Learner Support Policy

STUDENTS WITH LEARNING SUPPORT AND ASSESSMENT NEEDS/INCLUSION

Not all students are alike. Students who may have been identified with handicaps, both academic and social or personal; they may encounter particular difficulties in their subject examinations and assessment tasks as well as in their extracurricular activities, which may affect students’ academic performance, may need a special consideration and interest in learning. Students vary according to their learning styles, interests, academic abilities, personalities, experiences, and background knowledge and levels of motivation for learning. So; keeping in mind that instructional approaches may vary, differentiated instruction should be consistent with the needs of individuals and diverse students in classrooms. Teachers of Marmara Private High School differentiates instruction in the light of SEN/INCLUSIVE policy and principles, which are linked to other school policies and practices, to create different approaches to learning and teaching for the learning support needs of the diverse learners.

Basic Principle:

Within the framework of the practices of IB candidates with learning support needs, every student has been guided and helped as stated below.

Extra course hours (etudes)
Teachers who work in MEK High School are required to conduct after school courses between 16.05 and 17.15 once a week to help the students. Besides answering the questions of students, the subjects are reviewed and revised during the extra course hours. Students who don’t fulfil the requirements in the classroom learning environment cannot attend the extra course/office hours.

Duties of classroom teachers

  • They carry out counselling and guiding practices within the frame of Guiding and Counselling Annual program prepared by Counselling and Guidance Department (RDM).
  • They help the psychological counsellor whom they are in cooperation with.
  • There is a course hour to carry out guiding practices. They spend the course hour carrying out educational and vocational guidance activities within the scope of classroom guiding studies under the guidance of RDM.
  • They work in cooperation with the relevant assistant principal, psychological counsellor, advisor (teacher) and the parents to solve the personal and family issues of the students determined.
  • They help the students in cooperation with the psychological counsellor in terms of elective courses, school and vocational choices.
  • They work in cooperation with the psychological counsellor concerning the educational clubs students choose in line with their interest, abilities and academic success.
  • They submit the “Classroom Teacher’s Year-End Report” to RDM on the date specified in the Academic Calendar. The report includes all kinds of guiding studies/activities, weaknesses, opportunities and suggestions.
  • They pay importance to the confidentiality of personal and private information about students gathered during the studies/activities.
  • They apply forms, observation cards, survey and questionnaire etc. to know students and gather necessary information in cooperation with the psychological counsellor. They make evaluations and then give the results to the psychological counsellor to keep them in the student’s file.
  • They analyse the files of the transfer students in cooperation with the psychological counsellor.
  • They carry out educational and instructive activities to improve the social relations of students who are not good at social relations.
  • They ensure that the classroom is clean, neat and well-organized.
  • They follow up/monitor the achievement of the students in the class they are responsible for.
  • They monitor the appearances of students.
  • They are responsible for the boards in the classroom. They organize the boards particularly with the students’ works and the works about special days and weeks.
  • They carry out other duties related guidance assigned by the school principal.

ADVISING SYSTEM/ADVISORS

As it is looked at the schools where the advising system is applied, it is observed that the academic achievement increases and the disciplinary problems considerably decrease.  All the teachers in Marmara Private College are responsible for the education of the students. Moreover, each student has an advisor teacher and each advisor teacher helps the student to reach the goals, contributes them to solve the problems and supports their development by means of weekly meetings.

AIM: Instead of using a conventional result-oriented method while monitoring the academic development of the student, it is aimed to feature the process and take the necessary precautions by observing the subsidiary factors.
The Advising System is based on following and observing the students carefully and providing the support programme required promptly. In other words, the Advising System is implemented in order to keep up with the students' development more closely and to prevent missing even the slightest problems.

The Advising System is a completely different from the Classroom Teacher System. In the ‘classroom teacher’ system, the teacher has difficulty in dealing adequately with all the students in the class, and many problems cannot be resolved on time. In the Advising System, teachers have less number of students, and they able to meet with students during the course hours and after course hours easily.

Duties and Responsibilities of Advisors

  • To analyse the behaviours and success of students by not only focusing on the result but also considering the process.
  • To interview with the classroom teachers, psychological counsellor, assistant principal and other course teachers about the students to make evaluations. These interviews are held weekly between the classroom teacher, psychological counsellor and assistant principal.
  • To meet with the students individually of whom s/he is the advisor.
  • To foresee take precautions for the possible misbehaviours and mistakes.
  • To monitor the academic, social and emotional development of the students they are responsible for.
  • To involve closely all kinds of problems and happiness that the students experience.
  • To share information with the parents of the students they are responsible for at regular intervals.
  • To record the private information, grades, tests results, weakness and problems of the students they are responsible for and to take precautions for solutions.
  • To observes the factors affecting student success including family and friends and to support students in terms of time planning and study methods.
  • To have influence on students in terms of following the school rules (dress code etc.)

GUIDANCE PROGRAMME

A classroom teacher and advisors are assigned for each classroom.
There is a course hour to carry out guiding practices/guidance activities for each class. The programme developed by the Guiding and Counselling Department/Centre shall be applied by the classroom teacher throughout the year.
All teachers are expected to work in cooperation with the Counselling and Guidance Department/Centre.
Teachers should closely monitor the students and report any academic problems or behavioural problem to the relevant psychological counsellor and advisor. Advisors, classroom teacher, psychological counsellors and assistant principals should work cooperatively as a team on the problems of the students and on the measures to be taken.

VISITING PSYCHOLOGICAL COUNSELING AND GUIDANCE DEPARTMENT

  • Psychological Counsellors schedule their appointments for the lunch breaks, before the lessons starts in the morning or during 15-minute breaks. Students should be encouraged to use these time periods for the appointment.
  • Psychological Counsellors can take the students during a lesson if needed. For this, they should communicate with the teacher lecturing the lesson. If the teacher approves, the student shall be notified by the counsellor about the appointment. It is asked for the appointment by phone or via e-mail.
  • The teacher shall send the students to the Counselling and Guidance Department/Centre at the agreed time.
  • In case of emergencies, the counsellors call the assistant principal to inform about the students who do not attend the class due to the interview and the assistant principal will inform the teacher at the classroom about the situation.

This directive is issued on the basis of Article 24 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (United Nations) enforced as of 28 October 2009 in Turkey and of Article 15 of Law on Person with Disabilities numbered 5378.

Lesson Procedures
The procedures and principles regarding the implementation of the supportive services in accordance with the needs of the students before, during and after the lessons are as follows:

  • While preparing the lesson schedules, as far as the buildings without elevators are concerned, the easily accessible classrooms on the basement are chosen for the students with disabilities,
  • As far as the announcements about courses or schedules are concerned, the disabilities of the students with disabilities are taken into account,
  • At the beginning of the academic year, the advisors or course teachers are informed about the disabilities of the students with disabilities,
  • Volunteer peers shall be assigned to assist the students with disabilities in terms of the courses and studies,
  • In the classrooms where there are students with disabilities, teachers prepare the material related to the lesson by considering the disability types and give them to the students before the lesson,
  • It is ensured that students with impaired hearing is located in a position in the class which enables them to easily see the teacher presenting/teaching lesson and their classmates,
  • The computers are arranged in accordance with the students that are visually impaired (using audio technology) for lessons with computer technology.
  • In the lessons in which the visual materials are included, it is ensured that the visually impaired students understand the concept of the material through describing the material verbally. They are allowed to record audio, except for personal opinions and discussions,
  • For visually impaired students, within the bounds of the possibilities, the materials for the lessons are prepared in Braille format or as audio material, and for the students who have partially visual impairment the materials are written in 16-18 font size.

Lesson Exemption
Students who request an exemption due to the disabilities they have are provided with the equivalent if the lesson is elective. If no equivalent or the lesson is compulsory, the lesson is given through technological support or adaptation.

Exam Procedures
The arrangements that will minimize the problems arising from the disabilities of the students with disabilities before and during the exam and affecting their success negatively are as follows:

  • As far as the buildings without elevators are concerned, the easily accessible exam rooms on the basement are provided for the students with disabilities,
  • If students with disabilities request, it is provided that they take exams in a room alone with two invigilators,
  • In the announcements before exams, the disabilities of the students with disabilities are taken into account,
  • For announcements, reminders or correction/edit about the exam or exam questions made by the invigilator, the disabilities of the students with disabilities are taken into account,
  • If necessary, students with disabilities are allowed to bring the supportive equipment (hearing aids, telescopic glasses, magnifying glasses, etc.) or medical equipment (insulin pump, etc.) to the exam
  • Depending on the disability, the exams are prepared in multiple-choice format, if appropriate; otherwise students with disabilities shall take the exams on the computer in line with their request,
  • A teacher as a reader/writer who knows the terminology of the exam given shall assigned to accompany to the students with disabilities in the exams if needed,
  • For visually impaired students, within the bounds of the possibilities, exam booklets are prepared in Braille format or in audio format, and for the students who have partially visual impairment the exam booklets are written in 16-18 font size.
  • Students with visual impairment, hearing impairment and physical disabilities affecting their writing or reading are given extra time which is the half of the exam duration. Students with visual impairment are exempt from the questions including scheme/figure.
  • If required, students with disabilities are allowed to go to the toilet during the exam under the supervision of the examiner.

Linking Learner Support Polıcy to Other School Policies

  • The principles and practices of the National Educational System
  • Marmara Private High School Admission Policy
  • Marmara Private High School Sen/Inclusive Policy
  • Marmara Private High School Assessment Policy
  • Marmara Private High School CAS policy
  • International Baccalaureate Learner Profile
  • Marmara Private High School Learner Profile
  • The principles and practices of the International Baccalaureate Organization and its programmes
  • The principles of UN Declaration of Human Rights.

Review of Learner Support Polıcy

All policies which have been linked to school policies will be reviewed annually once there is a need for revision of the learner support Policy.

Candidates with assessment access requirements, First published May 2009 Updated May 2011, September 2013, and July 2014