What Is a Personal Program Plan in Saskatchewan?

If you've moved to Saskatchewan from another province or done any research on special education planning, you've likely run into a tangle of acronyms: PPP, IIP, eIIP. They all refer to related documents and processes, but they mean different things — and understanding those differences matters when you're trying to hold a school accountable for what it promises your child.

Here's what a Personal Program Plan actually is, how it fits into Saskatchewan's system, and what strong PPP goals look like.

PPP vs IIP: What's the Difference?

The terms are sometimes used interchangeably in Saskatchewan, but they're technically distinct.

A Personal Program Plan (PPP) is the older provincial term — used in Ministry policy documents for decades — to describe a written plan for a student with additional learning needs. It outlines goals, adaptations, and services. Some teachers and school divisions still use this term, especially in rural areas and in documents predating the eIIP rollout.

An Inclusion and Intervention Plan (IIP) is the current Ministry-preferred term, developed within the province's online eIIP platform. Structurally, a PPP and an IIP contain the same core elements: assessment information, annual goals, adaptations and modifications, service supports, and progress monitoring timelines.

In practice, when a Saskatchewan parent asks about their child's PPP, they're almost always asking about the same document the school calls an IIP. This guide uses both terms.

What a PPP / IIP Contains

A complete Personal Program Plan in Saskatchewan must document:

Student profile. Background information about the student's functional strengths and areas of need — not just a diagnostic label, but how the disability actually affects learning and participation in school.

Annual goals. Specific, measurable targets the student is expected to work toward over the school year. Goals should be tied to the student's areas of priority need, not just to whatever services happen to be available.

Adaptations and/or modifications. Adaptations are changes to how the student accesses curriculum — extended time, oral testing, preferential seating, assistive technology — that don't change the grade-level expectations. Modifications change what the student is expected to learn, which affects their transcript and can affect future credential options. This distinction matters enormously; make sure you understand which category each item falls under.

Service supports. What specialist services will be provided — educational assistant hours, speech-language pathology, occupational therapy, counselling — and how often.

Progress monitoring. How and when the school will assess whether the student is making progress on their goals, and when they'll report back to parents.

Team members. Who contributed to the plan, who will implement it, and who is responsible for each component.

If a Saskatchewan school hands you a PPP that is vague about goals, doesn't specify EA hours, or doesn't commit to a review timeline, those are red flags you can and should push back on.

If you want structured support navigating the PPP process — including templates for written requests and escalation letters — the Saskatchewan Special Ed Advocacy Playbook covers the full process from initial concern through formal review.

How to Write Strong PPP Goals

The Ministry of Education requires that IIP goals be SMART: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. Most parents find the goals their school writes are vague enough to be unenforceable. Here's what the difference looks like in practice.

Vague goal (not acceptable): "[Student] will improve reading comprehension."

This tells you nothing about what improvement looks like, how it will be measured, or whether it was achieved.

Strong goal (what to ask for): "By June 2027, [Student] will read grade 3 levelled texts and answer 4 out of 5 literal comprehension questions correctly, as measured by monthly running records."

Notice the structure: a timeframe, a specific measurable behaviour, a performance criterion (4/5), and a measurement method (monthly running records). Every element is accountable.

Saskatchewan PPP Goals by Area

Reading:

• "By June 2027, [Student] will decode CVC and CVCe words with 80% accuracy during supported oral reading, as measured by weekly teacher assessment."
• "By June 2027, [Student] will use context clues to determine word meaning in grade-level texts, demonstrating accuracy on 3 of 4 weekly teacher-administered tasks."

Mathematics:

• "By June 2027, [Student] will use a number line to add and subtract within 20 with 85% accuracy on classroom assessments."
• "By June 2027, [Student] will independently complete two-step word problems at the grade 4 level with 70% accuracy on monthly probes."

Communication / language:

• "By June 2027, [Student] will initiate a greeting with a peer or adult in 4 of 5 observed opportunities per week, as tracked by the classroom teacher."
• "By June 2027, [Student] will use a AAC device to make a request with a 3-word combination in 80% of prompted opportunities, as tracked by the SLP."

Social-emotional / behaviour:

• "By June 2027, [Student] will use a self-regulation strategy (deep breathing, sensory break) when dysregulated in 3 of 5 observed instances per week, as documented by the EA."
• "By June 2027, [Student] will complete classroom transition routines independently with fewer than 2 adult prompts, as measured on a weekly basis."

Self-care / independence:

• "By June 2027, [Student] will independently pack their backpack using a visual checklist in 4 of 5 school days per week."

If the goals in your child's plan don't look like this — if they're expressed as "will work on" or "will be supported to" without measurable criteria — ask the school team in writing to revise them before you sign.

What to Do Before a PPP Meeting

The PPP meeting is a planning and decision-making session, not a presentation. You have the right to:

• Review any draft PPP before the meeting — ask for it at least 48 hours in advance
• Bring a support person (advocate, trusted friend, another parent)
• Request that specialist staff attend if their service is being discussed
• Ask questions about goal rationale, measurement methods, and who is responsible for each service
• Refuse to sign the plan if you disagree with it, and request a follow-up meeting

Under The Education Act, 1995 and provincial policy, parents are members of the IIP team — not just recipients of decisions made by the school. If you're being handed a completed plan to sign at the end of a meeting with no real input, that's not compliant with the collaborative process the Ministry requires.

The Adaptations vs Modifications Line

This distinction deserves emphasis because schools sometimes cross it without explaining the consequences.

Adaptations don't change what the student is expected to learn — they change how the student accesses the curriculum or demonstrates learning. A student with adaptations earns the same credits as peers and graduates with the same credential.

Modifications change the grade-level expectations themselves. A student on a modified program in a core subject receives a different transcript notation and may not qualify for the same credential or post-secondary pathways. Before agreeing to any modification, make sure you understand what it means for your child's future options.

If the school proposes modifications, you have the right to ask why adaptations aren't sufficient — and to request an explanation in writing.

Getting More Support

The PPP/IIP system in Saskatchewan has significant gaps between what policy promises and what schools routinely deliver. Understanding the terminology is the first step; knowing how to push back when a plan is inadequate is the next one.

The Saskatchewan Special Ed Advocacy Playbook includes step-by-step guidance on requesting adequate goals, escalating when the plan isn't followed, and using the province's formal dispute mechanisms — including Section 178.1 and the Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission process.

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