Step 1: Register Online

Visit the Registration page and complete the online registration form for your school of choice. During registration, indicate any additional learning needs, diagnoses, or supports your child may require.

Registering your child as early as possible helps schools plan supports for the upcoming school year. For Kindergarten, registration opens in January for the following September.

Step 2: Connect With Your Neighbourhood School

After registering, contact the school to discuss your child’s strengths, needs, and any existing assessments or reports (e.g., medical, therapeutic, early learning supports, or Early Learning Intensive Support [ELIS] information). The school team may:

• Review existing documentation
• Meet with you to learn more about your child
• Begin planning supports

Step 3: Collaborative Planning and Support

If your child requires intensive supports, the school will work with you and our specialists to determine the most appropriate learning environment. Supports are planned through an Inclusion & Intervention Plan (IIP) once your child enters Kindergarten or a subsequent grade.

If a special program placement is being considered:

• Your school will help guide next steps;
• A formal referral process is required;
• Placement is based on eligibility criteria, availability, and student needs;
• Special programs are not selected during initial registration.

• Vision loss
• Deaf/hard of hearing
• Intellectual disability (ID) or intellectual developmental disorder (IDD)
• Autism spectrum disorder (ASD)
• Orthopedic disability
• Mental health
• Physical health
• Prenatal substance exposure
• Other diagnosed condition

In Saskatoon Public Schools, we use a needs-based assessment and planning tool to identify students in need of intensive support. The impact assessment includes an overall rubric which is used to assess a student’s development in each target area on a four-point scale to determine the frequency of support required: periodic, occasional, frequent or continuous. Students who require frequent or continuous support are eligible to access intensive supports. Typically, a student who requires intensive supports will have significant learning needs in multiple developmental areas such as safety, communication, health, personal-social wellbeing and academic achievement. 

We find that when completing the impact assessment, it is helpful to ask, “What is the impact of the student’s presenting need(s) on accessing curricula and what supports are required?” rather than asking, “What is the student’s disability?” 

Once a student’s IAP has been approved by a coordinator, the student’s individual plan is developed collaboratively with the student’s team including caregivers and documented in the form of an Inclusion and Intervention Plan or IIP. 

Who requires an IIP? Using the principles of a needs-based model of service delivery, the Ministry of Education expects school divisions to develop and implement IIPs to support the individual needs of the following students: 

• Prekindergarten to Grade 12 students who have been identified as requiring intensive support to meet their needs
• Students who require ongoing instructional strategies and supports beyond the Adaptive Dimension to best meet their needs
• Students enrolled in a Functional Integrated program.

The term IIP is unique to the province of Saskatchewan. Globally, these student plans are known as Individualized Education Plans or IEPs. 

Each student’s IIP is developed, implemented and monitored in a collaborative manner using a team approach. This is best accomplished through close communication with the student, the student’s parent(s)/guardian(s), school-and division-based team members and outside professionals and agencies.

Register first, then plan together: Register your child through the regular registration process. After registration, your neighbourhood school team will work with you to learn about your child’s strengths, needs, and any existing supports or assessments.

Support is based on student needs, not the school. Educational supports and services are determined by your child’s individual needs, not by choosing a specific school. Schools work collaboratively with SPS specialists to plan appropriate supports.

Special programs are considered only when needed
Some students may benefit from a classroom‑based intensive support program (special program). These programs require a formal referral and eligibility review; they are not chosen at the time of registration. Intensive support programs are considered only when a student’s needs cannot be met through inclusive supports at their neighbourhood school. If a special program is considered, your school team will guide you through the process. They may have waitlists due to high demand.

Transportation may vary
 Transportation eligibility depends on the program and placement. This will be discussed if a placement outside your neighbourhood school is recommended.

Need help deciding?
 If you are unsure which setting may best support your child:

• Contact your neighbourhood school. You may ask to speak with the school’s administration or a Special Education Consultant.
• Contact Saskatoon Public Schools and ask to speak with the Coordinator of Learning Supports: Special Education.

• All Saskatoon Public Schools provide supports for students with autism and other special needs through inclusive education at neighbourhood schools. Additional specialized services and intensive support programs are available at designated sites when required; placement is determined through a school‑guided referral process. Registration at a school which hosts a special program does not increase the likelihood of placement in that program, as students from across Saskatoon are supported in these locations.

Families who are not registered with Saskatoon Public Schools should begin by choosing a neighbourhood school, as our schools prioritize inclusive education with supports based on individual student needs. For both new and current students, special program placement is determined only through a school‑guided referral process when a student's needs cannot be met in the regular classroom. Families who would like to discuss additional programming or supports should speak with their school's administrative team or Special Education Consultant after registering. Please note:

• SPS special programs support students residing in Saskatoon and seeking public education.
• Registration at a school with a special program does not increase the likelihood of placement in that program.

• Assessment
• Classroom supports
• Resource teacher support
• Counsellors/social workers
• Speech-language services
• Educational assistant support
• Consultative supports
• Special programs
• Interagency collaboration
• Planning and evaluation at the individual, school and community level.

Assistive technology allows students with disabilities to access the curriculum. To receive a technical aid, students must first meet the criteria for intensive support. Following this assessment, the school team submits a request and shows that the assistive technology will help the student access the educational program in a way that is otherwise unavailable. Approval must be obtained from the coordinator of special education at Saskatoon Public Schools. Once approved, the assistive technology is ordered and sent to the school. If the student moves to another school division, the assistive technology is returned to Special Education and re-assigned to another student.

Saskatoon Public Schools’ special programs are intended to support students residing in the city of Saskatoon seeking a public education. Special program placements are determined by the coordinator responsible for the program based on individual student learning needs, specific program eligibility criteria, referral, invitation and parent/guardian acceptance of the placement.

• The Functional Life Skills (FLS) program is available for students ages 6 to 21 years of age with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities. Elementary students with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities may access inclusive placements at their neighbourhood schools or in elementary FLS classrooms. At the collegiate level, students with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities participate in high school FLS classrooms. 
• The Functional Academics program is offered to elementary students with mild intellectual disabilities, who also face behaviour challenges. 
• Alternative Education is offered at the collegiate level to secondary students with mild intellectual disabilities. Students follow a four- to five-year pathway to graduation to earn a Saskatchewan Grade 12 of Secondary Level Achievement: Alternative Education.

John Dolan School is a small, specialized school for students ages five to 21 with significant and multiple disabilities, including complex medical needs and a diagnosis of global developmental delay or intellectual developmental disorder/intellectual disability in the severe-profound range. John Dolan is also home to the Mary Vinish Snoezelen Park.

The division operates two specialized prekindergarten programs through a service agreement with the Ministry of Education.

• Step Ahead specialized prekindergarten supports children who have a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder and significant behaviour to prepare students for the transition to kindergarten.
• Language Learning specialized prekindergarten supports children who are deaf or hard of hearing with developing auditory and language skills to prepare students for the transition to kindergarten.