All students at Westmount Collegiate Institute, regardless of background or ability, will have the opportunity to develop the skills, attitudes and knowledge required to reach their full potential. Our classrooms and staff will assist all students as they strive to become capable, caring, responsible and active citizens. We are committed to providing the most appropriate, individualized educational opportunities for all students. For students identified as having learning exceptionalities, the Student Services Department at Westmount CI is committed to:
- Modeling and encouraging a growth mindset;
- Collaborating with students and their families when developing the IEP;
- Utilizing evidence-based strategies and goals embedded into the IEP to inform instruction and assessment;
- Empowering students and their families through the development of self-advocacy, resilience and determination;
- Capitalizing on students’ strengths and interests via differentiated instruction;
- providing individualized, timely and tiered strategies through a team approach, which is responsive to the unique learning needs of each student;
- Inviting and supporting students to be active participants in all aspects of school life and culture, creating environments for all staff, students, parents and community partners that focus on common goals and understandings.
In effect, such efforts will facilitate success and well-being for students, families and and educators alike. In support of the diverse needs of our community, Westmount offers a range of individualized support and classroom programs (both fully and partially integrated) aid all potential pathways and post-secondary goals.
Levels of Support Provided By Student Services:
- Regular Classroom with Indirect Service: SERT consults with the regular classroom teacher and monitors student progress, offering support and resources as needed.
- Regular Classroom with Resource Assistance: SERT monitors student progress and provides in-class resourcing and/or support in the Resource Room or as needed, at a minimum of once per week.
- Regular Classroom with Withdrawal Assistance: Students receive daily support in a credit-bearing GLE Learning Strategies class taught by a SERT, and receive Resource Assistance monitoring during the non-GLE semester.
- Community Class: Partially Integrated: Students receive more than 50% of their program in a non-credit-bearing Community Class placement.
Courses: 1.0 Credit GLE/Learning Strategies Course
- Learning Strategies, (GLE) is an open-level credit that is available to all students with an Individual Educational Plan (IEP) from grades 9 to 12. Each grade level focuses on a variety of learning outcomes ranging from improving work habits and independence to transitions to post-secondary education. Throughout each course, taught by our highly specialized Special Education Resource Teachers/SERTs, our main goal is to help students develop and apply a range of strategies to improve their learning and achievement, particularly in literacy, numeracy, communication and planning skills.
- Learning Strategies “Skills for Success in Secondary School” (GLE101/GLE201): This course focuses on learning strategies to help students become better, more independent learners. Students will learn how to develop and apply literacy and numeracy skills, personal management skills, and interpersonal and teamwork skills to improve their learning and achievement in school, the workplace, and the community. The course helps students build confidence and motivation to pursue opportunities for success in secondary school and beyond.
- Advanced Learning Strategies: (GLE30 / GLE40): This course improves students’ learning and personal-management skills, preparing them to make successful transitions to work, training and/or postsecondary education destinations. Students will access their learning abilities and use literacy, numeracy, and research skills and personal-management techniques to maximize their learning. Students will investigate trends and resources to support their postsecondary employment, training, and/or education choices and develop a plan to help them meet their learning and career goals.
Community Classes/Partially Integrated Programs at WCI:
- Language-Based Learning Disabilities (LLD): This credit-bearing program is designed to support students identified as having a Learning Disability or Language Impairment, such that the resulting difficulty with language processing leads to significant delays in areas of communication. Such students are placed in the LLD program as their needs require placement in a small class environment to develop individual strategies and technology skills to access the curriculum. The duration of the program is for Grade 9 and 10 only, with a maximum of 8 students. SERTs will directly provide intensive support to students within the program, to assist them with earning the following grade 9 destreamed credits: Geography (History in Grade 10), English, Math and Science. No busing is provided for this program.
- Developmental Disabilities Program: This non-credit program emphasizes the development of functional literacy, numeracy and personal life skills, such as money management, transit training, community exploration, social skills and work experience. Highly specialized, individualized programming, instructional materials (drawing from alternative curriculum expectations) and intensive are provided by classroom staff to meet learning and integration goals for the entirety of the school day. These factors result in a balanced program that focuses on building independence and achieving personalized, meaningful goals.
- Autism Program: This non-credit program offers highly individualized programming and intensive support for students with a primary diagnosis of Autism. Students work toward alternative/modified curriculum expectations that focus on the development of communication and life skills, functional numeracy and literacy as well as daily living and self-regulation skills, with opportunities for intensively supported integration. The Autism program at WCI provides a balance between academics and learning opportunities which promote and challenge each student to reach a maximum level of academic achievement, independence and citizenship.
Please peruse the YRDSB's Special Education Plan.
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