The SRE Repor t identified anomalies in the selection of pupils for supplementar y teaching. It found that some pupils with achievement test scores within the average range were in receipt of supplementar y teaching while other pupils with ver y low achievement were not in receipt of such teaching. Since the learning-suppor t ser vice was established to provide for the needs of pupils with low achievement rather than those within the average range, these
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Guidelines strongly discourage the practice
of including pupils with average attainment in the caseloads of learning-suppor t teachers. Rather, the needs of pupils with low achievement should, at all times, be the par ticular focus of the learning-suppor t provision. The identification of these pupils is therefore the most impor tant factor in the selection of pupils for supplementar y teaching.
Based on the SERC Repor t, pupils who achieve scores that are at or below the 10th
percentile on standardised tests of
achievement can be regarded as having low achievement. Therefore, the following recommendations are made with regard to the selection of pupils for supplementar y teaching/learning suppor t:
• Priority should be given to pupils who are per forming at or below the 10thpercentile
in English reading and/or mathematics;
• Schools may exercise limited flexibility in the deployment of the learning-suppor t teacher(s) provided that the needs of the pupils who achieve scores at or below the 10th percentile have been met;
• Schools should implement a policy of early inter vention. The great majority of pupils who receive supplementar y teaching from the learning-suppor t teacher will be in the junior section of the school (senior infants to second class). Only those pupils in the senior section (third class to sixth class) who have ver y low achievement and/or serious learning
difficulties should receive supplementar y teaching. These recommendations are consistent with the concept of a sliding scale of achievement test scores as suggested in the 1987 Guidelines on
Remedial Education;
• Intensive small-group or individual supplementar y teaching should be provided by the learning-suppor t teacher. Group size has been identified as an impor tant factor influencing the level of progress that pupils make. While the nature and severity of pupils’ learning difficulties will ultimately influence group size, it is likely that intensive early inter vention involving pupils with low achievement in the junior section of the school (senior infants to second class) will be most successful in groups of approximately four pupils. Where a pupil does not make satisfactor y progress in a small-group setting, consideration may be given to providing individual teaching;
• In the context of providing an overall effective learning-suppor t programme that would include both teaching and non- teaching duties, it is expected that the learning-suppor t teacher would be engaged in providing supplementar y teaching to approximately 30 pupils with low achievement and/or learning
difficulties at any given time during the school year;
• Since some pupils will make significant progress during a term of supplementar y teaching, some turnover of pupils is to be
expected at the end of each instructional term, and at the end of the school year. This implies that, although the learning- suppor t teacher may work with
approximately 30 pupils at any given time, over the course of the full school year, more than 30 pupils will receive supplementar y teaching;
• The duration of supplementar y teaching should not exceed two to three years for the great majority of pupils. Although some level of suppor t may be offered to pupils by the learning-suppor t teacher after this time, only those with ver y serious difficulties should continue to require ongoing supplementar y teaching;
• Supplementar y teaching should be made available to pupils with low achievement in mathematics. Schools that do not provide such a ser vice should introduce it on a phased basis over a period of two to three years as the school’s needs in English are reduced.
4.3 Preliminary Screening for
Learning Difficulties
A first step in identifying pupils who may need learning suppor t in English or mathematics is for the class teacher to administer one or more screening measures. The par ticular screening
measures that are administered will depend on the age and stage of development of the pupils concerned. In general, screening checklists, rating scales, screening profiles or curriculum profiles will be used with
pupils in senior infants or at the beginning of first class. From the middle of first class onwards, standardised, norm-referenced tests can be used1.
4.3.1 Applying a Cut-off Score
Most screening measures yield an overall (raw) score that summarises a pupil’s achievement across items (for example, the number of skills achieved or the number of items answered correctly). If a norm- referenced measure is used, derived scores such as standard scores, percentile ranks, or reading ages may be available. Where a number of different derived scores are available, it is recommended that schools use percentile ranks to compare the achievement of pupils. On a nationally- standardised test of achievement, a pupil’s percentile rank indicates his/her standing relative to other pupils nationally at the same class level or in the same age range. Unlike percentile ranks, reading ages are par ticularly difficult to interpret and should therefore be avoided (see Glossar y). In selecting pupils for diagnostic
assessment and supplementar y teaching, priority should be given to those pupils who achieve scores at or below the 10th percentile. In order to allow for
measurement error, consideration may be given to selecting pupils who achieve scores up to and including the 12th percentile.
Once schools are satisfied that the needs of pupils who have ver y low achievement and/or serious learning difficulties have been met (i.e. inter vention has been
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successful), a limited degree of flexibility may be exercised in the deployment of the learning-suppor t teacher. The learning- suppor t teacher might, for example, devote time to working with class teachers in fur ther enhancing the classroom learning environment and in developing prevention and early inter vention programmes for the junior classes in the school.
4.3.2 Input from the Class Teacher
The judgement of the class teacher is an impor tant factor in the selection of pupils for diagnostic assessment. The class teacher will be in a position to confirm whether or not the score achieved by a pupil on a screening measure is an accurate reflection of the pupil’s per formance in class. The class teacher will also be able to contribute to the Individual Profile and
Learning Programme of each pupil selected
for supplementar y teaching by providing information about the pupil’s strengths and weaknesses and identifying learning activities that can be implemented in the pupil’s own classroom to achieve agreed learning targets.
4.3.3 Input from Parents
Once a pupil has come to the attention of the school because of low achievement and/or learning difficulties, it will be
possible for the class teacher, in the context of ongoing contact with the pupil’s parents, to make them aware of the situation and to:
• ascer tain the parents’ views about the child’s per formance at school;
• outline school practices regarding the administration of diagnostic tests by the learning-suppor t teacher;
• outline the suppor t that is available to pupils in the school whose achievement is low and/or who experience learning difficulties;
• seek the parents’ approval to proceed with the diagnostic assessment, which may lead to supplementar y teaching;
• indicate that a meeting between the parents and the learning-suppor t teacher will take place following the diagnostic assessment and prior to the
commencement of supplementar y teaching.
If, following diagnostic assessment, it is agreed that the pupil should receive supplementar y teaching, the parents can contribute to the development and implementation of their child’s Individual
Profile and Learning Programme by
discussing the learning targets for their child and by identifying activities that can be implemented at home to suppor t the work of the school in achieving the agreed targets.
4.4 Diagnostic Assessment
When a pupil has been selected for
diagnostic assessment, following screening procedures and consultation with the class
1. Preliminary Screening
Administration and interpretation of screening measure(s) by the class teacher
2. Selection for Diagnostic Assessment
Application of cut-off score
Consultation between the class teacher and parents
Consultation between the class teacher and learning-suppor t teacher
3. Diagnostic Assessment
Administration of diagnostic tests by the learning-suppor t teacher Interpretation of the outcomes of the assessment in consultation with the class teacher
Consideration of most appropriate form of inter vention for the pupil
4. Programme Planning
Meeting between learning-suppor t teacher and parents
Development of the Individual Profile and Learning Programme by the learning-suppor t teacher in consultation with the pupil’s class teacher and parents
5. Programme Implementation
Appropriate modification of teaching approaches by the class teacher in the mainstream class
Provision of supplementar y teaching by the learning-suppor t teacher in the classroom or in the learning-suppor t room for an instructional term (13 to 20 weeks)
Planning and recording on the Weekly Planning and Progress Record
6. Programme Review at End of the Instructional Term
Assessment of the pupil’s progress Evaluation of learning programme
Consultation between the learning-suppor t teacher, class teacher and parents and decision with regard to the level of suppor t now required by the pupil
7A. Discontinuation of Supplementary Teaching
Continuation of appropriate suppor t in mainstream class and at home
7B. Continuation of Supplementary Teaching for a Further Instructional Term
Return to step 4 above and repeat steps 4 to 7