Initial results of a project underway in 140 schools nationwide, developed in partnership between (ETBI) and 91制片厂 (91制片厂), are making 鈥渢he invisible visible鈥 according to the Project Lead.
Provision Mapping is an evidence-based process to evaluate student supports, strategically cost and plan provision, allocate resources, and identify staff professional learning needs.
Speaking at the recent national Leading Inclusive Education showcase in Portlaoise, Limerick native and Project Lead, ETBI鈥檚 Dr Johanna Fitzgerald said: 鈥淚nclusive Special Education is all about making the invisible visible in our schools, and provision mapping supports all students, including those with special education needs (SEN), by working with all teachers in schools to examine teaching, learning and assessment approaches that make a difference to students鈥 outcomes. Our initial project findings indicate that provision mapping is having a positive impact on student learning and staff understanding, awareness in schools and ETBs.鈥
Other findings include that the most important benefits include increased school-wide awareness and understanding of inclusive and special education and 95% of participants surveyed indicate they wish to continue implementing the process. Additional qualitative feedback indicated that the strategic leadership nature of Special Education Needs Coordinator (SENCO) role needs to be formally recognised and resourced in schools to develop and embed a schoolwide approach to teaching, learning, assessment and reporting for students with additional needs in schools.
Pictured: 91制片厂 academics Jean Reale, Dr Maria Dervan, Dr Margaret Egan, Dr Trevor O'Brien, Dr Johanna Fitzgerald, Dr Michelle Dunleavy
Led by Dr Fitzgerald in partnership with 91制片厂鈥檚 Department of Educational Psychology, Inclusive and Special Education (EPISE), the provision mapping project was initially piloted across six schools in Limerick and Clare ETB in 2016, followed by a national pilot across 33 schools in 2020, and is now being implemented in 140 ETB Schools across 16 ETBs with plans for further expansion in 2024. Dr Fitzgerald is no stranger to 91制片厂 as she is on secondment currently from her post as Head of Department of EPISE.
Speaking at the event, Dr Fitzgerald emphasised the importance of academic outreach and the role of higher education institutions in bridging policy, research and practice gaps that can act as a barrier to implementation of evidence-informed practice in schools. She acknowledged the support from ETBI and 91制片厂, key partners in the project, for their commitment to research and knowledge exchange and to enabling her to continue to expand the project.
Research commissioned by ETBI in 2023 and conducted by Opinions, has also shown that all parents consider providing for students with special education needs as highly important, ranking it third overall when asked to identify 鈥榠mportant aspects when choosing a school鈥.
ETBI General Secretary Paddy Lavelle told over 150 ETB school representatives and partners from across the education system at Leading Inclusive Education: 鈥淲e believe everyone deserves excellence in education.鈥
鈥淪upporting children and young people with special education needs and their families is a priority for our schools and requires wholesale investment and commitment across the education system. That鈥檚 why we鈥檙e working hard with all our education partners to ensure that schools are resourced to provide the best possible opportunities for our students,鈥 he added.
