Modified Curriculum for Autistic Students in Ontario
Direct answer
In Ontario, accommodations help a student learn and demonstrate learning while working toward regular grade-level expectations. Modifications change those expectations and are recorded in the IEP. At secondary school, the principal decides whether the modified expectations qualify for a course credit and must communicate that decision to the parents and student.
The numbers behind the answer
- Secondary credit decision
- Determined by the principal based on the extent of modification
- files.ontario.ca
The school route, step by step
Every school support in Ontario runs through the same sequence. Here is the order the steps come in.
Ten steps · four phases
See the whole school journey before choosing your next step.
This overview shows the order of the main routes. The detailed guide below explains what happens, what parents can request, and which records to keep at each stage.
Phase 01
Prepare for school
Complete the clinical and transition work before the first school day.
Phase 02
Put supports in writing
Move from informal conversations to a documented placement and support plan.
Phase 03
Escalate when support stalls
Use the next formal route only when the school-level process has not resolved the issue.
Phase 04
Plan the next transition
Use the IEP transition plan to connect school with the path after secondary education.
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Accommodations, modifications, and alternative expectations
- Ontario defines accommodations as special teaching and assessment strategies, human supports, or individualized equipment that enable a student to learn and demonstrate learning. A subject or course identified as accommodated only remains directed toward regular grade-level expectations. Examples include extra time for tests or assignments, preferential seating, and assistive technology.
- Modifications change grade-level expectations to meet a student's learning needs. They may use expectations from a different grade or change the number or complexity of regular expectations. Subjects and courses requiring accommodations or modifications, and all alternative programs, must be listed in the IEP and identified as AC, MOD, or ALT. Alternative expectations address knowledge and skills that are not represented in the Ontario curriculum.
Secondary school credits and the transcript
- A modified secondary course is not automatically a credit course or a non-credit course. Depending on the extent of the modification, the principal determines whether achievement of the modified expectations constitutes successful completion and whether the student is eligible for the course credit. The decision must be communicated to the parents and student.
- The Ontario Student Transcript manual uses M in the note column for modified curriculum expectations that do not lead to a credit. It uses N/A in the credit column for a course with modified or alternative expectations that did not lead to a credit. The draft's broader statement that modified courses are marked MOD on the transcript is therefore not retained.
Parent consultation and current Ontario credentials
- The Ministry's guide states that Ontario Regulation 181/98 requires consultation with parents, and with the student if age 16 or older, during IEP development and review. The parents and student must receive a copy when the IEP is completed. They must also be consulted before significant revisions to learning expectations or the level of accommodations and services are implemented.
- The current certificate below the OSSD is the Ontario Secondary School Certificate, not the Ontario Certificate of Education named in the draft. On request, the OSSC may be granted to a student leaving secondary school at age 18 without an OSSD after earning at least 14 credits, including 7 compulsory and 7 optional credits. A student leaving at age 18 without meeting the requirements for either the OSSD or OSSC may be granted a Certificate of Accomplishment.
Frequently asked questions
An accommodation is a teaching strategy, assessment strategy, human support, or individualized equipment that enables learning and demonstration of learning while the student works toward regular grade-level expectations. A modification changes the grade-level expectations for the subject or course.
Possibly. The Ministry says the principal determines whether achievement of the modified expectations qualifies as successful completion and whether the student is eligible for the credit, depending on the extent of the modification. That decision must be communicated to the parents and student.
The transcript manual uses M in the note column for modified curriculum expectations that do not lead to a credit and N/A in the credit column for a course with modified or alternative expectations that did not lead to a credit.
Ontario's Ministry guide says parents, and the student if age 16 or older, must be consulted in IEP development and review and must receive a copy when it is completed. Consultation is also required before significant revisions to expectations or the level of accommodations and services are implemented.
An Ontario Secondary School Certificate may be granted on request to a student leaving secondary school at age 18 without an OSSD who has at least 14 credits, including 7 compulsory and 7 optional credits. A Certificate of Accomplishment may be granted if the student leaves at age 18 without meeting the requirements for either the OSSD or OSSC.
Sources
Special Education in Ontario policy and resource guide: IEP program options, accommodations, modifications, credit decisions, and parent consultation
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Ontario Student Transcript Manual: transcript treatment of non-credit modified and alternative expectations
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Ontario Schools policy and program requirements: OSSD, OSSC, and Certificate of Accomplishment rules
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General admissions criteria for Ontario colleges: limited OSSC admission use
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Next steps
Keep going with related guidance, tools, and evidence.
Related questions
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The IPRC Process for Autism Families in Ontario
How the Identification, Placement, and Review Committee (IPRC) works for autistic students in Ontario. Understand your rights under Ontario Regulation 181/98.
High School Transition Planning for Autistic Students in Ontario
Transition planning from high school for autistic students in Ontario. Covers IEP transition plans, ODSP, post-secondary options, and Passport funding at age 18.
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