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In July 1990, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania adopted the Instructional Support Team initiative to identify those students who experience academic, behavioral, social-emotional, and/or communication difficulties, and to provide the needed support to help them succeed. A study evaluated the effectiveness of middle school Instructional Support Teams (IST) in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania with respect to "quality point average" (QPA) changes after a student had gone through the IST process. The IST initiative includes a mandated team of the building principal, classroom teacher, and support teacher. Various other adults such as counselors, psychologists, nurses, speech therapists, other teachers, and parents may be included on the team. The team works together to problem-solve and develop strategies that will help at-risk students to succeed in the regular classroom. Questionnaires were mailed to 13 school districts in the county who have IST in place in a middle school building. Completed questionnaires were received from 11 districts representing 47 students who were at-risk for school failure. Results indicated a significant improvement in QPA scores for the academically at-risk students who have gone through the IST process during the first semester of the 1995/1996 school year. Future research should focus on specific reasons why IST students are experiencing academic success. (Contains 22 references and 4 charts; appendixes contain a cover letter and the questionnaire.) (RS)