Reflection of Meeting 1

This meeting that I attended was at another school other than my own. The purpose of this was to
provide an opportunity for growth as there exists different interpretations of the ESST meeting
within the district. The meeting took place after school, allowing homeroom teachers an
opportunity to attend. The meeting began with a review of the actions from last meeting,
ensuring that all team members had followed up on recommendations made from the previous
meeting.
Formal reports from each ESST team member present were shared and it was evident that these
teachers took pride in their school and the accomplishments of students, teachers as well as EAs.
The EST-R reported on an initiative she began this year which involved training EAs to
implement and track Great Leaps fluency intervention, a quick daily check-in on sight words and
sounds with two grade 3 students. The students made significant gains in their ability to quickly
recognize sight words. The EAs welcomed the responsibility and the opportunity to work with
different children. The program will continue for the following school year and a refresher
training session for the EAs will be provided. Appreciation for the EAs hard work and
commitment to the students was expressed. Teacher feedback from the new service delivery
model that was implemented by the Speech Language Pathologists (SLPs) has been very positive
and Julie will encourage teachers to pass on their positive comments to the SLP team.
This report was followed by the EST-Guidance and EST- Literacy also sharing positive
initiatives that have been implemented this year and should continue for the 2014-15 school year.
As these two team members are both retiring, the team will update their replacements on these
initiatives to ensure their continuation.
Pyramid of Interventions including school wide issues was on the agenda but there was nothing
to report at this particular meeting.
Next, individual students were discussed and other team members were invited to offer
suggestions for interventions going forward.
Before the meeting wrapped up, the team member responsible for each action item or
recommendation was identified, ensuring accountability and follow up.
The meeting focused on collaboration with a shared leadership approach. The agenda was strictly
adhered to and it was evident that clear norms had been established and maintained throughout
the year. All members were engaged in the process and approached all aspects of the meeting
from a positive standpoint. This was my first ESST meeting and I found it to be very beneficial
as this collaborative team ensures that supports are in place for students with special needs as
well as providing learning opportunities for all students in the school.