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Question 12
Can you give me some suggestions (other than those listed in the All
Means All Checklist) that would provide guidance in the transition portion
of the IEP ?
STW Wizard Strategies
Strategy 1
The transition portion of the IEP is many times the last to be addressed.
Many Individual Education Plans focus first on the eight assessment
areas (communication, behavior, etc.). Student goals in the five transition
areas of home living, community participation, recreation and leisure, post-secondary
training, and jobs/job training are then added to the goals already written
in the eight assessment areas. This makes transition, and especially school-to-work,
an add-on rather than a priority.
Instead, try starting with the five transition areas first. What are
the young adult's goals in each area of transition? For each transition
area, the goals can be written on a separate page (or use as many pages
as you need in order to address each transition area). As the transition
goals are being developed, the question can be asked, "Does this student
have needs in any of the eight assessment areas that fit into this area
of transition?" If they do, the needs from each assessment area can
be written into goals and listed within the transition area that makes the
most sense. An example might be a goal in the area of employment.
Example
John is a 16 - year old student with cerebral palsy. He is interested
in pursuing a career in computer graphic design and wants to get some experience
out in the workplace to see if this really is what he wants to do. His high
school, as part of their school-to-work activities, has developed an option
of participation in a set of three work experience opportunities for students
in grades 10 through 12. Each student choosing to participate, goes through
a 1 semester work experience in the community each year until they graduate.
John, with the help and support of his transition team, develops three
to four goals and activities to support pursuing a work experience placement
with Creative Graphics, Inc., a company that has volunteered to provide
mentoring and work experience for 5 students each semester.
A related goal that is included in the area of employment, addresses
the issue of communication in the workplace for John. John is concerned
about the affect his difficulty with speech will have on his success in
the workplace and his colleagues. Implications of John's disability include
others sometimes having difficulty understanding what John is saying, as
well as John often taking somewhat longer than his peers to share his thoughts
verbally and in writing. The team develops a goal for supporting John's
concerns related to communication and writes this goal into the job/job
training area of transition on the IEP. The goal includes support through
computer technology, training for his work experience supervisor and colleagues
on communication with John, and the development of modifications by John
and his team that he can share with his supervisor to make the experience
a quality one.
For further examples and assistance on how to incorporate school-to-work
goals (jobs, job training, post-secondary training, independent living)
into the IEP, consider ordering the resource, "Making the Transition
Team Work, 2nd Edition." This resource is EXCELLENT and takes you through
the process of developing a student-centered, transition-focused IEP where
the student is a key leader in helping to develop their own plan. This manual
and the companion video, "Corey's Plan" are essential "have
to have" resources to really create a plan where a student will want
ownership. They can be ordered through:
- Minnesota Education Services
- 70 West County Road B2
- Little Canada, MN 55117-1402
- Phone: 612/415-5379 or 1-800-652-9024
- Fax: 612/415-5508
- E-mail @ jsteinbr@eta.k12.mn.us.
A transition plan that includes school-to-work goals can be the key to
helping students participate in school-to-work activities along with their
non-disabled peers. Transition plans have been including school-to-work
goals for years, but have called them job/job training, employment, and
post-secondary goals. The KEY here is to make sure that students
with disabilities have access to and participate in the same options as
any other student in your school system. Writing participation of each student
in school-to-work activities into their IEP, creates a legally binding document
which must support and ensure that goals are met.
Become familiar with the school-to-work options and activities offered
through your local partnership and begin writing participation in those
activities into IEP's for students with disabilities. Modifications, support,
and accommodations can also be listed and provided for students with disabilities
through collaboration between special education and general education.
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