive ability and academic achievement in the following areas: reading, spelling, written expression and mathematics;
• reading and spelling are usually characterized by severe phonological problems, written expression by grapho-motor difficulties and difficulty in putting thoughts and ideas on paper, and mathematics by difficulties with mathematical concepts. The difference between cognitive ability and academic performance is typically five years or more, particularly for secondary age students. Younger students tend to lack basic readiness skills or be functioning at an early primary level in the basic skills;
• some or all of the additional characteristics identified in the Ministry of Education's definition of learning disabilities;
• most students are between the ages of 11 and 15 at the time of application;
• Provincial Demonstration Schools are not designed for students who present with severe emotional or behavioural issues such as assaultive behaviours toward self or others, behaviours that endanger or present risk to self or others and major psychiatric disorders.

REFERRAL FOR ASSESSMENT- PHASE 1

When a school has exhausted its resources in an attempt to help the student make progress, a request can be made to a Provincial Demonstration School. Prior to calling Amethyst, a consultation with the Board's special education consultant and the parents should take place. The resource teacher should contact Resource Services at Amethyst directly (519-453-4400). For the school year beginning in September 2010, contact Karen Morrison (ext. 1539) or Laura Smith (ext. 1538). Please have the student's O.S.R. handy when you make the call to Resource Services, as questions about recent assessments will be asked as part of the initial phone interview. For those students who appear to meet the criteria for application, a referral for assessment package (Phase 1 package) will be emailed to the school to be completed by the referring school's resource teacher and signed by the Special Education Co-ordinator (or other board contact).

The referral package (Phase 1) should be returned by May 15, 2009 OR November 15, 2009. There are two rounds of interviews: fall and spring. Those referral packages received by May 15, 2009 will proceed to the fall round (application deadline of November 1st, 2009) and those received by November 15, 2009 will proceed to the spring round (application deadline of February 1st, 2010). Once the completed referral for assessment package is returned to Amethyst, the referral package will be reviewed and an assessment date may be arranged.

The assessment will take place at Amethyst School. This visit will take most of the day, as a school tour of the school and residence may be offered to the parents and student.

School personnel should be aware that the process of applying to a provincial demonstration school is a lengthy and comprehensive process that requires many months of preparation.

Note: Assessments for applications will take precedence over assessments for consultation.

APPLICATION- PHASE 2

Before proceeding with an application, the home school should implement the recommendations made in the Resource Services' report. The decision to apply to Amethyst School rests with the parent(s). Boards are obligated to honour this request. The school must contact Resource Services as soon as a decision to apply has been made and an application package (Phase 2) will be emailed. You will be provided with all the necessary pages and instructions.

Note: The age of typical applicants is usually ages 11- 15.

The following is a list of the items to be included in the application:

• Personal information
• Parents/guardians questionnaire
• Board information
• Medical information, including a recent physical examination (medical form provided), vision and hearing test (within two years of application date)
• Formal assessment reports, including the results of a WISC IV and a speech and language assessments completed within 3 years of the application deadline
• Educational history
• Work samples and original art work
• Identification, Placement and Review Committee information, including a list of alternative placements

Five copies of the application should be forwarded to Residential Manager, Amethyst School, London.

Application Deadlines

There are two important dates for the 2009-2010 school year, November 1st, 2009 and February 1st, 2010. Application packages (Phase 2 packages of five binders) can be prepared and submitted for either date. PCLD (Provincial Committee on Learning Disabilities) meetings will follow shortly after each of these deadlines.

Interviews

Shortly after the deadlines, the parents and the Board will be notified of the date and time for an interview with the Provincial Committee on Learning Disabilities.

Southwestern Ontario interviews take place at Amethyst School.

Northwestern Ontario interviews take place in the North at a designated location.

Decisions

Following the interviews, the PCLD committee makes all decisions regarding applicants. The committee may request a Special Services Interview to gather further information before making a decision.

The possible decisions are:

• applicant is not appropriate for a Demonstration School Program with reasons provided
• deferred decision
• regular L. D. program at a Demonstration School
• ADHD program (1 year at Provincial School and 1 year follow-up)
• LEAD program (at Trillium School in Milton, Ontario)

Once the student is accepted into one of the programs, the parents and the Board are notified regarding additional requirements.

Costs

Costs for residential placement are paid for by the Ministry of Education.

Transportation costs are borne by the home board of education.

Parents are required to provide approximately $450 per year for field trips and incidentals.

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