Exceptionalities Determined by Identification Placement and Review Committee (IPRC)

     
		
	
What it is

In Ontario, some students with special needs are formally identified as exceptional by an Identification Placement and Review Committee (IPRC), which is made up of at least three people, one of whom must be a principal or superintendent. The Committee determines if a student meets the established criteria for one of the twelve recognized exceptionalities, as determined by the Ontario Ministry of Education and reflected in the individual school board’s special education plan. The IPRC also determines the appropriate educational placement for the student’s needs. The identification and placement are reassessed every year.

Categories and Exceptionalities:

CategoriesExceptionalities
Behaviour Behaviour disability
Communication Autism, Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Speech Impairment, Language Impairment, Learning Disabilities
Intellectual Gifted, Mild Intellectual Disability, Developmental Disability
Physical Physical Disability, Blind and Low Vision
Multiple Multiple Exceptionalities (2 or more prominent)

Placement Options:

• A regular class with indirect support, where the student is placed in a regular class for the entire day, and the teacher receives specialized consultative services.

• A regular class with resource assistance, where the student is placed in a regular class for most or all of the day and receives specialized instruction, individually or in a small group, within the regular classroom from a qualified special education teacher.

• A regular class with withdrawal assistance, where the student is placed in a regular class and receives instruction outside the classroom, for less than 50 per cent of the school day, from a qualified special education teacher.

• A special education class with partial integration, where the student is placed by the IPRC in a special education class in which the student-teacher ratio conforms to Regulation 298, section 31, for at least 50 per cent of the school day, but is integrated with a regular class for at least one instructional period daily.

• A full-time special education class, where the student-teacher ratio conforms to Regulation 298, section 31, for the entire school day.

Teaching Strategies

• Students who are identified as exceptional must receive a Special Education Program that includes an Individual Education Plan (IEP) (put into place within 30 days of the original IPRC and then within 30 days of the start of each school year).
• For specific strategies and additional information on each exceptionality, see the individual Teaching Strategy pages by clicking on the items in the list below.







Resources

Ontario Ministry of Education site with info on timelines and appeals.

IPRC Protocols

Student Needs IPRC Exceptionalites Diagnosed Conditions