Introduction
The First Nations Education Steering Committee (FNESC) and the First Nations Schools Association (FNSA) are pleased to provide this summary of the special education activities undertaken in the BC region during the 2005/2006 school year.
In the 2005/2006 schools year, $6,709,486 of the Special Education Program (SEP) funding was made available for special education programming in the BC region. $5,867,400 of this funding was made available at the beginning of the school year, but the remaining $842,086, representing the portion of the increased SEP funding announced in the February 2005 budget, was not released until March 2006. Due to the late release of a large portion of the SEP funding, several of the provincially coordinated activities were delayed in an effort to minimize the impact on First Nations school allocations and student services. These activities are explained in more detail in Section Two.
First Nations schools and communities in BC continue to support the FNESC and FNSA management of the special education program for First Nations schools in the province. The majority of SEP funding continues to flow to First Nations schools for the provision of direct services to children with special needs. First Nations schools continue to focus their efforts on the priorities previously identified and outline their activities in the collectively established and approved workplan and reporting documents.
The following chart shows that 85% of the SEP funding goes to First Nations schools in the form of school allocations, and 15% is used for collective, regional-level services (including the administrative funding required by FNESC and the FNSA).
Funding Amount
SEP funding in BC region / $6,709,486Parent Engagement funding / $30,000
Total funding available / $6,739,486
Funding allocated directly to First Nations schools / $5,701,741 (85%)
Funding used for collective, regional-level activities / $1,007,745 (15%)
In addition, many schools continue to combine grants from other sources to enhance the special education services available for students. In total, 21% of the total funding used for special education purposes came from sources other than the SEP program. This is a decrease from the 27% reported last year. This year, some schools seemed to report only on the SEP funding used and not the total funding for some of their initiatives.
The following charts outline the sources of the funding as well as the amounts used for direct and indirect services. 95% of the total funding used for special education initiatives is used for direct services.
Total Funding Used by First Nations Schools in BC
/ $7,208,056- For direct services to students
- For indirect services
Total Allocated from the Special Education Program Funding / $5,701,741
- For direct services to students
- For indirect services
Total Funding Accessed by Schools from Other Sources / $1,506,315
- For direct services to students
- For indirect services
Source of Other Funding
/Funding Amount
School core funding
/$877,766.71
First Nation
/$347,285.27
New Paths for Education
/$105,913.52
MCFD Supported childcare
/$70,449.70
First Nations Education Society/School Board
/$32,965.49
School District
/$32,587.53
Health
/$17,997.50
Head Start
/$12,550.00
Part One: Overview of School-Based Activities
This summary describes the general programs implemented using the special education funding, as well as the outcomes that resulted. Attached, as Appendix A, is the First Nations Regional Managing Organization Annual Report, which contains further information as requested.
1. Profile of the schools
1.10 General Information
All First Nations schools in BC were once again given the opportunity to access special education funding. School allocations continue to be determined using a base-plus-per-capita formula ($10,000 base plus a per capita amount based on the Full Time Equivalent (FTE) student figures listed on the INAC nominal roll). In 2005/2006, 131 schools were notified of their SEP allocation amount. The submission and approval of a workplan continues to be the requirement to access the SEP funding, and individual and conference calls were once again made available to schools to assist them with the application process. 129 schools (98%) submitted workplans and accessed their SEP funding allocations.
Due to the way the additional $842,086 of SEP funding was released by INAC this year, the FNSA membership at the 2005 FNSA AGM, made the decision to not hold the 5% of funding that has been reserved in previous years for schools who could not meet the needs of some of their High Cost special needs students. Initially, the plan was that the 5% would once again be made available to schools and accessed by way of application when the additional funding was released. However, the funding was released too late in the year to enable an application process, so allocations were determined using the FTE count of each school. FNESC/FNSA notified schools of the additional funding available and requested the submission of an addendum to the school workplan along with an assurance that the additional funding will be accounted for and included in the final reports. 128 schools were able to supplement their existing activities with this additional funding.
In June, 129 schools submitted final reports to FNESC/FNSA outlining all the special education initiatives and expenditures for the 2005/2006 year. This constitutes 100% of the schools that accessed SEP funding. Once again, the information contained in the final reports was entered into a database in an effort to meet the necessary accountability and reporting requirements.
127 schools also completed the INAC First Nations School Annual Reporting Form constituting 99% of the schools that accessed SEP funding. Those schools represented a total enrolment of 6036 students. The number of identified High Cost special needs students continues to represent approximately 24% of the enrolment of the schools. However, this is likely an under-representation given that there continues to be a number of students who are waiting for assessments before they can be considered formally identified. The following chart shows the formally identified High Cost student numbers as well as the numbers of students who have been referred for assessments, but have not yet received those services.
1.11 Special Education Policies
The development of a special education policy continues to be a requirement to access SEP funding. The increase in the number reflects the increase in the number of First Nations schools in BC.
2002/2003 / 2003/2004 / 2004/2005 / 2005/2006Number of schools with special education policies / 117 / 123 / 126 / 129
Many schools continue to use the policy template designed by FNESC/FNSA in the 2002/2003 year. However, there is also an increase in the number of schools who have modified the template to make it more applicable for their individual school, and who have developed their own unique policy.
1.12 School Staffing
The wording of this section of the INAC First Nations School Annual Reporting Form continues to be problematic. The wording was changed again this past year causing confusion for schools trying to complete the form. In addition, the numbering of this section was incorrect, which added to the confusion. Nonetheless, a comparison of the last three years is provided in the chart below, and although there is an increase in the numbers of each staffing category, the accuracy of this data is questionable due to the nature of this section of the INAC form.
2003/2004 / 2004/2005 / 2006/2006Teachers / 334.5 / 374.5 / 413.3
Special Education Teachers / 36 / 36.8 / 69
Paraprofessionals / 274.8 / 302.2 / 363.9
1.13 Needs Not Met
Each year, schools have been asked to give a detailed account of the types of needs of those students who are not receiving adequate special education services. Schools have also been asked to list the services they require along with the funding required to provide those services.
The following chart outlines the numbers of students who did not have any of their needs met and the numbers of students whose needs were partially met since 2003. This slight increase in the number of students not having their needs met this past year can be attributed to the lack of the additional 5% of funding set aside in previous years for those schools who cannot meet the needs of some of their students with their SEP allocations. The reduction in funding and services due to the late release of a portion of the SEP funding negatively impacted students and is reflected in the numbers reported by schools listed below.
2003/2004 / 2004/2005 / 2005/2006Number of students that did not have any of their needs met. / 306 / 216 / 231
Number of students that only had their needs only partially met / 749 / 985 / 983
Reason for lack of service
/03/04 Funding Required
/04/05 Funding Required
/05/06 Funding Required
Staff / $4,808,837 / $3,867,655 / $3,553,400Capital (building modifications to provide access) / $230,900 / $361,500 / $178,500
Transportation / $366,000 / $206,250 / $228,850
Programs / $685,100 / $1,049,860 / $634,000
Professional Development / $574,000 / $790,500 / $396,500
Other (Assessments) / $400,400 / $494,560 / $600,700
Total
/ $7,065,237 / $6,770,325 / $5,585,950BC SEP funding
/ $6,017,400 / $6,554,988 / $6,709,486Total funding required for BC region
/ $13,082,637 / $13,325,313 / $12,295,436The unmet needs section of the First Nations School Annual Reporting Form also contained errors when referring back to specific numbers on the form. This may have been one reason why there seemed to have been fewer schools who completed the estimated funding amounts with respect to unmet needs. Nonetheless, First Nations schools have continued to be consistent with the assertion that approximately $13,000,000 of funding is needed in the BC region to adequately meet the needs of students with special needs attending First Nations schools.
1.14 First Nation Definition of Special Needs
First Nations in BC continue to challenge the appropriateness of the Provincial Special Needs categories for First Nations students. The current requirement to use provincial criteria when determining the incidence rates of students with High Cost Special Needs does not take into account numerous factors that are unique to First Nations communities such as community remoteness, high staff turn-over, lack of resources, socialissues,behavioural challenges and mild to moderate learning difficulties that are more costly to address. The resultant incidence rates based on provincial criteria are not accurate, but are low due to the restrictive categories.
Many students assessed do not meet provincial criteria for special needs, but still present with numerous difficulties that cannot be met within the normal resources provided to the schools. In order to provide a picture of what some of these students look like and the challenges schools have in meeting their needs, Dr. Art More has provided some case studies of students who were assessed during the coordinated assessment process, but who did not fit within the restrictive provincial categories. The following case studies are from the Coordinated Assessment Final Report that can be found in the appendix. Please note that these summaries are based on detailed assessment reports which include conclusions and recommendations based on a great deal more information than is presented here. Names and other identifying information have been changed to preserve the anonymity of the student and the school.
FNESC/FNSA SEP Final Report July 2006
Page 1 of 29
Jolene
Jolene is 10 and in the final months of fourth grade. She was referred for assessment because of serious achievement delays, especially in reading. Her teacher indicated that her reading level is equivalent to that of a child at the beginning of grade 2. Jolene works hard, but in recent months she is getting discouraged and rapidly losing interest in reading. Her attendance and her health are both good.
Jolene’s school records show that her achievement, especially in language, has been significantly delayed since she began school.
Her school enrols about 150 students from K to Grade 7. Her village is somewhat isolated, connected by road to a larger non-Aboriginal community some kilometres distant.
Assessment results confirmed that her reading achievement was at grade 2.1 (standard score 65), and her general achievement at 2.4 (standard score 72). Her cognitive ability scores were 73 in the verbal domain, 76 in performance, and adaptive ability score was 78.
There was no evidence of brain dysfunction, or psychological or social problems.
The primary purpose of the assessment was achieved. We were able to provide her teacher with a detailed breakdown of Jolene’s strengths and weaknesses as well as helpful recommendations for working with her. Her teacher and FNESC support staff were able to use the results to develop an effective IEP.
However the secondary purpose of the assessment was not achieved - we were unable to identify a category for her difficulties, even if cultural differences and biases in assessment are taken into account. She did not meet the Ministry criteria for Intellectual Delay - her cognitive ability scores were not quite low enough. She did not meet the criteria for Severe Learning Disability because the gap between her cognitive ability and achievement was not great enough. And so, when the school and FNESC provides information to funding agencies for special needs support, they cannot use Jolene’s results, even though her difficulties are very serious. Similarly in the provincial school system her results would not trigger additional funding for special needs support.
George
George is 11 and in grade 5. He was referred for assessment because of serious behaviour problems. He lives in a community very similar to Jolene’s community.
George has a long history of very aggressive behaviour towards other students. He has attacked classmates with his pen, ruler, and in one case a piece of 2 x 4, causing a range of injuries. He has been caught stealing and damaging school and community property. He regularly lies in attempts to cover his behaviour. He shows no remorse for hurting other students, and he shows no empathy for others.
He is about 2 years behind in his achievement, and is very unmotivated to do school work.
George comes from an extremely unstable, neglectful home situation which won’t be described here to preserve anonymity. The school has reported his behaviour and home situation to social services, but nothing has been done because of a shortage of social services professionals. He was also referred for counselling in an attempt to deal with his anger and aggressiveness, but there were no professional counsellors or therapists available in the area.
The assessment indicated his achievement was indeed very delayed, however his cognitive abilities were in the normal range. He needed a great deal of encouragement to continue the assessment, but he did continue at an acceptable level of cooperation. When he made an error or found a task very difficult, he was usually very crestfallen and then would begin to look angry.
His records as well as information from teachers and administrators and from interviewing George, show:
- significant evidence of antisocial, extremely disruptive behaviour in the school environment and in other environments;
- behaviours which are a serious risk to others, and behaviours that significantly interfere with his academic progress and that of other students; and
- behaviours which are serious enough to be known to school and school district personnel and other community agencies and to warrant intensive interventions by other community agencies beyond the school;
- behaviours which are beyond the normal capacity of the school to manage.
The primary purpose of the assessment was only partially achieved. We were able to indicate some of George’s strengths and weaknesses and to confirm the seriousness of his behaviour problems.
However we were not able to make effective recommendations because of the lack of resources and professional support available to the community. George needs psychological support and a teacher aide to help with his behaviour as well as to protect other students. Significant intervention with the family by social services was clearly indicated by the information made available to us.
There was also a problem with identification or categorization. In order to be classified as Behaviour Disorder - Intensive (rather than Moderate), under Ministry criteria, other agencies would have to be involved with him and an interagency plan must be on file. However other agencies are not available. The result is that when the school or FNESC approaches funding agencies for special needs support, they cannot make a case for the level of support George needs. Similarly in the provincial school system, George’s difficulties would trigger only half of the financial support that would be available if he could be classified in the “Intensive” rather than the “Moderate” category.
FNESC/FNSA SEP Final Report July 2006
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1.2 Student Assessments
A substantial portion of the SEP funding provided to First Nations schools continues to be used for student assessments. Funding for assessment purposes is used to purchase assessment materials and to hire specialists to conduct specialized assessments. The following chart shows the different categories of assessments reported by schools and the amount of funding used by schools in each category since 2002/2003.
Assessment Type
/ 2002/2003 / 2003/2004 / 2004/2005 / 2005/2006Developmental Screening Tools / $12,788.96 / $8,748.56 / $13,000.00 / $1,800.00
Reading Assessments / $17,393.03 / $25,960.59 / $42,712.00 / $21,700.00
Speech-language Assessments / $75,652.82 / $191,650.62 / $77,402.07 / $106,375.56
Psycho-educational Assessments / $291,204.56 / $245,279.20 / $187,394.57 / $147,412.92
Medical Assessments / $7,309.00 / $12,504.17 / $8,200.00 / $1,801.13
Achievement Assessments / $102,654.88 / $61.552.78 / $50,868.81 / $63,700.55
Other Assessments / $5,848.80 / $51,165.08 / $23,040.00 / $80,764.09
Total / $512,852.05 / $535,308.22 / $402,617.00 / $423,554.00
The initial backlog of assessment needs at the beginning of the SEP funding in 2002/2003 resulted in more resources being allocated for assessment purposes in previous years. Now schools have to balance assessment needs with the provision of services to those students who have received assessments. In addition, many schools report long waiting lists for some specialized assessments and ongoing challenges in getting specialists to travel to some communities.