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Parents should talk with the teacher about any concerns. If the concerns cannot be dealt with satisfactorily, speak next with the principal. If necessary, speak with a supervisory officer or superintendent next. If you speak with a trustee, he/she usually asks whether you have spoken with teachers, principals and superintendents.

When parents meet with school board officials, parents often feels like the staff are speaking a foreign language, because of all the acronyms and phrases that they use. Hopefully our "Alphabet Soup & Gifted Glossary" will help you feel more comfortable in your discussions.

When You Talk to Teachers and Principals:

1. Start off with the attitude that you and the teacher have important information to share about your child.
2. Ask questions before forming opinions. Get all the facts from the school's point of view.
3. Be specific about your child's needs and your concerns.
4. Request the necessary action for your child. If you consider that your child has special needs that have not been identified, or if you are concerned about your child's placement (or non-placement) in a program, discuss it first with the teacher, then the principal. He/she or you, as a parent, can request that your child be referred to an Identification, Placement and Review Committee (IPRC). Ask the principal for a copy of your board's pamphlet explaining the procedures. (The Education Act requires all school boards to provide this information.)

The Ministry of Education also provides a helpful guide entitled Shared Solutions to promote effective communication among families and educators regarding students with special education needs.

In Ontario, parents have the right to request an IPRC - Identification, Placement and Review Committee meeting. View this page for more information about this critical meeting.

The following tips for parents were published with the video "You, Me and the IPRC."

1. Maintain on-going communication with teachers and other educators.
2. Become informed about your child's needs.
3. Keep a file of information about your child. Include suggestions for programming and the results of any changes.
4. Know your rights and the rights of your child(ren).
5. Attend the IPRC and Review meetings.
6. Contribute information at the IPRC and Review meetings.
7. Ask to visit any available gifted program(s) before signing the IPRC form.

Guidelines regarding Pyschological Assessments and Reports written for Gifted Identification

These recommendations from APA-OPA (Ontario Pyschological Association) represent practice guidelines for psychologists and psychological associates regarding psychological assessments and reports written for clients who are being considered for identification as intellectually gifted. Click here for the Guidelines.

More in-depth advice about advocating for your child within the school system can be found in the Advocacy section.

See the next page for Ideal Teacher Characteristics

ABC's Guidelines for Special Education Programming can be found on page 3

Looking for information about IEP's? Click here