Student Support
Services Overview
The mission of the South Burlington School
District, a community committed to excellence
in education, is to ensure that each student
possesses the knowledge, skills, and character
to create a successful and responsible life. We
will do this by building safe, caring, and
challenging learning environments, fostering
family and community partnerships, utilizing
global resources, and inspiring life-long
learning.
Educational Support System
in Each School







Educational Support Team
Literacy Coaches
Math Coaches
Instructional Assistants
Special Educators
School Based Clinicians
Guidance Counselors
Work in a Unified System









Professional Learning Groups
Data Teams
Formative Assessment
Vermont Alternate Assessments
Response to Intervention (RtI)
Differentiated Instruction
Team Teaching
Collaboration Skills
Cultural Competence
Regulations support and
enforce the system
 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
(IDEA)
 Section 504 (Accommodation)
 Act 117 (ESS)
Act 117
 Vermont Act to strengthen capacity of state’s
educational system to meet needs of all students
 Each school (district) must maintain an Educational
Support System (ESS) to provide additional assistance
for those students who need it to succeed within the
regular classroom environment
 ESS must include an Educational Support Team (EST)
which identifies, monitors, and provides a range of
supports and remedial services including instructional
and behavioral interventions and accommodations
SECTION 504 (of the
Rehabilitation Act of
1973)
 Civil Rights law to prohibit discrimination on the basis
of disability
 Designed to provide access to education; removal of
the barriers which prevent access
 Offers protection to any person who has a mental or
physical impairment that substantially limits one or
more major life activities; i.e. learning, speaking,
walking, working, seeing, hearing, breathing,
performing manual tasks
 Provides accommodations to the educational
curriculum; are listed in a 504 Plan
IDEA
 Provides federal aid to states to ensure provision of
free appropriate education (FAPE) to children who are
determined to be eligible for special education in one or
more of the specific categories of disability
 Special Education means specially designed
instruction to meet the unique needs of the child—
which cannot be provided within through the school’s
standard instructional conditions or in Vermont, through
the educational support system.
Classroom Teacher’s Role in
Special Education Evaluations
What do I do if I have a student
continuing to struggle after I’ve
emptied my bag of tricks?






Document what you have tried
Gather your assessment data
Make a referral to the EST
Develop a Support Plan and implement
Gather more assessment data
If not successful, redo the Plan and this
may include a referral for a Special
Education Evaluation
 If successful continue plan or fade.
What do I do if a parent
requests a Special Education
Evaluation?
 Make a contact with your special
educator with the concerns
 Discuss concerns with parent, collect any
assessment data they may have and
proceed with an EST plan
 Involve parents in the process
What is my role in the
Special Education Evaluation
process?
 Provide two different pieces of data that
show the student is performing in the
lowest 15% of the class, below the
15%ile or 1 standard deviation below the
mean in one or more of the basic skill
areas.
 Participate on Evaluation and Planning
Team presenting your data and help to
determine eligibility
5 Questions Every
Teacher Must Ask
1. Which students in my class have an IEP or
504 plan?
2. Have I personally reviewed each plan?
3. Do I remember what the documents say?
4. Am I making a “good faith effort” to
implement?
5. Do I have prove of implementation?
If you answered “No” or “I
don’t know” to even one of
the questions, you are at risk
of being out of compliance
with the Federal Law.
Unified System
Classroom teachers and support services
working together to…
….ensure that each student
possesses the knowledge, skills, and
character to create a successful and
responsible life.