Council of Ministers of Education, Canada > Resources > Students with Special Education Needs > Participation

Participation

Please thoroughly review the guidelines and examples below to select the appropriate participation option for any students assigned a special education needs (SEN) code.

Participation of students with special education needs
– guidelines and examples

SEN Code 1: Functional disability The student has a moderate to severe permanent physical disability.	The student can understand the instructions and respond to the assessment, with or without the permitted accommodations.	The student can understand the instructions; however, their moderate to severe permanent physical disability is such that they cannot participate in the PISA testing situation.
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	*Example of student writing the regular test:* Student 10 is deaf. However, PISA does not contain any audio components and, thus, this student’s physical disability does not affect their ability to participate in the assessment. This student should be assigned a SEN code 1. In this case, the UH test column will be left blank. *Example of student writing the UH test:* Student 6 has multiple sclerosis. This condition does not affect the student’s ability to understand the instructions and to respond to the test questions on the computer. However, longer periods of work are not recommended, and school staff request that this student participate in the shorter version of the test. This student should be assigned a SEN code 1 in the SEN code column and a code 1 in the UH test column.	Example of student not participating as a result of a lack of appropriate accommodations: Student 7 is blind. PISA is not offered in Braille. Therefore, the student is unable to participate in the assessment. This student should be assigned a SEN code 1.

	Student should participate in the regular test or the UH test	Student cannot participate as a result of a lack of appropriate accommodations

SEN Code 2: Intellectual and/or socio-emotional disability In the opinion of qualified staff, the student has a cognitive, behavioural, and/or socio-emotional disability.	The student can understand the instructions and respond to the assessment, with or without the permitted accommodations. The student should NOT be excluded solely because of poor academic performance or disciplinary problems.	The student has a cognitive, behavioural, or socio-emotional disability such that in the opinion of qualified staff, they cannot participate in the PISA testing situation. Students who are deemed cognitively, behaviourally, or emotionally unable to follow even the instructions of the assessment should also not participate.
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	*Example of student writing the regular test:* Student 3 has mild developmental delays. However, the student is able to understand the assessment instructions and respond to questions. Therefore, this student should be allocated a SEN code 2. In this case, the UH test column will be left blank. *Example of student writing the UH test:* Student 11 has been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. The student understands instructions and is able to answer test questions. However, the student would not be able to focus for the full length of the regular PISA assessment, and school staff request that they participate in the UH test. This student should be assigned a code 2 in the SEN code column and a code 1 in UH test column.	Example of student not participating as a result of a lack of appropriate accommodations: Student 15 has been professionally assessed as severely cognitively delayed. School staff state that this student is not able to understand the instructions and meaningfully respond to test questions. Therefore, this student will not participate in the assessment. The student should be assigned a SEN code 2.

	Student should participate in the regular test or the UH test	Student cannot participate as a result of to lack of appropriate accommodations

SEN Code 3: Limited assessment language experience The student is not a native speaker of the language of the assessment and has limited proficiency in this language.	If the student does not meet ALL three criteria listed in the adjacent “Student not participating as a result of a lack of appropriate accommodations” column, then they will participate in the regular assessment.	The student meets ALL three of the following criteria: is not a native speaker in the assessment language; and has limited proficiency in the assessment language; and has received less than one year of instruction in the assessment language.
View Examples
	*Example of student writing the regular test:* Student 9 is not a native English speaker. While their experience with English is limited, the student has been taught in English for more than one year and therefore does not meet the PISA criteria for exclusion on the basis of insufficient language experience. This student should be assigned a SEN code 3. In this case, the UH test column will be left blank. A note about UH test participation for this SEN code: Students who do not meet the criteria for exemption (see criteria listed in adjacent column) should undertake the regular assessment for this SEN code. The UH test is not applicable in this case.	Example of student not participating as a result of a lack of appropriate accommodations: Student 17 is not a native English speaker. They have been taught in English for less than one year, and therefore, this student meets the PISA criteria for exemption on the basis of insufficient language experience. This student should be assigned a SEN code 3.

	Student should participate in the regular test or the UH test	Student cannot participate as a result of a lack of appropriate accommodations