Individual Student Support Plan Template: What Every Nunavut ISSP Must Include

Most parents receive a draft ISSP at a meeting and sign it the same day. There is rarely time to read it carefully, and the school rarely explains what each section is supposed to say. The result is a plan that looks complete on paper but lacks the specificity needed to actually protect your child's education.

Understanding what a properly structured Nunavut Individual Student Support Plan (ISSP) contains gives you the ability to evaluate a draft before you sign it — and push back when sections are vague or missing.

What an ISSP Is (and What Type Yours Should Be)

In Nunavut, the ISSP is an umbrella term covering three distinct types of individualized plans. Knowing which type your child is on matters enormously for their future.

An Individual Accommodation Plan (IAP) is for students who can achieve standard curriculum outcomes but need supports to access the material — extended time, text-to-speech software, a scribe, or a sign language interpreter. Crucially, accommodations do not appear on the student's high school transcript. If your child has the cognitive ability to meet standard outcomes, the IAP is the right plan and the one you should push for.

An Individual Education Plan (IEP) is for students with profound learning needs who genuinely cannot access the standard curriculum. Learning goals are individualized and significantly modified. IEP courses are flagged on the high school transcript, which can restrict direct admission to certain university degree programs. Parents should understand this consequence before agreeing to an IEP placement.

An Individual Behaviour Plan (IBP) is a targeted sub-plan identifying behavioral triggers and outlining positive behavioral support strategies. It is often embedded within an IAP or IEP rather than standing alone.

If your child is being moved to an IEP but you believe they could succeed with accommodations alone, this is worth challenging at the Student Support Team (SST) meeting before the plan is finalized.

The Sections Every Nunavut ISSP Must Contain

Under Nunavut's Inclusive Education Regulations, a standardized ISSP must include the following components. Use this as a checklist when reviewing any draft plan.

1. Student Profile

This section identifies the student and documents their diagnostic information and prior assessment results. It should include:

• Student name, date of birth, grade, and school
• Language(s) of instruction (Inuktitut, Inuinnaqtun, or English)
• Any formal diagnoses received (FASD, ASD, hearing loss, learning disability, etc.)
• Prior assessment results, including the date and name of any psychoeducational, speech-language, or occupational therapy assessments

If no formal diagnosis exists — which is common in Nunavut given multi-year assessment waitlists — the profile should document the student's observed needs based on teacher and SSA formative assessments. Under the Nunavut Education Act, a formal medical diagnosis is not required before supports can begin.

2. Baseline Competency Levels

This section describes where the student is currently performing relative to expected curriculum outcomes. It should specify:

• Current reading level in each language of instruction
• Mathematics performance relative to grade expectations
• Social-emotional functioning and behavioral baseline
• Communication and language development level

Vague language like "below grade level" is insufficient. The baseline should be measurable — for example, "reads Inuktitut at a Grade 2 level as measured by [specific assessment], October 2025."

3. Measurable Goals

This is the most important section of the ISSP and the one most likely to contain inadequate content. Nunavut's Ilitaunnikuliriniq (dynamic assessment) framework requires goals based on continuous progress, not arbitrary grade-level benchmarks.

Every goal must be:

• Specific: What skill or competency is being targeted?
• Measurable: What does success look like, and how will it be measured?
• Time-bound: By what date should this goal be achieved?

An acceptable goal: "The student will correctly decode 40 Inuktitut sight words with 80% accuracy by the end of Term 2, as measured by biweekly teacher assessment."

An unacceptable goal: "The student will improve reading skills."

If the draft ISSP contains vague goals, request specific revisions before signing. You are not required to sign the document at the meeting.

4. Accommodations and Supports

This section must explicitly list every accommodation and support the school is committing to provide. Vague language creates ambiguity that is routinely exploited when budgets tighten. The plan should specify:

• SSA support: Hours per day, which subjects, and what tasks the SSA will assist with
• Technology: Text-to-speech software, AAC devices, Phonak soundfield systems, or other assistive technology
• Environmental accommodations: Preferential seating, reduced-distraction workspace, sensory breaks
• Assessment accommodations: Extended time, oral responses, scribe, reduced question load
• Curriculum modifications (IEP only): Specify which outcomes are modified and how

The 2023-2024 Department of Education Annual Report documented that 144 students received intensive Occupational Therapy services and 486 students received intensive Speech-Language Pathology services that year. If your child's ISSP references OT or SLP support, it should state how many sessions are planned and whether they are in-person or virtual.

5. Review Schedule

The Education Act requires annual ISSP reviews. However, educational advocates in Nunavut strongly recommend requesting term-by-term reviews. Student needs change, staff turns over, and a goal that was appropriate in September may need adjustment by January.

The ISSP should state explicitly:

• The date of the next scheduled review
• Who is responsible for initiating the review
• How progress toward each goal will be documented between reviews

6. Team Signatures

The ISSP must be signed by the classroom teacher, Student Support Teacher, Principal, and parent. Critically, your signature indicates consent to the plan as written. You have the right to:

• Request changes before signing
• Take the document home to review before signing
• Bring a support person, community Elder, or advocate to any ISSP meeting
• Request the meeting be conducted in Inuktitut or Inuinnaqtun, with interpretation provided if needed

Common Weaknesses in Nunavut ISSPs

External reviews of Nunavut's inclusive education system have consistently found that ISSPs are often treated as compliance documents rather than genuine advocacy tools. The most common weaknesses are:

• SSA hours listed as "as available" rather than a guaranteed number — this language means support can be reduced without formally amending the plan
• Goals carried forward unchanged from the previous year without evidence of progress review
• No documentation of what technology is available in the specific school or community
• Missing transition planning for students in Grade 9 and above

If you notice any of these in your child's current ISSP, request a formal SST meeting to address them. You do not need to wait for the annual review.

What to Do If the School Says the Template Is Their Standard Form

Schools sometimes present a pre-filled template and indicate that it cannot be changed. This is incorrect. Under Section 15 of the Nunavut Education Act, your child has the right to supports necessary to meet their learning needs, and the ISSP is the legal mechanism for documenting those supports. The plan must reflect your child's actual needs, not fit a pre-existing administrative template.

If you are unsure whether your child's current ISSP contains everything it should — or you want a clear framework for requesting changes at the next review — the Nunavut IEP & Support Plan Blueprint walks through the complete ISSP process in plain language, including how to document gaps and escalate when the school resists making revisions.

See more Canada guides →