STUDENT STUDY TEAMS

(SST)

SST Description

The Student Study Team (SST) provides a venue for parents, teachers, key school personnel, and other interested persons to systematically review and make suggestions about student performance. Although students in a home-schooling/independent study setting already have an individually designed learning program to meet their unique learning styles, there are occasions when concerns arise about their:

• Academic progress
• Social/Emotional development
• Physical limitations, or
• Behavioral history

When a referral should be made

When the parents and Educational Specialist, after consultation with their advisor, are unable to provide modifications to help remedy concerns, a referral to SST may be initiated by completing the required SSTforms located on the generic forms page. Students should be referred to SST only when their needs interfere with school performance and their needs cannot be met through modifications within the home-school setting. Consult with your advisor and your ES group for strategies/curriculum to try before moving on to the SST process.

SST process after referral

Once a SST referral is received, a follow-up questionnaire is forwarded to the parent, since they serve as the primary educator in our Charter School. Once returned, this document is held for use during SST meeting that will be scheduled. SST Referrals are processed in the order in which they are received, and only after the parent completes and returns the questionnaire and other related information discussed during our initial contact with them (medical reports, outside testing, etc). The ES must participate in the SST as their input about what has been tried previously is valuable. The ES also will need to help implement the suggestions that come from the SST. This is considered a part of their regular ES job.

SST Federal and State regulations

Federal and State regulations require that general education exhaust all their resources and services before a SST can refer a student for special education testing. Objective and complete data provided at the time of referral, parent questionnaire, and at the SST meeting enables the team to make specific recommendations for each student. Providing samples of student work assists in documenting academic concerns, and is a requirement of the SST process in order to move forward.

SST Meetings

At the initial SST meeting, members are assigned responsibilities for, or given strategies to implement with the student. A follow-up date is initiated before the close of the SST meeting to review the progress of the proposed strategies. In most cases, sufficient progress is noted at the follow-up meeting, and more restrictive interventions are not warranted. With your assistance, the SST can create an environment conducive to student success!