Support, Success, and Measurement: Alberta’s Inclusive Education Policy and the Next Steps for Students with Disabilities

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2018-09-08
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Alberta's ambitious goal of creating an inclusive education system is rooted in values outlined in a national commitment to the United Nations. The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities outlines the necessity of the primary and secondary education system to support the inclusion and educational achievement of students with disabilities (SWDs). A similar call for an inclusive education policy resonated in the Alberta government's 2007 province-wide consultations on the education of these students. The recommendations from this initiative served to inform the province's efforts to define its inclusive education approach. Since then, the Ministry of Education has taken incremental steps in defining and implementing the standards for Alberta's inclusive education system. Implementation of the inclusive education policy has struggled to consistently support the success of SWDs across the province, suggesting a need for greater accountability and additional reporting measures. The objective of this project was to identify and review additional performance measures for the educational achievement of SWDs in Alberta. A literature review was conducted to examine existing inclusive education measures both inside and outside of Alberta. The results of this review were used to identify additional performance measures that could be helpful for SWDs in the province's public primary and secondary schools. Key informant interviews were used to assess and provide feedback on the utility of the identified measures in the Alberta context. The findings from the literature review and expert interviews indicate a need for greater accountability in the Ministry's reporting framework. The current literature has identified a need for tools that can appropriately measure the educational achievement of SWDs. This gap was further defined by expert interviews with five groups of key provincial stakeholders. These experts included academics, advocates, caregivers, educators, and government staff. Each of these stakeholder groups brought a well-informed and unique perspective to the findings of this project. The preliminary findings of these interviews defined the necessity of capturing the circumstance for the success of SWDs when measuring their educational achievement. Both the literature review and expert interviews outlined the essential components that can improve the province's primary and secondary education reporting framework. By utilizing the recommended process for the identification and addition of these measures, Alberta Education can improve consistency in implementation of its inclusive education policy. Altogether, these efforts would serve to ensure all SWDs are given the opportunity to reach their full potential.

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Khan, D. (2018). Support, Success, and Measurement: Alberta’s Inclusive Education Policy and the Next Steps for Students with Disabilities (Unpublished master's project). University of Calgary, Calgary, AB.