Student Success Team Reflection (511)

By attending SST Meetings at both San Marcos Elementary School and Mission Hills High School, I learned about the purpose of a SST Meeting and the roles and responsibilities of SST members. At the meeting, I took notes, based on my observations. I also created a chart that identifies the roles and responsibilities of those who attended the SST Meeting at San Marcos Elementary. In addition, I also created a “Benefits” list and a list of strategies to use for future SSTs, which lists the advantages of an SST Meeting.

Role	Responsibilities
Counselor	Facilitated meeting between teacher and parent. Also had interacted with other teachers who had taught student previously. Had met the student and interacted with him before. Spoke both English and Spanish fluently.
Mother	Provided information about the student’s background, such as health, allergies, home life and behavior outside of school. Discussed student’s behaviors, development, doctor reports, and previous teacher comments relevant to the current issue.
English-Spanish Translator	Translated to aid communication between the English-only speaking (Teachers) and Spanish-speaking (mother) attendees at the meeting.
Student’s 2nd Grade Teacher	Discussed what student’s strengths and weaknesses were. Identified problem. Discussed specific strategies she had used previously. Provided documentation and evidence to support her statements (e.g. student work, test scores, notes from meetings with other teachers that had previously taught student).
Secretory	Documented what was said at meeting. Typed report on spreadsheet projected on overhead for all attending meeting to see. Printed reports for those attending meeting to keep.
Special Education Teacher	Provided background information based on teacher observations about student’s social behavior and interactions with other peers.

 

 

Benefits:

·       The student’s problem is identified early-on.

·       Information is gathered from several perspectives: school counselor, teachers, and parents.

·       A team of professionals meets to come up with a well-reasoned, educated action plan that is specific, doable, broken into steps, and goal-oriented.

·       The student receives immediate help without having to wait to qualify for additional programs.

·       The student remains mainstreamed in her regular classes and activities at her school.

·       The student has several options (tiers) of action plans and steps that can be taken before special education is considered.

·       Special education testing is not the goal. Instead, the student’s best interests are first and foremost.

Identify the procedure for an SST:

·       Welcome the parents.

·       Come prepared with documentation and evidence (student work and test scores; dates of disciplinary action taken and consequences).

·       Identify problem and strategies I have already taken to try to help student overcome challenge (with documentation).

·       Rehearse what to say beforehand.

·       Don’t forget to start with student’s successes and achievements.

·       Stay positive. State things positively.

·       Ask specifically what I can do, as the student’s teacher.

 

By observing SST meetings at both my site and San Marcos Elementary School, I learned how educators worked as a team to understand what the student’s strengths and weaknesses were and how they design strategies to implement in order to help the student succeed. The chart and lists I have comprised above (my evidence) will help guide me in participating in future SST meetings.

Although observing the SST meetings helped me understand more about SSTs, there is still a lot I need to learn. For instance, since I have little experience participating in SSTs, I would like to become more familiar with how to master my role as a teacher in an SST meeting in the future. Practicing how to carry out an SST by conducting a “mock SST” with my colleagues in class was particularly helpful in teaching me how to do this. In addition, I have identified a student in one of my classes, who is a candidate for an SST. I will recommend her for an SST to learn the process of how this is done.

This assignment partially meets the TPE 6D, “Appropriate Practices for Special Education”.