Frequently Asked Questions: This page contains answers to common questions 
of students and parents.

1. What is the Instructional Support Team (IST) Process?
2. Who are the members of the Instructional Support Team?
3. What is the procedure for making the request for assistance?
4. After the request for assistance is made, what is the next step?
5. What happens at the instructional support team intervention meeting?
6. What happens after the plan is in place?

What is the Instructional Support Team (IST) Process?

The IST process involves four steps:
1. Identifying a student's need for academic, behavioral, and/or 
   social support.
2. Determining the strategies needed to assist the student.
3. Implementing the intervention strategies through a continuum 
   of services.
4. Providing support for teachers and staff to assist them in 
   implementing the interventions.

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Who are the members of the Instructional Support Team?

The team may include the following: parents, the teacher 
requesting assistance, teacher representatives from primary and 
intermediate grades, the principal, the instructional support 
teacher, the school counselor, the reading specialist, and other 
support personnel as needed.

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What is the procedure for making the request for assistance?

Any staff member may request assistance by completing the 
appropriate referral form. In addition, parents may request 
assistance by contacting their child's classroom teacher, the 
principal, or the instructional support teacher.

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After the request for assistance is made, what is the next step?

The instructional support teacher begins to collect data 
regarding the student's academic, behavioral, and/or social 
needs. Depending upon the needs of the student, data collection 
may include: interviews with teachers and parents, curriculum-
based assessments, and classroom observations. Once the data 
collection is completed, the referring teacher consults with the 
instructional support teacher/team to develop an intervention 
plan to help the child achieve success. Parents may also be 
invited to attend the IST intervention meeting for their child.

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What happens at the instructional support team intervention meeting?

1. The data is summarized.
2. The student's needs are identified.
3. The goal(s) are established.
4. The team, including the parents, brainstorms ways to help the 
   child meet the goal(s).
5. The ideas are clarified.
6. The classroom teacher selects the interventions that he/she 
   feels would work in his/her classroom. Parents also have an
   opportunity to choose interventions that could be implemented
   at home.
7. A plan to implement these interventions is designed.

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What happens after the plan is in place?

1. Each child's progress will be monitored for up to thirty 
   school days through measureable, observable means.
2. A follow-up meeting will be scheduled with the referring    
   teacher to review the plan and progress.

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