School Assistance and Intervention Teams

WestEd’s School Assistance and Intervention Teams (SAITs) are certified to provide intervention and support services to California’s state-monitored schools to help them meet their academic targets, set by the California Public School Accountability System. Since 2003, WestEd’s SAIT project has provided services to 28 schools, more than any other provider in the state.

SAIT equips schools and their respective districts with a consistent set of expectations, recommendations, and coherent procedures that will enhance their ability to improve student achievement.

SAITs are guided by California statute. We conduct an academic program needs assessment based on the California Department of Education’s (CDE) Academic Program Survey (APS), write a Report of Findings and Corrective Actions, monitor the implementation of the Corrective Action Plan, and provide ongoing technical assistance and support.

Our Staff

Experienced CDE-certified SAIT Team Leads guide the change process. They are supported by other WestEd staff with expertise in special education, English language learners, assessment, and literacy and math education. We provide custom-designed teams and support services based on the unique needs of individual schools and districts.

Our Philosophy

SAIT staff members build partnerships, communicate clearly and consistently, and work collaboratively with schools and districts. We support principals and teachers, help with in-house problem solving, and provide access to professional development resources.

Our Results

We have worked with districts and elementary and secondary schools statewide, including both large urban and small rural schools. Students in the schools we work with have highly diverse ethnic backgrounds. Many of the students are English learners and economically disadvantaged.

• All six of our Cohort 1 (2003) schools have exited the SAIT project because of strong student achievement growth.
• Four out of five Cohort 2 (2003-2004) schools showed significant improvement in the first year of the project.
• We continue to work with our Cohort 2 schools and have added 17 Cohort 3 (2004-2005) schools.

See WestEd Clients (Word doc) for more information.

Contact Information

Huck Fitterer
602.322.7002
hfitter@wested.org

Fred Tempes
916.492.4039
ftempes@wested.org