Nunavut Special Education Checklist and Acronym Decoder for Parents

Walking into an ISSP meeting when you're not sure what any of the terms mean puts you at a serious disadvantage. The school team has been using this language every day. You may be hearing it for the first time. This post is a reference tool: a checklist of what to do before, during, and after your meeting, plus a plain-language decoder for every acronym you're likely to encounter in Nunavut's special education system.

Part 1: The Nunavut Special Education Checklist

Before the Meeting

• [ ] Request your child's complete educational file. Under the Nunavut Education Act and the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (ATIPP), you have the right to your child's full record. Ask the principal in writing. This gives you a baseline before anyone at the meeting describes your child's history.

• [ ] Get an audiological screening confirmed. One-third to one-half of children in some northern communities have conductive hearing loss from chronic otitis media (middle ear infections linked to housing overcrowding). If your child's hearing hasn't been formally screened recently, push for it before accepting any behavioral or cognitive assessments. Hearing loss mimics symptoms of ADHD and learning disabilities.

• [ ] Know where your child sits in the Tumit Model. The five-level Tumit framework determines what support your child receives. Ask the teacher or SST directly: "What Tumit level is my child currently at, and what level are you recommending?" You need this answer before the meeting starts.

• [ ] Know whether the school is proposing an IAP or an IEP. An IAP accommodates how your child learns without changing curriculum expectations — no transcript notation. An IEP modifies the actual learning expectations — flagged on the official transcript with a code like IEP1149. These are fundamentally different documents with different long-term consequences.

• [ ] Prepare your observations in concrete terms. "He struggles" is not useful. "He can identify 12 sight words, needs verbal prompting three to five times per class to stay on task, and leaves his seat approximately four times per hour" is useful. Quantified observations carry weight.

• [ ] Write down your questions in advance. A common set to prepare: What specific data shows my child's current level of functioning? What supports will be provided and by whom? How often will those supports occur, and for how long each session? How will progress be measured? When will the ISSP be reviewed?

• [ ] Know your right to reject. Under Section 43 of the Nunavut Education Act, you have the right to reject an ISSP. You are a co-author of the plan, not a passive recipient. If something is wrong, you can say no and request mediation.

• [ ] Ask whether an interpreter is available if needed. If you're more comfortable participating in Inuktitut, the school is obligated under the Inuit Language Protection Act to provide an interpreter.

During the Meeting

• [ ] Take notes or ask for the meeting to be documented. If someone else is keeping notes, ask for a copy before you leave.

• [ ] Get specifics on any SSA support. If a Student Support Assistant is being allocated, the ISSP should say: how many minutes per day, during which subjects, and starting when. Vague language ("SSA support will be provided as available") is not enforceable.

• [ ] Ask about the CFI if you're waiting on an assessment. If your child is on a waitlist for a psychological or speech-language assessment, ask the school team to support a federal Inuit Child First Initiative (CFI) application. CFI can fund private assessments, flights, and accommodation with zero cost to you. Urgent requests are processed within 12 hours; standard requests within 48 hours.

• [ ] Don't sign anything you're unsure about. You can take the document home and review it. Ask for 48–72 hours if you need it.

After the Meeting

• [ ] Get the signed ISSP in writing. A verbal agreement means nothing when the teacher who made it leaves in June.

• [ ] Start a communication log. Date, time, who you spoke with, and what was agreed. This becomes your evidence if you ever need to escalate.

• [ ] Follow up in writing within 48 hours. Send a brief email summarizing what was agreed. "Following our meeting on [date], I understand that [X support] will begin on [date] and be provided [Y times per week] by [person]. Please confirm." This creates a paper trail without being adversarial.

• [ ] Set a calendar reminder for the next review. ISSPs should be reviewed regularly. Don't let it drift.

Part 2: Nunavut Special Education Acronyms Decoded

The Nunavut system uses a mix of territorial-specific terms and general Canadian education language. Here are the ones you'll actually encounter.

ATIPP — Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act. The territorial law that gives you the right to access your child's school records.

CFI — Inuit Child First Initiative. Federal program that funds health, social, and educational services for Inuit children without bureaucratic delays over federal-territorial jurisdiction. Call 1-855-572-4453 (24/7).

CNDEA — Coalition of Nunavut DEAs. The territorial body that represents all local District Education Authorities. Contact: [email protected] or toll-free 1-866-979-5396.

DEA — District Education Authority. Elected community body that oversees local school governance. If the principal can't resolve your issue, escalate to the DEA in writing.

FASD — Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder. Highly prevalent and significantly underdiagnosed in Nunavut. Students with FASD often present with severe executive dysfunction, emotional dysregulation, and memory deficits. Many enter school without a formal diagnosis.

GN — Government of Nunavut.

IAP — Individual Accommodation Plan. The support plan for students who can meet standard curriculum expectations but need accommodations in delivery or assessment format. No transcript notation. See also: IEP.

IEP — Individual Education Plan. Within Nunavut's framework, the IEP is the document used when a student cannot access standard curriculum expectations even with accommodations. It modifies the actual learning outcomes. IEP-modified courses are flagged on the official transcript.

ILPA — Inuit Language Protection Act. Guarantees the right to receive education in Inuktut. Relevant to special education because it means an Inuktitut-speaking child cannot be legally assessed using only English-normed tools.

IQ — Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit. The accumulated traditional knowledge, values, and societal principles of the Inuit. The Nunavut Education Act is grounded in IQ principles, particularly Aajiiqatigiinniq (decision-making through consensus) and Inuuqatigiitsiarniq (respecting and caring for people). These principles shape how advocacy in Nunavut should be conducted.

ISC — Indigenous Services Canada. The federal department that administers CFI applications.

ISSP — Individual Student Support Plan. The master umbrella document used in Nunavut. It encompasses the IAP or IEP and is developed by the School Team (which includes you, the parent). Do not confuse this with the IEP or IAP — those are sub-components of the ISSP.

KSO — Kitikmeot School Operations. The regional school operations directorate for the Kitikmeot region. Contact: [email protected] / 867-982-7420.

NHRT — Nunavut Human Rights Tribunal. The body that processes disability discrimination complaints in the territory. File a Notification at [email protected] or call toll-free 1-866-413-6478. The Department of Education has 60 days to respond.

NTI — Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated. The legal representative organization for Inuit rights under the Nunavut Agreement. Focused on systemic policy advocacy rather than individual case support.

Nuability (NDMS) — Nunavummi Disabilities Makinnasuaqtiit Society. Nunavut's only cross-disability organization. Provides individual advocacy and service navigation. Contact: [email protected] / toll-free 877-354-0916.

QSO — Qikiqtani School Operations. The regional school operations directorate for the Baffin region, headquartered in Pond Inlet. Contact: [email protected] / 867-899-7350.

RSO — Regional School Operations. The three regional directorates (QSO, Kivalliq, KSO) that supervise principals, allocate funding, and distribute specialized resources across their regions. If a specialist is not available locally, the RSO is the body to contact.

SAQ (or School Team) — The collaborative group responsible for developing and reviewing the ISSP. Includes the classroom teacher, Student Support Teacher, principal, and parent. In Nunavut, Elders and the School Community Counsellor can and should be invited.

SCC / Ilinniarvimmi Inuusiliriji — School Community Counsellor. A culturally grounded support role within Nunavut schools. If your child is experiencing trauma, grief, or behavioral challenges rooted in cultural or community context, request SCC involvement in the School Team.

SSA — Student Support Assistant. The paraprofessionals who provide direct student support, particularly at Tumit Levels 4 and 5. The territory had 131 SSAs across 25 communities in 2023–2024.

SST — Student Support Teacher. The specialist teacher responsible for overseeing special education programming and coordinating the ISSP. In practice, SSTs are frequently redirected to cover general classroom teacher absences.

Tumit Model — The five-level framework for structuring supports, ranging from universal classroom strategies (Level 1) to intensive 1:1 specialist support (Level 5). Tumit means footprints in Inuktitut.

If you're trying to turn this reference material into actual letters, meeting prep documents, and email templates you can use immediately, the Nunavut Special Ed Advocacy Playbook has fill-in-the-blank versions built specifically around the Nunavut Education Act. It's designed to work in the real conditions of the territory — downloadable, printable, and usable without a fast internet connection.

The system is complex. Knowing the language is how you start navigating it on equal footing.

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