Inclusion Policy

This Inclusion Policy should be read in conjunction with the IBO’s Access and Inclusion Policy (November 2018). This Inclusion Policy has been updated in the spring of 2022.

The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme at Stenhus Gymnasium supports the principles of inclusion and that students with Inclusion Needs should be allowed to demonstrate their ability under conditions that are as fair as possible.

Admission of candidates with Inclusion Needs

• Before accepting a student with inclusion needs as a candidate for the IB Diploma Programme, the coordinator must be satisfied that the candidate has the intellectual capacity to meet all the curriculum and assessment requirements.
• Careful consideration will be given to a candidate’s choice of subjects. Some subjects may pose difficulties for a candidate with inclusion needs.
• A support program for the candidate must be agreed with the candidate and supporting agencies, and teachers must be consulted at an early stage in the candidate’s study of the program.

Responsibilities

Our school counsellors are responsible daily for coordinating support for candidates with inclusion
needs. This may include liaison with:

• parents
• teachers
• the school psychologist
• the school’s coach
• other medical agencies
• reading support counsellors
• teacher/student mentors

This may also include:

• applications for support packages, for example IT support software programs
• providing information and relevant documentation to the IB coordinator to support applications for special assessment arrangements

Defining Inclusion

Candidates with Special Educational Needs may display characteristics of one or more of the following:

Specific learning issues, language, and communication disorders

• Significant issues with reading, writing, spelling, or manipulating numbers associated with issues in processing symbolic language (for example, problems interpreting musical notation, dyslexia, dyscalculia)
• Speech and language issues characterized by communication problems (for example, aphasia, dysphasia, articulation problems)

Social, emotional, and behavioral issues

• Includes: attention deficit disorder (ADD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD); autistic spectrum disorders; withdrawn, depressive or suicidal attitudes; obsessive preoccupation with eating habits; school phobia; substance abuse; disruptive antisocial and uncooperative behavior; and anger, frustration, and violence.

Physical and sensory conditions

• Physical disabilities include a wide range of conditions that are not always immediately obvious, but that affect mobility.
• Sensory issues: hearing – embraces an extensive range of hearing loss from mild to profound and can present communication difficulties; visual – includes difficulties with either the structure or function of the eye, affecting vision.

Medical conditions

• The most common being congenital heart disease, epilepsy, asthma, cystic fibrosis, hemophilia, sickle cell anemia, diabetes, renal failure, eczema, rheumatoid disorders, allergies, leukemia, and other cancers.

Mental Health Issues

• A wide range of conditions that can affect a person’s state of mind, ranging from psychotic conditions, such as schizophrenia and manic depression, to eating disorders, anxieties and emotional distress caused by circumstances in a candidate’s life.

Note: while all parties will strive to accommodate the inclusion needs of all candidates, it may, at times, be necessary to consult with all interested parties on whether the school can effectively meet the needs of the individual student.

Accommodations for Assessment

Section 4 of the IBO’s Access and Inclusion Policy explains the procedures for seeking special
assessment arrangements. In cases of approved diagnoses, a formal request for special arrangements must be submitted to the IBO at least 12 months prior to the student writing the exam. Supporting documentation, such as a medical certificate, must accompany the request.

The coordinator will make all applications to IBO for special arrangements, after consultation with
the student counsellor, and candidate.

Arrangements that may be granted include

• Additional time – usually 25% additional time is allowed for the candidate in final exams
• Rest periods – supervised rest time may be allowed, during which time the candidate is not allowed to work on their exam
• Information and communication technology – a computer could be used to type the answers to the exam instead of handwriting the answers. The student cannot use any software that would give the candidate an unfair advantage during the exam.
• Amanuensis /Scribes – a person who writes down dictated answers from the candidate.
• Readers – a person who reads aloud the questions to the candidate and can also read back answers the candidate has provided. The reader cannot explain a question or give advice on how to answer the question.
• Communicators – a person who can convey information to a candidate with a hearing impairment, through the use of lip-speaking, fingerspelling, or sign language.
• Prompters – a person who ensures that a candidate is paying attention to the examination. This would normally be authorized for candidates diagnosed as having a neurological or cognitive disability resulting from a severe attention problem.
• Modifications to examination papers – normally made for candidates with hearing or visual issues, such as providing an exam in Braille, enlarged print, printing on coloured paper, modifications to the visual complexity of the exam or modifications to the language of the exam paper.
• Audio recordings of examination papers – the IB may provide an exam paper on a CD. This is a limited service and is not available for exams with illustrations, tables, diagrams, or sketch maps.
• Audio recordings of responses to examination papers – The candidate dictates answers into an appropriate recording technology. This is used when a scribe is not available and cannot be used for examinations in Groups 1 and 2 or with examinations that require the candidate to produce visual material such as an illustration, table, diagram, or sketch map.
• Transcriptions – A candidate’s response to an assessment component is submitted in a form other than the candidate’s own handwriting. Transcription is justified when a candidate with a specific learning issue, or a physical disability, has very poor handwriting skills and cannot use a computer.
• Transcription is not available to candidates with poor handwriting for whom some form of special need cannot be diagnosed.
• Alternative venues for examinations – if a candidate is too ill to attend school, but on medical advice can take the examinations at home or in hospital, authorization may be given for the examination to be taken at an alternative venue. In principle, the examination should be taken at the same time as other candidates in the group. A qualified invigilator must be present.
• Extensions to deadlines – this arrangement applies to cases of illness or accident when a candidate is genuinely prevented from completing work in time for the coordinator to submit the work to the examiner.
• Assistance with practical work – if a candidate has a physical disability, assistance with practical work can be requested. This arrangement is normally confined to the requirements of internal assessment (for example, practical work in experimental science or geography fieldwork). It is particularly suited to situations where there is a concern for a candidate’s health or safety.
• Exemptions from assessments – exemptions are not normally granted for any assessment component of the Diploma Programme. However, if an assessment component or part demands a physiological function that a candidate is not able to perform, an exemption may be authorized.

Late diagnosis

If a teacher suspects that a student has (or has developed) a condition not previously diagnosed,
this should be referred to the student counsellor and IB Coordinator, who will consult with the appropriate agencies for diagnosis and eventual documentation.

Temporary medical conditions and other adverse circumstances

Should a student suffer a medical condition or experience other adverse circumstances in the
period of assessment or examinations, the IB Coordinator must be informed immediately. The
coordinator will contact IBO for guidance on what assistance/dispensations can be provided at
short notice.