Partnering in Student Success

1. Partnering in Student Success Division of Special Education Services and Supports, Division of Career, Technical and Agricultural Education, and Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency January 2017

3. Student Success:Imagine the Possibilities • State Systemic Improvement Plan • Georgia’s brand: • “Student Success: Imagine the Possibilities” • Georgia’s plan has identified 50 intensive districts. • 206 LEAs in Georgia with 209,106 students with disabilities • All districts have SSIP plans. • Many districts have included GVRA as a partner in their work. • There are high expectations across the state because of the exciting opportunities with WIOA and E3/Transition Services.

4. “Student Success: Imagine the Possibilities” • State identified three main barriers to student success that ultimately impact school completion: • Access to the General Curriculum • Access to Positive School Climate • Access to Specially Designed Instruction

6. Strategic Focus Our goal is to increase the graduation rate for students with disabilities. All students should have the opportunity to earn a regular diploma. The dropout rate must decrease.

7. Transition Best Practices:Priorities for 2016-2017 • Effective partnership within the Georgia Department of Education and across agencies • Key partner: Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency (GVRA) • Increased knowledge and understanding of: • Career Clusters and Pathways • Move on When Ready • Georgia’s Dual Enrollment Program • Strategies to integrate the increased knowledge of MOWR and Career Pathways to impact every IEP meeting • Building capacity to meet Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) requirements

8. Priorities for 2016-2017 • Meaningful annual goals in transition plans to lead to intentional, incremental steps to reach the student’s post-secondary goal • Transition plans should not be developed in isolation but as a part of the IEP meeting • Increase student and parental involvement in the planning and meeting process • Assistive technology must be considered and integrated to support students

9. Priorities for 2016-2017 • Transition planning must begin early • Emphasis on middle school • Essential partners are GVRA and school counselors • Must be true partners in our work beginning in middle school and each step along the continuum • Utilize the Individual Graduation Plan in the IEP meeting • Collaborate rather than duplicate career assessments

10. Transition • Best Practice vs Compliance • Transition Plan Compliance FY16 • Indicator 13 • 98.41%

12. Are our results really 98.41%?

13. FY16 data

17. Transition Data 50 Targeted Intensive Districts

19. Comparison of FY15 to FY16 Data 50 Intensive Districts

20. Annual Event Graduation Rate Comparison FY15 FY16

21. Dropout Rate FY15 FY16

22. Results Driven Accountability

23. Putting the pieces together

24. CTAE concentrators have a 94.9% graduation rate – almost 16 points higher than the state average! CTAE Graduation Rate 94.9% FY 15 CTAE Annual Report

25. Career Pathway, Increasing the Graduation Rate and Career Technical Instruction • Academic integration reinforces the skills learned in academic classes • Help students realize the application between academics and the world of work • Hone in students’ interests, keep them engaged and in school • Gives students opportunity to earn industry credentials • Career Technical Student Organizations (CTSOs) provide leadership opportunities • Cultivates a strong relationship between teacher & students

26. Move on When Ready (MOWR) Georgia’s Dual Enrollment Program • Partnered with Division of Career, Technical, and Agricultural Education (CTAE) to provide training and information to special education leaders across the state • A guidance document has been developed for students with disabilities participating in MOWR • Partnering with the Technical College System of Georgia, Office of Disabilities, to effectively support students, parents and educators

27. A closer look – Assistive Technology • According to the National Longitudinal Transition Study (NLTS2) - 2012: • Comparing postsecondary outcomes of students with high incidence disabilities who reported receiving assistive technology (AT) in high school to those who reported not receiving AT (study included 305,000+ students)

28. Look a little further • According to NLTS2 • 99.8% of the students who received AT graduated while only 79.6% of those who did not receive AT graduated. • 80.9% of students who received AT attended a postsecondary institution while only 40.1% of students who did not receive AT attended a postsecondary institution. • 80% of those who received AT had a paying job after high school while only 50.8% of those who did not receive AT had a paying job. • Only 7.8% of students with high-incidence disabilities reported receiving AT in high school.

29. Assistive Technology • What are the implications of the study? • How can we better collectively support students based on this information?

30. Key Points CTAE pathway completers graduate at higher rates Data reflects assistive technology has a significant impact on graduation rate as well as success after high school

31. Partnerships and Initiatives

32. Partnerships and Initiatives to Support Meaningful Transition • Career, Technical, and Agricultural Education (CTAE) • Professional Learning on Career Clusters and Pathways • Career Technical Instruction (CTI) • Move on When Ready (MOWR) • Georgia’s Dual Enrollment Program • Georgia Inclusive Post-Secondary Education Consortium (GAIPSEC) • Project SEARCH

33. Partnerships and Initiatives to Support Meaningful Transition ASPIRE - Active Student Participation Inspires Real Engagement Quality Indicators of Exemplary Transition Programs Needs Assessment Professional Learning

35. GVRA WIOA and Transition Services The Act as amended by WIOA (Act) places a heightened emphasis on the provision of services, including pre-employment transition services, to students and youth with disabilities to ensure they have meaningful opportunities to receive training and other services necessary to achieve employment outcomes in competitive integrated settings.

36. GVRA Definition Student with a disability (361.5(c)(51) – has three components: Age requirement (14 -22). Educational program attendance. The requirement that the individual is eligible for and receiving special education or related services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), or is an individual with a disability, for the purpose of section 504 of the Act.

37. EXPLORE, ENGAGE, EMPLOY

38. Partnerships and Initiatives to Support Meaningful Transition EXPLORE, ENGAGE, EMPLOY • Troup, Hall, Paulding, Decatur, Atlanta Area School for the Deaf, Georgia School for the Deaf and Georgia Academy for the Blind • High School High Tech

39. Exciting News:GVRA and SSIP Will assign a Service Area Manager/Career Pathways Specialist to each GLRS Participate in Collaborative Communities Serve on the SSIP Regional Team Meet with intensive districts Build relationships Work together – not separately

40. Expectations • Build relationships • Listen and learn from each other • Exchange information • Increase awareness of services available • Identify regional needs • Leverage resources • Understand opportunities and challenges from both perspectives

41. Help build the bridge

42. Partnering in Professional Learning CTAE College and Career Counseling Workshop: Transition, Advisement and Individual Graduation Planning Overview

43. CTAE Partnership • Career, Technical, and Agricultural Education (CTAE) • Professional Learning on Career Clusters and Pathways • Counseling for Careers, Career Development, Transition, and Workforce Development • Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) to deliver professional learning • Two day sessions • January 26-27, 2017 and February 7-8, 2017 • Will train more than 500 administrators and teachers as well as leaders from GaDOE, GLRS and GVRA

44. CTAE Partnership • Team from each intensive district • CTAE Director, Special Education Director, High School/Middle School Principals, High School/Middle School Special Education and CTAE Teachers, High School/Middle School Counselor and GVRA Career Specialist - Maximum of 8 participants from each district • Georgia Learning Resource System Directors, GaDOE District Liaisons and Georgia Network for Educational and Therapeutic Support will also be included • GVRA will send 50 participants to embed with assigned districts • Follow-up plan through SSIP next steps to be submitted July 2017 with the consolidated application • Seamless alignment with SSIP across GaDOE divisions and in partnership with GVRA

45. Participating School Districts • Submit their district’s goals to the GaDOE through the next steps section of the system SSIP in July 2017. • Metrics to collect and monitor data containing the percent of students completing an individual graduation plan and a career pathway must be included. • Implementation will begin in the 2017-2018 school year. • Participants will re-deliver workshop information and professional learning activities to school faculties to aid in the development of a school-wide advisement program.

46. Georgia Career Information System • Georgia Career Information System • Will replace GAcollege411 • Career assessments are available in GCIS • Collaborate rather than duplicate • GVRA and GaDOE entered a Memorandum of Understanding for GVRA to provide GCIS for all middle and high schools throughout the state providing an integrated approach for Georgia’s students.

47. Building Capacity

48. Pre-Employment Transition Services • Job exploration counseling • Work-based learning experiences, which may include in-school or after school opportunities, or experience outside the traditional school setting (including internships), that is provided in an integrated environment to the maximum extent possible • Counseling on opportunities for enrollment in comprehensive transition or postsecondary educational programs at institutions of higher education • Workplace readiness training to develop social skills and independent living • Instruction in self-advocacy, which may include peer mentoring.

49. Building Capacity – Proposal • Career Specialists to work directly with the 50 intensive districts • Regional Career Specialists to provide universal support • Emphasis on Governor’s High Demand Career Initiatives • Career/clusters and pathways –roadmap for annual steps • MOWR expert • Support for entrance exam and securing accommodations • Increase interaction with school counselors

50. Fidelity of Implementation • Responsibilities • Funding • In-kind support from LEA and GLRS/RESA • Supervision • Expectation of the LEA • Professional Learning • State, Region and District level to implement to fidelity