Getting It Done: Preparing All Students for Post-School Success in Idaho

Idaho Transition CadreHailey, ID

October 2, 2013

National Secondary TransitionTechnical Assistance Center

What’s an NSTTAC?• U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special

Education Programs (OSEP) funded technical assistance & dissemination center

• NSTTAC = National Secondary Transition Technical Assistance Center

• January 1, 2006 - December, 2014• Pronounced: /IN / STAK• Housed at UNC Charlotte and partner with

Western Michigan University

NSTTAC Charge

Provide TA and

disseminate resources

Build state capacity

Improve student

outcomes

Foster data collection and use

What Does NSTTAC Offer to Me? • Disseminates federal policy/legal information through

state departments of public instruction– Secondary transition compliance (e.g., SOP, 1-13)

• Facilitates research-to-practice • Offers resources to Idaho DOE (&59 others) to help the

state build its efforts to improve secondary transition• Responds to requests for information from stakeholders

NSTTAC’s Technical Assistance

Intensive – more face to face,

intensive work in LEA

Targeted/ Time Limited – workshops, consultation

All States - website, capacity building institute, phone and e-mail

Intensive TA States

• Bureau of Indian Education

• Delaware• Florida• Georgia• Idaho• Indiana• Louisiana

• Maine• Missouri• Rhode Island• Tennessee• Utah• Washington, D.C.

NSTTAC Technical Assistance

• Engage in NSTTAC activities• Provide resourcesNational

• Build state-specific capacity• Address state-specific

context(s)State

• Empower local improvement• Engage directly in local contextLocal

Idaho

Blaine County

Context for Improving Practice

Factors Federal policy State and

local policy Community Effective

practices

IDEA Accountability Mandates

• Continuous Improvement Monitoring Process (CIMP) – Compliance with IDEA

• State Performance Plan (SPP)– Set targets for key compliance and performance data

(indicators)

• Annual Performance Report (APR)– Report key compliance and performance data

(indicators) – did you meet the target?

Using Transition Indicators to Improve What We DoPost-School Outcomes

~Indicator 14~ Postsecondary education and/or

training Employment Independent living

Dropping Out~Indicator 2~

Why? Appropriate programs? Address student and family

needs?

Graduation~Indicator 1~

Expectations and standards? Various pathways available? Linkage to post-school

environments?

What’s the Quality of Our IEPs?

~Indicator 13~ Measurable post-school and annual

goals Transition-related assessments Course of study, services, and

activities Coordination of services

Not so good?

Good?

Why? Why Not?

Critical Interrelationship

Quality IEPs Staying in School

GraduatingAchieving post-school outcomes

Critical Interrelationship

Establishing transition education

and services

Developing individual

student IEPs

Preparing students for the

future

Cadre to Build Capacity

Process

Improve student

outcomes by

improving what we

do!

Cadre to Build Capacity

Process

Increase knowledge

Reflect on current practices

Develop plans to address needs

How do we do that?

• Content

• Data review and use

• Strategic planning

• Support each other

• Leave with an actionable plan!

NSTTAC Model Strategies

Student-Focused Planning

Student Development Interagency

Collaboration

Program Structures

Family Involvement

Taxonomy for Transition Programming

Taxonomy for Transition Programming

• IEP Development• Student Participation• Planning Strategies

STUDENT-FOCUSED PLANNING

PROGRAM STRUCTURES

• Program Philosophy• Program Policy• Strategic Planning• Program Evaluation• Resource Allocation• Human Resource Development

STUDENT DEVELOPMENT

• Life Skills Instruction• Employment Skills Instruction• Career & Vocational Curricula• Structured Work Experience• Assessment• Support Services

FAMILY INVOLVEMENT

• Family Training• Family Involvement• Family Empowerment

• Collaborative Framework• Collaborative Service Delivery

INTERAGENCY COLLABORATION

Taxonomy for Transition Programming

• IEP Development• Student Participation• Planning Strategies

STUDENT-FOCUSED PLANNING

PROGRAM STRUCTURES

• Program Philosophy• Program Policy• Strategic Planning• Program Evaluation• Resource Allocation• Human Resource Development

STUDENT DEVELOPMENT

• Life Skills Instruction• Employment Skills Instruction• Career & Vocational Curricula• Structured Work Experience• Assessment• Support Services

FAMILY INVOLVEMENT

• Family Training• Family Involvement• Family Empowerment

• Collaborative Framework• Collaborative Service Delivery

INTERAGENCY COLLABORATION

Academic Skills Instruction

Data-Based Decision Making

• What data? – Indicator data – Student outcome data (in and post school)– Exit survey data– Data across agencies– Teacher knowledge data

• Why data?

A “Tool” to Facilitate Planning

• Current Status

• A plan

• What are we doing now?

• What do we need to do?

• What will we do?

• How will we measure our progress?

Focus Questions

“Must - Have” Cadre Materials

• Agenda

• Handouts (from registration and more!)

• Team planning tool

• Evaluation

• Attitude!

How Will Your District Plans Get Done?

• Communicate the message back home• Who was missing?• Who else is doing this work in your State?

region of the State? district?– Playing with others– Playing alone

• Use Cadre

Make Progress• Reconvene• Measurable goals • Activities toward the goals• Assign tasks• Deadlines• Celebrate your successes!

• Monitor your progress and continue to meet!

Why Is Evaluation Important?

• What gets measured, gets done

• If you don’t measure results, you can’t tell success from failure

• If you can’t see success, you can’t reward it

Osborne & Gaebler, 1992, Chapter 5, “Results Oriented Government”

What Do You Do If When It Doesn’t All Work Perfectly?

• Self-determined model of planning– Each plan is based on YOUR context– Identify goals you can achieve– Identify goals that are meaningful to YOUR district

• Reconvene • Network to problem solve – think up, down,

and across

Off we go…

Need to Be Doing What Works

Flash Back to 1984

What to do ?????

What Does Research Tell Us?• Are based on rigorous research designs • Have demonstrated a record of success for improving

student outcomes• Have undergone systematic review process using quality

indicators to evaluate level of evidence

Evidence-Based

Practices

• Are based on rigorous research designs • Have demonstrated a record of success for improving

student outcomes

Research-Based

Practices

• Are based on research• Have demonstrated limited success• Have used a ‘weak’ research design

Promising Practices

• Are not based on research• Have no data to support effectiveness• Based on anecdotal evidence and/or professional

judgment

Unestablished Practices

What Does the Field Tell Us?• Are based on rigorous research designs • Have demonstrated a record of success for improving

student outcomes• Have undergone systematic review process using quality

indicators to evaluate level of evidence

Evidence-Based

Practices

• Are based on rigorous research designs • Have demonstrated a record of success for improving

student outcomes

Research-Based

Practices

• Are based on research• Have demonstrated limited success• Have used a ‘weak’ research design

Promising Practices

• Are not based on research• Have no data to support effectiveness• Based on anecdotal evidence and/or professional

judgment

Unestablished Practices

NSTTAC Builds On

Transition Practices Research

• Serves as a conceptual framework

• Provides a foundation for change

• Helps focus efforts and initiatives

• Provides concrete information

Student-Focused Planning

Student Development Interagency

Collaboration

Program Structures

Family Involvement

Taxonomy for Transition Programming

Taxonomy for Transition Programming

• IEP Development• Student Participation• Planning Strategies

STUDENT-FOCUSED PLANNING

PROGRAM STRUCTURES

• Program Philosophy• Program Policy• Strategic Planning• Program Evaluation• Resource Allocation• Human Resource Development

STUDENT DEVELOPMENT

• Life Skills Instruction• Employment Skills Instruction• Career & Vocational Curricula• Structured Work Experience• Assessment• Support Services

FAMILY INVOLVEMENT

• Family Training• Family Involvement• Family Empowerment

• Collaborative Framework• Collaborative Service Delivery

INTERAGENCY COLLABORATION

Taxonomy for Transition Programming

• IEP Development• Student Participation• Planning Strategies

STUDENT-FOCUSED PLANNING

PROGRAM STRUCTURES

• Program Philosophy• Program Policy• Strategic Planning• Program Evaluation• Resource Allocation• Human Resource Development

STUDENT DEVELOPMENT

• Life Skills Instruction• Employment Skills Instruction• Career & Vocational Curricula• Structured Work Experience• Assessment• Support Services

FAMILY INVOLVEMENT

• Family Training• Family Involvement• Family Empowerment

• Collaborative Framework• Collaborative Service Delivery

INTERAGENCY COLLABORATION

Academic Skills Instruction

Student Development

• Student Development = the “stuff” of the educational program

37

What We Have Done• Reviewed experimental research to identify

evidence-based practices in secondary transition

• Identified 63 evidence-based practices• Developed over 75 Research to Practice

Lesson Plan StartersTaxonomy Category

Evidence-Based Practices

Research to Practice Lesson

Plan Starters

Student Focused Planning

6 9

Student Development 56 98

Family Involvement 1 0

Program Structure 9 9

Student Development

Teaching Academic Skills• Using Mnemonics • Using Peer Assisted

Instruction • Using Self-Management

Instruction• Using Technology • Using Visual Displays

Teaching Functional Life Skills • Using Backward Chaining• Using Constant Time Delay• Using Forward Chaining• Using Progressive Time Delay • Using Self-Monitoring

Instruction• Using a System of Least to

Most Prompts • Using a System of Most to

Least Prompts • Using Total Task Chaining

Student Development

Teaching Banking Skills • Using Community Based

Instruction • Using Constant Time Delay • Using Simulations

Teaching Community Integration Skills Using Community Based Instruction

Teaching Food Preparation and Cooking Skills

• Using Computer Assisted Instruction

• Using Constant Time Delay

• Using Response Prompting

• Using Video Modeling • Using a System of Least to

Most Prompts

Student Development

Teaching Grocery Shopping Skills

• Using Computer Assisted Instruction

• Using Community Based Instruction

• Using Response Prompting• Using a System of Least to Most

Prompts

Teaching Home Maintenance Skills

• Using Response Prompting• Using Video Modeling

Teaching Laundry Tasks Using Response Prompting

Teaching Leisure Skills • Using Response Prompting • Using Constant Time Delay

Teaching Safety Skills • Using Community Based

Instruction• Using Progressive Time Delay • Using a System of Least to Most

Prompts

Student Development (more)

Teaching Counting Money Using the One More Than Strategy

Teaching Finance Skills Using

an Extension of Career Planning Services after Graduation

Teaching Purchasing Skills • Using Community Based

Instruction• Using the One More Than

Strategy• Using Progressive Time

Delay • Using Response Prompting• Using Simulations • Using a System of Least to

Most Prompts

Student Development

Teaching Self Determination Using Whose Future Is It Anyway?

Teaching Goal Attainment Using the Self Determined Learning Model of Instruction

Teaching Social Skills • Using Response Prompting• Using Self-Management

Instruction • Using Simulations

Teaching Communication Skills • Using Community Based

Instruction• Using a System of Least to

Most Prompts

Student Development (last one!)

Teaching Employment Skills • Using Community Based

Instruction• Using Response Prompting

Teaching Job Specific Skills • Using Computer Assisted

Instruction • Using Constant Time Delay • Using Self-Management

Instruction • Using a System of Least to

Most Prompts

Teaching Completing a Job Application Using Mnemonics

Promising Practices to Teach AcademicsConstant Time Delay

a prompting procedure that uses variations in the time intervals between presentation of the natural stimulus and the response prompt

Graduated Sequence of Instruction

uses concrete, then representational, then abstract (math)

Prompting Strategies

to transfer stimulus control from response prompts to the natural stimulus (most to least or least to most [verbal, gestural, physical])

Role Play simulations and problem solving scenarios through application

Strategy Instruction

Includes mnemonic. Also other cognitive strategies, schema based, use of cue cards to prompt steps in a strategy (math, writing)

Structured Inquiry

structured hands-on experiments with formative feedback from the teacher (Science)

Systematic Instruction

model, lead, test

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Research to Practice Lesson Plan Starters

• Objective• Setting/materials• Content to be taught• Teaching procedures• How to evaluate student learning• Reference used to write lesson plan starter

46

The Missing Link

Post-School

OutcomesPredictorsLesson

Plans

Practices

Transition Practices Research

Macro Level• Systems• Programs• “Generic” practices

Micro Level Specific

interventions

Predictors! Practices!

nsttac.org

•Career Awareness

•Community Experiences

•Graduating with a Diploma*

•Inclusion in General Education*

•Agency Participation*

•Occupational Courses*

•Paid Work Experience*

•Parent Expectations (new)

•Parental Involvement*

Predictors of Post-School Success

•Program of Study

•Self-Determination*

•Self-Care/Independent Living

•Social Skills*

•Student Support

•Transition Instruction*

•Vocational Education*

•Work Study*

NSTTAC, 2009; Coyle, 2012

What do I do now?

Career Awareness

• job shadowing, internships, guest speakers, industry tours, Career Technical Education classes, or career fairs

• identify skills and qualifications required for occupations

• embed career awareness in the general curriculum • explicit connections between academic skills and

use in various careers • age appropriate student assessment of career

awareness (e.g., interest inventories)

Occupational Courses

• career awareness activities, career planning, and vocational assessments in all occupational courses

• include technology, 21st century skills and employability skills for specific career/career cluster content

• hands-on and community-based opportunities to learn occupational specific skills

• Universal Design for Learning principles in CTE programs • course offerings throughout the school day so scheduling

conflicts do not restrict student access to occupational courses • occupational courses that represent a wide variety of

occupational clusters

Paid Work Experiences• opportunities to participate in job shadowing, work-study,

apprenticeships, or internships• instruction in soft skills (e.g., problem solving, communicating

with authority figures, responding to feedback, promptness) and occupational specific skills (e.g., clerical, machine operation)

• transportation training• instruction in obtaining (e.g., resume development) and

maintaining a job • link eligible students to appropriate adult services services prior

to exiting • ensure employment training placements offer opportunities for

(1) working 30+ hours/week, (2) making minimum wage or higher, with benefits, and (3) utilizing individualized supports and reasonable accommodations

Vocational Education• sequence of entry level and advanced integrated academic

and vocational courses • combination of in-school and community-based academic,

competency-based applied, and hands-on learning experiences, based on the local labor market

• connection to postsecondary education and/or employment through site visits and connections with support services

• opportunities to earn certificates in certain career areas • career counseling and guidance to assist students in career

planning• career development through volunteer work, job shadowing,

work-study, apprenticeships, or internships.

Exit Exam/ Diploma Status

• test-taking strategies and study skills • assist students to plan for and use appropriate

accommodations• standardized practice tests periodically to

monitor progress towards • student remediation assistance if they fail the

test • multiple opportunities to take the test as

allowed by the school/district for all students

Inclusion in General Education

• administrative support (e.g., professional development for teachers and paraprofessionals, common planning, providing paraprofessionals) to teachers for students with disabilities included in general education classrooms

• specific instruction to support students with disabilities who are included in general education (e.g., differentiated instruction, learning strategies, study skills, organizational skills, personal management skills)

• a receptive school atmosphere for including students with disabilities in general education by educating administrators, teachers, other staff, and students about person-first language and disability rights

Program of Study

• ensure program of study is inclusive, academically rigorous, and supported by Universal Design for Learning principles

• multiple opportunities (e.g., career technical education; community-based work; school-based enterprises; dual credit through a cooperative agreement) for students to acquire needed credits to achieve standard diploma

Self-Determination Skills

• student driven IEP process to allow students to demonstrate self-awareness, goal setting, problem solving, and self-advocacy

• embed choices into the general curriculum and daily lessons and provide opportunities for students to practice self-determination skills

• teach students to self-monitor and provide opportunities for students to practice the self-monitoring strategy

• functional communication system to engage in choice making• opportunities for students to develop self-awareness by

engaging in honest and respectful discussions • foster the development of students’ leadership skills

Self-Care/ Independent Living Skills

Provide instruction, as needed based on assessment data, in:• financial planning• self-help• cooking• home maintenance• using transportation• accessing community services• time/ organizational management• social roles/ citizenship• critical thinking

Social Skills

• integrate social skills instruction across the curriculum • opportunities for students to practice conversational,

negotiation skills in context• assist to use problem-solving skills when difficult interpersonal

situations arise • provide parent and school staff information and training in

supporting age-appropriate social skill development, taking into consideration the family’s cultural standards

• use augmentative communication (AC) and assistive technology (AT) devices to encourage communication

• ecological assessments to identify the social skills students will be expected to perform in each context

Predictors of In-School Success

•Academically on-track in freshman year•Attendance•Teacher expertise and excellence•Career academies, other transition programs•Mentors (formal or informal)•After school programs•Parental involvement•Transition-focused IEP goals

Need to Be Doing What Works

Use this information in your planning today!