The Instructional Support Team (IST) is a program
whose goals are to maximize individual student success
in the regular classroom while at the same time serving
as a screening process for students who may be in need
of special education services. It represents a system
of problem –solving driven by students’ needs in
Kindergarten through Grade 6. Currently there are 19
Instructional Support Teachers carrying out the process
in public and non-public schools in Schuylkill County.
The Instructional Support process involves the
following steps:
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- Identifying a student's need for
academic, behavioral and/or coping skill
support.
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- Data Collection and strategy
development.
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- Strategy implementation for thirty days
through a continuum of
services.
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- Determining the degree of student need
and making the decision to refer for
multi-disciplinary evaluation as needed.
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In this program, the Instructional Support staff
person will provide consultant service, in-district training
and staff development, guided practice with support teachers
and teams, and Intermediate Unit – based large or small
group training. Monthly meeting are also held to provide
updates on current educational topics, etc.
Training components of the Instructional Support
Program include:
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- Collaboration - effective problem
solving, communication, etc.
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- Instructional Assessment - curriculum
based assessment, curriculum
adaptations.
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- Behavioral Assessment - elementary
student assistance, functional behavior
assessment, behavior strategies.
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