Learning Services supports schools and staff to offer inclusive environments that support the academic success, well-being and a sense of belonging of every student through a Continuum of Supports and Services model. MHCBE conceptualizes this continuum in four tiers of actions, strategies, supports and services to respond to the full range of student diversity. The following frameworks are used to organize the work that is done within the Learning Services department.
- Continuum of Supports and Services (Alberta Education): An intentionally designed set of actions, strategies, supports and services designed to maximize the academic success, well-being and sense of belonging of each learner. A continuum is flexible and responsive to learner needs.
- Collaborative Response (Jigsaw Learning): A comprehensive framework that ensures that every child receives the supports that they require to be successful while systematically cultivating collective efficacy throughout the organization.
Within our continuum, the first tier (Universal) focuses on foundational inclusive classroom practices for all students and the remaining tiers responsively build additional connected support onto previous tiers. The focus of the four tiers are as follows:
- Universal: School administrators and Learning Support Teachers collaborate with school staff to ensure effective and flexible research-based classroom instruction that is the foundation of a continuum of supports and services.
- Differentiated: These supports are provided to students by the classroom teacher, inclusive in the classroom. Individual schools articulate these supports school-wide and create time for teachers to collaborate to share differentiation materials, instructional methods, strategies, accommodations, and interventions that work for students. Learning support teachers consult and collaborate with teachers to implement differentiated strategies.
- Targeted: These are supports that are provided through school structures, technology-supported approaches, and school-based and/or school-linked teams. These can be designed to support students across multiple classes and grade levels and are ideally designed to be delivered inclusively within the classroom or the school structures.
- Individualized: Supports at this level are individualized and typically articulated in an individualized short or long-term plan developed by a collaborative team. This tier often involves accessing and/or collaborating with division level Learning Services staff and/or outside resources and agencies and may also include further assessment/evaluation.
Throughout the continuum it is the actions, strategies, supports and services that are tiered rather than the students. What is done at each tier is in addition to the previous tiers, not in place of them. Additional information, specific to the MHCBE school and Learning Services supports, services, and structures at each of the tiers is outlined on the sub-taps to this page.
Click here to read more information about accessing Individual Support Plans (ISPs) and Safety and Regulation Support Plans (SRSPs) in CLEVR (our cloud-based electronic form tool).