best practices in transition: getting from compliance to quality services
DESCRIPTION
Best Practices in Transition: Getting from Compliance to Quality Services. Dr. Mary E. Morningstar [email protected] http://www.transitioncoalition.org. University of Kansas Department of Special Education. www.transitioncoalition.org. www.transitioncoalition.org. Think/Pair/Share. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
University of Kansas
Department of Special Education
Best Practices in Transition: Getting from Compliance to Quality Services
Dr. Mary E. [email protected]
http://www.transitioncoalition.org
www.transitioncoalition.org
www.transitioncoalition.org
Think/Pair/Share
Why do we need transition planning?
What do you need to do to ensure
quality outcomes?
Critical Elements of Transition
Transition to Adulthood
Family Involvement
StudentInvolvement
Curriculum &
Instruction
Inclusion,Access &
Accountability
Interagency&
Community
Services
Student-centeredTransition PlanningTransition
Assessment
Transition was included in IDEA because the first special education students to exit high school were successful in achieving positive postschool adult outcomes such as living on their own, having a well-paying job, and attending postsecondary education in record numbers.
Correct answer is: FALSE.
Beginning in the mid-1980’s, the U.S. Department of Education recognized that the first group of students who had been all the way through special education were leaving school and unsuccessful in adult life. Unemployment, lack of enrollment in postsecondary education, continued dependence on parents, social isolation, and lack of involvement in community-based activities were found among young adults with disabilities.
TRUE FALSE
Many curricula and programs do not support students with disabilities in developing essential adult-life skills.
Correct answer is TRUE
Post-school outcome research indicates that the current special education curriculum, instruction, and planning are not meeting students' needs. The National Longitudinal Transition Study-2 has reported that while outcome for many youth with disabilities is improving, they often do not learn or use the skills in their school programs that they need to achieve productivity, empowerment, and independence.
TRUE FALSE
Students with disabilities transitioning from school to adult life are not often supported by effective interagency collaboration.
Correct answer is TRUE
Limited levels of service coordination and collaboration among schools and community service agencies have created difficulties for students with disabilities in achieving positive post-school results (Johnson, et al., 2002). In many circumstances, students with disabilities leave school without appropriate community supports necessary to achieve successful adult outcomes. Many students remained at home with nothing to do because they were on long waiting lists for adult services.
TRUE FALSE
Students with disabilities are more likely to remain in school and graduate from high school than their peers without disabilities.
Correct answer is FALSE
Dropping out of school is one of the most serious problems facing special education programs across the country. Almost 1/4 of all youth with disabilities exit the school system by dropping out. Youth with ED have the highest drop out rates (from 21% to 64% - twice the rate of nondisabled students). The drop out rate for students with learning disabilities averages 25% (National Center for Education Statistics, 2001). Reasons include: lack of credits to graduate, no parental support for education, inappropriate social interactions. Dropouts have fewer options for employment and usually end up in entry level, low-paying positions.
TRUE FALSE
Transition to Adulthood
Transition Planning
• Planning early• Person-centered
Approach to Planning
• Outcomes tied to Vision for future
• IEP focuses on outcomes
• Service coordination
• Postschool outcomes data
• Documentation in the IEP
Person-Centered Planning Resourceshttp://www.transitioncoalition.org/cgiwrap/tcacs/new/resources/resources/index.php
Critical Element of Transition: Planning Differently
Features of Person-Centered Planning
• Focus on and driven by the student’s strengths, interests and preferences
• Focus on capabilities and opportunities – developing a vision for the future
• Process is flexible, dynamic and informal• Requires collaborative team work with
commitment to action• Requires an effective facilitator
K.B. Flannery, R. Slovic, &D. McLean (1994)
PLANNING ALTERNATIVE TOMORROWS WITH HOPE
1. Identify the “North Star”2. Identify the GOAL 3. Look at life NOW & identify differences
between NOW and GOAL4. Identify steps to move person from NOW
to GOAL5. Identify FIRST STEP
MAKING ACTION PLANS (MAPS)1. What is the individual’s history?2. Who is the individual?3. What are the dreams?4. What are the nightmares?5. What are the needs?6. What are the individual strengths?7. What would an ideal school day
look like?
ESSENTIAL LIFESTYLES PLANNING1. Non-negotables2. Strong preferences (Needs)3. Highly desirables (Wants/enjoy)4. Person’s positive reputation5. Things we need to do to help person
stay healthy6. Things we need to do to be successful
in supporting the person7. Unresolved Issues/Questions8. How the person communicates with us
PERSONAL FUTURES PLANNING1. Create a personal profile
• Person’s background and history• Relationships• Places• Choices• Preferences• Focus on the future
2. Review Trends in Environment3. Find desirable images of the future4. Identify obstacles and opportunities5. Identify strategies6. Getting started (Action Planning)7. Identify the need for systems change8. Create a network/Circle of Friends
Build a Personal Profile • Interview the student, family and others in their
life in a relaxed atmosphere– Break down the “big question” of “What job do you
want?” to smaller ones:– What do you like about school and classes?– What do you like to do after school?
• Spend time with the individual• Interview significant others• Hold a planning meeting using a person-
centered approachHagner & Dileo (1993)
The Personal Preference Indicators: A Guide for Planning
Moss (2006). Center for Interdisciplinary Learning and Leadership/UCE, College of Medicine, University ofOklahoma Health Sciences Center
http://www.ou.edu/content/education/centers-and-partnerships/zarrow/preference-indicators/air-self-determination-assessment.html
Adapting the MAPS Questions for TransitionMAPS Questions1. What is individual's history?2. Who is the individual?3. What are the dreams?4. What are the nightmares?5. What are individuals
needs?6. What are the individual's
strengths?7. What would an ideal school
day look like?
Adaptations1. Who is individual?2. What is individual's history?3. What is the vision for his/her
adult life?4. What are some things
individual doesn't want in his/her future
5. What are individual's greatest strengths and contributions for community involvement?
6. What does individual need to be successful in his/her career?
7. What would an ideal day look like?
Using MAPS to plan for Transition:
Angie’s MAPhttp://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?docid=9020965358453350536&hl
Community Participation Postsecondary Education & Training
Community LivingEmployment
From PCP to Postsecondary Goals
From: Furney, et al., (nd) Making Dreams Happen: How to Facilitate the MAPS Process. University of Vermont
• go on to college
• needs experiences with lots of different places
• Expand her social life• Transportation is
problem• going to movies,
fishing, camping, horseback riding • needs experiences
with lots of different places
• Expand her social life• Work on safety when
alone (e.g., tipping out of wheelchair)
• independent living skills
Angie’s Transition IEP
• Measurable postsecondary goal: Upon completion of high school, Angie will work 20 hours a week in an occupation that focuses on retail sales.
• Transition Services: – Instruction: Angie will participate in a careers class focused on
job training in retail sales– Community Experiences: Angie will complete referral for VR– Employment: Angie will job shadow at 3 different retail settings– Adult living and Daily living: Angie will participate in bus travel
training; Angie will get herself up in the mornings and get ready for school.
• IEP goals:
Planning for the Future
Transition to Adulthood
Family Involvement
• Family members attend meetings
• Flexible to meet with families
• Transition = family as a whole
• Involved in decisions
• Agreement on outcomes
• Information• Person-centered
planning
Working with Families www.transitioncoalition.orgTA Alliance for Parent Centers http://www.taalliance.org/
Critical Element of Transition: involving Families
Critical Elements of Transition
Transition to Adulthood
Family Involvement
• Family members attend meetings
• Transition = family as a whole
• Involved in decisions
• Flexible to meet with families
• Agreement on outcomes
• Information• Person-centered
planningwww.transitioncoalition.org Working with Families online module
Knowing Families: Family Systems Framework
Family Characteristics• Description of the family• Personal characteristics
• Special challenges
ExtendedFamily
Marital
Parent-child
Siblings
Cohesion AdaptabilityFamily Interaction
Family Functions
Affection, Self-esteem, Economics, Daily care, Socialization, Recreation, Education, Spiritual
Family Life Cycle
• Stages and Transitions
• Changes in Characteristics
• Changes in Functions
• Changes in Life Roles
Michael Bridges’ Transition Cycle Theory
• Types of adult services• Role models• Basic facts about transition• Areas most wanted by families in one study:• sexuality• self-care• getting along with others• taking responsibility
•Guardianship and estate planning • Role of IEP team members•Criteria for evaluating IEP• Postschool option• Social security
• Listen empathetically• Share information• Communicate family
meaning• Focus on family
identified issues• Reliably respond • Meet in friendly
places• Tell personal stories
• Share information and resources
• Use multiple formats & ways to provide information
• Ensure reciprocity• Informal and
frequent communication
• Arrange linkages with other families and available supports
Building Relationships with Families
• Identify transition cycle of the family
• Learn to LISTEN
• INVITE Involvement
• Pay attention to family concerns & postschool outcomes
• Exchange information
• Parent involvement activities
Coming Together for the IEP
• Prepare in advance• Connecting and getting
started• Sharing visions and
transition outcomes• Reviewing levels of
performance & assessments
• Sharing resources, priorities, concerns
• Developing goals and objectives
• Specifying placement and related services
• Summarizing and concluding
Transition to Adulthood
StudentInvolvement
• Decision-making skills and opportunities
• Invited to attend meetings
• Ideas listened to and respected
• Opportunities to learn about options
• Self-advocate• Self-Directed
IEPs• Parent info. to
support students
The Self-Determination Centerhttp://web.uccs.edu/education/special/self_determination/index.htmlSelf-Determination Synthesis Projecthttp://www.uncc.edu/sdsphttp://www.uncc.edu/sdsp/sd_lesson_plans.asp
Critical Element of Transition: Supported Self-Determination!
If a student floated in a lifejacket for 12 years, would he/she be expected to swim if the jacket were jerked off?
SOURCE: Hoffman, A., & Field, S. (2006). Steps to self-determination (2nd ed.). Austin, TX: PRO-ED
Know Yourself &Your Environment Value Yourself
Plan
Act
Outcomes & Learn
Environment
Self-Determination Model
Curricula for Participating and Directing IEP Transition Meetings
Teaches students to become active members of their IEP team!
Techniques to Help Students Actively Participate in IEP Meetings
• Ask students questions such as:– What are your learning
strengths?– What are your areas of
improvement?– What are your goals for
school?– What are your career &
employment interests?– How do you learn best?– What are your hobbies?
• Be positive – focus on what the student can do
Listen attentively & take notes
Give students plenty of time to think & respond
Use information that the student provides
Summarize the student’s goals and plans
Encourage the student to ask questions
http://www.imdetermined.org/
Preferences• Visual• Auditory
Needs• Preferred Seating• Quiet setting• Copies of notes
Strengths• Want job as officer• Artistic• I like to sleep right
when I get home
Interests
• Swimming• Video games• Law enforcement
Name: MichaelAddress:DOB:
You’re Invited
Date: Time:
Transition to Adulthood
Evidence-basedPractices TargetingOutcomes
• Academic instruction tied to outcomes
• Inclusive Educational Experiences
• Vocational instruction & experiences
• Independent living skills• Social, interpersonal &
recreation• Functional curriculum
reflects outcomes• Natural & age-appropriate• Transition Programs Post-
HS for ALL students
Think College http://www.thinkcollege.net/Going to Collegehttp://www.going-to-college.org/ Transition to Collegehttp://www.transitiontocollege.net/
Transition & Instructional Strategieshttp://www.ncset.org/topics/default.asp
Evidence-based Practices in Transition (National Secondary Transition TA Center NSTTAC)http://www.nsttac.org/ebp/ebp_main.aspx
What Works Transition Synthesis Research Projecthttp://www.nsttac.org/ebp/what_works.aspx
Student-Focused Planning
Student Development Interagency
Collaboration
Program Structures
Family Involvement
Taxonomy for Transition Programming
NSTTAC Evidence-Based Practices
NSTTACPredictorsof Post-School
Success
http://www.nsttac.org/content/lesson-plan-
starters
Preparing All Youth for Transition to Postsecondary Education & Training
• Youth with ID are less likely to be employed (~ 17%)• 11% attended 2 or 4 year postsec. Setting• 33% had a goal of sheltered employment
• 55% never employed before postsecondary • 33% employed post-program (43% of working had never
been in a paid position)
• Postsecondary experiences impact employment outcomes, self-image and social value
From: Think College (2011, Nov. 18). College: An Unexplored Pathway to Employment for People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
Critical Elements of Transition:Inclusion Access and Accountablility
Transition to Adulthood
Inclusion,Access &
Accountability
• Enroll in instructional program to meet needs
• Social inclusion• Gen. Ed & Voc. Ed. get
support• Inclusion leads to
positive outcomes• Decision-making
process used• Accommodations on
IEP & State and District Tests
Transition & Instructional Strategies
Inclusive Education Leads to Better Outcomes
• Improved IEP Quality – Age-appropriateness– Functionality– Generalization
• Improved Instruction in General Education– Increased instruction in functional skills, basic academic skills,
literacy, etc.– More engaged in learning and less isolation than in separate
classes– Involvement and support from peers w/o disabilities– Individualized instruction in general ed classes
• Better outcomes– In school and postschool (fewer absences & referrals, higher social
interactions & communication skills, better postschool outcomes)
Embedding‘New Basic Skills’…Academic Courses
Sciences Language Arts Social Studies
New Basic Skills
Basic MathBasic ReadingProblem SolvingTeaming-CollaborationCommunication
Basic ReadingProblem SolvingTeaming-CollaborationCommunicationComputer Knowledge
Basic ReadingProblem SolvingTeaming-CollaborationCommunicationComputer Knowledge
Employability Skills’
DependabilityCareer AwarenessTeamworkDress and groomingInitiativeAsking for helpPositive Attitude
DependabilityCareer AwarenessTeamworkDress and groomingInitiativeAsking for helpPositive Attitude
DependabilityCareer AwarenessTeamworkCommunity ResponsibilitiesInitiativePositive Attitude
Adapted From: Maryland Coalition on Inclusive Education(August 2009). Redefining What is Functional in High School. MCIE High School Inclusion and Transition Planning Institute
Peer Tutoring & Peer Mediated Instruction
Peer Supports
Natural Supports in the Community
Facilitating Friendships and Social Interactions
Critical Element of Transition:School and Community Connections!!
Critical Elements of Transition: Assess for Quality
Transition to Adulthood
Interagency&
CommunityServices
• School-business partnerships
• Process for identifying needs
• Formal & informal supports
• Accurate information• Interagency
agreements• Community transition
teams• Collecting Postschool
Outcomes
Interagency and Community Systems:http://www.transitioncoalition.org/transition/ics.php
Why Focus on Interagency Collaboration?
• Adolescents with disabilities in transition have complex support needs
• Inability of different systems to work together
• 88% of all states have failed to establish interagency linkages under IDEA
• No agency has all that is needed to plan & provide comprehensive transition services
LEA Capacities & Strategies• Scheduling and staffing• Early planning• Flexibility in location of
services• Follow-up after
transition• Administrative support• Funding• State support • Collaboration with adult
agencies
• Meeting with students and families
• Training students and families
• Joint training of staff
• Meeting with agency staff and transition councils
• Transition portfolios• Disseminating
information widely
LEA and SEA Attitudes
• Clear value of relationship building• Relationship Building Capacity: Positive
Attitudes • Relationship-Building Strategies:
– Advocacy– Ongoing meetings– Transition councils
• Family Members• Student• Education personnel• School support staff• Community members
• Peers and friends• Administrators• Postsecondary Ed. staff• Community Service
Providers
Who should participate in transition planning?
Critical Elements of Transition: Assess for Quality
Transition Assessment
• Ongoing Process to identify strengths, interests & needs related to postsecondary goals
• Individualized• Real-world settings• Student-centered• Formal & Informal
MethodsTransition Assessment: The Big Picturehttp://www.transitioncoalition.org
Transition to Adulthood
Based on age appropriate transition assessments….
• Define Transition Assessment…..
The ongoing process of collecting data on the individual’s strengths, needs, preferences, and interests as they relate to the demands of current and future working, educational, living, and personal, and social environments. Assessment data serve as the common thread in the transition process and form the basis for defining goals and services to be included in the IEP (DCDT Position Statement, Sitlington, 1996)
Transition Assessment:Where Do You Start?
Guiding Questions Planning for
AssessmentUsing Data
Integrating Data & IEP
What and How to Assess
Resources:www.transitioncoalition.org: Online module (Transition Assessment: The Big Picture & Assessment Resourceshttp://www.transitioncoalition.org/cgiwrap/tcacs/new/resources/presentations/index.php : pdfs of commercially available assessments & questions to ask
Quality Indicators of Effective Transition Programs Needs Assessment
www.transitioncoalition.org
This tool allows individuals, schools, districts, regions and states to complete a self-assessment program regarding seven research-based indicators of effective transition practices:
– Transition planning– Student involvement– Family involvement– Interagency collaboration– Curriculum and instruction– Inclusion in school and access to the general
curriculum– Transition assessment
The resulting data is used to identify critical needs and priorities for on-site and online professional development
Transition to Adulthood
Transition
Assessment
Family Involvement
StudentInvolvementCurriculum &
Instruction
Inclusion,Access &
Accountability
Interagency
&
Community
Services
Transition Planning & IEP