Circles of Support
The Child Study Process
West Linn-Wilsonville School District
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The Child Study Process is designed to improve instruction for all learners and to ensure that
every child knows he/she is a competent contributor to the school community and that he/she
belongs. Therefore, the process begins with the child and knowing the child deeply within a
strengths-based framework.
The Child
We believe in every child’s growing academic and social development and his or her ability to
continually acquire new learning and new skills along the way, supported by highly skilled
teachers.
Every child starts school ready to learn, to find success in school as well as a place of belonging.
Every child comes to us already with a multitude of experiences and varied skills—shaped by
family, environment, culture and interests. An increasing number of our children come to us as
emerging bilinguals; we believe speaking in multiple languages is an asset and children should
feel proud of their heritage and their capacity to make connections across languages. Our
children come to us with varied learning differences, family experiences or circumstances,
which means there may be an “opportunity gap” for one child that isn’t present for another.
Children learn in different ways, at varying rates, and may show their understanding in a
number of ways. Children come to us believing that we will believe in him or her and help them
find their greatness. They leave us with diploma in hand, ready for college and career
opportunities.
The Teacher and Teacher Teams
From day one, the relationship between student and teacher is at the heart of learning and has
the power to ensure successful learning outcomes. To know each student well, teachers are
continually noticing and taking note of students’ learning in response to instruction. Teachers
make connections with students, and from those relationships come to understand their
aspirations and learning needs.
Teachers recognize their students’ individual growth and progress. Each day in the classroom,
the teacher provides high quality instruction, clear learning targets based on rigorous
standards, effective student engagement strategies, meaningful activities, and a culture of
strong moral and performance character. On a daily and continual basis, teachers refine
instruction to meet students’ needs—increasing access and taking action right away.
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Teachers do not work in isolation. They collaborate with grade level or department colleagues,
on a regular basis, to analyze student learning—noticing and taking note of clusters and
individual students’ successes, progress and responses to instruction. When there is disconnect
or concern, the teacher continues to adjust instruction or access to instruction to support
student learning. We believe in “expert, intensive instruction” and a teacher’s steadfast
commitment to continually employ multiple instructional strategies in his or her classroom for
each child. Teachers invite colleagues into the support conversation—employing a growth
mindset and reinforcing our commitment to growing our expertise (adding tools to our
“teaching toolkit”) and honing our craft. Colleagues may include grade level or department
teachers, learning specialists or instructional coaches or counselors.
Teacher Teams collaborate. Schools set up regular systems and opportunities for teachers and
leadership teams to evaluate their school’s learning culture, professional growth and students’
progress. Teacher and school teams review student data, observe students in their
instructional environment and work collaboratively to improve their instruction and support
students guided by the value that every child is “our child” and deserves the collective thinking
provided by widening the circles of support.
Teachers and Teacher Teams share their observations, strategies that work and questions as
part of creating a strong learning culture, embracing a “growth mindset” that helps all of us
improve our instruction and work with each student.
Teachers work in partnership with parents. Parents provide valuable insight into their
children’s experiences, learning styles, attitudes, hopes and dreams. Parents and teachers are
communicating on a regular basis. If there is growing concern about a child’s learning or social
progress, parents are immediately invited in the circle of support to help problem-solve and
generate actions the teacher or teacher teams can take. The teacher shares information on the
successes and the strategies taken with evidence of observational, academic and/or social data.
There are opportunities for parents and teachers to learn together, respond to information, and
contribute to the growing understanding of each student’s learning needs.
Child Study Team
Every school has an established Child Study Team. The role of the Child Study Team is to be a
strategic point in the widening circles of support to a child and his or her teacher. The Child
Study Team’s focus is on instruction. Using a strengths-based approach, the Team starts with
evidence of student learning and the teacher’s multiple instructional strategies to support the
student; the Team is now providing additional eyes and ears to examine the classroom
environment and instructional strategies in place. The Child Study Team determines what
alternative actions can be taken while keeping the child fully engaged—and on a “winning
streak”—within his or her classroom environments. This is where expert, intensive instruction
continues in a more systematic way and includes one or several observations of the student in
his or her learning environments. Evidence of children’s responses to instruction and
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information about adjustments to instruction become part of the body of information the Child
Study Team uses to put effective actions in place.
The Child Study Team works together with the teacher to determine what new strategies and
action will be taken, the duration and how to monitor progress. The teacher continues to
notice and take action daily. Formal documentation is a part of this process. The system for
documentation includes observations, strengths, concerns and also description of actions,
strategies and students’ responses. The teacher continues to use classroom based assessment
tools, but with more frequency and an accountability to bring evidence of student learning back
to the Child Study Team.
The Child Study Team is appointed by the principal and may include the School Counselor, a
building administrator, specialists and general education teachers. An ELD Teacher should be
included in a meeting if an emerging bilingual student’s needs are being presented. Parents are
informed—by the classroom teacher—that he or she will be meeting with the school’s Child
Study Team to gather more strategies and input to support their child. Parent input is
requested and parents may participate during this process with the teacher and Child Study
Team. The Child Study Team meets on a regular schedule—based upon the size of the school
and student needs—ranging from once a week to once a month. Notes and documentation are
carefully recorded in ePEP.
The work of the Child Study Team is generative; it is used to support individuals and is also
coherently collected and shared to increase the instructional expertise and capacity of all
teachers.
Evaluation
Occasionally, the Child Study Team may determine, after a period of time and collection of
evidence, that a formal evaluation is needed to give more insight into lack of academic or social
progress and how the instructional strategies and classroom environment can be adjusted.
Concurrently, the district has an obligation to identify students with disabilities and this process
may result in information that leads the Child Study Team to refer a student for an evaluation
for Special Education.
The Evaluation Planning Team reviews the concerns from the teacher, Child Study Team and
parents and discusses areas of possible disability. Parents are asked to meet with the
Evaluation Planning Team to provide input and written consent for the evaluation. The
Evaluation Planning Team includes the school psychologist, parent, and classroom teacher or
school counselor. A learning specialist or Speech & Language teacher may be involved in the
Team and/or the evaluation plan. The evaluation plan includes questions about the student’s
learning that are used to determine the purpose and focus of the evaluation. Notes and
documentation are carefully recorded in ePEP.
Parents may also request an evaluation at any time. When this happens, the principal and the
Evaluation Planning Team meet with the parent(s) and take notes. The parents concerns are
heard at the meeting. The teacher presents evidence on the student’s progress at the meeting.
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At the end of the meeting, one of the following must happen: (1) The Evaluation Planning Team
decides to conduct an evaluation right away, (2) The parents decide an evaluation is not
needed, or (3) The parents and team decide to do some additional/alternative specific intense
instruction with careful documentation and check back at a specified date on progress. If the
school team does not agree that an evaluation is indicated but the parents continue to believe
it is indicated, in most cases we will move forward with the evaluation.
Special Education Team
When a child is identified with a disability, members of the Special Education Team join the
classroom teacher in planning and providing support to the student in the classroom. This may
include consult, small group or individual instruction in the classroom and/or nearby when
needed. State and federal mandates provide guidelines for how support is designed, given,
monitored and reported to parents through an Individual Education Program (IEP). The teacher
remains the child’s primary instructor, in collaboration with the special education teacher, and
supports the child in all learning areas.
The process for Special Education (that is, teachers’ implementation and regular monitoring
and adjusting instruction that reflects the findings about the student’s learning needs) is
communicated, supported and revised as needed by the Special Education Team. Through
Special Education and related services, a learning specialist or Speech & Language or related
service teacher provides additional expert intensive instruction. This specially designed
instruction adds to and works in partnership with the classroom instruction. This helps
maximize the learning, fill the academic and social gaps, all-the-while preserving educational
inclusivity for the child.
The Child
We believe each child, especially when vulnerable in his or her learning situation, deserves a
rich and cohesive school day with the fewest fragmentations. Each child deserves the most
skilled and qualified teacher(s) masterfully adjusting instruction in the moment in order to
leverage every learning opportunity. Great attention and diligence should be placed on a
child’s sense of self and belonging and social and academic sense of competence. This
correlates to every child’s right to access the general education curriculum in the “least
restrictive learning environment”.
Every child comes to us believing that we believe in him or her…and will be guided in finding
their aspirations and greatness. Our teachers—general education and special education—
working together, are the sources of learning, caring, inspiration and daily instruction that
create the circles of support for each child.
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