eligibility & fees

**The following information regarding eligibility and fees applies to courses held at POPARD. Please check with your School District’s Student Support Services Department to enquire about courses being held in your district. Information will also be posted on the Regional Courses page under the Training menu of our website**

POPARD is funded by BC’s Ministry of Education to provide training for employees of BC School Districts and independent schools following the Ministry of Education's curriculum. At the time of course registration, a Confirmation of Employment or Training Eligibility form must be submitted to POPARD. Also, a non-refundable administration fee is required for all courses offered by POPARD. Please refer to the specific course pages for more information/current fees, and to download the required forms.

Introduction to Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and Introduction to Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA-01)
Both of these courses are open to employees of BC School Districts and independent schools following the Ministry of Education's curriculum. Interested parties who are not employed by a BC School District or independent school may submit an application to POPARD for consideration (click on the course title below for more information). If your application is accepted, you will be contacted by POPARD to process registration and payment. A $300 tuition fee applies and must be paid in addition to the non-refundable $75 administration fee (which is payable by all registrants).

Tuition fees will only be refunded if request is made at least 2 weeks before the first day of class.

Click on the course title for more information:

Supporting Students with ASD in your Classroom (An Online Course for Teachers)
This course is specifically developed for teachers and other education professionals with at minimum a 4-year university degree (e.g., classroom or special education teachers, Administrators, District Helping Teachers, Speech Language Pathologists, Counselors, School Psychologists, Occupational Therapists) employed in BC School Districts / independent schools.

Please refer to the course page for more information/current fees, and to download the required forms.

NOTE: Fees paid to POPARD for courses held at POPARD are not transferable to courses held in school districts or other locations.

participant code of conduct & attendance
A POPARD course is intended to be a professional learning environment in which participants are expected to display the attitudes and behaviours that would be consistent with the work that they do in schools or in the general workplace. These expectations are also considered to be the hallmark of professional and respectful learning environments. A failure to adhere to these expectations may result in the course participant being dis-enrolled from the course.

Participants are expected to:

  • attend the scheduled course sessions
  • arrive at the course sessions on time each day and remain until class ends
  • come to class prepared with readings and assignments completed
  • demonstrate active and attentive listening during instruction
  • actively contribute to class activities and discussions
  • use appropriate and respectful language
  • display appropriate nonverbal/body language
  • socialize only during class breaks

NOTE: Participants must attend the entire training session in order to receive a certificate upon completion of the course (for courses in which certificates are issued).

There are no make-up classes or drop-ins to other sessions.

course work & evaluation

Please refer to the specific course pages for more information regarding course work & evaluation, including supplementary readings, assignments and projects, and quizzes/exams.

expected English language proficiency

Proficiency in English language is required for POPARD’s courses. You must be able to speak/listen and read/write English to a standard equivalent to grade 10 high school English or better. You may encounter difficulty understanding course material without a firm grasp of the english language.

accommodations for participants with disabilities

Upon request, POPARD will provide reasonable accommodation to participants with documented disabilities. Accommodations will be determined on a case-by-case basis, in order to promote learner success.

If you have a documented disability that requires accommodation, contact POPARD's Training Coordinator at least 6 weeks before the scheduled course start date to initiate the process for implementing your individual accommodation needs. This includes providing documentation by an appropriately qualified professional (depending on the nature of the disability this may be a medical doctor, psychiatrist, psychologist, or other professional). Documentation must outline the diagnosis, symptoms, functional impact of your disability related to your learning success, and recommendations for accommodations. It is the responsibility of the course participant to submit documentation validating their disability within the 6-week time limit. It is recommended that the participant contact the training coordinator in advance of the 6-week deadline to determine the type of documentation and qualified professional required (depending on the nature of the disability).

POPARD will collaborate with the participant to coordinate support services and/or resources to accommodate their needs.

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