diff --git a/openassessment/assessment/api/staff.py b/openassessment/assessment/api/staff.py
index ab708c4cf6..291862dcdc 100644
--- a/openassessment/assessment/api/staff.py
+++ b/openassessment/assessment/api/staff.py
@@ -231,7 +231,7 @@ def get_assessment_scores_by_criteria(submission_uuid):
         raise StaffAssessmentInternalError(error_message) from ex
 
 
-def get_submission_to_assess(course_id, item_id, scorer_id):
+def get_submission_to_assess(course_id, item_id, scorer_id, filter_by_teams=False):
     """
     Get a submission for staff evaluation.
 
@@ -241,6 +241,7 @@ def get_submission_to_assess(course_id, item_id, scorer_id):
         course_id (str): The course that we would like to fetch submissions from.
         item_id (str): The student_item (problem) that we would like to retrieve submissions for.
         scorer_id (str): The user id of the staff member scoring this submission
+        filter_by_teams(boolean): True will retrieve only submissions from same teams as the staff
 
     Returns:
         dict: A student submission for assessment. This contains a 'student_item',
@@ -262,7 +263,7 @@ def get_submission_to_assess(course_id, item_id, scorer_id):
         }
 
     """
-    student_submission_uuid = StaffWorkflow.get_submission_for_review(course_id, item_id, scorer_id)
+    student_submission_uuid = StaffWorkflow.get_submission_for_review(course_id, item_id, scorer_id, filter_by_teams=False)
     if student_submission_uuid:
         try:
             submission_data = submissions_api.get_submission(student_submission_uuid)
diff --git a/openassessment/assessment/models/staff.py b/openassessment/assessment/models/staff.py
index 60c95c2965..ea4d81d415 100644
--- a/openassessment/assessment/models/staff.py
+++ b/openassessment/assessment/models/staff.py
@@ -93,7 +93,7 @@ def get_workflow_statistics(cls, course_id, item_id):
         return {'ungraded': ungraded, 'in-progress': in_progress, 'graded': graded}
 
     @classmethod
-    def get_submission_for_review(cls, course_id, item_id, scorer_id):
+    def get_submission_for_review(cls, course_id, item_id, scorer_id, filter_by_teams=False):
         """
         Find a submission for staff assessment. This function will find the next
         submission that requires assessment, excluding any submission that has been
@@ -101,8 +101,9 @@ def get_submission_for_review(cls, course_id, item_id, scorer_id):
 
         Args:
             course_id (str): The course that we would like to retrieve submissions for,
-            item_id (str): The student_item that we would like to retrieve submissions for.
+            item_id (str): The student_item (problem) that we would like to retrieve submissions for.
             scorer_id (str): The user id of the staff member scoring this submission
+            filter_by_teams(boolean): True will retrieve only submissions from same teams as the staff
 
         Returns:
             identifying_uuid (str): The identifying_uuid for the (team or individual) submission to review.
@@ -133,6 +134,13 @@ def get_submission_for_review(cls, course_id, item_id, scorer_id):
                     grading_completed_at=None,
                     cancelled_at=None,
                 )
+                # if filter_by_teams, keep only staff_workflows from students in the same teams as staff
+                # this is just pseudo code (relations have not been investigated)
+                if filter_by_teams:
+                    staff_teams = Teams.objects.filter(user_id=scorer_id)
+                    staff_workflows = staff_workflows.filter(
+                        submission__student__teams__intersect_with=staff_teams
+                    )
             if not staff_workflows:
                 return None
 
diff --git a/openassessment/xblock/staff_area_mixin.py b/openassessment/xblock/staff_area_mixin.py
index fc8ad74c3f..7500cc4a49 100644
--- a/openassessment/xblock/staff_area_mixin.py
+++ b/openassessment/xblock/staff_area_mixin.py
@@ -324,7 +324,7 @@ def render_staff_grade_form(self, data, suffix=''):  # pylint: disable=W0613
 
             # Note that this will check out a submission for grading by the specified staff member.
             # If no submissions are available for grading, will return None.
-            submission_to_assess = staff_api.get_submission_to_assess(course_id, item_id, staff_id)
+            submission_to_assess = staff_api.get_submission_to_assess(course_id, item_id, staff_id, filter_by_teams=True)
 
             if submission_to_assess is not None:
                 # This is posting a tracking event to the runtime.