IEPs & ICAPs

From “No” Where ….To “Know” Where!

Lauren Jones and Tracy ThompsonColorado Community College SystemFall, 2013

IDEA 2004 – The Purpose

(a) The purpose of IDEA is to ensure that all children with disabilities have available to them a free and appropriate public education (FAPE) that emphasizes special education and related services designed to meet their unique needs and prepare them for further education, employment and independent living. 606(d)(1)(A)

a) Transition services means…a coordinated set of activities for a child

with a disability that(1) Is 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 postsecondary education, vocational education, integrated employment (including supported employment), continuing and adult education, adult services, independent living, or community participation;

Indicator 13 – It’s all About Transition! -Preparation for Life!

"Percent of youth with IEPs aged 16 and above with an IEP that includes appropriate measurable postsecondary goals that are annually updated and based upon an age appropriate transition assessment, transition services, including courses of study, that will reasonably enable the student to meet those postsecondary goals, and annual IEP goals related to the student's transition services needs. There also must be evidence that the student was invited to the IEP Team meeting where transition services are to be discussed and evidence that, if appropriate, a representative of any participating agency was invited to the IEP Team meeting with the prior consent of the parent or student who has reached the age of majority." (20 U.S.C. 1416(a)(3)(B)

Indicator 13 – It’s all About Transition! -Preparation for Life!

School to community Exploration of

Post-secondary – experiences and activities Vocational Employment opportunities Housing Transportation• Each student’s BIG vision – anything

and everything• Self-advocacy and self-determination• Skill based learning – from goals

Digging Deeper #1

With your team: talk about the following…•What do transition plans look like in your setting?•Who is involved? Do you need to involve anyone else?•Are there areas that you would like to change or improve?

ICAPs9

States use different names – Individualized Learning Plan, Student Success Plan, Individual Graduation Plan, etc.

A process and a document Students define goals and plans for careers

and postsecondary education and use to inform decisions about secondary courses and activities

Beginning in the 9th grade or earlier Required or encouraged for all students Purpose – Personalize learning, develop and

measure college and career readiness

10

The ICAP journey…

Source CDE 2013

Individualized Career and Academic Plan

Senate Bill 09-256 and Colorado State Board of Education Rules 1 CCR 301-81 created standards for Individual Career and Academic Plans (ICAP). The goal of the provisions is to ultimately decrease dropout rates and increase graduation rates by assisting students and their parents in developing and maintaining a personalized postsecondary plan that ensures readiness for postsecondary and workforce success.

Source: CCCS/CDE 2012

Four Components of Colorado’s ICAP

What is a Quality ILP?

A document consisting of a student’s (a) course taking and post-secondary plans aligned to career goals and (b) documentation of the range of college and career readiness skills he/she has developed.

A process that relies on a student’s understanding of the relevance of school courses as well as out-of‐school learning opportunities and provides the student access to career development opportunities that incorporate self-exploration, career exploration, and career planning and management activities.

Source: National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability

Source: National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability

Quality ILP Process Characteristics

15

Youth define career goals and post-secondary plans through regular exposure to activities that build self-exploration and career exploration skills

Youth identify course-taking plans that align to those career goals and select out-of-school learning opportunities that optimize their employability skills

Youth develop the career planning and management skills they need to successfully enter their chosen careers

Engage in ILPs regularly – 2X per week Whole school implementation expands mentoring

and advocacy opportunities by general educator and school counselors

In Colorado….

PWR

Non-TraditionalGender

EquityYOU!

Meaningful

Thoughtful

Intentional

Process

Transition

In your district, what is your level of ICAP implementation?

37%

46%

9%

4%

4%

Who is mainly responsible for implementing ICAPs in your setting?

77%

2%

9%

5%

2%

5%

How are ICAPs being implemented?

ICAPs are embedded into current classroom and counseling curricula and are referred to on a regular basis.

31 7%

ICAPs are being completed through classroom or counseling curricula throughout the school year.

154 35%

Students complete their ICAPs in one or two settings, at a computer or with a few handouts.

138 32%

Elements of ICAP are being completed, but we could be doing more.

74 17%

Students are not completing ICAPs

23 5%

Boulder Valley

Falcon

Montrose

R-5

R-5

Animas High School

Digging Deeper #2

With your team: talk about the following…•What do ICAPs look like in your setting?•Who is involved?•When do they happen?•Are there areas that you would like to know or be involved in?

ILP/IEP Similarities and Differences

28

Aren’t ILPs and IEP Transition Plans the Same?

“Mostly Yes” with respect to documentation

“No” with respect to process

ILP and IEP Transition Plan Documentation

29

IEP Transition Components

Transition IEP

ILP

Annually updated measurable post-secondary goals

Transition assessment

Transition services

Course taking plans

ICAP and Transition IEP Processes

30

Transition IEPs and ILPs are both focused on college and career readiness

Common goal for creating student and family driven planning

Common goal for increasing self-determination skills that expand student power to direct their life course

ICAP focuses on student’s strengths and how to align those strengths with future career goals

ILP is responsive to DCDT call to link disability into national school reform efforts – college and career readiness

Effects Attributed to ICAP Engagement

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Breaks down silos between special education and school counseling

Increased engagement in transition readiness activities by general educators

Annual student-led parent-teacher conferences using ILPs results in strong student self-advocacy

Increases in students with disabilities graduating with a general education diploma

Increased access to transition assessments Access to ePortfolio systems to manage ILP

document

Self-Determination Characteristics in Relation to ILP Engagement

Youth who are able to:

Identify one or more careers of interestClearly describe plans to pursue the careers of interestConnect career plans to personal interests, skills and valuesIdentify how current courses relate to career planArticulate skill and entry requirements for their careers Engage in additional learning opportunities Describe their needed skills & future development plan

Special Education Officials

“Nothing is more important than a career pathway

for youth with IEPs. The [ILP] provides a clear

path: it is student-led, the family is engaged, and

there are school supports. All of these are critical

planning tools for a successful outcome for a child.

Students must begin to think about the relevance

of the postsecondary outcomes to visions and

planning. The [ILP] is a lever for that.”

Why Should Special Education Buy Into ICAPs?

Student engagement – Regular implementation allows schools and families to be more responsive to changing developmental needs of middle and high school age youth (Eccles and Roeser, 2012)

Linkage to national initiatives creates opportunity for more cross-sector and cross-department collaborations in support of youth with disabilities Access to work-based learning and leadership

development opportunities Bundling resources across sectors to support education

and workforce development needs of youth with disabilities

Access to engaging families in career transition readiness activities

Issues Related to Promoting Career Development Among Students with

Disabilities35

 

Students with disabilities who were highly motivated to attend school were less ready for post-school transitions.

Educators were less certain on how to support students with disabilities around career concerns.

It is not clear what career development information and experiences students with disabilities are receiving, especially those with significant disabilities.

Digging Deeper #3•In your mind what are the differences/similarities between an ICAP and an IEP?•How confident do you feel in communicating these differences/similarities with your colleagues?•What kind of messaging can you use?•How can an IEP and an ICAP complement one another?•Is there someone you need to talk to about coordinating efforts? What would that look like?

Thanks!

Lauren JonesLauren.Jones@cccs.

edu720-858-2825

Tracy ThompsonTracy.Thompson@cccs.edu

720-858-2323

CCCS - http://www.coloradostateplan.com/counselors.htm

ICAP/CCCS - http://www.coloradostateplan.com/ICAP.htm CDE - http://www.cde.state.co.us/SecondaryInitiatives/ICAP.htm