SAP Bulletin 11: Nine Components of SAPs

Student Assistance Programs: Helping to Close the Achievement Gap

Background

Student Assistance Programs (SAPs) provide a comprehensive model for the delivery of kindergarten through twelfth grade prevention, intervention, and support services for closing the achievement gap. Student assistance services are designed to reduce student risk factors, promote protective factors, and increase asset development.

How Student Assistance Programs Can Help

SAPs offer schools the opportunity to work together in building a comprehensive approach for creating a safety net for reaching all students who could be "slipping through the cracks."

The nine components of SAPs, described below, are recommended as the minimum requirements needed to reduce barriers to learning and ensure student success in safe, disciplined, and drug-free schools and communities.

School Board Policy

To define the school's role in creating a safe, disciplined, and drug-free learning community and to clarify the relationship between student academic performance and the use of alcohol, other drugs, violence, and high-risk behavior.

Staff Development

To provide all school employees with the necessary foundation of attitudes and skills to reduce risks, increase protective factors, and foster resilience through SAP services.

Program Awareness

To educate parents, students, agencies, and the community about the school policy on alcohol, tobacco, other drugs, disruptive behavior, and violence; and provide information about student assistance services that promote resilience and student success.

Internal Referral Process

To identify and refer students with academic and social concerns to a multi-disciplinary, problem-solving, and case management team.

Problem Solving Team and Case Management

To evaluate how the school can best serve students with academic or social problems through solution-focused strategies.

Student Assistance Program Evaluation

To ensure continuous quality improvement of student assistance services and outcomes.

Educational Student Support Groups

To provide information, support, and problem-solving skills to students who are experiencing academic or social problems.

Cooperation and Collaboration with Community Agencies and Resources

To build bridges between schools, parents, and community resources through referral and shared case management.

Integration with Other School-Based Program

To integrate student assistance services with other school-based programs designed to increase resilience, improve academic performance; and reduce student risk for alcohol, tobacco, other drugs, and violence.