EA Petition

Have your friends, neighbours or colleagues sign the EA Petition. Signatures are required in pen. You must have at least 3 signatures on each petition. Please send your signed petitions to Cam Broten NDP MLA Education Critic, Legislative Building Regina, SK S4S 0B3

EA Total Cuts

Check out the latest information on the cuts to Education Assistance across the province. Read more...

Funding Guide

• On page B7 the Ministry of Education has linked decisions about hiring ratios/staffing profiles to the funding available to school divisions. The funding guide was distributed to every school division in March 2009. Read more...

Provincial Meeting Working Agenda

• This document supports the Ministry’s intent to the Student Support Services Superintendents in every school division. The Ministry is providing a workshop to them on how to reduce educational assistants (paraprofessionals) supports and increase professional support within their school divisions. The Ministry refers to the Golden Rule a research article. Read more....

The Golden Rule of Providing Support in Inclusive Classrooms

• This article indicates that teachers are not fulfilling their duty by allowing educational assistants to share in the education of students. The researcher states the following, “research confirms that the EA plays a prominent role in both the planning and implementing of instruction for the disabled student, the EAs are largely untrained to perform this important work”. Furthermore educational assistants are described as: over barring, force dependency and provide an “invasive support” to intensive needs students. This article suggests for teachers to use mainstream or gifted students as supports in the classroom. These students are to be used as “Buddies” to support the needs of struggling students. Teachers are asked to practice the Golden Rule of “Ask 3 before me”. What this means is that struggling students are to ask 3 students for help before asking the teacher. Please remember that this document is named as a “Research Article” in the Ministry of Education workshop on December 9th 2009 with all Student Support Superintendents in the province. Read more...

Enhancing Opportunities through Full-Service School Divisions 

• This document calls for the number of educational assistants to be reduced in a prescribed manner with ratios and time lines. Notice these numbers are "recommended" by the ministry of Education. The Ministry distributed the living document in November 2009 to all school divisions. Read more...

Most Frequently Asked Questions Transformation of Special Education to Student Support Services in Saskatchewan

• Transformation of Special Education to Student Services in Saskatchewan
  
  • On page number 3, the Ministry of Education shows a bar graph that clearly states that the number of students requiring intensive needs supports have more than doubled since 2000. Read more...
• • On Page 11 the Ministry gives a clear description that EAs (paraprofessionals) are the "dependency based model". Read more...
  
  
  • It also states that parents are feeling empowered and "entitled" for their intensive needs children to have the support of an EA. Parents are not focusing on "outcomes" as they want what they have always had
  • Read the complete document: Transformation of Special Education to Student Services in Saskatchewan

Psychology Paradigm Shift

• Psychology Paradigm Shift.... On page number 14 (Response to Intervention pp14 ) the Ministry of Education explains that the medical based model is unreliable and spends too much time on gathering information. The slide further states that the medical based model is in "opposition" to the trend in provincial funding. Please note that the Ministry of Education now controls 100% of the Education taxes. The Ministry decides how munch money each school division will get.
• Page 15, ( Response to Intervention pp15) the Ministry of Education feels that “the number of individuals identified with disabilities (particularly learning disabilities) could be reduced if more effective reading instruction was in place”. The Ministry further states that the RTI Model is effective otherwise “a lack of response (to RTI) indicates a teaching problem rather than a learning problem”. Disability student numbers will be reduced because teachers will do a better job in teaching students. The slide further states that the RTI model needs to spend time assessing the quality of instruction as well as spending time in assessing the student’s response to the instruction. It is curious that the previous slide stated that the medical based model spent too much time in gathering information, is this not what the RTI is doing as well?
• Page 33 ( Response to Intervention pp33) shows the same “recommended” staffing ratios that all school divisions were given 5 months later. The only difference is that the ratios do not include a 7 year time line (plan). Please note that it is the Ministry of Education that has provided this workshop (Psychology Paradigm Shift) with Psychologist across the province. The Ministry of Education is recommending the reduction of educational assistants 5 months prior to the school divisions given the same recommendations.
• Page 79, ( Response to Intervention pp79 ) the Ministry of Education is stating that the RTI Model is fiscally sound, effective and efficient. Fiscally sound first! Read more...