Step 1: Consideration of Assistive Technology 

Consideration is a brief process during which the team thinks about and discusses whether the student has the supports necessary to access the general education curriculum. The team determines if he/she will need additional supports or services, including AT to improve/maintain/continue making educational progress.

• Consideration of AT is a ‘required’ part of every initial student evaluation and annual IEP. 

• On the Special Considerations page the question: "Does the student require assistive technology device(s) and/or services? 

Select YES if the student's AT needs are addressed in the IEP.

Assistive technology may be considered appropriate when it does any or all of the following things:

• Enables students to perform functions that can be achieved by no other means

• Enables students to approximate normal fluency, rate, or standards--a level of accomplishment which could not be achieved by any other means

• Provides access for participation in programs or activities which otherwise would be closed to the individual

• Increases endurance or ability to persevere and complete tasks that otherwise are too laborious to be attempted on a routine basis

• Enables students to concentrate on learning tasks, rather than mechanical tasks

• Provides greater access to information

• Supports normal social interactions with peers and adults

• Supports participation in the least restrictive educational environment.​ 

• IEP team members combine their knowledge and skills to determine if assistive technology devices and services are needed to remove barriers to student performance. When the assistive technology needs are beyond the knowledge and scope of the IEP team, A consultation with an AT facilitator is needed.

Step 2: Consultation with an AT facilitator may be requested via an email or requested via the Facilitator Request Form.

To request a consultation with an AT Facilitator, complete the AT Facilitator Request Form on SSD Gateway.  To access go to SSD Gateway>Departments>Assistive Technology>Facilitator Request Form.  Upon submission, you will be contacted by a facilitator who will assist you in the AT consultation process.

• Facilitator consultation may be informal or formal depending upon the needs of the IEP team. Facilitators offer expertise to assist the team to determine whether or not services/tools are appropriate, to determine the best tool feature match based upon the student profile, and to guide the team to develop, implement, analyze, and update the AT support plan. 

• The SETT Framework by Joy Zabala is a collaborative planning, data gathering,  and decision making tool.     The SETT Framework is utilized to guide the team to determine what supports will best address the student's individual learning and performance needs.  The second step of the process is to  develop the implementation support plan. SETT stands for Student, Environment, Tasks, and Tools.

Part I - Gathering data and Making Decisions

• • Student What is the area of instructional concern?    •What are the student’s current abilities? •What are the student’s areas of need?

  • Environments   What are the significant characteristics of the student learning environment? •What is the physical arrangement of the learning environment? •What is the instructional arrangement in the learning environment, e.g. classroom, small group, or learning stations? •What materials and equipment are students and teachers using?

  • Tasks   What are the instructional expectations for all students in the learning environment? • What specific learning tasks are essential in the student’s achievement in this instructional environment(s)? •Where are the gaps between student performance and instructional expectations?

  • Tools (Both devices and services)   •What tools (low and high tech) are being used currently to support the student(s)? •What additional tools does this student require to perform in this environment? •What strategies might be used to motivate the student’s performance? •How will these tools provide an equitable learning environment for the student(s)in meeting learning outcomes? 

PART II - Implementation Support Plan

The team will outline the plan for implementing assistive technology tools for this student. The plan must include consideration of the identified learning environments and the instructional tasks.

• Identify all human resources and indicate their roles in supporting the student.

 • Develop a timeline for implementation including time required to assess effectiveness of this intervention.

 • Identify the intended use of AT tools and strategies to support student performance

 • Discuss what training the student and staff need for successful use of the tools

• Plan how data will be collected and how will the effectiveness of this intervention be measured

• Identify in the IEP how the AT tools will be implemented. Refer to the IEP Documentation Page 

• Share the completed AT Support Plan with the general classroom teachers, at least one of whom is a member of the IEP Team, so that they are aware of how it is to be used. 

• RED:   At SSD, the most efficient way to determine what AT tools your student requires is to request a consultation with an AT Facilitator by completing the AT Facilitator Request Form on SSD Gateway.  The AT Specialist will facilitate a collaborative discussion with the IEP team which includes input from all stakeholders and leads to the development of an AT support plan.  Requesting an AT “evaluation” via the RED process is NOT the appropriate course of action for students at SSD. Consult your AT facilitator for further guidance.