Student Intervention Team

Student Intervention Team

One of the coolest things I inherited by the incredible people who work at my school when I became principal was the Student Intervention Team.  The Student Intervention Team, fondly referred to as S.I.T., meets weekly for about two hours.  The team is made up of the principal, instructional specialist, social worker, speech therapist, behavior interventionist/counselor, and a reading interventionist as needed.  This team has one purpose:  to determine why a student is not being successful and what can we do to change that.  We operate like a giant brainstorming session.  Here's how our process works:

     1.  A teacher sends the name of a child he/she is concerned about to a designated team member.  The teacher includes a little information in the email about his/her concerns.


     2.  S.I.T. schedules the teacher and lets them know the day and time they will attend.  Another      team member works to get the teacher(s) classes covered while they attend.  A third team member pulls records for the student and becomes familiar with the student's background.  The teacher(s) invite the student's parents to attend.  All this is done prior to the meeting.

     3.  On the day of the meeting, S.I.T. listens to the teacher review his/her concerns, share student work samples, and allow the parent(s) to share their concerns if they attend.  After listening, the team starts discussing what could be some solutions for the challenges at play.  Some of the questions we work to answer are:

• What is this student's Tier 2 intervention?
• Should it be changed?  Should it be modified?
• How are we progress monitoring the intervention?
• Is a Tier 3 intervention needed as well?
• Are behavioral concerns at play?
• Are medical concerns at play?
• Are social/emotional concerns at play?
• Would counseling benefit this student?  Should the counseling be one-on-one or in a group setting?
• What accommodations should we begin trying to determine if they help the student have some success?
• What will be our record keeping method?
• When will we reconvene?

     4. We implement the plan with a set date to review what we have been trying.

There is nothing new or innovative with our plan, but what does make it special is the commitment the entire school has to the work of this team.  I believe that is what it takes for students to benefit from a team like this.  Here are a few key factors to the success of a team like this.

• This time is protected.  Everyone makes their schedules around this precious time.  The social worker and counselor do not schedule counseling sessions or group sessions during this time.  The speech therapist makes her schedule work around this team meeting.  The office staff and paraprofessionals work together to ensure teachers are able to attend the meetings and all classes are covered.  Everyone is on board and understands the importance of the meeting.
• Every student is revisited.  These meetings are not "one and done."  Each meeting concludes with next steps and when we will meet to discuss the work of this child.  If we have put a good plan in place, most of the time the follow-up from the teacher is that a second meeting isn't required.  The student is making gains and performing much better.  However, when the teacher(s) can't give a positive report, the team meets to discuss this child again.  We begin discussing the potential of a 504 plan or further screening.
• All stakeholders are involved.  This is not a meeting between a "concerned" teacher and the "busy" principal.  This meeting brings together experts from as many fields in education as possible to provide their insight.  Parents are always invited and included in these discussions.  So much more can be accomplished by all of us putting our heads together than one person struggling to find a solution.

I love being part of this team not only because of the amazing work it does for students, but because of all that I am privileged to be able to learn from my co-workers.  It is truly something special.

If you have questions or would like more information about the Student Intervention Team at Bains Elementary School, please contact me at lemoinej2@wfpsb.org.