ABROAD INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL OKAYAMA

Inclusion Policy

Review Date: 11/16/2022
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Next Review: 11/16/2023

VisionOur vision is to help shape the future for a better world by using leading educational practices tonurture internationally minded learners who show caring, respect, and compassion through theiractions.

MissionOur mission is to develop confident lifelong learners who are;multilingual,inquiring,open-minded andRespectful of all cultures.
Through balanced reflection, and risk-taking, our learners will be able to communicate, develop
knowledge and pass on positive principles for the benefit of both themselves and others.

Learner Profile

Inquirers: They develop their natural curiosity. They acquire the skills necessary to conduct
inquiry and research and show independence in learning. They actively enjoy learning and thislove of learning will be sustained throughout their lives.

Knowledgeable: They explore concepts, ideas and issues that have local and global significance.
In so doing, they acquire in-depth knowledge and develop understanding across a broad andbalanced range of disciplines.

2 | PageThinkers: They exercise initiative in applying thinking skills critically and creatively torecognize and approach complex problems, and make reasoned, ethical decisions.

Communicators: They understand and express ideas and information confidently and creatively
in more than one language and in a variety of modes of communication. They work effectively
and willingly in collaboration with others.

Principled: They act with integrity and honesty, with a strong sense of fairness, justice andrespect for the dignity of the individual, groups and communities. They take responsibility for
their own actions and the consequences that accompany them.

Open-minded: They understand and appreciate their own cultures and personal histories, and areopen to the perspectives, values and traditions of other individuals and communities. They areaccustomed to seeking and evaluating a range of points of view, and are willing to growfrom the experience.

Caring: They show empathy, compassion and respect towards the needs and feelings of others.
They have a personal commitment to service, and act to make a positive difference to thelives of others and to the environment.

Risk-takers: They approach unfamiliar situations and uncertainty with courage and forethought,
and have the independence of spirit to explore new roles, ideas and strategies. They arebrave and articulate in defending their beliefs.

Balanced: They understand the importance of intellectual, physical and emotional balance toachieve personal well-being for themselves and others.

Reflective: They give thoughtful consideration to their own learning and experience. They areable to assess and understand their strengths and limitations in order to support their learningand personal development.

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Introduction:

The importance of acknowledging differences among people is clearly indicated in the IB
Mission Statement. This mission statement emphasizes the importance of encouraging “students
across the world
to become active, compassionate, lifelong learners who understand that other people, with
their differences, can also be right''. This document aims to communicate to all of ourstakeholders – parents, students, teachers and administrators – the expectations for creating andmaintaining an inclusive educational environment for all our IB students as required by IBO andsupported by AIS Okayama. Inclusion is defined as an ongoing process that aims to increase
access and engagement in learning for all students by identifying and removing barriers. It
addresses learning support requirements and questions the broader objectives of education, thenature of pedagogy, curriculum and assessment (Learning diversity and inclusion in the IBProgrammes, 2016,p.1)

Our philosophy regarding inclusive education
AIS Okayama is organized in such a way that student diversity can be included as a resource,
seeing individual differences not as problems to be fixed, but as opportunities for enrichedlearning. Diversity is a positive resource with regard to what it means to be internationallyminded and interculturally aware (Learning Diversity in the International Baccalaureate
Programmes, p.2). The following IB Standards and Practices define the requirements regarding
inclusive education at AIS Okayama:∙ The school supports access for students to the IB programme(s) and philosophy.
∙ The school develops and implements policies and procedures that support theprogrammes.
∙ The school provides support for its students with learning needs and support for theirteachers.
∙ Collaborative planning and reflection incorporates differentiation for students’ learningneeds and styles.

4 | Page∙ The written curriculum provides opportunities for reflection on human commonality,diversity and multiple perspectives.
∙ Teaching and learning addresses human commonality, diversity and multipleperspectives.
∙ Teaching and learning differentiates instruction to meet students’ learning needs andstyles.
∙ Teaching and learning fosters a stimulating learning environment based on understanding
and respect.
∙ Teaching and learning encourages students to demonstrate their learning in a variety ofways.
∙ Education is enhanced by the creation of affirmative, responsive environments that promote a
sense of belonging, safety, self-worth and whole growth for every student.
∙ Learning diversity is valued as a rich resource for building inclusive communities.
∙ All learners belong and experience equal opportunities to participate and engage in quality
learning.
∙ Full potential is unlocked through connecting with, and building on, previous knowledge.
∙ Assessment provides all learners with opportunities to demonstrate their learning, which isrewarded and celebrated.
∙ Multilingualism is recognized as a fact, right and resource.
∙ All students in the school community have a voice and choice that is acknowledged so that their
input and insights are taken into account.
∙ All students in the school community develop the IB learner profile attributes and develop into
inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and morepeaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect.
∙ Diversity is understood to include all members of a community.
∙ All students experience success as a key component of learning. (Learning diversity andinclusion in the IB Programmes, 2016, p.5).
At AIS, we acknowledge that our students have different educational and learning needs,abilities, and goals, and that their learning processes are diverse in terms of learning styles,
means and rates at which they acquire knowledge and develop skills. Thus we aim to provide
learner-centered instruction so that all students receive the necessary resources, guidance andaccommodations, but also the challenges needed for personal growth and success. This processof identifying, with each learner, the most effective strategies for achieving agreed goals isdefined as differentiation and we are aware that it can be attainable if we nurture a culture ofcollaboration, mutual respect, support and problem solving.

5 | PagePrinciples of good practiceAffirming identity and building self-esteem:
An affirmative model of identity ensures that all students are visible and valued. It is a modelthat challenges the model of disability where learners recognize that it is possible to make adifference in their own lives and society.

Valuing prior knowledge through:- Meaningfully assessing existing knowledge, strengths and interests recognizing that there
may be gaps or overlaps in learning.
- Working with students to construct individual learning profiles to inform teaching andlearning.
- Explicitly activating learners’ prior understanding to promote new learning.
- Taking into account prior learning when designing, differentiating and planning for newlearning.

Scaffolding

A strategy that enables learners to accomplish a task that would otherwise beimpossible or much too difficult to accomplish. By breaking down the learning process into
smaller steps, we aim to achieve understanding for all learners. This may include: graphics,
visual aids, demonstrations, dramatization, small, structured collaborative groups etc. to develop
ideas and initial plans.

Students with Special Education Needs

AIS Okayama strongly believes that all of its students, regardless of their differences, should beprovided with authentic learning opportunities. The school will, at its best, utilize its resources
and facilities to maximize student access for this provision. AIS Okayama promotes the IB
principle to"encourage students across the world to become active, compassionate and lifelong
6 | Pagelearners who understand that other people, with their differences, can also be right" (IB missionstatement 2004). AIS Okayama implements the following policy with special educational needs.

Definition of SEN:The term Special Educational Needs refers to students who;
● Have academic competency below grade/age level.
● Are physically, mentally or developmentally less able students with regards to their grade/age.
● Have limited or no background in English and Japanese languages.
Admission of Students with SEN

At Abroad International School, we believe that every child is unique and has the right to thesame education as their peers. We do not expel students because of their needs after they haveregistered at our school. At any stage, when we notice that a child is with SEN, we take thefollowing steps:
1. Have a meeting with the homeroom and co teachers to discuss and evidence the reasons
why they think the student is with SEN.
2. Organize a meeting with the parents or caregivers of the child and share the findings andconcerns with them.
3. Recommend the parents or caregivers take the child to a specialist.
4. Discuss the suggestions of the specialist with the teachers.
5. Recommend the parents or caregivers get support for the child outside of school.

Identification and assessment

Children with SEN are identified at the application stage through the initial application and thefollowing screening procedure. Throughout the school, we monitor and track the progress of allchildren by an ongoing process of planning, teaching and assessment. Students with SEN may
be identified at any stage of this process during their school life.
For the EAL students, pull-out or in-class support is provided from preschool to kindergarten.
7 | PageInvolvement of outside agencies

For those students who may not be helped adequately by the available school resources andstaff, the school reserves the right to suggest agencies outside of the school, which may
include:● A specialist educator in the identified area of need
● Medical service (e.g. Speech Therapist, Physiotherapist or Occupational Therapist)● An Educational Psychologist

The relevant expenses of such services are to be met by the family of the student.

Monitoring the success of the SEN Policy

The effectiveness of this policy will be attested by:● In-class observations● Differentiated planning by the teachers● Student portfolios● Behavior book
● Student’s self-assessment● Parent or caregiver assessment● The assessment of the out-of-school agencies

Roles & Responsibilities
Responsibilities of the School●Raising staff awareness of the learning support requirements of our students.

●

Providing resources for the implementation and continuation of the Inclusion Policy.

8 | Page●Communicating with the parents about the students’ development, and organizing meetings
with the teachers and parents.

Responsibilities of the Teachers●Identifying struggling learners and referring the student to the counsellor or IB coordinator
as needed.

●Making use of various differentiating scaffolding strategies suggested as good practices inthis document.

●Communicating the students’ progress to the members of the school administration.

●

Participating in all required training when available.

●

Maintaining discretion and confidentiality in providing special education needs services.

Responsibilities of the Parent● Communicating to the school all information and documentation regarding their child’s
learning support requirement.
● Communicating with the school regarding any changes in their child’s learning support
requirement and special educational needs and any other issues that may affect their learning.
● Playing an active role in their child’s education.

Policy Review

This policy will be reviewed when needed by the representatives from school admission,teaching staff, students, parents and other stakeholders.

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