Module 5.2 Role of Student Support Groups in a Language Support Program
Student Support Groups
Schools are encouraged to establish a separate Student Support Group (SSG) for any student with additional learning needs (e.g. students with a language disorder). SSGs are especially applicable to students with a clinically-diagnosed language disorder. What a school community learns through the use of Student Support Groups for students with learning disorders can be transferred into effective approaches for supporting students with language difficulties more generally.
Professional learning activities
- Locate resources on the internet
Guidelines for Student Support Groups are regularly updated. Check online to ensure that you have the latest guidelines. Before beginning Module 5.2, you should collect, or download and print the current guidelines.
An SSG is a cooperative partnership involving parents, school representatives and professionals that ensures coordinated support for each student’s educational needs through the development of specific educational goals and a tailored educational program.
A primary role of the SSG is to develop an Individual Learning Plan for a student with additional learning needs that sets educational goals for both the short term as well as the long term. This process focuses on the student taking an active role in the school and wider community into the future.