RAPID's website is now up and running.
It is located at the same address that the previous, simple web page was at, www.rapidsouthshore.org.
The link is also available here in the side bar.
The website provides an overview of RAPID's services, activities, fundraising initiatives, contact information and links.
If you have any information that you would like to appear on the website, or have any suggestions or comments, you are most welcome to submit your ideas via email or even add them here below in the form of a comment.
Showing posts with label special education. Show all posts
Showing posts with label special education. Show all posts
Sunday, April 1, 2012
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Quebec "coalition" for successful integration says inclusion has "gone way too far"
A new "Coalition for Successful Integration" of special needs kids in Quebec schools was launched recently and snagged headlines in the Montreal Gazette and elsewhere. The coalition is spearheaded by the Fédération autonome de l’enseignement, a teacher's union, and also includes the Association des pédiatres du Québec and the Fédération nationale des enseignantes et des enseignants du Québec, as well as some individual members. The coalition is seeking support from the public.
The central idea of the coalition, according to its website, is that the integration of special needs kids in regular classrooms has gone much too far. (L’intégration dans les classes ordinaires des élèves handicapés ou en difficulté d’adaptation ou d’apprentissage (EHDAA) est allée beaucoup trop loin.)
The coalition's material frequently refers to the concept of inclusion (the term more often and probably more properly used in English, rather than "integration") as a "dogma".
The coalition's statement of principles includes such points as: Nous sommes persuadés que la décision d’inclure un élève à la classe ordinaire doit prendre en compte le meilleur intérêt de l’élève mais aussi l’impact de sa présence sur la réussite des autres élèves. In other words, the decision to include a student in a regular class must take into account the best interests of the student as well as the impact of their presence on the success of the other students.
Excusez-moi? That's only one of several statements that leaves one checking the year on the calendar to make sure we haven't somehow been returned to the 1950s.
Most often this blog is presented from an objective perspective. But with all due respect, (and as much restraint as can be mustered) the ideas expressed in this declaration reflect extremely poorly on the professional associations / unions whose ideas are purportedly reflected here.
Not to mention, this coalition's commitment to an inclusive approach in general becomes embarrassingly apparent as one realizes that there is no English on the coalition website.
Stay tuned.
The central idea of the coalition, according to its website, is that the integration of special needs kids in regular classrooms has gone much too far. (L’intégration dans les classes ordinaires des élèves handicapés ou en difficulté d’adaptation ou d’apprentissage (EHDAA) est allée beaucoup trop loin.)
The coalition's material frequently refers to the concept of inclusion (the term more often and probably more properly used in English, rather than "integration") as a "dogma".
The coalition's statement of principles includes such points as: Nous sommes persuadés que la décision d’inclure un élève à la classe ordinaire doit prendre en compte le meilleur intérêt de l’élève mais aussi l’impact de sa présence sur la réussite des autres élèves. In other words, the decision to include a student in a regular class must take into account the best interests of the student as well as the impact of their presence on the success of the other students.
Excusez-moi? That's only one of several statements that leaves one checking the year on the calendar to make sure we haven't somehow been returned to the 1950s.
Most often this blog is presented from an objective perspective. But with all due respect, (and as much restraint as can be mustered) the ideas expressed in this declaration reflect extremely poorly on the professional associations / unions whose ideas are purportedly reflected here.
Not to mention, this coalition's commitment to an inclusive approach in general becomes embarrassingly apparent as one realizes that there is no English on the coalition website.
Stay tuned.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Germany Very Slow to Embrace Integration
A recent study has revealed surprising numbers from Germany reflecting the state of the integration of kids with special needs into school classrooms.
Overall, only 60% of pre-schoolers with special needs are integrated, 34% of elementary school students and 15% of high school students. This, despite the fact the Germany has adopted an official policy supporting integration and signed an international agreement to that effect, according to an article in thelocal.de.
The reasons given for this situation include "a lack of space" in appropriate classrooms.
The Bertelsmann Foundation, which produced the study, found that in 2009 there were some 480,000 students with special educations needs – about six percent of the country’s student population. Among these were 85,000 preschool age children.
As in Canada, the systems and scales of identifying students with special needs vary between jurisdictions, with German states claiming proportions of students requiring special education ranging from 6-11% of the total student population.
In Riverside School Board, the percentage of students who have an IEP (individualized education plan) is approximately 10% and rising. There is one specialized English language special needs school on the south shore of Montreal, REACH, which currently accommodates approximately 65 students with pervasive intellectual handicaps. It is the only public special needs school in the Montreal area, although the large majority of the students are from the Riverside area.
Overall, only 60% of pre-schoolers with special needs are integrated, 34% of elementary school students and 15% of high school students. This, despite the fact the Germany has adopted an official policy supporting integration and signed an international agreement to that effect, according to an article in thelocal.de.
The reasons given for this situation include "a lack of space" in appropriate classrooms.
The Bertelsmann Foundation, which produced the study, found that in 2009 there were some 480,000 students with special educations needs – about six percent of the country’s student population. Among these were 85,000 preschool age children.
As in Canada, the systems and scales of identifying students with special needs vary between jurisdictions, with German states claiming proportions of students requiring special education ranging from 6-11% of the total student population.
In Riverside School Board, the percentage of students who have an IEP (individualized education plan) is approximately 10% and rising. There is one specialized English language special needs school on the south shore of Montreal, REACH, which currently accommodates approximately 65 students with pervasive intellectual handicaps. It is the only public special needs school in the Montreal area, although the large majority of the students are from the Riverside area.
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