A closer look at Ontario’s new attendance, participation and exam requirements, and what they could mean for students with EBSA, autism, anxiety, IEPs and other support needs.
Transparency note: I’m currently knee-deep in the usual back-to-school madness and wanted to get this information out quickly while it was timely. I used ChatGPT to help me organize my research and thoughts and turn them into a coherent post. The opinions, concerns, and conclusions are my own.
So… I have some thoughts about the “Back to School Letter to Students and Families” from Ontario’s Minister of Education.
Particularly this little line:
“Attendance and participation in the classroom will also count toward final marks.”
Because if you’re the parent of an EBSA kid, an autistic kid, a child with anxiety, chronic illness, selective mutism, an IEP, or really any child whose disability affects their ability to physically attend and participate in school, that sentence probably made your stomach drop a little.
So I took a gander at the new assessment policy and the 2026–27 enrolment and attendance rules to figure out what this might actually mean for our kiddos.
First, Let’s Talk About the Attendance-Sized Elephant in the Room
I’m delighted to report this part isn’t as frightening as I thought it might be:
For Grades 9 and 10, attendance and participation are now worth 15% of the final grade. In Grades 11 and 12, they’re worth 10%.
BUT, and this is a pretty important but:
“Excused absences do not negatively affect a student’s mark.”
The attendance criteria used to determine that portion of the grade specifically refer to unexcused absences.
And this is where EBSA//School Refusal families need to know the rules.
Ontario’s own mental-health policy states that if a student is unable to attend school because of a mental-health concern, their absence must be excused under the Education Act as sickness or another unavoidable cause.
Medical absences can also be excused.
And even when a family doesn’t yet have appropriate supporting documentation for a mental-health absence, a principal can temporarily excuse the student following a written request from the parent or the student, if they’re an adult.
That matters.
Because “my child isn’t attending school” and “my child has unexcused absences” are not necessarily the same thing.
There are also other attendance codes and circumstances that may apply. Students on officially modified or part-time schedules can have time recorded as non-instructional rather than absent. The enrolment instructions even specifically address autistic students receiving certain outside autism supports.
So one of my biggest takeaways for EBSA/School Refusal parents is this:
Pay attention to how your child’s absences are being coded.
If your child is unable to attend because of documented disability, illness or mental-health needs, don’t simply assume everyone understands why those absences are occurring. Have the conversation. Put things in writing. Ask whether the absences are being recorded as excused.
Because under this new grading system, that distinction matters.
So Many Questions, So Little Time
The new “attendance and participation” criteria don’t just look at whether students come to school.
At the highest achievement level, students are expected to consistently:
• participate in class discussions and contribute ideas
• ask relevant questions
• respect the contributions of others and demonstrate positive leadership
• contribute to fostering a positive classroom culture
And variations of those same criteria appear at every achievement level.
Anyone who knows me, knows I need more clarification on this issue.
What does that look like for the autistic student who rarely speaks spontaneously in class?
The student with severe social anxiety?
The selectively mute student?
The kid who needs substantially more processing time before answering?
The student whose previous experiences with bullying have taught them that putting themselves out there socially is unsafe?
The black-and-white thinker who struggles with certain social interactions?
The child who is using every ounce of their nervous system just to remain in the classroom?
Are they less knowledgeable about science because they don’t ask questions aloud?
Do they understand English less because they don’t contribute to a group discussion?
Should a shy or anxious child receive a lower math mark than an outgoing child who happily raises their hand?
Because that’s where I think this policy gets very murky.
I went looking specifically for language in the new participation criteria explaining how these requirements should be applied to students with disabilities, IEPs, autism, communication differences or anxiety.
I couldn’t find it.
There is no blanket exemption for special-education students that I can see.
HOWEVER, that does not mean our kids suddenly lose their accommodations.
Ontario’s special-education policy says that assessment strategies must be adjusted to a student’s individual strengths and needs so that they have the opportunity to demonstrate the full extent of their achievement.
And Ontario’s human-rights framework requires schools to accommodate disability-related needs, including, where appropriate, the way students are evaluated.
So I think this is going to be an extremely important conversation for parents to have during IEP reviews this year.
If your child’s disability affects speaking in class, group participation, communication, physical presence in the classroom, social interaction or another one of these new criteria, ask:
“How will my child’s disability-related needs and IEP accommodations be taken into account when their attendance and participation mark is determined?”
And get the answer documented.
As for the return of exams?
Maybe surprisingly, I have less of an issue with that. (I know, I know, who are you and what have you done with Jill).
Our kids are capable of writing exams.
But their IEP needs still need to determine the how, where and conditions under which they write them.
A student who needs extra time should receive extra time.
A student who needs a quiet room shouldn’t suddenly have to write in a gym with 200 other kids.
A student who uses assistive technology should continue to have access to permitted accommodations.
Assessment accommodations are not giving kids an advantage. They’re allowing them to demonstrate what they actually know.
So I’m not sounding the alarm bells quite yet about attendance.
There are actually some significant protections written into the policy for kids who genuinely cannot attend.
But that participation rubric?
Yeah. I’m watching that one very closely.
Because participation can look very different from one nervous system to another.
And being quiet should never be confused with having nothing to contribute.
Don’t Take My Word for It
I’m a parent and advocate, not an education lawyer or Ministry policy expert. I’ve done my best to interpret these changes accurately, but I strongly encourage you to read the source documents yourself, particularly if you’re advocating for accommodations or supports for your own child.
Here are the documents I used:
Back to School Letter to Students and Families
Growing Success: Assessment, Evaluation and Reporting in Ontario Schools
2026–27 Enrolment Register Instructions for Elementary and Secondary Schools
PPM 169: Student Mental Health
Special Education in Ontario, Kindergarten to Grade 12: Policy and Resource Guide
Components of the IEP: Standards and Effective Practices
Standards for Individual Education Plans — Appendix E-1
Ontario Human Rights Commission: Policy on Accessible Education for Students with Disabilities
Leave a Reply