Successful Transition: A High School Curriculum for Students with Learning Disabilities

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Successful Transition A High School Curriculum
for Students with Learning Disabilities

• Tobey Shaw, M.A.
• Chris Schnieders, Ph.D.
• FrostigSchool

971 N. Altadena Pasadena, CA 91107 Phone (626)
791-1255 Fax [phone] www.frostigschool.
org tobey_at_frostig.org chris_at_frostig.org
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Frostig School

• Non-public school serving students with LD in
  grades 1-12
• Contract with 19 school districts
• 10 classrooms, each staffed by a teacher and
  teaching assistant (61 ratio)
• Teachers have varying levels of credentialing and
  experience
• Learn and return philosophy
• Not a college prep program
• Emphasis on Success Attributes
• Frostig diploma v. district diploma v.
  certificate of completion

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Success Attributes

• Based on 20 years of research tracing the lives
  of individuals with LD in an attempt to identify
  factors that predict successful life outcomes
• Include
• Self awareness
• Proactivity
• Perseverance
• Goal-setting
• Presence and use of support systems
• Emotional stability and coping strategies
• Raskind, M.H., Goldberg, R.J., Higgins, E.L.,
  Herman, K.L. (1999). Patterns of change and
  predictors of success in individuals with
  learning disabilities Results from a twenty-year
  longitudinal study. Learning Disability Research
  Practice, 14, 35-49.

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Introduction and History of the Study
1995-1997

• Longitudinal Data Points

N 41
1986-1989
N 50
Published 2003 Qualitative4 yrs of analysis
Published 1999 Quantitative
1968-1975
Entering Frostig
LD, IQgt85, no sensory deficits or emotional
disturbance
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IDEA and Transition

• The term transition services means a
  coordinated set of activities for a child with a
  disability that
• Is designed to be within a results-oriented
  process, that is focused on improving the
  academic and functional achievement of the child
  with a disability to facilitate the childs
  movement from school to post-school activities,
  including postsecondary education vocational
  education integrated employment (including
  supported employment) continuing and adult
  education adult services independent living or
  community participation and 602(34)(A)
• Is based on the individual childs needs, taking
  into account the childs strengths, preferences
  and interests. 602(34)(B)

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Considerations for Transition Programs for
Students with Learning Disabilities

• Make up the largest group of students identified
  as needing special education (50)
• Limit the number of irrelevant concepts
• Avoid abstract concepts
• Manipulative, hands-on teaching
• Instruction should be sequential and provide for
  over-learning
• Use instructional strategies, materials, and
  resources that have low vocabulary content
• Small chunks of learning with distributed
  practice
• Difficulties with generalization provide
  opportunities for hands-on experiences across
  settings and in the community
• Materials should be relevant and interesting, at
  an age-appropriate level, highly structured, and
  elicit student participation

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• Range of abilities and skill levels many, with
  appropriate learning supports and accommodation,
  are as successful as those without LD
• Benefit from concrete, meaningful content,
  over-learning and repetition, direct instruction
  in methods and strategies for learning,
  recalling, and problem solving, and instruction
  for personal-social development
• Lack of interpersonal skills (work habits and
  attitudes, social communication skills),
  job-related academic skills, and specific
  vocational skills may be related to
  language-based LD or language processing
  difficulties
• Require instruction in how to make
  personal-social adjustments so that personal
  interactions will not interfere with school or
  community functioning
• Difficulties with short attention spans, lack of
  motivation, low frustration level, poor
  self-concept, easily distracted

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Current Findings

• Education system in California does not
  adequately emphasize vocational skills, leaving
  many youths unprepared for the workforce.
• Youths might want to enter the workforce but
  might not be prepared for work because they have
  not received adequate vocational instruction
  during high school, such as supervised work
  experience or training in skills for a specific
  career, like culinary arts.
• In addition to vocational skills, students with
  disabilities need more training in life skills,
  such as self-advocacy and interpersonal
  communication.
• Employers seek out employees with life skills or
  soft skills, such as a willingness to learn and
  to work hard and appropriate behavior. However,
  these skills are often de-emphasized in favor of
  learning academic content.

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• Several ways schools could improve the
  vocational, life skills, and transition
  preparation that students receive
• Teaching of basic skills that employers value and
  correlate with essential job duties
• More vocational training and interaction with the
  working world while in high school
• Mentors from the business world to serve as role
  models internships and other school-sponsored
  learning opportunities
• Limited coordination among the multiple
  organizations providing services to youths with
  disabilities hinders the transition process.
  Collaboration between school districts and
  outside organizations needs to be improved

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• Differences in the structure of programs
  including their eligibility criteria, disability
  definitions, and performance measures hinder
  the provision of seamless services to youths with
  disabilities.
• United States Government Accountability Office
  Report to Congressional Committees (June 2006).
  Summary of a GAO Conference Helping California
  Youths with Disabilities Transition to Work and
  Post Secondary Education.

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Frostig Transition Program

• The goal of the transition program at Frostig is
  to engage students and their parents in thinking
  ahead, planning for the future, anticipating
  possible outcomes for the student, and
  determining the steps that will need to be taken
  to achieve those dreams. The program centers on
  the success attributes, encouraging students to
  understand their learning disability, develop an
  awareness of compensatory strategies (including
  accommodations and modifications), identify and
  utilize support systems, and become
  self-determined and strong self-advocates.
• Our program focuses on five broad categories
• Career awareness and development of employment
  skills (self-awareness)
• Building and maintenance of relationships
  (support systems)
• Development of recreation and leisure interests
  (perseverance)
• Independent living skills (proactivity,
  perseverance, emotional coping)
• Planning for post secondary education and
  training (goal-setting)

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• The transition program also prepares students to
  assume responsibility for their educational
  decisions as they reach the age of majority (18
  years of age.) To that end, we also work to
  develop interagency cooperative planning with
  providers including the Department of
  Rehabilitation and Regional Center.
• In addition to developing an Individual
  Transition Plan (ITP), 6 semesters of coursework
  are required one each in 9th, 10th,, and two in
  both the 11th and 12th grades.
• Transition is NOT a college-preparatory program
  or a job placement program. Parents and students
  must be active and equal participants with the
  school.

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Work Experience Program

• All students entering grades 9-12 in September
  are eligible to participate. The transition
  service providers arrange opportunities at
  multiple sites in the local area for students to
  volunteer / intern for 2-3 days each week during
  the 6-week summer session.
• A staff person accompanies each small group of
  approximately 2-6 students as an employment
  coach, mentoring them during the experience.
  During the first week of the summer program,
  students tour each job site and meet with the
  site supervisors who describe the employment
  opportunities. After completing applications for
  their preferred jobs and generating personal
  resumes, students are interviewed by Frostig
  staff. Students are then assigned to jobs based
  upon their strengths, skills, and preferences.

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• Students work at their assigned jobs three days
  each week and receive weekly feedback on their
  performance a final evaluation is generated at
  the end of the program and mailed to parents.
• In addition to their work at the job sites,
  students participate in a variety of school-based
  activities include development of resumes,
  interview skills, work-related reading and
  research, writing, and math as well as role
  playing social situations that typically occur in
  the work setting.

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Evaluation of the program

• Several students have been hired as part-time,
  paid employees
• Students may include as experience on resume /
  applications
• Students reported that they learned
• about themselves.
• each teacher/supervisor has different
  likes/dislikes
• work is a meritocracy you got rewarded on the
  basis of what you did.
• Staff reported students
• Gained specific job knowledge at sites
• Benefited from weekly evaluations (from student,
  supervisor and teacher)
• Benefited from immediate feedback, /correction
  in the moment
• Gained from the Site Supervisors speaking to
  issues instead of Frostig staff students tended
  to listen more.
• Some students were able to self-advocate
• Learned to access their community through walking
  or public transportation

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Challenges for the work program

• Economic cutbacks of businesses impact placements
  for students
• Competing for volunteer positions as increasing
  number of schools in area require community
  service
• Placements may not reflect interest of students
• Students who have participated in the program for
  several years may benefit from alternative
  placements /activities

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Challenges for students and families

• Students struggle with self-determination,
  including participation in development of the IEP
  and ITP and attending the IEP meeting
• Students lack self-awareness
• Denial of family unrealistic expectations
  regarding student skills and appropriate
  post-secondary options

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• Reality of work-place demands
• Student behaviors
• Difficulties with generalization from one
  environment to another

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Challenges in programming

• Identification of potential employers
• Educating employers effectively and efficiently
• Time, money, transportation, scheduling and
  staffing limitations

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Resources

• Brolin, D. Loyd, R. (2004). Career
  development and transition services A functional
  life skills approach. New Jersey Pearson.
• Brolin, D. (1997). Life centered career
  education A competency based approach. Virginia
  Council for Exceptional Children.
• Clark, G., Patton, J., Moulton, L. (2000).
  Informal assessments for transition planning.
  Texas Pro-ed.
• The Frostig Center (2009). The 6 Success
  Factors for Children with Learning Disabilities.
  California
• Jossey-Bass, A Wiley Imprint.
• Sitlington, P., Neubert, D., Begun, W., Lombard,
  R., Pamela, L. (1996). Assess for success
  Handbook on transition assessment. Virginia
  Council for Exceptional Children.
• Wehman, P.(2006). Life Beyond the Classroom
  Transition Strategies for Young People with
  Disabilities. Maryland Brookes.
• Wehman, P. (2002. Individual transition plans
  The teachers curriculum guide for helping youth
  with special needs. Texas Pro-ed.

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Web-based Resources

• CEC Division of Career Development and Transition
  (DCDT)
• http//www.dcdt.org
• National Center on Secondary Education and
  Transition E-News (NCSET)
• http//www.ncset.org/enews/current.asp
• National Dissemination Center for Children with
  Disabilities (NICHY)
• http//www.nichy.org
• Wrightslaw
• http//www.wrightslaw.com