Effective Transition Planning: A Key to Better Post-School Outcomes

1. Effective Transition Planning: A Key to Better Post-School Outcomes Georgia Department of Education

2. Statistics to Digest • 14% of People with disAbilities are fully employed (Payday) • 16% of People with disAbilities are underemployed (Snickers) • 70% are unemployed or out of the work force entirely (Kiss). • Adults with disAbilities work fewer hours -command lower wages, and earn less annually. • Their median annual earnings ($10,400) are only 58.1% of the median earnings of those not having LD ($17,886) • As reported by NFI – President Bush 2001

3. What is Transition? • Transition is the movement from school to post-school environments: • Employment • Living arrangements • Community Involvement • Transition requires support from multiple sources for the child and his/her family to make choices, develop connections, and access services.

4. Successful Transition Planning • Involvement of the family • Self-determination and student choice • Variety of support services • Person-centered planning

5. More Successful Transition Planning • Appropriate secondary curriculum • Community experiences • Interagency cooperation/Interagency Transition Council • Career development

6. IDEA 2004 - (34 CFR Part 300.43) • Transition Services a) Transition Services means a coordinated set of activities for a child with a disability that is:

7. IDEA 2004 (1) designed to be within a results-oriented process that is focused on improving the academic and functional achievement of the child with a disability to facilitate the child’s movement from school to post-school activities including: post-secondary education, vocational education, integrated employment (including supported employment), continuing and adult education, adult services, independent living, or community participation;

8. IDEA 2004 – (2) is based on the individual child’s needs, taking into account the child’s strengths, preferences and interests, and includes: (i) training and education (ii) related services, (iii) community experiences, (iv) the development of employment and other post-school adult living objectives; and (v) if appropriate, the acquisition of daily living skills and functional vocational evaluation.

9. The Law (b.) Transition Services for children may be special education, if provided as specially designed instruction or a related service, if required to assist a child with a disability to benefit from special education.

10. The Law (34 CFR Part 300.320) • Beginning not later than the first IEP to be in effect when the child turns 16, or younger if determined appropriate by the IEP team and updated annually thereafter, the IEP must include:

11. Continued… (1) appropriate measurable postsecondary goals based upon age appropriate transition assessments related to training, education, employment, and where appropriate, independent living skills, and (2) the transition services (including courses of study) needed to assist the child in reaching those goals.

12. The New Requirements in the Law Before ninth grade or age 16 which ever is first or earlier as appropriate

13. Notification(IEP) • Parents should receive notice that: • the child is invited • any other agency is invited • the purpose of the meeting also includes transition services or needs • also note that the parent must give permission for any outside agency to attend the IEP/Transition Meeting

14. Child Attendance (IEP) • If the child does not attend, the school system must take other steps to ensure that the child’s preferences and interests are considered.

15. Family Involvement • Family Training • Family Involvement • Family Empowerment

16. Interagency Collaboration • Collaborative Framework • Collaborative Service Delivery

17. The Transition Assessment Piece

18. Transition Assessment • The Division of Career Development and Transition offers this as a definition of transition assessment: • The ongoing process of collecting data on the individual’s needs, preferences, and interests as they relate to the demands of current and future working, educational, living, and person and social environments.

19. Transition Assessment • Assessment data serves as the common thread in the transition process and forms the basis for defining goals and services to be included in the individualized education program (Sitlington, Neubert, & Leconte, 1997, pp. 70-71).

20. Assessment • Formal • Informal • Checklists • Previous Information

21. Formal • Assessment Instruments and Measurements • Other Forms of Assessment

22. INTEREST Voc-Ties (8th, 9th) CDM (Career Decision Making) CAB (Career Assessment Battery (9th, 10th) GCIS (Georgia Career Information System) CII (Career Interest Inventory – in with DAT) Note: Resources given in Resource Supplement APTITUDE Learning /Working Styles TABE Val Par SAM / PAS (Pre-vocational Assessment Survey) TAP (Talent Assessment Program) DAT (Differential Aptitude Test) Check: Web Resources for additional information What Instruments Can Be Used?(For Example and Discussion Only!)

23. Informal • Questions/Discussion with Parents • Training/Education • Employment • Daily Living Skills

24. Check Lists • Available in Transition Resource Manual • Other

25. Previous Information • CRCT Tests/GHSGT-On-Line Assessment System • Scholastic Aptitude Test-SAT On-Line • Testing Coordinator at your school • School Improvement Resources • Graduation Coaches

26. Goals of Transition Assessments • Helping students make informed choices • Helping students take charge of the process • Helping students understand skills needed for post-school environments.

27. Characteristics of Transition Assessment • Transition Assessment is student centered • Transition Assessment is continuous • Transition Assessment occurs in many places • Transition Assessment must involve other people

28. Effective Transition Planning: The Forms and the Meetings

29. Members of the IEP Team • Student • Parents • Any agency (public or private) that is likely to provide services or to pay for services (with the consent of the parent or child) • All other IEP team members (including Graduation Coach)

30. The IEP • The Transition Plan (at the beginning of the meeting) will serve as a guide to the development of the rest of the IEP. • This plan will assist the child and the IEP Team in identifying the skills and supports needed to reach transition goals.

31. Additional Information • FAPE is available to all children with disabilities ages 3 -21 who have not graduated from high school with a regular diploma. • Graduation from high school with a diploma constitutes a change in placement and requires prior written notice

32. Summary of Performance • For a student whose eligibility terminates due to graduation with a regular diploma or exceeding the age requirements, a public agency must provide the child with a summary of the child’s academic achievements and functional performance, which shall include recommendations on how to assist the child in meeting the child’s postsecondary goals.

33. Transition Aspects of the IEP (The Plan)

34. Transition Service Plan Transition Aspects of the IEP

36. Measurable Post-Secondary Outcome Goals Based on Assessments Definitions: (1) appropriate measurable postsecondary goals based upon age appropriate transition assessments related to training, education, employment, and where appropriate, independent living skills, and (2) the transition services (including courses of study) needed to assist the child in reaching those goals.

37. Measurable Post-Secondary Outcome Goals A. Clear and understandable B. Positively stated C. Based on academic achievement and functional performance D. Based on age appropriate assessments E. Practical and relevant to transition

38. Peach State Pathways This Peach State Pathways document can serve as the Transition Service Plan or the Transition Components of the IEP if it is completed at the beginning of the Individualized Education Program meeting for students with disabilities. It should be completed by the time the student is transition age. It should drive all contents of Individualized Education Program.

39. Student Information : Demographics, etc.

40. Goals: These should be measurable post-secondary outcome/completion goals based on what the student wants to achieve after graduation. They should be major life accomplishment goals or completion goals that are completed after the student graduates from school.

41. Under Career Goals, Employment Goals for transition should be addressed. Also, Course of Study should be included.

42. Under Education/Training Section Educational and Training Goals should be addressed.

43. Under Student’s Personal Living Goals Daily Independent Living Goals should be addressed , as appropriate.

44. Student Information : Demographics, etc.

45. Intervention Plan for Graduation

46. Under Action Strategies and Interventions: The student’s measurable transition IEP goals that will help the student reach the desired measurable post-secondary outcome/completion goals should be listed in measurable terms along with implementation dates, resources, person or agency responsible, success and method of measurement.

47. Also, note that at least one of these goals should be listed for each of the desired measurable post-secondary outcome/completion goals from the “Goal Section” on the first page.

48. The completion of this section should be directly related to the how, when, where, and what is needed to complete each measurable post-secondary outcome/completion goal. It should be relevant to “how to get to” the desired measurable post-secondary outcome/completion goals.

49. Intervention Plan for Graduation

50. Questions