10/15/2013 1 October 16, 2013 The powerpoint and handouts for today’s webinar can be downloaded from the www.secondarytransition.org website: Under hot topics PaTTAN’s Mission The mission of the Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network (PaTTAN) is to support the efforts and initiatives of the Bureau of Special Education, and to build the capacity of local educational agencies to serve students who receive special education services.
Transcript
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October 16, 2013
The powerpoint and handouts for today’s webinar can
be downloaded from the www.secondarytransition.org
CITY Connections Creating Individualized Transitions for Youth
Crystal Evans M.S., CRC Transition Coordinator
Pittsburgh Public Schools
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What is CITY Connections?
• Continued programming in a community based setting for
students 18-21 years old with moderate to severe disabilities
• Each student has an individually designed program based
on goals identified by the student, family and educational staff
members
• The team supporting the student actively works to connect
the young adult to the agencies and resources that will
support their success upon graduation
• The program is focused on the following transition outcomes:
• Post-Secondary Education & Training
• Employment
• Independent Living
Who is it for?
Students with significant disabilities receiving supports in a
Life Skills or Autistic Support classroom and whose needs
can be met in a community based setting with minimal
level of support and supervision
Students who will have completed their 4th year of high
school programming and will be graduating on their
IEP goals
Students who are able to demonstrate positive
behaviors and consistent attendance (per staff
reports and school records)
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• Many students from the Pittsburgh Public
Schools gained work experience through the a
Community Based Vocational Education
(CBVE) program during high school.
• The CBVE program provides students with
unpaid vocational experiences in a real-work
environment in the community.
• Worksites may include The University of
Pittsburgh, Carnegie Library, The Hilton Hotel,
Humane Society, Marion Manor Nursing Home,
The Dog Stop, Eat-N-Park and West Penn
Hospital.
Who is it for?
• Most students who continue their education at CITY Connections have
prior vocational experiences during their typical high school years.
Current Sites
Four apartment sites
• CITY Connections West 1 (opened 2002)
• CITY Connections West 2 (opened 2004)
• CITY Connections East (opened 2003)
• CITY Connections North (opened 2007)
• Two college sites
• CITY Connections CCAC (opened 2005)
• Point Park University (opened 2012)
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Students at the apartment sites follow daily
schedules which reflect opportunities in employment,
daily living instruction, community access and
recreation and leisure activities.
Students at college sites eat lunch in the cafeteria,
join clubs and organizations on campus and attend
college events. Contingent on individual professor
permission, they may also participate in academic
classes based on areas of personal interest.
CITY Connections
All Students at CITY Connections…
• Participate in Travel Training & Stranger Awareness Training
• Access a wide variety of community locations and recreational opportunities available in the Pittsburgh area
• Work in a variety of settings designed and supported by our community partners
• Volunteer at a variety of community settings including the Pittsburgh Community Food Bank
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Employment Specialists
Provide job coaching support to students in a training or placement site
Assist students in obtaining and maintaining competitive employment that is consistent with their vocational goals (ie., resume writing, job applications, interviewing skills, etc.)
Develop job sites within the community
Assess students work skills and challenges and the potential for competitive employment (via Task Analysis and CBA report)
Communicate progress to PPS supervisor, student, family, community agencies and IEP team as requested and upon student approval
Review, analyze and discuss student data with IEP team in order to maximize the student’s employable work skills
Community Partners
• Provide a variety of services:
• Vocational evaluation
• Facility based training
• Job development and job coaching
• Community based assessments
• Supported employment
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Travel Instruction
• Community Based Instruction
according to the individual needs
of the student
• Requires extensive coordination
and communication so students
can travel independently from home to CITY
Connections, to community sites and back home
• All training is done with a 1-1 ratio (trainer-student), to ensure the safety and
competence of the student
Typical Day at CITY Connections
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Typical Day at CITY Connections
Number of students enrolled in the program 2012-2013 across 6 sites 80
Goal 1: Families will be active participants in program development for their students
Families who participated in meetings regarding programming for their child 74%
Goal 2: Students and families will be linked to appropriate adult agencies
Students who have active linkages to adult agencies 100%
Program Goals 2012-2013
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Goal 3: Students will have a variety of work experiences and community based assessments
Students in Competitive Employment (earning minimum wage or above) in the community 25%
Students participating in a Community Based Work Experience (with pay provided via grant
funding) 11%
Students participating in a Community Based Work Experience (without pay) 26%
Students participating in Facility Based Training 21%
Students Volunteering as their vocational experience 9%
Students participating in Job Training programs 5%
Program Goals 2012-2013
Goal 4: Students will develop skills that will ensure access to their communities for work,
recreation and leisure and volunteering
Travel Independently via public transit 60%
Participated in travel training and cleared to Travel Safely in their community 100%
Volunteering in the community 100%
Registered to Vote 100%
Eligible students Registered for the Draft 100%
Accessing Recreation and Leisure activities (JCC, YMCA, Restaurants, Movie Theaters,
• Allegheny General Hospital, UPMC, University of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon University, Westin Conference Center, Omni William Penn, Sodexo, Andy Warhol, Other community businesses
SOS Today • The SOS Program is currently in 7 of the district’s high
schools
• SOS is serving over 150 students in the 10th–12th grades • 60 students working in community internships (12th grade)
• 55 mentorship placements (11th grade)
Program History Outcomes
• 95% of SOS students have graduated from high school
• 74% employed and/or attending post-secondary training (just 3 months after graduation)
• Recent Recognitions: • Highlighted in - A Better Bottom Line: Employing People with Disabilities,
Blueprint for Governors, published by the 2012-13 Chair’s Initiative, National Governor’s Association
◦ Recognized in - Ready and Able: Addressing Labor Market Needs and Building Productive Careers for People with Disabilities Through Collaborative Approaches, published by the National Technical Assistance and Research Center (NTAR) to Promote Leadership for Increasing Employment and Economic Independence of Adults with Disabilities.
◦ Working with the XXX Class of Leadership Pittsburgh
Fox Chapel Area School District Lonnie Carey, Coordinator of Special Education
Rebecca Cunningham, FCAHS Principal
Stacie Dojonovic, Transition Facilitator
Aligning Transition Services With Secondary Education Reform: A Position Statement of the Division on Career Development and
Transition Abstract:
• Society has witnessed significant improvements in the lives of students receiving transition services over the past 30 years. The field of transition has developed an array of evidence-based interventions and promising practices; however, secondary school reform efforts have often overlooked these approaches for youth without disabilities. If we are to see improvements in postsecondary outcomes for all youth, reform efforts must begin with active participation of general and special educators and critical home, school, and community stakeholders. In this article, the authors discuss the evolution of transition in light of reform efforts in secondary education. They review and identify secondary educational initiatives that embrace transition principles. Finally, recommendations are provided for advancing alignment of transition services with secondary education reforms.
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FCASD Believes One System: Cradle to College and Career
A two -way Interaction of general and special
educators throughout k-12
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The Issues We Know
• Achieving Academic Proficiency in the Common Core
• Overcoming Social and Emotional Barriers to Learning
• Self-determination and Self Advocacy and Student Engagement
• Career Exploration, Career Assessment and Workplace Learning
• Student Retention/ Drop Out Prevention
• Graduation with a Diploma
• Transition from HS to Post–Secondary and Employment
• Success for All Students
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Fox Chapel - Example
• Freshman Lessons delivered in homeroom to ALL students:
Goal Setting
Decision Making
Orientation to the High School
Planning
Study-Skills
Test Taking Strategies
7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens
Fox Chapel 9th Grade Focus
Lessons and planning focus on students developing strategies to achieve:
1. Academic Success
2. Career Development Success
3. Personal/Social Success
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Fox Chapel Area School District Goal of Career Portfolio
• Prepare students for the 21st century work place
self-led project
• Provide the connect between school and career success
• Systematically ensure ALL students select careers based on their interests, preferences and skills
• Ensure that ALL students are supported with developing college and employment goals
Fox Chapel Area School District Graduation Project
The Graduation Project requires the following:
• Career Portfolio
- complete 15 post secondary planning activities
• Service Learning
• Reflection Paper based on career exploration is completed during a student’s senior year – SERVES AS STUDENTS SELF-WRITTEN SUMMARY OF PERFORMANCE
• A.W. Beattie Orientation (10th Grade - Social Studies or English classes)
• Job Shadowing
• Career Speaker
Fox Chapel Area School District Career Planning
• Career Life Plan (9th Grade - QRT)
• Career Life Plan (10th Grade - Guidance)
• Career Interviews
• Post Secondary Testing
• Post Secondary Visits
• Lesson on Interviewing Skills
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Fox Chapel Area School District Career Implementation
• Work Experience
• Job/College Application
• Written Resume
• Reference Letter
• Activity Sheet
• Community Service
Fox Chapel Area School District Career Portfolio Reflection
• After completing 15 post secondary planning activities and finalizing career portfolio students complete a 4-6 page career exploration reflection essay. (TRANSITION ASSESSMENT)
• Complete an exit interview with a panel in which they are required to discuss their career portfolio and the influence the activities had on their career decision making. (SUMMARY OF PERFORMANCE)
• Provide feedback on the effectiveness of the career portfolio.
• Are we in these issues together...special and general ed?
• Is there a lens that permits us to examine these issues and more?
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Envisioning a Pipeline
“If people begin to see the educational system as a single entity through which people move, they may begin to behave as if all of education were related.”
Harold Hodgkinson in
“All One System’, 2000
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What is the Logic ?
• Regardless of the type of system a state or local community chooses, it is important to note that the goal is the same: to create a system of education that links and coordinates each education level into a seamless system fundamentally guided by the principle that success in college begins in pre-kindergarten.
Education Commission of the States
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What Keeps Us from Seeing the Pipeline? • Focus on our own immediate
issues and needs
• Fragmentation across levels and content areas
• Divisions across general, special and technical education
• Ineffective articulation between secondary, post–secondary and employment
• Lack of relationships that undergird communication
• Insufficient opportunities to learn about levels that precede and follow our own
• Infrequent opportunities to track goal attainment throughout the entire pipeline
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Fox Chapel’s Career Preparation Responsibility of ALL
• Fox Chapel Area High School Course Description Guide includes courses applicable career clusters and PA Career Standards Guidance department lessons
• Career lessons embedded in cross-curricular
• Transition planning meetings
• Additional transition assessment/activities
• College and Career Essentials - credit course (systematic career planning through a course)
Questions in the Pipeline
Think/ Pair /Share
Y N Do you know how the elementary schools in your district are doing academically? Y N Do you know what academic supports are available? Y N Do you know how the elementary schools in your district are doing behaviorally? Y N Do you know what behavioral supports and interventions are available? Y N Can you describe the process for transitioning students from one grade to the next? Y N Do you know the attendance rates for your elementary schools? Y N Do you know how needed supports and interventions are communicated across grades? Y N Do elementary and middle school teachers have the opportunity to talk about the data on student performance and student needs? Y N Is there a comprehensive transition process from elementary to middle school? Y N Do you know how the middle schools in your district are doing academically (test data and class performance)? Y N Do you know what academic interventions are available? Y N Do you know the suspension data for your middle schools? Y N Do you know what career education takes place in middle school? Y N Do you know the attendance rates for your middle schools? Y N Is there a comprehensive transition process from middle to high school? Y N Can you describe your school’s approach to support in the ninth grade? Y N Do you have a picture of how many students are on track for accumulating graduation credit? Y N Do you have a picture of the career education and career assessment takes place in the HS years? Y N Do general education, special education and CTE teachers talk together about common goals and common responsibilities? Y N Do you know the drop out rate for your high school? Y N Do you know how your graduates are doing in post-secondary? Y N Do you know how your graduates are doing in employment?
How many ‘Yes’ responses did you have?
18-22 15-18 11-15 Less than 11
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Nationally, the connections are startling…
8th graders who: o Fail English have only a 12% likelihood of graduating from HS o Fail math have a 13% likelihood of graduating o Have high rates of absenteeism have only a 13% chance of graduating o Have poor behavior have only a 20% chance of graduating*
• What is the implication for students with and without disabilities: o For elementary o For middle school o For HS o For the system
*Balfanz ,et al ( 2007) in Breaking Ranks, A Field Guide to Leading Change, P. 7
National Association of Secondary School Principals( NASSP)
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Fox Chapel School District Freshman Summer Seminar
• One week course in the summer between 8th and 9th grade year with a focus on executive functioning skills:
study skills, note taking skills, time management, use of agenda book, learning styles inventory, goal setting, organizational skills
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‘Next Steps for High Schools and School Systems, in
‘Using the Right Data to Determine if High School Interventions Are Working to Prepare Students for College and Careers’
National High School Center, 2010
• Treat the problem of poorly prepared ninth-graders as a P-12 problem, not just a high school problem (Dougherty & Rutherford, 2010).
• Develop content and performance criteria in the elementary and middle school grades to identify the extent to which each student is on track to readiness for high school, college and careers.
• Emphasize the importance of accelerating students onto the “ramp to college and career readiness” in elementary and middle school.
What is the impact for special education?
For transition?
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Do Some Current Strategies Work across the age and grade span?
We believe that are at least 2 coherent practice strategies that work across the pipeline:
o Collaboration and Responsibility among ALL Staff
o Working with Intention at Transition Points
…and integrating Transition under IDEA!
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Fox Chapel’s Approach to Improved Student Outcomes
• A look at how all students are doing
• A ‘tiering’ of all interventions
• An expectation the faculty will have quality professional development on ‘what works’
• An expectation that all faulty will use the framework to assess their success in meeting student needs
• An expectation that faculty will use proven strategies in designing core instruction and interventions
• A Focus on Career and College Development for ALL
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• Early Childhood
Readiness and Early Learning
• Elementary
Level
Literacy, Numeracy and Behavioral Health
• Middle School Level
Subject Area Competence, Personal Growth and Active
Engagement
• High School Level
Application of Subject Area Knowledge; Demonstrated Mastery, Choose Own Path • Post-
secondary and Employment
Continuous Learning, Personal Mastery, Continuous
Adjustment and Openness to Change
Our Windows on Cradle to College and Career
Our Task: Work with intention at every transition point!
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What Does It Mean to be ‘Intentional at Transitions’?
• Major transitions are important; every major transition! o EC to School Age o Elementary to MS o MS to HS o HS to post-secondary and employment
• Early academic, social and emotional skill development sets the stage.
• Being intentional means planning for changes, thinking about
adjustment, watching for early warning signs and crafting interventions.
• Every year is a transition…but the ninth grade year is critical!
• Focusing at transition points gives us a way to think about Transition
under IDEA as a part of the whole system and to learn what might be helpful to other students.
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Fox Chapel Post-Secondary Opportunities
• AIU Apprenticeship Program • Monthly Career Speakers • Paid Work Experience • Un-Paid Professional Experience • Dual Enrollment • CCAC PAS Program • STEMM Academy • CMU Decision Makers Campus Mentoring
Program • Opportunities Fair for ALL Students
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Ready by 21: Fox Chapel is Insulating the Pipeline
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Questions?
For more information on Secondary
Programs and Initiatives in the
Fox Chapel School District
please contact:
Stacie L. Dojonovic, M.S., CRC, CVE, LPC, CDFI Transition Facilitator Fox Chapel Area School
Dr. Joan Kester George Washington University, Special Education & Disability Studies
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Overview
• Explore the growth of communities of practice, either to expand current efforts of a local group or council, or start a community
• Unpack facilitating factors of interagency collaboration, based upon a literature review
• Share findings of an exploratory case study of a local transition community of practice – examples of collaboration which leads to effective transition practices (Berks County Transition Coordinating Council)
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Lower Post-School Outcomes
General Population
of Youth
Youth with Disabilities
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Despite Legislation
& Multiple Agency
Mandates: Systems
Fragmentation
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What is Happening in Your Area?
• While we have national data about legislative requirements for collaboration, how are schools, agencies, and other transition stakeholders collaborating in your area? For example – what’s working, what are the challenges?
• What do you know about the post-school outcomes of youth in your area?
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What is a Vehicle of
Interagency Collaboration
What is the context to make it happen? Not through happenstance!
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Teams: Not Enough to
Address Complexity?
Schools
Local
Regional
State
National
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Problem-solving and change,
collaboration is a process of
discovery where through
relationships, new knowledge
is constructed in a synthesis
of ideas
Context Needed: Continual
Learning from One Another
Through this process of social learning, various disciplines can make decisions, define actions, solve problems, and develop new policies and processes, and develop practices
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Community of Practice:
Way of Doing your Work
What we care about:
transitioning youth
Community: Relationships
& Shared Leadership
Practice: Knowledge,
Tools, Programs,
Documents
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A Context to Grow Transition Practices
No one agency can do it alone…it takes a commuity!
Communities of practice create an environment where there are strengths in numbers and practices can be developed and implemented through shared work. Great resources at www.ideapartnership.org
• A community of practice creates a context or conditions to facilitate effective interagency collaboration.
• The follow slides “unpack” interagency collaboration factors, based upon a synthesis of the literature examining barriers/facilitators.
• After each factor, examples of effective collaborative practices are shared, based upon the study of BCTCC.
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Barriers & Facilitators of Interagency Collaboration:
Often 2 Sides of the Same Coin
Working as a Community of Practice can “flip the
coin” by facilitating effective interagency
collaboration!
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Exploring Factors Influencing
Interagency Collaboration
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Ecological or Environmental
Factors
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• Complexity of transition system of agencies
• Agency cultural differences
• Change processes
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Need for Adaptation &
Change
This was interwoven into the ongoing work of the council. A variety of terms were used to describe the group including flexible; learning constantly, where nothing stays the same; trying new things; self-assessment to improve; constant renewal; evolving processes; all types of things to consider—exploration of options; make things easier; and learn to adapt—helps values and shared culture.
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Participation & Engagement
• Interpersonal relationships
• Agency relationships
• Agency commitment
• Interagency leadership
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Strength of the Council:
Boundary Spanning
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Transitioning youth with disabilities and their families
Council as the core group
Local community and peripheral involvement
Statewide community of practice on transition and other state organizations & initiatives
National affiliated organizations and initiatives
Need for Shared Leadership
Formal and informal leadership was distributed throughout the council and was found in the actions of members. Through codified procedures, the bylaws defined rotating and shared formal leadership roles.
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Need for Shared Leadership
Informally, leadership practices were woven throughout the work of the council. Members were empowered to invite others into their work and to identify needs of youth, which often drove the future work of the group. Descriptors of leadership practices included words such as genuine, sincere, open, sharing, visionary, encouraging, facilitating, and organizing.
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Vision & Action
–Interagency vision and goals
–Interagency planning
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Shared purpose
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Need for Shared Goals
In all conversations, the youth are always the primary focus, rather than the systems!
The Council has clearly defined goals associated with their Committee structure as a mechanism to carry out their goals. Often times goals are associated with long-term projects or new projects designed to meet the needs of youth.
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Need for Shared Identity &
Trust
A key aspect of the success of the Council is their shared identity…working as one unit, common purpose, common goals, artifacts (logos), shared history, and shared language. Very strong relationships with a high level of trust!
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Resource Allocation
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Need for Collective Work
When a need is identified, grants and funding are pursued collectively. This has been a challenge because of the risk felt by some members…where will the funds come for our project?! Also, as the Council is not a non-profit entity, they have been required to build partnerships with fiduciary agencies to manage funds.
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Processes & Structures
• Interagency processes and structures
• Interagency agreements
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Structures
Processes
Need for Bylaws, Shared Leadership, &
Committee Structure
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• Bylaws define how the Council operates
• Results in shared and rotating leadership
• Committee structure – this is where the work is accomplished
• Work focused on “transition practices” – activities and projects to support transitioning youth collectively – working smarter!
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Knowledge & Learning
• Interagency information sharing and data management
• Information sharing and communication
• Learning
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Information
Data
Knowledge
Learning
Need for Expansive Nature of
Communication
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Ongoing, Open, Honest Communication
Membership contact
list/roster
Bi-monthly council
meetings
Regularly scheduled committee meetings &
calls
Intentional face-to-face networking
time
Conference calls/phone calls/emails
Planned Website
Transition practices (artifacts)
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Need for Knowledge &
Learning
• Learning – a part of the culture of the group, as seen in the agenda
• Always focused on youth, collection and use of data to drive the work of the council
• Desire to build shared knowledge across systems and with youth and families
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Resource: Transition Collaborative
Toolkit: Shift in Approach
Systems approach
– Communities of Practice
• NOT a new initiative, but a strategy to create collective learning opportunities and to improve practice
Shift in worldview
– Appreciative Inquiry
• NOT deficit thinking, but opportunity thinking
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Transition Collaborative Toolkit
• Research Brief: Communities of Practice
• Building Community: Who Can Contribute
• Community Roster: A Living List
• Invitation to the Transition Collaborative Kick-off
• Transition Collaborative: Kick-Off Agenda
• Transition Collaborative: Planning Framework
• Transition Collaborative: Communication Tools
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Recommendations
• Consider building and expanding local group/council work as a community of practice – utilize transition collaborative toolkit!
• Explore self assessment of interagency collaboration factors presented
• Take action to increase your communities’ capacity to expand your collaborative transition practices – working smarter!
