Technical Assistance Guide - South Dakota Department of Education

Technical Assistance Guide
For
Transition in the IEP [pic]
Transition Services Liaison Project Staff
Dave Halverson, Cindy Kirschman, Bev Petersen, Melissa Flor
Dan Rounds, Project Coordinator Special thanks to:
. Ed O'Leary, Mountain Plains Regional Resource Center, for technical
assistance and guidance, and allowing for the use of his work!
. Angela Podhradsky, Black Hills Special Services Cooperative, for
formatting and preparation of this guide. We thank the following reviewers for their thoughtful comments and
suggestions: Ann Larsen and the Special Education Programs Office staff
Bernie Grimme, Division of Rehabilitation Services
Ed O'Leary, Mountain Plains Regional Resource Center
Greg Cooch, Black Hills State University
Tim Neyhart, SD Advocacy Services
Rita Pettigrew, North Central Special Education Cooperative Updated July 2016 (Transition Services Liaison Project is funded jointly by Division of
Rehabilitation Services and Office of Educational Services and Support -
Special Education Programs)
Step-by-Step Overview of the
Transition Process
STEPS IN THE PROCESS PRIOR TO THE IEP STEP I. WHAT: The first step in the transition process is assessment. IDEA 2004
requires that a student's goals be based on age-appropriate transition
assessments related to:
. Education/Training
. Employment, and
. Independent living skills, where appropriate. WHY: Transition assessments should address the key areas in a student's
individual planning, such as "Who am I? What do I want in life, now and in
the future? Where do I want to live and work? What are my strengths and
needs? What is my current functioning level? What are the main barriers to
reaching my goals?" WHEN: Transition assessment should be completed prior to the first IEP to
be in effect when the student is 16, or earlier if necessary, and at re-
evaluation times thereafter. Parental consent must be obtained to conduct
this evaluation. Transition assessment is an ongoing process, and continued
interest and/or aptitude assessments may help students who are unsure of
their future to develop or refines their plans. HOW: Students moving from middle school to high school who need re-
evaluations should receive assessments that help to identify their
preferences and interests for the near future AND for long-range goals.
Students planning to attend some type of post-secondary education or
training need official and current disability documentation (including
current IQ scores, within 3 years) to receive disability services at that
level. Examples of assessments specifically designed for transition planning
include:
. Enderle-Severson Transition Rating Scale (ESTR)
. BRIGANCE Life Skills and/or Employability Skills Inventory
. Transition Planning Inventory (TPI)
. Life Centered Career Education (LCCE) Competency Assessment
Knowledge Batteries
. McGill Action Planning System (MAPS)
. Ansell-Casey Life Skills Assessments (ACLSA) The SD Department of Education strongly encourages all students to utilize
the "SDMyLife" program for ongoing career exploration. Aptitude and
interest inventories are available to all students utilizing this program. WHO: Someone in the school needs to take primary responsibility for
arranging and conducting the transition assessment(s). This does NOT mean
that this same person has to do the actual assessing; depending on the size
of the school, it may be the responsibility of one or more people. ****************************************************************************
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STEP II. WHAT: Summarize assessment data in an evaluation report and input summary
information on the Present Levels of Academic Achievement and Functional
Performance (PLAAFP). WHY: Evaluation information needs to be summarized in the school's
evaluation report or in a separate report. The child's Measurable
Postsecondary Goals need to be based on age-appropriate transition
assessment. Transition strengths and needs must be addressed on the PLAAFP
page of the IEP. The information needed to list these strengths and needs
comes from the transition assessment that was completed and is the
foundation for the transition IEP. WHEN: The evaluation report is completed after the assessment has been
conducted, prior to the IEP so the results can be shared and discussed with
the IEP team. HOW: Information obtained from assessments must be summarized as strengths
and needs on the PLAAFP. Listing the strengths and the needs in transition
areas can be summarized in different formats, including but not limited to:
. the areas assessed may be used as headings;
. the three areas with the measurable post-secondary goals (employment,
education/training, Independent living) may be used; or
. a school district may decide not to list any transition headings. WHO: The school should designate who will conduct the assessments, write
the reports, and summarize the information in the PLAAFP. ****************************************************************************
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STEP III. WHAT: Inform/prepare the student for their IEP meeting. Invite them to the
meeting. Encourage and facilitate the student's active participation in the
meeting. Provide written notice of the meeting to parents and outside
agencies that may provide or pay for transition services. Do remember that
consent to invite adult agencies must be received from the parents or
student (if 18 or older & no guardian) prior to inviting them! WHY: IDEA 2004 requires the team to address the need for transition
services, that the services are designed to be within a results-oriented
process, and based on the student's needs, taking into account strengths,
preferences, and interests. Teachers should ensure that students understand
the IEP process and train them to become active participants in the
process. WHEN: Self-advocacy curriculums are available for schools that promote and
encourage students to become knowledgeable about their disability and be
able to identify their strengths. If not using a self-advocacy curriculum,
teachers should share this information with the students at least one month
prior to the IEP meeting. Students must be invited to the meeting, be aware
of the agenda and informed of what is expected of them in the meeting. The
students can do this by voicing long-range post-secondary goals,
identifying strengths, pointing out what accommodations are needed to be
successful, etc. HOW: Examples of how to inform/prepare students for their IEP might
include; using self-advocacy curriculum; having the student help write
invitations to other team members for the meeting; role play or role model
how the meeting will look (review agenda, inform/practice parts of the
meeting that the student is encouraged to participate in, etc.). WHO: The special education teacher and student could work cooperatively on
this. ****************************************************************************
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(slide by Ed O'Leary, 2005-used with permission) STEPS TO TAKE AT THE IEP MEETING STEP I. WHAT: Determine the student's measurable post-secondary goals related to:
. Employment
. Education OR Training
. Independent Living (where appropriate) WHY: IDEA 2004 requires these areas to be addressed by the team. Start the
meeting by having the student state their measurable post-secondary goals.
(If the student is not present at the meeting, the team needs to assure
that the student's preferences and interests have been taken into
account.).
Start discussion and initiate a plan of action or series of steps for the
student to work toward achieving the identified long-range goals. WHEN: One month prior to meeting through informal or formal transition
assessments. Post-secondary goals must be addressed at the IEP beginning
not later than the first IEP to be in effect when the student turns 16 and
updated annually thereafter. However, if necessary, transition can and
should be addressed at a younger age.
HOW: The transition assessments the student took prior to the IEP meeting
IEP helps to identify or indicate his/her goals. Have the student verbally
share these goals with the IEP team at the meeting. WHO: Special education personnel, student, parent. ****************************************************************************
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STEP II. WHAT: Determine the student's Present Levels of Academic Achievement and
Functional Performance (PLAAFP). WHY: IDEA 2004 requires the team to identify and consider the student's
current academic and functioning level when discussing plans to achieve
long-range goals. WHEN: The information needed to write the PLAAFP is obtained from the
evaluations done prior to the IEP meeting. The team reviews/discusses the
PLAAFP at the meeting. HOW: Copies of the evaluation reports should be given to all team members
prior to the meeting to ensure time for all team members to review the
report and ask any questions they may have. WHO: Evaluator who conducts the evaluations, all team members, including
student, review and discuss the PLAAFP. ****************************************************************************
*************************************** STEP III. WHAT: Determine the tra