Some students may have a profile of a diagnosed medical or developmental condition that can manifest in behaviours that, without a thorough understanding of the underlying cause, can be perceived as deliberate acting out, not as manifestation of the condition. If these students are receiving special education programs and services they should have an Individual Education Plan (IEP).

When an Identification, Placement, and Review Committee (IPRC) identifies a student as an exceptional student, the principal must ensure that an Individual Education Plan (IEP) for that student is developed and maintained. An IEP must be developed with input from the parent(s)/guardian(s) and from the student if he or she is 16 years of age or older. An IEP must be developed within 30 days of the placement of an exceptional student in a particular program. The parents/guardian(s) must be provided with a copy; the student must also be given a copy if he or she is 16 years of age or older. An IEP may also be developed for a student who has not been identified by an IPRC as exceptional, but who has been deemed by the board to require a special education program or services in order to attend school or to achieve curriculum expectations and/or to demonstrate learning.

An IEP identifies the student's specific learning expectations and outlines how the school will address these expectations through appropriate accommodations, program modifications and/or alternative programs as well as specific instructional and assessment strategies. The learning program provided for the student is accommodated / modified on the basis of the results obtained through continuous assessment and evaluation. PPM 156 – Supporting Transitions for Students With Special Education Needs   mandates that a transition plan must be developed for all students who have an IEP. The transition plan is developed as part of the IEP. In developing or reviewing the student's IEP, consideration must be given to any recommendations made by the IPRC concerning special education programs and services that may be particularly appropriate for meeting the student's needs.

With appropriate special education programs and/or services, many students with special needs (whether formally identified or not), will be able to achieve the grade-level learning expectations of the provincial curriculum. The IEP will document any accommodations that are considered to be necessary for each exceptional student to succeed. Some students may require modifications to the learning expectations of the provincial curriculum in keeping with their special needs. Such students may be provided with modified expectations. A small number of students may require alternative expectations in order to succeed. Alternative expectations are those that are not derived from the expectations set out in ministry curriculum policy documents. Further guidance on curriculum adaptation and modification for exceptional students can be found in Ontario Schools, Kindergarten to Grade 12: Policy and Program Requirements, 2016.