What is a Student Assistance Team (SAT)?
The SAT is a school team, which includes the parent and the students, when appropriate, in a positive, problem solving,intervention process. It assists students by ensuring that the school and community are doing everything possible to make students’ school lives successful. Students are most successful where there is a strong spirit of cooperation between home, school, and community. Based on this shared responsibility, the SAT meets to explore possibilities and strategies that will best meet the educational needs of the students, and support teachers and parents. The SAT includes the most important people in the student’s life,parents or caregivers, teachers, counselors, specialists, school administrators or designees, and any other school or community members who can provide support.
How does the SAT Process Work:
Students are typically referred by the classroom teacher, but any member of the school staff and/or parent may request support from the SAT for a student whose learning, behavior or emotional needs are not being met under existing circumstances. The classroom teacher(s) should have notified you, as the parent, regarding these issues.
Prior to the first SAT meeting,teachers would have implemented some classroom modifications that enhance learning for students. A modification may be as simple as a change in seating location, a daily assignment sheet, or an increase in the use of visual teaching aids. Sometimes a simple change can make a big difference for a student.
Any modification that has been tried or is currently in place will be discussed with you at the SAT meeting. Using this information, the team can suggest further steps to help the student.
What happens at the
SAT Meeting?
- The student (when appropriate) and parents meet with a group of teachers, wellness staff, and/or administrators. The meeting takes approximately 20 to 30 minutes, depending on the individual case.
- A facilitator leads the group through a process, which results in a written plan of action.
- The team discusses the student’s strengths, concerns, gathers pertinent history and information and discusses present interventions and outcomes. The team then brainstorms interventions and chooses actions to complete a plan of action for student success.
- As the parent, you will also be asked to contribute information regarding your child’s learning needs and help with the development of an intervention plan.
- The student’s intervention plan is implemented and is reviewed after several weeks to check student progress.
- The student’s plan of action is implemented and is reviewed to check progress after several weeks.