SAP and MTSS Guidance

Practical Guidance for Exploring the Integration and Alignment of the Student Assistance Program (SAP) with a MultiTiered Framework of Support.

Guidance Document Overview
Contacts for Cyber Schools

The PA Network for Student Assistance Services (PNSAS) developed this list of Student Assistance Program (SAP) Liaison contacts in each county to assist cyber schools in connecting PA students with mental health and/or substance use concerns to local county resources.

SAP Contacts

Outpatient Tx Services

Guidance to schools and providers that are collaborating around the provision of school-based behavioral health, specifically treatment services delivered by licensed outpatient mental health and drug and alcohol providers in schools.

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PA Student Assistance Program

See an example of what a SAP team meeting can look like. This video was created to utilize in SAP team member training.

View the tabs below for resources, guides and documents

  • Guidelines/Best Practices
  • Team Maintenance
  • Sample Forms
  • Collaborating with Parents
  • Resources
What is SAP team maintenance and how often should it occur?

Team maintenance includes those activities and interactions designed to promote cooperation and respectful working relationships among SAP team members. Its purpose is to maintain the emotional health of the team members and to ensure the quality of the SAP process so that SAP teams effectively work together as a problem-solving group when dealing with at-risk issues. The best practice is for the school entity to provide time for team maintenance sessions at least once or twice a year. SAP agency liaisons should be included in maintenance activities. For at least one session, it is advisable for the facilitator to be a non-team member, knowledgeable of group dynamics and SAP.

Suggested activities could include:
• Check the pulse of your Student Assistance program
• Can your SAP team Handle the Feedback? Go Ahead …ASK!
• Implementation Checklist for new SAP teams
• Best practice for Fidelity checklist
• The Pennsylvania Student Assistance components and indicators


Check the Pulse of your Student Assistance Program

The PNSAS is pleased to provide SAP Satisfaction Survey for your team’s use. These instruments were developed in collaboration with the Commonwealth Approved Trainers in order for teams to receive input from students, parents, and staff on your Student Assistance Program. Satisfaction survey results are helpful to validate the standards and services you have established for the program, as well as identify areas for enhancement. We encourage you to use these instruments as is or adjust accordingly. This is a useful mechanism to ensure quality programming. Thanks for your ongoing work and dedication to maintain high SAP standards.


Can your SAP team handle the feedback? Go ahead.....ASK!

Your SAP team could benefit from this feedback and become a better functioning team! The SAP Members Survey for Improvement of Team Functioning tool is just one way to help improve your team. So...go ahead and ask

Implementation Checklist for New SAP Teams

Best Practice for Fidelity Checklist





SAP teams use a variety of forms to document the SAP process and their work. Sample forms listed here can be tailored to your team. Contact your Regional SAP Coordinator for technical assistance.

SAP Team Meeting Forms

Team Meeting Agenda
Case Manager Checklist

SAP Process Forms

Referral Form
Elementary School Staff Behavior Checklist
Secondary School Staff Behavior Checklist
Action Plan (Fillable)
Action Plan (Printable)

SAP Brochure

SAP Brochure for parents/guardians

Sample SAP Parent Phone Call

Initial SAP Parent Consent Template

Sample Screening Consent Form

Hear about how SAP can be a good option for your family - Could the Student Assistance Program (SAP) Help Your Child?

Click on the image below for a great resource for parents and families on a variety of topics

PA Parent and Family Alliance Emblem
SAP Resource from the Department of Education

Information for Student Assistance Program (SAP) Professionals-Homeless and Displaced Families and the School


SAMHSA Student Assistance - A Guide for Administrators

PA School Climate Survey

PA School Climate Survey -- Climate refers to the quality and character of school life…and based on patterns of students’, parents’ and school personnel’s experience of school life.

Pennsylvania Youth Survey (PAYS)

PAYS -- Since 1989, the Commonwealth has conducted a survey of school students in the 6th, 8th, 10th and 12th grades to learn about their behavior, attitudes and knowledge concerning alcohol, tobacco, other drugs and violence. The ‘Pennsylvania Youth Survey,’ or PAYS, is sponsored and conducted every two years by the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency.

The data gathered in PAYS serve two primary needs. First, the results provide school administrators, state agency directors, legislators and others with critical information concerning the changes in patterns of the use and abuse of these harmful substances and behaviors. Second, the survey assesses risk factors that are related to these behaviors and the protective factors that help guard against them. This information allows community leaders to direct prevention resources to areas where they are likely to have the greatest impact.

Search Institute

The Search Institute helps families, schools and communities make the world a better place for children and adolescents
40 Developmental Assets for Children Grades K-3 (ages 5-9)
40 Developmental Assets for Middle Children (ages 8-12)
40 Developmental Assets for Adolescents (ages 12-18)

The National Child Traumatic Stress Network

The NCTSN Mission -- To raise the standard of care and improve access to services for traumatized children, their families and communities throughout the United States.

Retrospective Analysis of the Pennsylvania Student Assistance Program Outcome Data

Implications for Practice and Research (November 2003) Student Assistance Programs are a primary vehicle for schools in Pennsylvania and across the nation to address students’ behavioral health needs and concerns. SAP identifies and links students to behavioral health care education, programs and services in the school and community to address students’ barriers to learning due to a social, emotional or mental health concern or problem. To contribute to the SAP research base and to document their effectiveness, the Research Committee of the National Association of Student Assistance Professionals conducted a retrospective analysis of SAP data collected as part of the Pennsylvania Student Assistance Program evaluation. The study has implications for the Student Assistance field and provides a foundation for future research at the local, state and national level.