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.

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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
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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/S
SS/spedproc.htm
 http://www.tea.state.tx.us/index2.as
px?id=5817