Student Support Team

The Student Support Team (SST) is a general education, problem-solving team that addresses complex academic and behavioral issues by developing and implementing a continuum of interventions and supports for individual students, groups of students and settings in the school.

The mission of the Student Support Team (SST) is to assist students, parents and teachers with services or types of interventions that foster a healthy and positive school community. SST strives to promote positive mental, emotional and social relationships in the school community by providing interventions, prevention, advocacy, and education and by strengthening community. The goal of NLIS student support services is to alleviate as much as possible the personal, social, and emotional challenges that are impediments to academic and personal success. 

The NLIS SST is made up of our Coordinator of Counseling Services, our Wellness Teacher, our Clinical Interns, the School Nurse, and our Recruitment and Intake Specialist. The SST meets weekly to discuss the academic and clinical needs of all students and to plan and follow up on interventions to help them succeed at school. The team frequently brings students’ families in to discuss student progress and well-being. Lastly, most members of the SST receive yearly Safety Care Training from the school district. 

We frequently review data such as attendance, academic progress and behavioral referrals to determine what actions will best serve each student.  Some examples of interventions that we frequently turn to are:  phone calls or visits with caregivers, counseling services, academic support such as 1:1 teacher tutoring of students, incentive plans and behavioral support through plans.  We also turn to offering outside referrals to therapy, if needed and wanted.

Multi-Tiered System of Supports

New Liberty uses a Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS).  This is a framework to guide schools to provide a continuum of prevention and intervention services and supports.  Decisions regarding the needed services and supports should be made:

  • based on data,
  • using practices proven by research to be effective at achieving the identified goals (Evidence-based practices/EBPs),
  • in a manner that ensures equitable and culturally proficient outcomes, and
  • using a multi-disciplinary team process.

This information should be used to support the implementation of a Multi-Tiered System of Supports in schools by providing information and resources for specific interventions. These interventions should be selected based on a consideration of the needs of the school and MTSS goals. The other MTSS practices including a positive school climate, teaming, data collection, a problem-solving process, and progress monitoring, should also be addressed throughout the process of selecting and implementing any of these interventions.

Evidence-Based Practices

One of the key components of an effective MTSS is the selection and implementation of Evidence-Based Practices (EBPs). EBPs are interventions that have been proven to be effective through research and evaluation. Some examples of Evidence-Based Practices are:  restorative practices such as school wide circles, setting classwide and school wide norms or expectations, cognitive behavioral counseling techniques, practicing mindfulness strategies and teaching students how to engage in internal positive self-talk.