Referrals and Applications
Student Characteristics
Students must have a clinical diagnosis of a learning disability, as well as be formally identified through the I.P.R.C. process as Communication: Learning Disability.
Characteristics listed below can assist School Boards and parents in comparing potential applicants with the present population of Provincial Demonstration School students.
It is hoped that this information, in combination with the criteria for eligibility set out by the Ministry, will help both School Boards and parents judge the suitability of their students for Demonstration School programs.
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: harmful behaviours toward self or others, behaviours that endanger or present risk to self or others and major psychiatric disorders.
REFERRAL FOR ASSESSMENT- PHASE 1
School Boards (with parental support) are responsible for making application on behalf of individual students. It is recommended that the following procedures take place in preparation for making contact with the Resource Services Department at Amethyst:
- Schools have exhausted all available resources in an attempt to help the student make progress.
- A consultation between School/Board representatives and the family has taken place, recommending contact with the Resource Services Department at Amethyst.
- School/Board representatives and the family agree that the student’s learning profile appears to meet the criteria and characteristics listed above.
- The school Resource Teacher should contact the Resource Services Department at Amethyst directly (519-453-4400).
Prior to calling Amethyst: (Initial Contact Interview)
- Please have the student’s OSR ready
- Be prepared to answer questions about recent assessments, and current special education programming
- 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 Resource Teacher directly.
Important Dates – Phase 1 Referral
- November 15th or May 15th
- Once the completed Referral for Assessment package (Phase 1 package) is returned to Amethyst, the referral package will be reviewed by the Resource Services Department
- Assessment and Tour dates will be arranged between the Resource Services Department and the referring school
Assessment and Tour
The assessment will take place at the Amethyst School. This visit will take most of the day, as a tour of the school and residence facilities may be offered to the student and his/her family at that time.
NOTE:
- Tours are not offered before a Referral for Assessment Package has been completed.
- Assessments for Phase 2 Application will take precedence over assessments for Consultation only.
Phase 2 Application Deadlines
- November 1st and February 1st
- Application packages (Phase 2 packages of five binders) can be prepared and submitted for either date.
- Interviews will be arranged by the Provincial Committee on Learning Disabilities (PCLD) shortly after each of these deadlines.
- There are two rounds of interviews each year: Fall and Spring.
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