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Provincial Elementary Schools for the Deaf

The Elementary School at each of our three Ontario Provincial Schools for the Deaf provides education instruction for student from Junior Kindergarten to Grade 8. American Sign Language and English are the primary languages of study and communication.

• Ontario Curriculum is taught, and students are assessed using the Ontario standards and expectations.
• Use bilingual-bicultural pedagogical approach.
• Use ASL and English as a language of development with and among the students academically and socially
• Utilize ASL and multi-cultural heritage information in teaching
• A student-centred approach is used throughout the elementary school.
• Teachers develop Individual Education Plans (IEPs) for students who require modified or specialized programs.
• Classes are small by regular school standards, allowing considerable individual attention and programming.

The American Sign Language Curriculum and Ontario Language Curriculum work in congruently.

ASL Curriculum as a Study of a Language:

• Study ASL structures, vocabulary, discourse, semantics, styles, and registers found in stories, poems and others (e.g., (e.g., Clayton Valli’s ASL poetry works, “Cow and Rooster,” Dr. Samuel Supalla’s ASL story, “For a Decent Living”) as well as texts, lectures and interpersonal interactions
• Analysis
• Comparison
• Making judgements
• Pulling ideas together
• Other higher level thinking skills to develop meta-linguistic skills in ASL as an academic language – the grammatical knowledge of ASL
• Analysis of ASL as a repository of cultural heritage knowledge and experiences

Similarly, the Ontario Language Curriculum Provides a Guide to:

• Study English structures, vocabulary, discourse, semantics, styles, and registers found in stories, poems and others (e.g., multicultural folk lore)
• Analysis
• Comparison
• Making judgements
• Pulling ideas together
• Other higher level thinking skills to develop meta-linguistic skills in English as an academic language – the grammatical knowledge of English
• Analysis of English as a repository of cultural heritage knowledge and experiences

A wide range of technology literacy tools (e.g., Smart boards, IMACs, computers) are used to support students’ literacy skills in American Sign Language, English and the Ontario Curriculum.

EQAO Grades 3 and 6 Assessment

The EQAO literacy and numeracy assessment is written in Grades 3 and 6.

ASL Assessment

ASL assessment identifies a student’s proficiency level in ASL. This guides educational programming. Results of such assessment are used to:

1. make decisions about the kind of intervention a student requires to development in ASL
2. determine a student’s cognitive and linguistic readiness for English reading and writing
3. establish a baseline for a particular student’s ASL and English expectations and program.

The ASL Curriculum is used as a foundation and support for the Ontario Curriculum. ASL provides the first-language base for the development of the cognitive, creative, critical, analytical and literary skills that enable students to better respond to the subject matter of English, science, mathematics, and other school subjects

Social and Emotional Growth

Students’ social and emotional growth is also a focus of the Ontario Elementary Curriculum.

The Provincial Elementary Schools for the Deaf foster the collaboration among home, student lodging and school.

We strive for a system of support for our students in a community that recognizes their uniqueness inclusively.

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