For the past two years, special education has run an EQAO and Assistive Technology pilot project to provide ongoing support for teachers and students to use assistive technology software to prepare for the EQAO process. As a result of this pilot project, EQAO exemptions are down for students with special needs and student test results are improving. We are excited to announce that this project will be continuing this year!
This project is open to all HSP and ISP (LD or Behaviour) classrooms with at least three (3) students in grade 6 writing EQAO.
To participate in the EQAO and ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY project, teachers will need students to have:
ü Access to a PC computer with at least Read and Write Gold (RWG) version 10 for all in-school sessions and for all assessments including EQAO test dates
ü Commitment to regular keyboarding practice
ü An IEP that outlines assistive technology accommodations that are necessary for and consistent with regular classroom practices and all assessments, including EQAO
Four in-class sessions will be held throughout the term of the project where an Itinerant Resource Teacher will come into the classroom and work with the students and co-teach with teacher support on using Read and Write Gold to answer EQAO-style questions. Classroom teachers will also participate in two Learning Communities where they can connect with other special education teachers, explore features of Read and Write Gold and to review EQAO procedures during test day.
Additional information regarding this project can be found on the September 29th DirectLine
Any Special Education teacher who teaches a class that meets the criteria noted above is encouraged to apply and have their students be a part of this powerful learning opportunity.
To see more about connecting Read and Write Gold tools to specific needs of your students check out our YouTube channel videos.
