The British Columbia Teachers’ Federation (BCTF) is reporting that class composition is worse than ever in the province.
Data released by the government shows there are more than 16,000 classes with four or more children with special needs in B.C.
However, it seems some of the data in the ministry’s October 2013 Overview of Class Size and Composition can be misconstrued.
The report indicates 13 classes with seven or more special needs students, identified as those children entitled to an Individual Education Plan (IEP), in School District 27.
SD27 superintendent Mark Thiessen says all of these are secondary school classes that are specifically designed for students with learning difficulties.
“The majority of these classes focus on the essential skills students need to function in daily life and the workplace, although some of these classes are elective classes.”
In all of these cases, he notes extra staffing and support have been provided.
“These numbers are not at all alarming and they would be an average number in any given year. I feel the district provides the necessary supports for teachers who teach in such classes.”
Cariboo-Chilcotin Teachers’ Association president Murray Helmer says he agrees this grouping of special needs students is a “suitable” situation.
“Additional resources are put into those learning needs and those kids are grouped together just to deliver the education that they require.”
Since they are all secondary students, many need particular courses to graduate that are only offered in certain classes, he adds.
There are a lot of teacher’s assistants in the system, Helmer says, adding the IEP code refers to more than one might think.
“Under that category of ‘special needs’ are the ‘gifted’ students as well. So, we’re not necessarily talking just difficulties in learning needs that way, but [also those] identified as a gifted student, which also brings those numbers up.”
Meanwhile, Thiessen says there are 11 classes in SD27 with seven or more English language learners (ELL) where extra staffing and support has also been provided,.
Helmer says gathering ELL students in a single class also makes sense to him, given the limited qualified teachers available to teach them.
However, what is more of an issue in SD27 is the lack of other learning supports and counsellors, he adds.
“We make do with what we have available to us here and maximize the potential for kids. It would still be a much more superior situation to have more learning support teachers available.”
Helmer says there used to be more of these special educators in the system until they were removed from the collective agreements in 2002. They were removed by the B.C. Liberal government’s Bill 22, which is still being disputed in the courts by the BCTF.
He says there has been “an erosion” in two different areas.
“We’ve seen an overall loss, and instead of kids who generate funding through their special needs designations, that funding now is spread throughout the system.
“So, there are kids that may not be designated through the system that really do need the attention, but the designation codes have changed to designate fewer and fewer kids as eligible for that type of service.”
However, Helmer points out the CCTA recognizes and appreciates the attention that SD27 has given to keeping class sizes reasonable.
