Special Education

Internet Reimbursement (60% of 10 months internet fees, up to $300 per qualifying family) this is in addition to the $600/learner funding.

Computer Loan of Refurbished Laptops  $100 refundable deposit required. Limited availability and distributed on a needs basis.

Classes, Clubs, and Activities K-7 Community Classes are provided at no cost to RCOA learners. Those interested in more classes are invited to participate in subsidized special interest classes, and PIE Program. 8-12 learners have access to High school Clubs, F2F Classes, and Activities at subsidized rates*

Loanable Resources can be borrowed from our library leaving more funds available for services and subscriptions with the $600/learner budget ministry allotment funds.

• CORE Loanable Curriculum – a variety of the most popular K-12 loanable Home Instructor’s Guides, answer keys, textbooks, DVDs, CDs, and study guides  for each major subject area
• TUBS and Kits – loaned in 8 week cycles (advance reservations recommended). TUBS are full units of Science and Social Studies Resources with a provided Study Guide and geared to families with elementary aged learners. Kits are a small bundle of supporting resources such as math games & manipulatives, leveled readers and literature unit study resources, or several books on one topic. These do not contain a study guide
• Support Resources and Non-Core Curriculum – limits on number of Library World loans per family. These are loaned on a first come first serve basis. This portion of the library is stocked with items not popular enough to be designated CORE

Educational online subscriptions  Families who prefer the use of online subscriptions to accessing Loanable resources may request that RCOA pay for one family subscription plus one additional subscription per learner OR access loanables and arrange for payment for online subscriptions through your PO funding.* 

Up to $600/learner in Services and Resource Purchases – grouped into a shared family pot accessed via  PO# or OTIS forms for K-9 learners. Allocated at $75 per active individualized course for 10-12 accessed via OTIS form requests only. Full details are provided during your consultation and outlined in your OTIS expense report and on each online form.

• May be used to purchase: Consumable Resources, non-common curriculum, educational games & software & Apps, items that have a single use license limitation, Supporting Resources (novels, small Science & Social Studies resource books) Printer ink & paper, Art supplies, Math Manipulatives, and Science Kits. These are not cataloged or recalled into our library. Keep them as long as you like. You may pass them on to another homeschooler or the RCOA Support Resources Library when you no longer want them.
• May be used to pay for: PE & Fine Arts Third Party Services or Rec Centre Classes, Workshop & Activity fees, Online subscription fees, Online Course fees of $100/course grades 5-9, Approved academic tutoring, fees for subsidized RCOA classes such as Highschool offerings, special interest classes, and our PIE Program.
• The following resources and services may not be purchased by the school and is therefore the responsibility of Family:  Furnishings, Standard household items, toys, sports equipment, Costumes, Music instruments, notebooks and loose leaf paper, pencils, pens etc, items deemed “equipment” (worth more than $50 and not a curricular manipulative or science kit) or deposits and non-approved academic tutoring

*NOTE* RCOA is committed to providing an affordable F2F Blended Learning model therefore we invest in that by providing free and low cost subsidized classes instead of providing a range of pre-selected free online subscriptions.

Special Education Grants

Which learners may qualify for Special Education supports?

RCOA receives Special Education funds to support enrolled students with professionally diagnosed, specific and exceptional needs that fit the funding criteria for “Low Incidence” learners, as defined by the Ministry for Education.

These include the following:

LEVEL 1

• Physically Dependent
• Deaf Blind

LEVEL 2

• Moderate to profound intellectual disability
• Chronic health conditions including nervous system impairments, muscoskeletal conditions or diagnosed impairments that seriously impact student’s education and achievement
• Visually impaired
• Deaf/hearing impaired
• Autism Spectrum Disorder

LEVEL 3

• Intensive behavior intervention
• Serious mental illness

What type of support is available through RCOA for students who are designated to receive special education support?

If your child is approved to receive the additional support of special education funding, RCOA’s special education team will work with you to develop a program that will ensure your child’s learning needs are met as fully as possible. Together we will develop an Individualized Education Plan (IEP).

The IEP document will describe individualized goals, adaptations, modifications, services to be provided and measures for tracking achievement. The IEP will formalize planning decisions and will align programming with assessment. All of the interventions provided within your child’s special needs program will be tied into their IEP.

RCOA will develop, for each learner with a special needs designation, a needs based budget that outlines how the school intends to administer the special education funds.

Additional supports will typically include:

• One to One Support (SEAs)
• Therapy Services (OT, PT, Speech Therapy, Behavior Intervention, Counseling, etc.)
• Specialized Therapy Equipment and Assistive Technology
• Specialized Curriculum Resources
• Community Programs
• Testing and Assessment by Qualified Professionals
• RCOA Administrative Costs