Educational Support Teams (EST Teams)

An EST is a collaborative team that has regularly scheduled meetings at the school level and is a statutory requirement under 16 V.S.A. §2902.  EST meetings are part of the WNESU MTSS continuum of student support and parent/guardian/family participation is a vital component of the process.  

EST meetings have shared agendas, identified roles for participants, and norms to ensure that they are safe, ordered, and productive. The EST has an effective process for documenting discussion and all decisions made in the meetings. School EST includes an administrator, teachers, a school psychologist, school counselor(s), parents/guardians, a social worker, and other staff with behavioral and/or academic expertise. 

The EST relies on student data. This data may refer to a student’s academic progress, school behavior, or both. Student referrals may be brought to the team through a referral process or the team may use screening assessments to identify students who might need additional support. Student data is also used to determine the effectiveness of interventions.

WNESU EST teams should consider the following when developing interventions: 

• An EST plan is typically intended to address a clearly defined concern – one that is measurable.
• The EST plan includes the current level of performance, the desired change, and a schedule for review.
• The plan should clearly define what will be done, by whom, where, and when.
• The plan should address ways to enhance the capacity of the general classroom to support/accommodate the student.
• Review dates should be frequent, typically from 4 to 8 school weeks.
• If the student is not showing adequate progress when the plan is reviewed, consider changing the plan.