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Guide to the GIST Process. A Reference Guide for Eden Park Academy Parents. What is G.I.S.T.?. General Intervention Support Team A group problem solving process that supports and helps students, teachers and parents.
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Guide to the GIST Process A Reference Guide for Eden Park Academy Parents
What is G.I.S.T.? General Intervention Support Team • A group problem solving process that supports and helps students, teachers and parents. • GIST is used Eden Park to track and measure the effectiveness of academic and behavioral interventions.
Foundations of the GIST Process: RtI • GIST is built on the foundation of the Response to Intervention (RtI) model. • Through RtI, we strive to meet the needs of all students through: • High-quality instruction and research-based interventions tailored to the student • Frequent progress monitoring • Using information from progress monitoring to inform educational decisions
What is an Intervention? • A general education intervention is an attempt by a child's classroom teacher and educational team members, to resolve a problem the child is having before a referral is made for a full and individual evaluation.
Examples of Interventions • General education interventions may include: • Teacher consultation with special education and instructional support personnel • Measurable and goal-directed attempts to resolve the concern. • Communication with parents. • Collection of data. • Tutoring • Colored overlays
What is my role as a parent team member? Parents are essential if general education interventions are to be successful. • Parents have critical information about their child • Parents are able support and reinforce the interventions implemented at home.
How does the process begin? • Step 1: “My child’s teacher and & I are concerned about my child’s progress.” • The GIST process begins with a conversation between the parents and the teacher. • A teacher may initiate the conversation if a student is not progressing at a rate that is comparable to his/her grade-level peers.
What happens during the process? • Step 2: Interventions & Progress Monitoring • 1st GIST meeting:Your child's teacher will invite you, and possibly other educational support staff to a meeting. • The GIST team discusses your child's current performance and suggests possible interventions and accommodations
What happens next? • Step 3: Progress Monitoring & Evaluation • 2nd & 3rd GIST meetings:The GIST meets to determine if the interventions and accommodations were successful. • This typically occurs at a staff meeting, where the team brainstorms solutions. Your child’s classroom teacher will be in regular contact with you about their intervention strategies and expectations.
What happens next? • Step 3: Progress Monitoring & Evaluation • 2nd & 3rd GIST meetings:The GIST meets to determine if the interventions and accommodations were successful. • If interventions & accommodations were successful, then there is no need for your child to receive services. The process stops here. • If interventions & accommodations were not successful, the team may recommend different interventions and accommodations or recommend an evaluation
Evaluation • Step 3: Evaluation • Appropriate school personnel will proceed (with your written consent) to evaluate your child. The team may consider eligibility for either Section 504 or for special education.
Evaluation • Who will test my child? • Evaluation staff may consist of: • School psychologist will perform evaluations concerning intellectual, emotional, academic, or social functioning. • Speech pathologist evaluates disabilities related to speech or language impairments. • Occupational therapists may evaluate fine motor skills • English Language Learner (ELL) teachers evaluate current levels of English language acquisition.
After the evaluation • Step 4: Consideration of eligibility under Section 504 or under IDEA (Special Education) • To be eligible the student must meet a have a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits a major life activity or is regarded as disabled by others. • If it is determined that the student is NOT eligible, the team may consider continuation of a GIST plan.
Beyond the GIST: 504 & Special Education • For information on 504, contact Lisa Robinson: LRobinson@EdenParkAcademy.com • For general information on Special Education, visit EPA’s SpEd website or contact or SpEd coordinators: • Tracy Scott: TScott@EdenParkAcademy.com • Melissa Stringfellow:MStringfellow@EdenParkAcademy.com
Resources • EPA’s Special Education Website • The Texas Education Agency’s RtI website: http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/special.ed/rti/ • Building RTI Capacity http://BuildingRTI.utexas.org • Colorado Springs School District 11 http://www.d11.org/ • Florida Center for Reading Research (FCRR) http://www.fcrr.org • Illinois School Psychologists Association http://www.ilispa.org/ • Intervention Central http://interventionCentral.org/ • National Association of State Directors of Special Education, Inc. www.nasdse.org • National Center on Progress Monitoring http://www.studentprogress.org/ • National Center on Response to Intervention http://www.rti4success.org/ • National Institute for Literacy http://www.nifl.gov/ • National Research Center on Learning Disabilities http://www.nrcld.org • Scientific Research-Based Instruction (SERC) http://www.ctserc.org/ • Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education http://dese.mo.gov/ • Oregon Reading First Center http://oregonreadingfirst.uoregon.edu/ • Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports http://www.pbis.org • Research Institute on Progress Monitoring (RIPM) http://www.progressmonitoring.net/
Works Cited • http://www.wcs.edu/parentstudent/SSS/spedproc.htm • http://www.tea.state.tx.us/index2.aspx?id=5817