Student Supports and Services

Inclusive Education

“The goal of an inclusive education system is to provide all students with the most appropriate learning environments and opportunities for them to best achieve their potential.”

(Alberta Education, 2010)

GYPSD supports inclusive education through a systematic approach to instruction and intervention. Schools utilize a pyramid of interventions, focusing on differentiated instruction, targeted interventions, and specialized supports and services to meet the needs of every student. We believe in supporting every student to reach high levels of learning and success.

Every school has a designated Learning Support Teacher (LST) who serves to coordinate students requiring specialized support.  The LST works with the school administration, classroom teachers, the FSLC, and members of the Inclusive Team - including the Division's psychologist and Director of Inclusive Learning - to gather information, create plans, source resources, implement interventions, assess and monitor student success in their IPPs, and facilitate communication between the school and the family. 

CLICK HERE TO SEE GYPSD'S PYRAMID OF SUPPORTS

GYPSD Student Supports include

Alberta Education (AE) states “Literacy involves acquiring and applying the understanding and skills necessary to decode, evaluate, and logically communicate ideas and build meaning, using oral, written, visual, and multimedia sources. Literacy is embedded in learning across all subject areas. It is foundational, allowing students to live, learn, and work as knowledgeable, active participants in a democratic society.” (Alberta Education, 2021).

With a commitment to developing a broad and deep range of literacy skills, GYPSD provides support for a literacy focus in all schools:

• Literacy Lead Teacher/LST allocation
• Literacy Intervention Programming
• Benchmark Assessments for English Language Learners
• Professional Learning in Adolescent Literacy Strategies

Every student in GYPSD is screened and assessed at the beginning of each school year to inform the teacher of their strengths and areas for targeted, purposeful reading comprehension interventions. 

Screening assessment tools include:

• Alberta Education Literacy Assessment Screens in Grades 1-3 - LeNS and CC3
• Highest Level of Achievement Test (H.L.A.T.) in Grades 1-9
• Reading Readiness Screening Tool (RRST) in Kindergarten and Grade 1

Children in Kindergarten also complete the EYE-TA assessment.  

AE states “Numeracy involves acquiring and applying the mathematical knowledge and skills needed to engage with quantitative and spatial information in a variety of situations. Numeracy is embedded in learning experiences across all subject areas. It is foundational, allowing students to make informed decisions as knowledgeable, active participants in our democratic society.” (Alberta Education, 2021).

GYPSD provides support for a numeracy focus in all schools:

• Numeracy Lead Teacher/LST allocation
• Numeracy Intervention Programming
• Professional Learning in number sense and secondary mathematics instruction

Every student in GYPSD is screened and assessed at the beginning of each school year to inform the teacher of their strengths and areas for targeted, purposeful mathematics interventions. 

Screening assessment tools include:

• Alberta Education Numeracy Assessment Screens in Grades 1-3 

Together with our commitment of providing an inclusive environment where all students feel respected, it is important that our families, visitors and staff also feel secure and welcomed inclusive of:

• physical ability
• mental ability
• gender identity and gender expression
• sexual orientation
• cultural and linguistic diversity
• race
• ancestry
• gender
• religious beliefs
• socioeconomic status, or
• family composition.