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On this page:

• Referral Process
• What is an Identification, Placement and Review Committee (IPRC)?
• Before the IPRC
• During the IPRC
• After the IPRC
• Appeal Process
• Special Education Advisory Council
• For More Information about Special Education
• What organizations can assist families?
• Ministry of Education Provincial and Demonstration Schools

A Parent/Guardian’s Guide to the Identification, Placement and Review Committee (IPRC) Process

Recognizing that students develop and learn in different ways, special education is available to all students who need additional support and services to achieve their full potential.

York Region District School Board (YRDSB) works with families to determine what we need to provide to our students so that they can learn and grow. 

This guide outlines:

• what happens before, during and after an Identification, Placement and Review Committee
• parent/guardian rights
• how we work with families to put the right supports in place
• what happens when a student is identified
• how we identify students who need special education support

Referral Process

The guide is designed to support parents/guardians who have received an invitation to attend an Identification, Placement and Review Committee meeting. 

Please speak with your child’s teacher or principal for more information about how to support students who need individualized programs and the steps leading up to this invitation. You can also visit the Special Education page on the Board website.

What is an Identification, Placement and Review Committee (IPRC)?

An IPRC is a committee of YRDSB staff that:
• Decides if a student should be identified as “exceptional”
• Identifies the areas of the student’s exceptionality
• Decides on an appropriate placement
• Reviews the identification and placement at least once in each school year

An exceptional pupil is a student whose behaviour, communication, intellectual, physical or multiple exceptionalities are such that they are considered to need placement in a special education program by a committee. 

(Special Education in Ontario, p.A2)

Before the IPRC 

Initiating an IPRC

There are two ways an IPRC can happen:

Information Sharing

Before the IPRC meeting:

• The Special Education Resource Teacher (SERT) at your child’s school will have discussions with you about placement options that would benefit your child. The school will share a summary of information about your child, such as assessment results.
• If you choose, you can give your school principal any written information you want the IPRC to review and consider.

Letter of Invitation

You will receive a letter inviting you to the IPRC meeting. Parents/guardians are important partners in considering your child’s placement. The letter will: 

• Include date, time and place for the meeting
• Ask you if you will attend

You will receive this Letter of Invitation and a copy of this guide at least 10 days before the IPRC.

If you cannot go to the meeting:

• Contact the principal to arrange a different date or time or
• Let the principal know that you cannot attend.

If you cannot go to the meeting, and support the meeting going forward without your presence, the principal will send you the IPRC’s decision about identification and placement. You will receive this information in writing for your consideration and signature.

During the IPRC

Who attends an IPRC meeting?

The committee must have at least three people.

• One of these people must be a principal or a Board supervisory officer. They will be the Chair of the IPRC.
• The other two members of the committee are employees of the Board
• Parents/guardians are always invited to attend.
• Either you or the principal can ask for others
  to attend.

Additional people who may attend:

• your child (students are welcome to attend as appropriate; students 16 or over are entitled to attend and participate in discussions)
• the principal of your child’s school your child’s teacher
• other resource people such as special education staff, Board support staff, or an agency representative who may provide further information or clarification
• a representative who may support you or your child
• an interpreter, if required (you may request the services of an interpreter through the principal of your child’s school)

What happens at the meeting? 

1. The Chair will start the meeting, make introductions and outline the purpose of the meeting. You are encouraged to participate in the discussion.
2. The committee will:
   1. Review all available information about your child, including any educational, health or psychological assessments.
   2. Speak with your child if this would be beneficial. Your consent is required if your child is under 16. Consider any information you or your child (if 16 years of age or older) submit.
   3. Discuss your child’s strengths and needs.
3. Once all the information has been presented and considered, the IPRC will decide:
   1. If your child should be identified as exceptional, and
   2. The most appropriate “placement” for your child if they are identified as exceptional.
4. The IPRC will develop the Statement of Decision.

Identification

If your child is identified as exceptional, the committee must indicate the Category and Definition. The Ministry of Education provides the categories and definitions. The categories are:

• Behaviour
• Communication
  • Autism
  • Deaf & Hard of Hearing
  • Language Impairment
  • Speech Impairment
  • Learning Disability
• Intellectual
  • Developmental Disability
  • Giftedness
  • Mild Intellectual Disability
• Physical
  • Blind and Low Vision
  • Physical Disability
• Multiple Exceptionalities

Placement

If your child is identified as exceptional, the IPRC will identify the most appropriate placement. 

There are five placement options: 

• Regular classroom with Indirect Support
• Regular classroom with Resource Assistance
• Regular classroom with Withdrawal Assistance
• Partially Integrated Placement
• Fully Self-Contained Special Education Class

First, the committee will consider your wishes and if placement in a regular class with appropriate support will best meet your child’s needs. You will have the opportunity to agree or disagree with the committee’s decision.

Where possible, we keep the student in their home school with the appropriate program and service support. 

If placement in a special education class is decided, the IPRC must name the reasons.

Statement of Decision

The IPRC develops a Statement of Decision. It includes a summary of the committee’s decisions and recommendations, including:

• your child’s strengths and needs
• if your child has been identified as exceptional
• the category and definition of the exceptionality/exceptionalities (according to the Ministry of Education)
• the placement decision, and the reasons for placement in a special education class if that is the decision
• recommendations for special education program and services

After the IPRC 

Individual Education Plan (IEP)

If you agree with the IPRC identification and placement decision, the next step is an Individual Education Plan. You will be invited to provide input about the goals outlined in the IEP.

An Individual Education Plan is a written plan. It describes:

• the student’s strengths and needs
• special education program and services put in place to meet the student’s needs
• any accommodations needed (special teaching and assessment strategies)
• equipment needed to enable the student to learn and demonstrate learning
• any curriculum modifications needed (changes to the grade-level expectations for a subject or course to meet a student’s learning needs)
• how the program and services will be delivered
• the student’s progress and the plan to review progress
• a plan to support students in making successful transitions

The IEP must be completed within 30 school days after your child has been placed in the special education program. You will receive a copy of it.

For more information on Individual Education Plans (IEPs), please see The Individual Education Plan: A Guide for Parents. 

How are Identification and Placements reviewed?

A review IPRC meeting will be held every school year. You may also request a review meeting any time after your child has been in a special education program for three months.

The review IPRC:

• reviews the original placement and identification decisions
• reviews all available information about your child, including any educational, health or psychological assessment
• decides if they should continue or if a different decision is needed

If your child is in a Community Class or there is a change in identification or placement, a formal IPRC will be held annually and you will receive a Letter of Invitation to the IPRC.

If your child is not in a Community Class and the school recommends continuing with the current placement and identification, you will receive a Letter of Confirmation of Continued IPRC Identification and Placement. You can: 

• request a formal IPRC meeting or
• decide not to meet if you feel your child is being well served by the current identification
  and placement

Appeal Process 

What if I do not agree with the IPRC’s decision(s)?

You may ask to meet with the IPRC again. You must do this within 15 days after receiving the original IPRC decision. 

A meeting will be held as soon as possible after the request has been received. At this meeting, you can explain your concerns to the committee. The committee will carefully listen and try to resolve your concerns. The IPRC will decide whether to change its decision(s) or not while you are present. If you still disagree, you may appeal the decision(s) of the IPRC.

Special Education Advisory Council 

Under Ontario’s Education Act, every student with special education needs is entitled to special education programs and services to meet their needs. In York Region, we have a committee of the Board called the Special Education Advisory Committee (SEAC). This committee works to ensure students with special education needs receive appropriate educational services.

The Special Education Advisory Committee (SEAC):

• May make recommendations to the Board about establishing and developing special education programs and services.
• Provides information, advice and assistance to parents/guardians whose children may need additional support.

You are invited. All interested community residents are welcome to attend and observe our Special Education Advisory Committee meetings. You can find the meeting schedule on the Board website. 

For More Information about Special Education

For more information about special education services and programs, you can review the Board’s Special Education Plan, available online at the Board’s website www.yrdsb.ca, at your local school or by contacting:

• the principal of your child’s school
• your Superintendent of Schools
• Student Services department at 905-727-0022 ext. 3235 or special.ed@yrdsb.ca

What organizations can assist families? 

Many organizations provide information and support to families of children with special education needs. For example, the following groups are part of the Special Education Advisory Committee.

• Association for Bright Children of ​Ontario - York Region North
• ​​​​Association for Bright Children of Ontario - York Region South
• Autism Ontario Central East Region
• Children’s Treatment Network of Simcoe York
• Community Living Georgina
• Community Living Central York
• Community Living York South​​
• The Down Syndrome Association of York Region
• Early Intervention Services of York Region
• Easter Seals of Ontario​​
• Learning Disabilities Association of York-Simcoe
• Ontario Parents of Visually Impaired Children (OPVIC)
• VOICE for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children
• Your Support Services Network

Ministry of Education Provincial and Demonstration Schools 

The Ministry of Education operates Provincial and Demonstration schools for students who are Deaf or hard of hearing, blind or have low vision, deaf-blind, and/or have severe learning disabilities, and students with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Residential programs are offered at the schools Monday to Friday for students who live too far from school to travel daily. 

For more information, please visit the Ministry of Education website.