Transition Planning: The View from OSEP

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Transition Planning The View from OSEP

• Marlene Simon-Burroughs, Ph. D
• Associate Division Director
• U.S. Department of Education
• Office of Special Education Programs
• Research to Practice Division

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Why is transition planning needed?

• Adolescent development factors- rapid changes in
  cognitive, social, psychological functioning, and
  physical transformations
• Due to school failure and the dropout rate among
  adolescents with disabilities (poor outcomes)
• Career Development Needs (identify strengths,
  interests, preferences)

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Findings from the NLTS2(Executive Summary,
April 2005)Characteristics

• 10 year study funded by the Institute for ED
  Sciences (IES) (1st NLTS conducted 1984-93)
• Nationally representative sample of more than
  11,000 youth who were ages 13-16, grades 7 and
  above, receiving special ED services on 12/1/00.
• 28 left school without receiving a diploma (all
  disability categories)
• Dropout rates highest among students with ED- 44
• Highest completion- visual (95) and hearing
  (90) impairments
• Social skills are the most problematic for all
  categories. Low social skill ratings are
  particularly prevalent for youth with ED.

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--cont. NLTS2 The Good News Engagement in
School, Work, Preparation for Work

• Secondary school is doing a better job of
  preparing YWD for further education and
  employment
• Since leaving HS, at some time, 8 out of 10 YWD
  have been involved in postsecondary ED, paid
  employment, or training to prepare them for
  employment
• Employment is the sole mode of engagement for
  about ½ of out-of-school YWD
• 1/5 have gone to school and worked since leaving
  HS.

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IDEA Regulations

• The reauthorized Individuals with Disabilities
  Education Act (IDEA) was signed into law on Dec.
  3, 2004, by President George W. Bush. The final
  regulations were published on Aug. 14, 2006.

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IDEA RegulationsSECONDARY 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

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-CONT.IDEA RegulationsSECONDARY TRANSITION

• Is based on the individual childs needs, taking
  into account the childs strengths, preferences,
  and interests and
• Includes instruction, related services, community
  experiences, the development of employment and
  other post-school adult living objectives, and,
  if appropriate, acquisition of daily living
  skills and functional vocational evaluation.
• 34 CFR 300.43 (a) 20 U.S.C. 1401(34)

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Individualized Education Program (IEP)
Requirements

• Beginning not later than the first IEP to be in
  effect when the child turns 16, or younger if
  determined appropriate by the IEP Team, and
  updated annually thereafter, the IEP must
  include
• Appropriate measurable postsecondary goals based
  upon age-appropriate transition assessments
  related to training, education, employment and,
  where appropriate, independent living skills

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-Cont. Individualized Education Program (IEP)
Requirements

• The transition services (including courses of
  study) needed to assist the child in reaching
  those goals and
• Beginning not later than one year before the
  child reaches the age of majority under State
  law, a statement that the child has been informed
  of the childs rights under Part B, if any, that
  will transfer to the child on reaching the age of
  majority under 300.520 see 20 U.S.C. 1415(m).

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Summary of Performance Requirements

• Under these new IDEA provisions, the
• districts shall provide the student a
• summary of the students academic
• achievement and functional performance,
• which includes recommendations on how
• to assist the student in meeting desired
• postsecondary outcomes.

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OSERS SOP Workgroup

• Worked closely with NSTTAC in posting many SOP
  resources on their website
• Developed QAs to be housed at http//idea.ed.gov
  upon clearance
• Worked with Project Forum at NASDSE to develop a
  survey State Directors of Special Education on
  SOP implementation
• See www.projectforum.org

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IDEA Program Performance Measures FY 2006

• Objective Secondary school students will
  complete high school prepared for postsecondary
  education and /or competitive employment
• Indicators
• Indicator 1Dropout rate
• Indicator 2Graduation rate
• Indicator 13Transition in the IEP
• Indicator 14Students post-school outcomes

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State Performance Indicator 1

• Percent of youth with individualized education
  programs (IEPs) graduating from high school with
  a regular diploma compared to percent of all
  youth in the State graduating with a regular
  diploma.

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State Performance Indicator 2

• Percent of youth with IEPs dropping out of high
  school compared to the percent of all youth in
  the State dropping out of high school.

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State Performance Indicator 13

• Percent of youth aged 16 and above with an IEP
  that includes coordinated, measurable, annual IEP
  goals and transition services that will
  reasonably enable the child to meet the
  post-secondary goals.

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State Performance Indicator 14

• Percent of youth who had IEPs, are no longer in
  secondary school and who have been competitively
  employed, enrolled in some type of postsecondary
  school, or both, within one year of leaving high
  school.

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OSEPs TAD Investments

• The following slides include
• information about projects
• that are funded by OSEP that
• provide technical assistance to states
• surrounding transition issues.

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National Dropout Prevention Center for Students
with Disabilities (NDPC-SD)

• Focused on increasing rates of school completion
  by students with disabilities by
• Emphasizing dropout prevention for enrolled
  students, and
• Re-entry into education by students who have
  dropped out of school.
• http//www.dropoutprevention.org/NDPC-SD/index.htm
  

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National Secondary Transition Technical
Assistance Center (NSTTAC)

• Provides TA and information on scientifically-base
  d transition practices with emphasis on
• Building State-level infrastructures of support,
  and
• District-level demonstrations of effective
  transition methods.
• http//www.NSTTAC.org

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National Post-School Outcomes Center (NPSO)

• Helping States to collect and use outcome data to
  improve secondary transition, and postsecondary
  results.
• See www.psocenter.org

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IDEA Partnership at NASDSETransition CoP

• In 2004, Federal, State, and local agencies
• came together around their shared interest in
• post-school outcomes for youth.  Today, four
• federal agencies, 10 states and many national
• organizations are joined in the
• community.  Together, they focus on
• issues  including  Meaningful Youth Roles,
• Outreach to Child Welfare, Juvenile Justice,
• Mental Health, Employment, and Post
• secondary Options.

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National High School Center (NHSC)

• The National High School Center is both an OESE
  and OSEP investment. It is a source of
  information on high school improvement issues for
  the Regional Comprehensive Centers. Their work
  includes identifying effective programs and
  tools, products, and providing technical
  assistance to support the use of research-based
  approaches in high schools.

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-cont. NHSC

• Topics for high school improvement include
• Dropout prevention
• Equity in learning
• Graduation
• Literacy
• Transition out of high school
• Strategies for high school reform
• Seewww.betterhighschools.org

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Specific TA ActivitiesNational State Planning
Institutes

• These Institutes were conducted in Charlotte, NC,
  in May 2007 and May 2008, to assist state teams
  (including state VR agency representatives) as
  they developed, augmented or problem-solved
  around their state transition plans. (See
  www.nsttac.org). The next Institute is scheduled
  for May 11-14, 2009, also in Charlotte, NC.
• This is a collaborative effort involving a number
  of OSEP-funded TA Centers, including the IDEA
  Partnership Project, National Post-School
  Outcomes Center, the Secondary Transition
  Technical Assistance Center, the National Dropout
  Prevention Center for Students with Disabilities,
  and the Regional Resource Center Network.

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State Capacity Building Initiative

• Provides intensive transition TA to states to
  assist in state strategic and integrated planning
  efforts
• interagency collaborative activities
• statewide transition conferences
• training on research based transition practices,
  or specific transition-related activities
  tailored to meet identified state and local
  needs.

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-cont. State Capacity Building Initiative

• Collaborative effort involving OSERS/OAS, RSA,
  OSEP, CSAVR, NASDSE and a number of OSEP TA
  grantees.
• Ten states made up the 2007 Cohort AL, FL, OK,
  OH, OR, SC, and WI as well as a collaborative
  three-state effort by DE, PA, and VA.
• An additional five States make up the 2008 Cohort
  - NH, NM, KY,VT, MO

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Cross Indicator Regional TA Meetings

• Three regional meetings to assist state teams
  (including state VR agency representatives) in
  identifying strategies for collecting, reporting,
  and using data across the four transition-related
  state performance indicators for program
  improvement.
• The meetings took place on
• April 8th and 9th in Baltimore, MD
• September 17-19 in Kansas City, MO and
• October 2-3 in Salt Lake City, UT
• Collaborative effort involving
• The National Post-School Outcomes Center,
• The Secondary Transition Technical Assistance
  Center, t
• The National Dropout Prevention Center for SWD,
  and
• The Regional Resource Center Network.

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• Post-school success is the ultimate indicator of
  school reform.
• Commissioner Douglas H. Gill, Ph.D.
• (Presidents Commission on
• Excellence in Special Education
• 2002)