SETT Step One:
Collecting & Sharing Information

After determining that an AT Assessment should be provided for an individual student, the school district must identify a procedure to collect information on the student, the environment, and the tasks required for participation in the activities of the environment. Before the IEP team meets they should gather information on the student using formal and informal measures and observation. Consider using the forms on the sidebar from the Wisconsin AT Initiative and the Georgia Project for Assistive Technology to assist with gathering information.

Tips for Planning: Before You Begin
At the team meeting, choose someone to write all topics where everyone participating can see them. We suggest large flip chart pages or individual posters with headers: Student, Environment, Tasks and Tools. The team will identify tasks the child needs to be able to do and the relationship of the child's abilities/difficulties and environment to the child's performance of the tasks.

The following questions and aids are designed to assist with this process.

The Student

When first considering what the student needs to be able to do, it is fine to be global. "Talk" or "write" may be appropriate answers, though some elaboration is desirable. This will be made more specific in the Tasks section. The primary goal is to begin to establish consensus among group members about what it is really important for this student to be able to do and the barriers that keep the student from doing whatever needs to be done.

What does the Student need to do? (main areas of concern) What are the Student's special needs? What are the Student's current abilities?

It must be kept in mind that ALL data on a student is not pertinent to choosing and using assistive technology. The objective is to share information on the student's abilities, preferences and barriers to learning and to work for group consensus Keep in mind that, no matter how great the needs, everyone has abilities and preferences that can be built upon and enhanced. For the Student, identify What We Know and What We Need To Know

The Environment

For every student, multiple environments must be considered, as no student exists in only one environment. When considering only school environments, the differences are profound among the classroom(s) at different hours of the day, the playground, the cafeteria, the hallway, the bus stop and a variety of other environments a student experiences. In each environment, there are factors to consider including arrangements, support, materials and equipment, and attitudes.

What are the instructional and physical arrangements? Are there special concerns? What materials and equipment are currently available in the environments? What supports are available to the student and the people working with the student on a daily basis? How are the attitudes and expectations of the people in the environment likely to affect the student's performance?

Don't overlook the anticipated arrangement of the environment. Think: ACCESSIBILITY! Who might be responsible for supporting the student? How much training may be needed? The physical environment isn't the only environment to examine. Perhaps the emotional environment (attitudes and expectations of people) needs some adjustments too! For the Environment, identify What We Know and What We Need To Know.

The Tasks

The purpose of identifying tasks is to determine which current opportunities will enable the student to move toward mastery of his/her goals. If the answer is "None," then AT tools will not solve the problem, as they are just a means to participate in activities that build knowledge and skills. If there are no tasks that provide meaningful practice, mastery cannot possibly be expected.

What activities occur in the student's natural environments which enable progress toward mastery of identified goals? What is everyone else doing? What are the critical elements of the activities?

Start with "what everybody else is doing", but recognize that participating in the same activities doesn't always to lead to the same results for all students. Find a good balance. Consider activity modifications that can increase participation for students with disabilities while not changing the critical components of the activity. Activities generally call for clusters of skills, not single, isolated skills A simplified task analysis may be helpful to determine what elements of a task would be difficult or impossible for a student to do without significant assistance. For the Tasks, identify What We Know and What We Need To Know

Decision-Making Process

The WATI Planning Guide is a single page form that leads the team through a five-step decision making process. After the information above is shared, the team will begin to focus on identifying problems and then generate solutions. Select one or two critical tasks and ask "What does the students need to be able to do"? Solutions that address these tasks will be generated.

Team begins to complete the Problem Identification Portion of AT Planning Guide

Using an effective decision making process requires team members to acquire and use a variety of skills that are separate from the technical skills they may have needed during the data gathering stage. These include communication skills and group process skills. The Tips document helps to focus on these elements.