Having a Reliable Way to Think Through Complex Student Support
A middle school learning specialist managing a large caseload needed a way to work through challenging student situations and support teachers. Ellis helped her gather strategies, check her thinking, and approach conversations with more clarity.
The Classroom Reality
Rita Mercado is a middle school learning specialist working with 6th to 8th grade students. Many of the students on her caseload have diagnoses, while others are being monitored or have received interventions.
She supports 28 students while working part-time, and she is the only middle school learning specialist at her school and she works closely with the middle school counselor.Her role involves working with teachers to address academic and behavioral challenges across different classrooms. At times, teachers reach a point where current supports are not working.
“How do we get the student to do anything? The accommodations aren’t working.”
Rita is responsible for helping teams figure out what to try next, often without another specialist to consult.
Finding Clarity
Before Ellis, Rita relied on student support meetings and team discussions to problem-solve. These conversations helped generate ideas, but not all strategies worked across different classes.
She began using Ellis when she needed additional input on more complex cases. She would enter a student scenario to see if there were strategies the team had not tried, or to confirm what they were already considering.
“It is all in one place… I don’t have to look at multiple resources.”
It allowed her to review options without having to search across different sources.
What Shifted in Practice
Rita used Ellis in situations where students were not responding to existing supports. For one student who repeatedly used AI to complete assignments, Ellis helped her focus on understanding the underlying issue.
“Why is she cheating? What’s holding her back?”
This helped guide conversations with the student’s family about the need for further evaluation.
For another student with ADHD who was consistently behind, Ellis helped her think through how assignments could be broken down more clearly. She also used Ellis when working with teachers. Instead of presenting ideas on her own, she could bring in an additional reference point.
“It’s not just me saying it… here is what outside experts are saying.”
This made it easier to introduce new strategies or revisit ones that had been overlooked.
What Felt Different
Even though Rita works with the school counselor when she can, she described her role as isolating at times.
“My role is pretty isolated… I’m the only learning specialist.”
Ellis provided a way to check her thinking when she did not have someone else to consult.
“It’s nice to be like, oh yeah, okay, I am on the right track.”
She also used it to prioritize what to focus on next or to revisit strategies that had not been considered recently.
“It might just be a reminder.”
What She’s Continuing to Build
Rita plans to continue using Ellis for more complex student cases. She has introduced it to teachers and plans to follow up to see how they are using it. Her goal is to support teachers as they work through student challenges across classrooms.
Call to Action
If you are supporting students across multiple classrooms and need a way to gather strategies and check your thinking, Ellis can provide a place to start.
