In one of the world’s most successful school systems, in the 2019 Happiest Country in the World, nearly a third of all students are special needs. How is this possible?
Hands-down,
the most essential component of the Finnish education system is equality. With
this in mind each student is truly viewed as an individual, with these, unique abilities and needs. A key factor is the early
recognition of learning difficulties and problems. You can read more about
Neuvola check-ups and early childhood care here. In 2011
Finland’s national Special Education policy underwent a significant
change. This was done
by initiating a three-tiered support system (general support, intensified
support and special support, of which intensified support was the new support
form), resembling the US system known as Response to Intervention. The aim was
to improve the rights and possibilities of all students to attend their
neighborhood school and to receive necessary support within the school. As in
the original RTI-model the concept of early intervention is emphasized. Local
schools are required to provide adequate support to students as soon as a
support need occurs. No diagnoses or formal arrangements are required. The
support provided must be monitored and documented. The school management is
accountable for providing support as soon as a need is observed.
General Support:
- Includes basic part-time
special education provided by special teachers or class teachers
- Support is provided to
any student in need
- Typically in reading,
writing, mathematics and foreign languages.
- Is common in primary
among non-native Finnish language learners
- Reaches many students (up
to 30%)
- Any observed learning
difficulty or challenge is a sufficient criterion for getting general
educational support
- No medical or psychological diagnose is needed
Intensified Support:
- Child’s social welfare
team: class teacher, special needs teacher, school doctor/nurse,
psychologist, social worker assesses progress
- If progress goal
not met —-> transfer to intensified support,
- The newest level of
support, is intended to be a more flexible and more inclusive form of
support than special support or, according to the previous (1998)
terminology, “transfer to special education”
- The group of
students receiving intensified support was the smallest group initially,
but statistics show it is increasing from 3- 6.5 % of all special
education children.
Special Support:
- The share of students in
special support is still considerable= 7.3 %
- A good third of these
students receive their education in a mainstream class, either full-time
or for more than half of the school day. Half of this group is placed in a
special class, either full-time or for more than half of the time.
- Almost 13 % of students
with special support are educated in special schools, (Statistics Finland,
2013) but that number continues to decrease.
Almost 13 % of students with special support are educated in
special schools (Statistics Finland, 2013). But that number continues to
decrease.
Another important reform was the abolishing of certain concepts
related to the earlier system. For instance concepts such as the SEN
student, special education and transfer (to special education) were
removed and replaced with the support concept (student in need of support;
support for learning and schooling). However, the concept part-time
special education was maintained as a support form relating to teaching
arrangements in the three- tiered support system. The intention was to
tear down the boundaries between “ordinary” education and special
education and to make special educational support an integrated part of
pedagogical practices in the schools.
Who pays for
all this?
School
principals are responsible for making a biannual assessment of the needs of
their school. If the number of special needs children increases they appeal to
the district manager (usually 11 schools under one umbrella administration) and
necessary funds are supplied to finance further resources or staff. This is
similar to the concept of ‘positive discrimination’ money that
Finnish schools also can receive.
In my previous experiences in US
schools and Turkish private schools the term special needs student was a cry
away from ‘handicapped student’. Growing up special needs classes were
sometimes part of mainstream schools, but always were self-contained in
separate classrooms. Special needs students of any level, even minor learning
disabilities were seldom integrated into other classrooms or mainstream group
activities. The US is a big place and there are certainly some alternative
schools and school systems nowadays. In the Turkish private primary school I
taught at there were now special needs classes at all. Consistency, across the
board excellence-- One of the things that hold Finnish teachers and schools up
strong whether up in Lapland with the reindeer and Santa or down south
bordering the doors of parliament.
