The Instructional Support Team (IST) process is mandated in all Pennsylvania schools that include any grade from kindergarten through 6. Middle schools that house grade six or below are required to enroll in IST training and ultimately achieve IST validation. In addition to the IST requirement, all secondary schools are required to have a Student Assistance Team. In grades K through 6, Student Assistance functions are incorporated into the IST. This document offers suggestions to middle schools beginning to address the task of providing both Student Assistance and Instructional Support within their buildings. The underlying theme is to clarify the requirements while providing sufficient flexibility for the creation of a site-specific process that is sensible for each individual school. Rather than conceptualizing students as Instructional Support cases or Student Assistance cases, the goal is to see each student as a child with a variety of needs that can be met by a variety of resources working together. Sections of the document address initial planning and decision making, training issues, validation issues, implementation issues, and record keeping. (ND)