School Based Teams

Basic Assumptions  All teachers have responsibility for students with special learning needs  All students can be helped by regular classroom teachers with support from others.  Considerable expertise exists within the school  Decisions should be made as close to the problem as possible.  More problems can be resolved working together than alone.

Definition  An ongoing team of school based personnel which has a formal role to play as a problem solving unit in assisting classroom teachers to develop and implement instructional and/or management strategies and to coordinate support resources for students with special needs within the school.

Why SBTs?  Shared decision making  Streamlined referral process  Continuity of service  Ongoing needs assessment  Enhanced staff collaboration  Involvement of parents and classroom teachers in the planning process  Establishment of school priorities  Identification of common concerns  Preventative measures

SBT Function  Collection and sharing of information  Generation of classroom intervention strategies  Identification of students who may need further assessment  Coordination of school based support services for individual students  Case management  Monitoring of students with ongoing difficulties  Problem solving of common issues

SBT Function  Development of IEPs  A sounding board  Facilitating liaison with parents  Referral for services beyond the school  Identification of school trends and issues  Allocation of resources

SBT Members Will vary given the size and structure of the school but generally includes:  Administrator  Learning assistance teacher/special needs teacher  Referring teacher May also include counsellor, speech/language pathologist, school psychologist, specialist teachers, OT/PT, community agency personnel, parents

Roles and Responsibilities Chair  Organizes and coordinates agenda  Supports the problem solving process  Encourages participation of all members  Keeps discussion moving forward productively  Facilitates development of action plans  Ensures confidentiality and that accurate records are maintained

Roles and Responsibilities Referring teacher  Coming to meeting prepared to discuss the problem, background information, assessments and intervention already attempted  Contribute to the problem solving process  Participate in the development of the plan, report back to the SBT regarding the progress of the interventions.

Roles and Responsibilities All members develop positive environment which:  Provides a non-judgmental forum  Values all suggestions  Recognizes skills and abilities of all members  Facilitates development of practical suggestions  Respects the confidentiality of the discussions

Care and Maintenance of SBTs  Use a collaborative problem solving process  Regularly check process with SBT members  Solicit feedback from school staff  Look for ways to improve communication skills  Regularly review procedures for receiving and screening referrals, keeping records and keeping meetings focussed

SBT Activity 1.Generate a list of points to consider BEFORE, DURING and AFTER the SBT meeting. 2. What forms of recordkeeping have you seen or experienced? 3. How could the SBT be the vehicle to discuss:  An individual student who has not responded to intervention in the classroom  A student who continues to have difficulty after considerable LA/Resource intervention  Increasing numbers of referrals for math support in Grade 5  Grade 3 literacy assessment