TAXONOMY FOR TRANSITION PROGRAMMING
Worksheet for Family Involvement Practices
June 2003
Developed by
Paula D. Kohler, Ph.D.
Department of Educational Studies
Western Michigan University
3506 Sangren Hall
Kalamazoo, MI 49008
616.387.5955
paula.kohler@wmich.edu
WORKSHEET FOR FAMILY INVOLVEMENT PRACTICES
Team Name: ___________________________________________
Primary Contact: ________________________________________
Position: _______________________________________________
Organization: ____________________________________________
Address: ________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
Phone: _____________________ Fax: _______________________
E mail: _________________________________________________
Team Member: _________________________________________
Position: _______________________________________________
Organization: ____________________________________________
Address: ________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
Phone: _____________________ Fax: _______________________
E mail: _________________________________________________
Team Member: _________________________________________
Position: _______________________________________________
Organization: ____________________________________________
Address: ________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
Phone: _____________________ Fax: _______________________
E mail: _________________________________________________
TEAM INFORMATION
Team Member: _________________________________________
Position: _______________________________________________
Organization: ____________________________________________
Address: ________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
Phone: _____________________ Fax: _______________________
E mail: _________________________________________________
Team Member: _________________________________________
Position: _______________________________________________
Organization: ____________________________________________
Address: ________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
Phone: _____________________ Fax: _______________________
E mail: _________________________________________________
Team Member: _________________________________________
Organization: ____________________________________________
Address: ________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
Phone: _____________________ Fax: _______________________
E mail: _________________________________________________
To include all members, use back of page if necessary
Worksheet for Family Involvement Practices
2
TAXONOMY FOR TRANSITION PROGRAMMING
WORKSHEET FOR FAMILY INVOLVEMENT PRACTICES
Worksheet Overview ................................................................................................................................................................................................... 4
Family Involvement Practices in the Taxonomy for Transition Programming ............................................................................................................ 5
Part 1 – Family Involvement Practices Implementation Assessment ................................................................................................................ 6
Part 2 – Family Involvement Practices Needs Assessment ................................................................................................................................. 9
Part 3 – Planning Family Involvement Practices ................................................................................................................................................ 12
Checklist for Identifying and Evaluating Program Goals, Activities, Outputs, and Outcomes ................................................................... 20
Worksheet for Family Involvement Practices
3
WORKSHEET OVERVIEW
This worksheet focuses specifically on the Family Involvement Practices within the Taxonomy for Transition Programming, such as empowering
families to be active participants, facilitating family involvement in a variety of roles, and providing transition-related information and training.
We suggest you use a team approach to reflect on the extent to which and how you currently implement these practices, determine strengths and
needs, and develop specific goals to address your needs. This worksheet is designed to help guide you through this process.
Use Part 1—Family Involvement Practices Implementation Assessment, to reflect on the degree to which you are implementing the
specific practices. To assist with this reflection, we provide a set of questions and indicators that focus on each practice area. These questions are
designed to help you go beyond simple “yes” or “no” answers as you rate your implementation levels and identify the evidence that supports the
selected rating level. In Part 2— Family Involvement Practices Needs Assessment, use your findings from Part 1 to identify your strengths
and specific needs. Subsequently, prioritize your needs and use Part 3—Planning Family Involvement Practices to develop plans that address
them.
Remember that the purpose of these efforts is to improve student outcomes. Thus, one’s efforts must begin and end with the
knowledge of what students are achieving after leaving high school. The questions included herein focus primarily on educational
processes and services, designed to provide students with the skills they need to live and work independently. Specific reflective questions
focused on students’ post-school outcomes are listed below. They should guide your reflection and provide the basis for all your educational and
transition programs and services.
Reflective Questions
Regarding short-term outcomes, do your students have the skills they need to be successful
Academic skills?
Independent living skills?
Occupational skills?
Work behaviors?
Self-determination skills?
Regarding long-term outcomes, are your students
Employed?
Living independently?
Participating in their communities?
Do your students have the educational and community supports and services they need to be successful?
Worksheet for Family Involvement Practices
4
TAXONOMY FOR TRANSITION PROGRAMMING
STUDENT-FOCUSED
PLANNING
STUDENT
DEVELOPMENT
INTERAGENCY
COLLABORATION
PROGRAM
STRUCTURE
FAMILY
INVOLVEMENT
Family Involvement
Participation in program policy
development
Participation in service delivery
Involvement in student assessment
Participation in evaluation of student’s
program
Parents/families exercise decision making
Parent/family attendance at IEP meeting
Parents/family members as trainers
Parents/family members as mentors
Parents/family role in natural support
network
Worksheet for Family Involvement Practices
Family Empowerment
Pre-IEP planning activities for
parents/families
Parents/families presented with choices
Transition information provided to
parents/families prior to student’s age 14
Structured method to identify family needs
Parent/family support network
Child care for transition-related planning
meetings (e.g., IEP, ITP)
Respite care
Information to parents/families provided
in their ordinary language
Family Training
Training about promoting selfdetermination
Training about advocacy
Training about natural supports
Training focused on their own
empowerment
Training on transition-related planning
process (e.g., IEP, ITP)
Training about agencies and services
Training on legal issues
5
PART 1: FAMILY INVOLVEMENT PRACTICES IMPLEMENTATION ASSESSMENT
Use the following Implementation Level Rating Scale to determine the appropriate implementation level for each practice area. Also describe
evidence that illustrates the practice is being implemented at the level indicated. Use the reflective questions and suggested indicators to help
clarify and expand the reflective process. The reflective questions are designed to help you go beyond simple “yes” and “no” responses and
substantively reflect on the degree of implementation in each practice area. The questions and indicators also help provide examples of evidence
you might examine to determine the implementation level. An example is provided.
Implementation Level Rating Scale
DK
1
2
3
4
-
I don’t know the status of development or implementation in this area
No activities have been developed or implemented in this area
Activities are in development, but have not yet been implemented
Activities are in development and have been partially implemented
Activities are fully implemented
Example:
Taxonomy Practices
FAMILY INVOLVEMENT PRACTICES
1. Families are involved in IEP decisionmaking; transition program planning,
implementation, and evaluation;
professional development for educators
and service providers; and various
aspects of their child’s education.
Part 1: Family Involvement Practices Implementation Assessment
Circle Current
Implementation
Level
Evidence of Implementation
IMPLEMENTATION
EVIDENCE OF IMPLEMENTATION
DK 1 2 3 4
95% of grades 9-12 parents attended their child’s IEP meeting
60% of grades 9-12 parents participated in a specific
program activity:
Parent trainer as partner in 100% of professional dev.
workshops for teachers
PAC implemented transition needs assessment used for
program improvement
100 % of parents invited to provide career info to class; 60%
attended
50% parents or family member provided assessment
information
Parent satisfaction survey in development
6
FAMILY INVOLVEMENT PRACTICES
IMPLEMENTATION
1. Families are involved in IEP decisionmaking; transition program planning,
implementation, and evaluation;
professional development for educators
and service providers; and various aspects
of their child’s education.
DK 1 2 3 4
EVIDENCE OF IMPLEMENTATION
Reflective Questions
Regarding transition program development, to what extent and
how are parents and/or families of all students included in
Providing professional development activities?
Program planning?
Program implementation?
Program evaluation?
What strategies are used to recruit and/or involve family
members in transition program activities?
How satisfied are parents and family members with their
involvement program activities?
In what roles do family members participate in providing
transition-related education and services for their children?
How do parents and families perceive the effectiveness of
transition-focused education and services for their children?
Suggested Indicators
# and % of parents who attend their child’s IEP meeting
# and % of parents who participate in specific program activities
# and % of parents who participate in some aspect of their
child’s education (e.g., provide assessment information)
Parent satisfaction with
Specific aspects of transition program activities
Transition education and services their individual children
receive
Part 1: Family Involvement Practices Implementation Assessment
7
FAMILY INVOLVEMENT PRACTICES
IMPLEMENTATION
2. Parent and family involvement and
empowerment are promoted and supported
through:
Specific strategies used to identify
family needs.
Pre-IEP planning activities.
Communication in their native language.
Presentation and explanation of options
and choices.
Support in decision-making.
Linkage with other families.
Provision of transition services infor.
DK 1 2 3 4
EVIDENCE OF IMPLEMENTATION
Reflective Questions
How are family needs identified?
How is information regarding IEP and other school meetings
communicated to families?
How are family decisions supported?
How and when is transition services information provided?
Are parents aware of services available for their children?
Suggested Indicators
# and % of parent IEP notices that include: purpose of meeting
is transition, student is invited, agency is invited
# and % of parents who attend their child’s IEP meeting
# and % of parents who identify post-school visions for their
children
Parent knowledge of transition services and potential providers
# of positive contacts with parents; ratio of positive to negative
# and % of family needs identified, addressed, and met
# and % of families who have (a) school and (b) agency contact
information
Part 1: Family Involvement Practices Implementation Assessment
8
FAMILY INVOLVEMENT PRACTICES
3. Training opportunities and resources are
provided that address:
Student self-determination.
Student and parent advocacy.
Natural supports.
Parents’ empowerment.
Transition-related planning process.
Agencies and services.
Legal rights and issues.
IMPLEMENTATION
EVIDENCE OF IMPLEMENTATION
DK 1 2 3 4
Reflective Questions
To what extent are training opportunities provided for parents
and family members?
How effective are these activities in increasing parents’
knowledge and skills?
Do parents understand their legal rights?
Do these activities positively impact the extent to which parents
and/or family members are involved in transition-related
education and service delivery?
Suggested Indicators
# and % of parents who attend their child’s IEP meeting
# and types of training activities provided
# and % of parents who attend training activities
Parent satisfaction with training activities
Parent knowledge of
Transition planning procedures
Transition-related services and providers
Legal rights
Family resources
# and % of parents who participate in some aspect of their
child’s education (e.g., provide assessment information)
Part 1: Family Involvement Practices Implementation Assessment
9
PART 2: FAMILY INVOLVEMENT PRACTICES NEEDS ASSESSMENT
Instructions
Use the responses on your Family Involvement Practices Implementation Assessment to identify the current strengths of your
transition-focused education and services for all youths. Then, use this information as a baseline to identify specific education or
service needs. Subsequently, use highlighters to color-code your identified needs with respect to their immediacy, or the order in
which they might be addressed: (a) pink - immediate, (b) yellow - intermediate, and (c) blue - long-term.
FAMILY INVOLVEMENT PRACTICES
CURRENT STRENGTHS
NEEDS
1. Families are involved in IEP decisionmaking; transition program planning,
implementation, and evaluation;
professional development for educators
and service providers; and various aspects
of their child’s education.
Part 2: Family Involvement Practices Needs Assessment
10
2. Parent and family involvement and
empowerment are promoted and supported
through:
Specific strategies used to identify
family needs.
Pre-IEP planning activities.
Communication in their native language.
Presentation and explanation of options
and choices.
Support in decision-making.
Linkage with other families.
Provision of transition services infor.
Part 2: Family Involvement Practices Needs Assessment
11
3. Training opportunities and resources are
provided that address:
Self-determination.
Student and parent advocacy.
Natural supports.
Parents’ empowerment.
Transition-related planning process.
Agencies and services.
Legal rights and issues.
Part 2: Family Involvement Practices Needs Assessment
12
PART 3: PLANNING FAMILY INVOLVEMENT PRACTICES
Instructions
The purpose of this section is to help you make plans for the coming year. Use the responses from your Part 1—Family Involvement
Practices Implementation Assessment and Part 2—Family Involvement Practices Needs Assessment to identify specific goals that
address your identified needs. Then identify specific goal-related activities, the person(s) responsible for the activity, and the
timeframe for implementation. As you are planning, also identify (a) the outputs or products to be produced, (b) your anticipated or
expected outcomes, (c) indicators that will determine whether the outcomes were achieved, and (d) data sources by which evidence
will be collected. As a resource, use the checklist on pages ?? to help you clarify your goals, activities, outputs, and anticipated
outcomes.
Example
FAMILY INVOLVEMENT PRACTICES
1. Families are involved in IEP decision-making; transition program planning, implementation, and evaluation; professional development for
educators and service providers; and various aspects of their child’s education.
GOAL: Increase student and family participation in and satisfaction with transition services planning
SPECIFIC GOAL-RELATED ACTIVITIES
Revise parent notice regarding IEP meetings
Revise IEP meeting scheduling procedures
Develop and implement parent/family questionnaire
OUTPUTS/PRODUCTS
Revised IEP notice
Revised scheduling
procedures
Questionnaire
Part 3: Planning Family Involvement Practices
PERSON RESPONSIBLE
TIMEFRAME
Scott (with Trans. Services
Committee)
Scott with PAC
Complete by Dec. 31
Scott (with Trans. Services
Committee)
Develop by Oct. 1
Field test and revise by Dec.
20
Send out and analyze results
by March 1
EXPECTED OUTCOMES
POTENTIAL INDICATORS
Increased student attendance
Increased parent attendance
Parent satisfaction (e.g., with
goals, services, IEP)
# students attending
# parents attending
Parent satisfaction (e.g., with
goals, services, IEP)
Complete by Feb. 1
DATA SOURCES
IEP attendance records
Questionnaire results
13
FAMILY INVOLVEMENT PRACTICES
1. Families are involved in IEP decision-making; transition program planning, implementation, and evaluation; professional
development for educators and service providers; and various aspects of their child’s education.
GOAL:
SPECIFIC GOAL-RELATED ACTIVITIES
OUTPUTS/PRODUCTS
Part 3: Planning Family Involvement Practices
EXPECTED OUTCOMES
PERSON RESPONSIBLE
TIMEFRAME
POTENTIAL INDICATORS
DATA SOURCES
14
FAMILY INVOLVEMENT PRACTICES
2. Parent and family involvement and empowerment are promoted and supported through:
Specific strategies used to identify family needs.
Pre-IEP planning activities.
Communication in their native language.
Presentation and explanation of options and choices.
Support in decision-making.
Linkage with other families.
Provision of transition services information
GOAL:
SPECIFIC GOAL-RELATED ACTIVITIES
OUTPUTS/PRODUCTS
Part 3: Planning Family Involvement Practices
EXPECTED OUTCOMES
PERSON RESPONSIBLE
TIMEFRAME
POTENTIAL INDICATORS
DATA SOURCES
15
FAMILY INVOLVEMENT PRACTICES
3. Training opportunities and resources are provided that address:
Specific strategies used to identify family needs.
Student and parent advocacy.
Natural supports.
Parents’ empowerment.
Transition-related planning process.
Agencies and services.
Legal rights and issues.
GOAL:
SPECIFIC GOAL-RELATED ACTIVITIES
OUTPUTS/PRODUCTS
Part 3: Planning Family Involvement Practices
EXPECTED OUTCOMES
PERSON RESPONSIBLE
TIMEFRAME
POTENTIAL INDICATORS
DATA SOURCES
16
FAMILY INVOLVEMENT PRACTICES
FOCUS:
GOAL:
SPECIFIC GOAL-RELATED ACTIVITIES
OUTPUTS/PRODUCTS
Part 3: Planning Family Involvement Practices
EXPECTED OUTCOMES
PERSON RESPONSIBLE
TIMEFRAME
POTENTIAL INDICATORS
DATA SOURCES
17
FAMILY INVOLVEMENT PRACTICES
FOCUS:
GOAL:
SPECIFIC GOAL-RELATED ACTIVITIES
OUTPUTS/PRODUCTS
Part 3: Planning Family Involvement Practices
EXPECTED OUTCOMES
PERSON RESPONSIBLE
TIMEFRAME
POTENTIAL INDICATORS
DATA SOURCES
18
FAMILY INVOLVEMENT PRACTICES
FOCUS:
GOAL:
SPECIFIC GOAL-RELATED ACTIVITIES
OUTPUTS/PRODUCTS
Part 3: Planning Family Involvement Practices
EXPECTED OUTCOMES
PERSON RESPONSIBLE
TIMEFRAME
POTENTIAL INDICATORS
DATA SOURCES
19
Checklist for Identifying and Evaluating
Program Goals, Activities, Outputs, and Outcomes
FOCUS AREA
CONSIDERATIONS AND CRITERIA
Goals
Be specific.
Identify what you are trying to accomplish.
Think in terms of outcomes rather than process or
products.
Is the goal achievable within the specified
timeframe?
Is the goal measurable?
Is the goal within the scope of your control?
Is the goal action-oriented?
Is the goal realistic?
Activities
Is the activity action-oriented?
Will the activity move you toward your goal?
Is the activity theoretically-based?
Is the activity do-able with available resources?
Outputs
Think in terms of “product” – something that will
be produced?
Is the “product” producible with the available
resources?
Will the outputs move you toward your goal?
Expected Outcomes
Think in terms of impact—what do you expect to
happen as a result of your activities and outputs?
Is the expected outcome an important aspect of
your goal(s)?
Is the expected outcome specific?
Is the expected outcome meaningful?
Is the expected outcome measurable?
Outcome Indicators
Are specific indicators needed or required by
specific audiences (e.g., Feds, state, etc.?)
What information do you need to answer the
important evaluation question(s)?
Is the indicator specific?
Is the indicator measurable?
Is the indicator meaningful?
Is the indicator short or long-term (need both)?
Is the indicator possible with available resources?
Outcome Data
Collection
Are information sources identified?
Available from existing sources?
New sources must be developed?
What methods will you use to collect information?
Can sampling methods be used?
Must information be collected about all students?
Who will collect the information?
Do arrangements need to be made for data
collection?
Do data collection instruments need to be
developed?
Part 3: Planning Family Involvement Practices
20