TRANSTION NOW
Fall 2013
Published by Patty Baran
North Ridgeville High School Transition Coordinator
Transition Now
A bridge from school to employment, community participation, and independence
What Are Transition Services?
Transition Services offer students a variety of opportunities that help
develop individual strengths, interests, and preferences through career
exploration and internship activities. Services are individually designed to
assist a student to move toward his/her post school goals in further
education, employment, independent living, and community
participation. Program options and resources are discussed with parents
and students during the transition planning process which takes place at
least annually. Transition Coordinators are part of the team-comprised of
the student, parent, school, and community that prepares a student for
adulthood.
Patty Baran is the Transition Coordinator for North Ridgeville High School
and may be a resource to elementary and middle school students as well.
Coordinators collaborate with many community agencies and participate
in regional, state and national transition organizations to stay informed
of the most current requirements pertaining to transition services and
best practices. Information is passed along to students, families, and
staff on a regular basis through parent conferences, transition planning
meetings, professional development, community education, special
events, and this document the Transition Now newsletter.
In This Issue:
IEP Reviews Have Concluded…..
Checkout our Website
ACT/SAT Accommodations
What Is Project Search
Things to Consider For The Future
Upcoming Events
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TRANSTION NOW
Fall 2013
Published by Patty Baran
North Ridgeville High School Transition Coordinator
IEP’s Have Been
Reviewed...Have you talked
about them?
For many of you, your child’s IEP meeting has recently taken place at the high
school. An IEP meeting can be very overwhelming to both parents and
students. Now that you have had time to process the meeting, do you have
any questions about your child’s services? Please know that your child’s
intervention specialist is there to answer any of your questions or concerns.
Check out our website!
The Transition Service department has created a website. The website is
maintained by the transition coordinator. It provides families and students
with resources such as current events, program options, links,
forms/presentations/surveys, Transition Now newsletters, and links to
community resources. The website is a work in progress. Please be patient as
we work on continuing to update information to provide you with meaningful
resources that relate to you and your child.
You can access the website using the following link:
http://www.nrcs.k12.oh.us/TransitionServices.aspx
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TRANSTION NOW
Fall 2013
Published by Patty Baran
North Ridgeville High School Transition Coordinator
ACT and SAT test accommodations for
students with disabilities. . .
College bound students with special needs should begin discussion
during their 9th grade year of high school with their Guidance Counselor
and Mrs. Noga (Intervention Specialist) regarding ACT and/or SAT testing
accommodations. Being placed on an IEP does not automatically qualify
a student for test accommodations. Eligibility for accommodations is
approved by the testing agency not the high school. Applicants apply for
accommodations and each test agency requires specific documentation
with the application.
Important points that should be discussed with the Guidance Counselor
and Mrs. Noga:
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Timelines established by ACT and College Board Test agencies to submit
an application for accommodations that is well in advance of test date.
Timeline established by each high school to furnish documentation for
the application-due to the amount of time it requires the guidance and
special education offices to gather and copy school documentation for
the application.
ACT and College Board have their own policy for documentation of an
applicant’s disability, which is fully explained on their websites.
Students should be receiving the same test accommodations in school
through their Individual Education Plan (IEP) that are being requested
from ACT or SAT
ACT offers two options with respect to testing accommodationsExtended Time at a National Testing Site and Special Testing at the
school. ACT requires only one application for Extended Time at a
National Testing Site so long as the same accommodations are requested
from subsequent tests. ACT requires application for Special Testing
accommodations each time a student takes the test.
SAT requires only one application for accommodations unless
accommodations are changed in the IEP.
See websites for more information: http://sat.collegeboard.com/home
and www.act.org
If you have questions regarding the ACT or SAT please contact your child’s guidance
counselor: Amber Hunker (A-G), Lora Baker (H-O), and Randi Muck (P-Z).
Important ACT Registration Dates:
10/26/13 test date—deadline 9/27/13, 12/14/13 test date—deadline 11/8/13,
2/8/14 test date—deadline 1/10/14, 4/15/14 test date—deadline 3/7/14, 6/14/14
test date—deadline 5/9/14
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TRANSTION NOW
Fall 2013
Published by Patty Baran
North Ridgeville High School Transition Coordinator
What is Project SEARCH?
Project SEARCH is a unique business-led transition program for students with
disabilities. It provides students who want to work a chance to explore careers and
develop transferable job skills. Project SEARCH is a partnership between business,
education, and vocational rehabilitation. The goal is to provide on-site internships
experiences for youth with disabilities leading to completive employment.
Designed as an unpaid internship program, Project SEARCH places student in realworld situations where they learn all aspects of gaining and maintain a job.
Individual job development and placement occurs based on the student’s
experiences, strengths, and skills. A series of job rotations lasting up to 10 weeks
allow students to find positions that best suit their preferences. They receive
support with accommodations, adaptations, and on-the-job coaching.
Students who have completed all requirements for graduation from high school may
apply for enrollment in Project SEARCH. Participants must be 18-22 years old. This
program is completed after students have completed four years of high school
curriculum and it extends their public education by one year. Students exit public
education upon completing the Project SEARCH program. Students must apply to
get into the program and not every applicant is accepted.
It gives me great pleasure to announce our successes of Project Search this current
school. North Ridgeville City School’s has partnered with the Lorain County
Educational Service Center (ESC) and area school districts such as Avon, Avon Lake,
Amherst, and Vermilion to continue a Project Search program at Mercy Regional
Medical Hospital in Lorain.
North Ridgeville currently has one student in the Project Search program. She is
participating and working in her first internship experience at Mercy Hospital.
For more information please visit: http://www.projectsearch.us/
If you have questions about this program, please contact Patty Baran at
pattybaran@nrcs.k12.oh.us
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TRANSTION NOW
Fall 2013
Published by Patty Baran
North Ridgeville High School Transition Coordinator
Transition Things to Consider
When planning for the transition to life after graduation, students and parents are faced with many
decisions. This section of the newsletter provides some informal suggestions to consider when
planning for the future.
BACKWARDS PLANNING
LONG TERM SUPPORT
SELF ADVOCACY
Transition planning is essentially backwards planning.
Students and families need to think about what their long
term goals are for after graduation and identify what
supports are needed to assist in achieving these goals. What
kind of education/training will the student need after
graduation? What will he/she do to support his/herself?
Where will he/she live? What will he/she do for
leisure/recreation? What will he/she do to continue to learn?
What is the target date for graduation? If the target date is
more than four years after entering high school, how should
his/her school days look during the last years of school
services?
The high school years move quickly, and it may be difficult
to imagine what supports are needed for post-graduation. It
is essential, however to identify what is needed for students
to continue thriving after graduation. This is especially true
for our students who may require extensive support to meet
their long term goals. Students and parents may want to
consider agency supports to assist them with services.
Lorain County Board of Developmental Disabilities, The
Bureau of Vocational Rehabilitation, and Social Security
may be useful resources for families, to name a few.
Intervention Specialists and Transition Coordinators are
available to assist through this process.
Self-advocacy is an essential skill for all students. Although
this may present itself differently in each individual, it
applies to everyone. Some ways parents and students can
promote self-advocacy is by: taking an active role in IEP
planning and meetings, requesting accommodations (this is
especially important for college-bound students),
communicating transition goals, etc. It is important to not
only include students in planning for his/her futures, but
have them drive it.
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TRANSTION NOW
Fall 2013
Published by Patty Baran
North Ridgeville High School Transition Coordinator
Mark Your Calendar
College Fair for Students with
Learning Disabilities
Sponsored by: Gahanna Lincoln High School, Central Ohio Technical
College, The Ohio State University at Newark and Muskingum University
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
6:30-8:00pm
Featuring schools from Ohio and across the nation!
Gahanna Lincoln High School Cafeteria
140 S. Hamilton Rd.
Gahanna, Ohio (Columbus Area)
(exit 37 off of I-270, go north .7 miles)
Free- Open to the Public
This is your opportunity to explore various programs. You can compare and
contrast the wide range of accommodations.
For more information contact:
Phyllis Solove
Solovep@gjps.org or
(614)478-5500 ext 126
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