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The Student Support Team (SST) is a team assembled to assess the concerns and needs of any student referred. Committee members include parents/guardians, and usually a school administrator or designee, a classroom teacher, and/or others invited by school and/or family. The person who has referred the child will share concerns. Important information regarding the student will be discussed. The team may recommend strategies and/or interventions to be tried in the student’s classroom(s). The team may refer the student for evaluation for eligibility for special education and related services, and/or a Section 504 evaluation. If the team recommends an evaluation, and parents/guardians provide consent, the student will be tested by qualified personnel (persons who hold the required license from the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) or other appropriate state or national agency) in all areas related to the suspected disability. These may include, if appropriate: health, vision, hearing; social and emotional status; general intelligence; academic performance; communicative status; motor abilities; and adaptive behavior. Recommended assessment components may include: Socio-cultural, Psychological, Educational, Teacher Narrative, and others, as needed, such as Speech/Language, and/or Occupational Therapy.
Parents wishing to refer their child to a Student Support Team meeting to discuss concerns and/or request a special education evaluation are encouraged to share their request in writing with their child’s teacher. For elementary school students, a copy should be shared with the principal or assistant principal. For middle and high school students, a copy should be shared with the student’s counselor and the Director of Counseling.
To refer children ages two* through five who are not yet Arlington Public Schools students, contact the Arlington Public Schools Child Find Office. (*Children need to be two years old by September 30th of the current school year in order to receive services in that school year.)
Infants and toddlers with suspected developmental delays should be referred to the Arlington Parent Infant Education (PIE) program.
Need more information? Contact the Parent Resource Center (PRC) at 703.228.7239.
The PRC offers An Introduction to Special Education periodically throughout the school year.
Register for the next session or access our online modules and resources at the link below:
- Understanding Special Education: An Introduction – Includes information on the Student Support process, and referral process, along with special education information.