Continuum of Secondary
Transition Services:
Where is YOUR District?
Patricia L. Anderson, Ph.D.
CT State Department of Education
patricia.anderson@ct.gov
860-713-6923
AGENDA
 Welcome and Announcements
 2013-14 Indicator #13 Data
 Community-Based Transition Services
 Directory of Transition Services in College, University, and CommunityBased Settings – Directory Manager
 Guidelines
 Department of Labor Wage and Standards Agreement
 State Agency Changes [BRS/DDS]
 Teacher Course Student (TCS) Data Collection
 Spotlight on Secondary Transition – SERC
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Secondary Transition Planning IEP Checklist
CORE Transition Skills
Secondary Best Practices: “Above and Beyond Compliance”
IEP Rubric for Secondary Transition
Indicator #13 Cumulative Data
School Year
Indicator #13
# of LEAs
Non- Compliance
Percentage
2009 - 2010
77.8%
124
86.7%
2010-2011
93.8%
74
52%
2011-2012
99.7%
13
9.1%
2012-2013
99.98%
2
1.4%
2013-2014
99.7%
9*
6.29%
Continuum of Secondary Transition
Services: Where is YOUR District?
While Connecticut’s compliance with Indicator #13
remains fairly consistent since 2012 (> 95% =
substantial compliance), our student post-school
outcomes responses have declined (22.7% - 2010 →
14.4% - 2013)!
Are CT districts JUST meeting basic compliance
standards or are we providing best practices in
secondary transition?
Community-Based Transition Services
 Directory of Transition Services in College, University, and Community-Based
Settings – Revised 2014
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35 settings that are 100% community-based
Possibly 15 more sites to add
Additional 18-21 transition services based within high schools
CSDE Directory Manager – LEA Directory Certifier
 Guidelines
 Request for Waiver of Minimum Wage Requirements (CT Department of Labor )
 Application form that must be submitted to the CT DOL to inform them that you
coordinate community-based vocational training services for special education
students. [Submit any time there are programmatic changes.]
 Specifies conditions under which LEAs do not have to compensate students in
vocational training settings and defines an “employment relationship” for which a
student must be compensated in accordance with CT General Statutes, Title 31.
State Agency Changes – VR & WIOA
 Workforce Innovation & Opportunities Act (WIOA) – 2014
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Replaces the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (WIA)
Amends the Rehabilitation Act of 1973
Emphasizes an increase in services to youth with disabilities
Requires VR to make “pre-employment transition services” available
Requires VR to set aside 15% of federal funds
 Redefines “Supported Employment” as integrated competitive
employment or working on a short-term basis in an integrated
setting towards goal of competitive employment
 Emphasizes “dual customer” approach where VR works with not
only the consumer but also the employer – working more with
businesses.
State Agency Changes – BRS & WIOA
 BRS goal: to increase the number of Individualized Plans
for Employment (IPEs) developed for eligible consumers
within 90 days
 BRS will collaborate with LEAs to provide pre-employment
transition services such as:
 Job exploration counseling
 Work-based learning experiences,
 Counseling on comprehensive transition or postsecondary
education,
 Workplace readiness training, and
 Instruction in self-advocacy
 BRS will engage with students early and more often
State Agency Changes – DDS
 Mission - The mission of the Department of Developmental Services is to partner
with the individuals we support and their families, to support lifelong planning and
to join with others to create and promote meaningful opportunities for individuals to
fully participate as valued members of their communities.
 Vision – selected components
 Family Support – “Individuals have families who feel supported from the earliest years and
throughout their lifetimes.”
 Lifelong Learning – “Have lifelong opportunities and the assistance to learn things that
matter to them.”
 Money – “Earn money to facilitate personal choices.”
 Personal Responsibility – “Individuals make informed choices and take responsibility for
their lives and experience the dignity of risk and that they know their rights and
responsibilities and pursue opportunities to live the life they choose.”
 Services – Decrease in residential services/respite services - Emphasis on Positive
Behavioral Support.
State Agency Changes – DDS
 Five Year Plan (2012 - 2017) – selected goals
 Increase the number of individuals who are gainfully employed, including selfemployment and double the number of people who are competitively employed.
 Decrease the number of individuals in sheltered workshops and non-work day
habilitation programs that are typically called day support options (DSO).
 Improve communication with families, providers, and staff (e.g., redesign DDS
website, materials to help families to navigate the complex systems of DDS;
available resources).
 Employment First – “Everyone can work and there is a job for everyone.”
 Real work for Real wages
 Integrated work environments with on-going support
 Family Website/School Years - http://www.ct.gov/dds/cwp/view.asp?a=2042&q=529448
Teacher Course Student (TCS) Data Collection
 The CT required TCS data collection connects Connecticut public school students
to their teachers, along with information on courses completed and grades
earned.
 Students who have completed graduation requirements and are 18 – 21 are
included in this data collection via PSIS. [Transition ONLY]
 ONLY 477/702 (68%) were recently reported in TCS!
 ONLY 93 of those students reported Workplace Credit!
 TCS provides data on all special education students including 18-21 yearolds. There are NCES course codes that indicate life skills, off-site work
courses/experiences, etc. Indicating that the student is earning 0.00 credits and
that the grade is “pass” is acceptable and should not prevent a student and the
“course” from being submitted.
 CRITICAL down the road! - TCS may soon be used as an “expanded
accountability” indicator to document a district’s “college and career readiness.”
 Contact your Special Education Director and/or District TCS Contact for more
information or assistance in getting your transition students into the TCS database
(http://www.csde.state.ct.us/public/tcs/).
Spotlight on Transition
http://ctserc.org/transitionspotlight
Secondary Transition Planning IEP Checklist
 Tool to ensure that all components of Indicator #13
compliance have been addressed for every transition-age
student via the IEP.
 Corrective action for 2012-13 (2 districts)
 All secondary case managers do at least one IEP
 Submit IEP and checklist for 25% of case managers
 Lessons learned:
 Not all PSOGSs written using measurable language
 Some IEPs did not have both a Postsecondary Education/Training and an
Employment PSOGS and/or Annual Goal/Objective
 New information for some case managers
 Corrective action for 2013-14 (9 districts)
 Best Practices – Only one district reported using Checklist on
a regular basis
Review IEP with
Secondary Transition IEP Checklist
1. Use the IEP that you brought with you or the one
provided on the SERC website/table.
2. Using the Secondary Transition IEP Checklist – review how
your IEP compares to the recommended elements.
3. Items 1, 2, 25 & 26 are not recorded on the IEP. Have a
conversation at your table about how your district is
handling these transition related requirements.
4. You will have 15 minutes to review your IEP.
5. Be prepared to share with your table or the larger group
what you learned about writing appropriate IEPs for
transition age students.
CT Core Transition Skills
A. Assist with the development of his/her
Individualized Education Program (IEP).
B. Attend, participate in and/or facilitate his/her Planning
and Placement Team (PPT) meeting.
C. Demonstrate and accept responsibility for his/her
independence and activities of daily living.
D. Demonstrate skills needed to access appropriate
transportation (both public and private).
CT Core Transition Skills
E. Explain his/her disability relative to individual
strengths, needs, preferences and interests.
F. Identify and ask for accommodations necessary to
ensure equal access and full participation in postschool education and/or employment settings.
G. Describe his/her rights and responsibilities under
disability legislation (e.g., IDEA, 504, ADA).
H. Demonstrate skills to access appropriate healthcare
to meet his/her individual needs.
CT Core Transition Skills
I. Demonstrate skills to access community
resources and participate in the community
with and without support (recognizing the need for
interdependence).
J. Demonstrate skills to access appropriate employment to
meet his/her individual needs.
K. Demonstrate skills to access appropriate postsecondary
education, training, or lifelong learning opportunities to
meet his/her individual needs.
L. Demonstrate appropriate social interactions and skills to
develop and maintain meaningful relationships.
Secondary Best Practices: “Above
and Beyond Compliance”
 Response Rate: 36/143 = 25%
 16 Best Practices (2 or more LEAs)
 Most frequent responses:
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Community-Based Transition Services
“Fifth-year”/”Bridge-year” Services
College Courses/Partnerships with Higher Education
Use of CORE Transition Skills to write IEP goals & objectives
Person-Centered Planning
 17 additional unique Best Practices
Secondary Best Practices: “Above
and Beyond Compliance”
 OTHER Best Practices:
 “We are not doing any of these things consistently –
only on a case-by-case basis. I am going to use this
as a motivation to push transition forward.”
 “Thank you for the many reminders. We get so
caught up in the day-to-day stuff we forget to stop
and look at the great things we are doing.”
IEP Rubric for Secondary Transition
1. Use the IEP that you brought with you or the IEP posted on the SERC
website or on your table.
2. As a table, use the IEP Rubric for Secondary Transition to “score” the IEP.
3. Jot down on the Rubric:
 Issues that need further clarification/definition.
 Questions that you have about the scoring process.
 Areas that you feel should be added to a particular component.
4.
Please leave your Rubric with comments for us to use as we revise the DRAFT. You can
access a blank Rubric on the SERC website.
5.
Use the colored form “IEP Rubric for Secondary Transition - Notes on Reflection” to make
notes about practices that you discover in this process that you want to keep and those
that you want to change. Bring this information back to your district to use in future
planning.
Secondary Transition Initiatives
 CT Transition Community of Practice
 Website Development & Resources
 Statewide Interagency Training & Events
 Secondary Transition Timeline
 Disability Employment Initiative Grants – DOL
 Greater Hartford & Waterbury/Danbury/Torrington
 Employment for Adults with Disabilities (18 and up)
 Interact with Community-Based 18-21 transition services
Transition Resources
 Currently posted on SERC Website: (http://ctserc.org/bts14docs)
• 2014 Secondary Transition Best Practices.pdf
• CT CORE Transition Skills FINAL 8-1-13.pdf
• Sample Redacted IEP - Transition.pdf
• Secondary Transition IEP Rubric-Final.pdf
• Transition Plng Checklist - REV3 3-20-14.doc
 CORE Transition Skills and BRS Transition Resources
 Guideposts for Success – CT’s Transition Framework
 CT Transition Community of Practice (www.sharedwork.org)
CORE Transition Skills
A. Assist with the
development of his/her
Individualized Education
Program (IEP).
Guidepost
for Success
1
BRS Resources
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B. Attend, participate in
and/or facilitate his/her
Planning and Placement
Team (PPT) meeting.
1
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C. Demonstrate and accept
responsibility for his/her
independence and activities
of daily living.
3
Assessments ( i.e., WOWI, Picture Personality Inventory, Reading Free, Myers Briggs, Strong,
Card Sorts, CAI, O*NET)
Portfolio development
Student Success Plan- Collaborate with school
http://www.sde.ct.gov/sde/lib/sde/PDF/DEPS/Special/ED635.pdf
IEP/IPE Crosswalk -http://www.ct.gov/brs/lib/brs/pdfs/guidepostdocs/BRSIEPResource.pdf
Stepping Forward: A Self-Advocacy Guide for Middle and High School Students http://www.ct.gov/brs/lib/brs/pdfs/guidepostdocs/steppingforward_color_interactive_14.
pdf
411 on Disability Disclosure
http://www.ct.gov/brs/lib/brs/pdfs/guidepostdocs/411DisabilityDisclosureComplete.pdf
Building a Bridge
http://www.sde.ct.gov/sde/lib/sde/PDF/DEPS/Special/BuildingABridge.pdf
Functional Limitations Checklist
Understanding the role of an outside participating agency (Concept)
Connect Ability E Learning:
https://elearning.connect-ability.com/
o IL Overview, PAS, Service Animals, Emergency Preparedness
 Collaborate with Mental Health Providers
o DMHAS, LMHA, YAS, NAMI
 Healthy and Ready to Work http://www.findyouthinfo.gov/youth-topics
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Look at ALL activities through a
transition lens.