Our goal is to develop an effective Student Support Team model by reading and implementing strategies from the Whatever It Takes book. The SST will be designed to more regularly and formally include teachers as part of a team that will reduce the likelihood of any student failing two or more classes.
K. Catlin, M. Wright, S. Sick, D. Best
As a result of our work over the summer, we developed and implemented a model for helping students who are struggling in school. The model is referred to as a Student Support Team (SST) and is designed to bring all of the key players in a student’s school life together to assess strengths and weaknesses and develop an action plan tailored to the individual student’s needs. SST meetings were held during the first half hour of advisory and substitutes were offered as needed to encourage teacher attendance.
Our initial goal was to implement 6 SSTs during the 07/08 school year but we were able to implement 12. The 12 SSTs involved 60 staff members, many of whom attended more than one. In addition to creating a specific plan for each student, we also wanted to encourage communication between members of an SST regarding a student in need. Following the development of a written plan of action, each student was presented with the plan and asked for a commitment to follow it. Follow-up for each plan was scheduled on a case by case basis.
The survey we created during today’s study group meeting will provide information that can be used to assess the effectiveness of the SST approach and make modifications where needed.
The feedback we receive from teachers and administrators as well as the future structure of advisory will determine the future of SST.
Whatever It Takes
DuFour, Dufour, Eaker, Harhanek
National Educational Services, 2004
“Building Scaffolds of Support: Case Management in Schools”
“A Call To Action”
UCLA Center for Mental Health Schools (http://smhp.psych.ucla.edu/)
Posted by Melissa Gergen 