Towards inclusion in Norway
•Some historical lines
•The legislation system today
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Special (Needs) Education
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Special education is the concrete education that
students receive in schools and kindergartens.
SE will include:
different teaching strategies
methodology
how the lessons are organized
how you structure the room
etc.
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Special Needs Education
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Special needs education is a superior concept. SNE will
include knowledge about:
special education
about the research field
the understanding of how individual and
environmental processes influence on learning of
cognitive and social skills, the mental processes etc
for persons with disabilities.
understanding of the characteristics of different
forms of disabilities
how the education system is functioning to support
persons with disabilities and their families.
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The historical lines
SNE in Norway is a history of development
from children segregated in institutions
and special schools, through special units
or classes in ordinary schools to inclusion
in ordinary settings in ordinary schools and
kindergartens.
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The phase of foundation ( - 50’s)
• The first special school for deaf children (1825)
+ one in 1848
• 1861 - first school for blind children
• Reflects the development in Europe
• 1841 - school for children at social risk
(criminals)
• 1858 – class for children with psycho-social
problems
• 1874 – school for children with developmental
disabilities
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Some historical lines
1. The phase of foundation ( - 50’s)
2. The phase of consciousness (the 50’s)
3. The phase of explanation and
clarification (the 60’s)
4. The phase of legislation (the 70’s)
5. The phase of realisation (the 80’s)
6. The phase of reforms (the 90’s -)
(Dalen 1994)
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The phase of foundation ( - 50’s)
1. 1881 law for “abnormal children”, defined
as deaf children, children with visual
impairment or mental retardation
2. 1896 a low for children named as
“neglected children”
3. 1889 - law to secure every child the right
to education
4. 1915 – Separate law for special schools
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The phase of consciousness (the
50’s)
1. New law for Special Schools – 1951
2. 1955 – the education act includes
“auxiliary-classes” within the ordinary
schools
3. 1959 - service of school psychologists
were incorporated in the school laws
from 1955
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The phase of explanation and
clarification (the 60’s)
1. Integration thinking with an individualized and
formalized perspective
2. A new education act of 1969 paid attention to
how to help the students through 3
perspectives (§8):
a) Special education should be given to student because the
needed help, not because the couldn’t follow the tuition
b) Some principles regarding special education guidelines
from the law of special schools was taken into the ordinary
education act
c) The local administrations (on municipality level) was
obliged to establish local pedagogical and psychological
services
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The phase of legislation (the 70’s)
1. The development up to the 70th is a
development marked by a movement away
from strongly segregated schools and
institutions to a more open school system for
students with disabilities.
2. 1971 – One law for education
3. The curriculum was marked by a change in
concepts:
Equality not equal
Cooperation and participation
Not borderlines but coordination
Open pedagogic
All education of high quality is Special education
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The phase of realisation (the 80’s)
1. The role of special schools were discussed
due to a “White paper” from the ministry of
education (nr. 501980/81):
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Education in the local municipality
Have the integration process gone to far and to fast?
2. Another White Paper (nr.61, 1984/85) about e
special schools and the SNE. Focus was paid
to:
• How to reach high quality in SNE
• Expert assessment of students with special needs
• Integration
Reorganisation of some of the special schools into resource
centres was introduced or the first time
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The phase of reforms (the 90’s -)
• The reformation of The Healthcare System for
Persons with Developmental Disabilities
White paper nr. 67 (1986/87)
Was not started before 91
Important points:
No large institutions
Be a part of the municipality
The right to an Individual Habilitation plan
The right to work
The right to maximum 5 years of tertiary education
The right to housing outside institutions (at least the former large
on)
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The phase of reforms (the 90’s -)
• White paper nr. 54 (1989/90) nr. 35 (1990/91) and also
nr. 61 (from 1984/85) about special schools and/or
resource centres:
– Reorganisation of the special schools into 13 competence
centres with the country as area of responsibility:
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2 for visual impairment
6 for hearing impairment
1 for language And speech difficulties
3 for psycho-social problems
1 for reading and writing difficulties
– In addition 7 regional centres for complex learning difficulties
– A special program for the northern Norway
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The phase of reforms (the 90’s -)
Today – Statped (the system of resource centres):
• 3 for visual impairment
• 7 for hearing impairment
• 4 for deafblindness (on regional level) and 3 with special tasks (on national
level)
• 5 for language- speech , reading and writing difficulties
• 8 for complex learning difficulties and social and emotional problems
• 2 only for social and emotional problems
• 1 for profound and multiple learning disabilities
• 1 for minority language and learning difficulties
• 1 for early childhood intervention (0-5 years)
• 1 for information technology for people with disabilities
• 1 for acquired brain damage
• 1 for disabled Sami persons
• 1 for ADHD, Tourette syndrome and Narcolepsy
• 6 schools attached to social and medical institutions
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The phase of reforms (the 90’s -)
Today:
1. Alternative schools
2. Individual Education Plans
3. The pedagogical and psychological
service system (1. line) in cooperation
with regional and national services
4. Adapted education
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Adapted education
Adapted Education
For every child
Special needs
Education
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For students that
needs more support
than the ordinary
system can offer
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Legislation
• All children and young persons have the right to
13 years of schooling
• All children must have 10 years of compulsory
school from the age of six years
• Teaching shall be adapted to the abilities and
aptitudes of individual pupils, apprentices and
trainees
• Pupils who do not benefit satisfactorily from
regular teaching have the right to special
education
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Legislation
• The Act concerns primary, lower
secondary and upper secondary education
in public schools
• The Private Education Act has similar
regulations
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Legislation
Responsibility of the authorities:
• The municipality shall provide primary
and lower secondary education and
special educational assistance
• The county authority shall provide upper
secondary education
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Legislation
”Working Environment Act” for pupils
New chapter in the Education Act from 2002
• The schools are to be planned, build,
organised and run in consideration to the
safety, health, well-being and education of
the pupils
• Special consideration shall be shown for
pupils with disabilities already in the
school
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Legislation - primary and lower
secondary school
• Obligation and right for every child
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Legislation - primary and lower
secondary school
Sign language tuition:
• Pupils who have sign language as their first
language
• Primary and lower secondary school
• A right to tuition both in the use of sign language
and through the medium of sign language
• Can be provided at a different location than the
pupil’s local school
• Sign language tuition is not special education
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Legislation - primary and lower
secondary school
Braille instruction:
• Partially sighted and blind pupils
• Primary and lower secondary school
• A right to necessary instruction in the use
of Braille and necessary technical aid
• + orientation and mobility instruction
• According to an expert assessment
• Braille instruction is not special education
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Legislation - primary and lower
secondary school
Assessment:
• Primary school: Assessment without
grades
• Lower secondary: Subject grades and
grades for behaviour
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Legislation - upper secondary
education
• Pupils who have completed primary and
lower secondary school
• Right to three years’ full-time upper
secondary education
• Pupils who have the right to special
education, have the right to a maximum of
two years’ additional upper secondary
education
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Legislation - upper secondary
education
Tuition arrangements:
Upper secondary education shall lead to
qualification for:
• higher education
• vocational qualifications
• lower level of competence
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Legislation - upper secondary
education
Training in enterprises:
• Apprentice: a person entered into an
apprenticeship contract to take a trade or
journeyman’s examination
• Trainee: a person entered into a
traineeship contract to take a less
extensive examination
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Legislation - upper secondary
education
Education and training organized especially for
adults:
• Persons above compulsory school age who
require primary and lower secondary education
have a right to such education
• The education shall be individually adapted
• Also the right to special education
at the primary and lower secondary level
• Adults with special need for basic skill training
have the right to such training
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Legislation - upper secondary
education
Adults – upper secondary:
• Persons having completed primary and
lower secondary level or the equivalent
• Adapted to individual needs
• No right to special education
• No charge, but the authorities may require
payment for teaching materials and
equipment
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Right to special education sec. 5-1
• Pupils who either do not or are unable to
benefit satisfactorily from ordinary tuition
have the right to special education
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Legislation – Special (needs)
education
Expert assessment:
To decide whether the pupil needs special
education and what kind of tuition should be
provided, the expert assessment shall consider
and determine:
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The pupil’s benefit from ordinary tuition
Learning difficulties and other special condition
Realistic educational objectives
Whether it is possible to provide help within ordinary
educational provisions
– What kind of tuition it is appropriate to provide
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Legislation – Special (needs)
education
Administrative procedures:
• The municipality or county authority takes
the decision concerning special education
• If the decision of the authority differs from
the expert assessment, it shall be
explained how the tuition fulfils the pupil’s
rights pursuant to the law
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Legislation – Special (needs)
education
Individual syllabuses:
• Pupils receiving special education shall
have an individual syllabus
• The syllabus shall specify
– educational objectives
– content of the education
– how tuition is to be carried out
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Legislation – Special (needs)
education
Educational and psychological counselling
service:
• Each municipality and county shall provide
assistance to schools in
• work on organizational development
• development of expertise to improve the
adoption of tuition for pupils with special
needs
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Legislation - Day-care for school
children
• The municipality shall provide day-care
facilities for school children both before
and after school hours for class levels 1-4
• Day-care facilities shall be provided for
pupils with special needs for class level 17
• The facilities are mainly financed by
means of parents’ fee
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Legislation - Children under
compulsory school age
• Children under compulsory school age
with specific needs for special educational
assistance , have the right to such
assistance
• This shall include parental guidance
• If considered needed: kindergarten or preschool can be defined as such
“assistance” and will then be free of cost
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