students taking control of their lives & their future texas transition conference austin, texas...
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Students Taking Control of Their Lives & Their Future
Texas Transition ConferenceAustin, Texas
February 16, 2010
Amy Woodul Leander ISD Special Education
Dropout Prevention Specialist
Nancy Young Leander ISD W.R.I.S.E.
Writing and Reading Intervention for Special Education
Our Mission…
To prepare high incidence Special Education students (LD, ED, OHI) with the knowledge and skills needed to successfully transition from high school to a meaningful life filled with achievable goals.
Population vs. Transition Planning
Special EducationPopulation
Concentration of Transition Planning
High-Incidence Population• Learning Disabled• Emotional Disorder
• Other Health Impaired
Mid-Incidence Population• Low-Functioning Learning Disabled
• Severe Emotional Disorders• Mild Mental Retardation
Minimal Transition Planning• Priority given to graduation• Few with Career Passports• Historically low participation
in COOL Week
Least Restrictive Vocational Programs
• Skills for Employment and Lifelong Fulfillment (SELF)
• EMPOWER• Site Based Campus Jobs
• Community Career Investigations
Vocation & Self-Help Programs
• Life Skills Training• Vocational Adjustment Class
• Supported Employment• Community Based Vocational
Instruction
HighIncidencePopulation
Low-Incidence Population
• Moderate to severe Mental Retardation
• Visual Impaired• Autistic• Deaf
Our Journey• Problem identified in 2001…
… students with disabilities from Leander I.S.D. were enrolling in Austin Community College … they were dropping out within the first few months
• Students were: Unprepared for post-secondary learning Unable to self-advocate Goals were unachievable
National Trends• 41% general education students were enrolled
in post-secondary programs – compared with only 24% of students with
disabilities. (National Longitudinal Transition Longitudinal Study 2, 2009)
• Increased numbers of students with disabilities enrolling in post-secondary programs … – Unfortunately these students have limited success– Only 25% earned an associates degree after five
years at a community college. (Burgstahler, Crawford & Acosta)
Our Journey• ACC/LISD partnership • Active dialogue between ACC Office for
Students with Disabilities (OSD) and LISD Resource Eng IV teachers
• Transition English IV curriculum developed to help students set and attain achievable goals for post-secondary transition
• Indicator 14
Our Journey• Transition Eng IV is the district approved
curriculum for Resource English IV credit.
– Utilize Resource English classroom time for transition planning– Local elective for SpEd students in general education English class– Address the fact that high incidence population was receiving the
least amount of transition services– Students recognize their options for post-secondary learning– Increased the number of students with disabilities who were able to
enroll in community college/technical schools and remain enrolled!
How it works …
Transition Eng IV Curriculum
• Research– Careers– Post-secondary education options based
on interests• College research & field trips• Apprenticeships• Vocational Training• Military
– Financial Aid-FASFA– LISD Senior Research Project
• Technical Reading & Summarization– Interpreting Disability Laws and Disclosure
• IDEA• ADA
– Course Catalog• Degree/certificate requirements • Course descriptions
– Transcript Analysis– Diagnostic Analysis
• Understanding their diagnostics tests
Transition Eng IV Curriculum
College Preparedness- College terminology and expectations- Application process- ASSET test prep in Reading and Writing- Administration of ASSET test w/ accommodations- Fill out FASFA forms- Understand/Access College Office
for Students with Disabilities
Transition Eng IV Curriculum
Self-Determination
• Set and track personal goals • Track academic goals• Articulate personal disabilities• Understand rights as a student with a disability
– Difference between high school and college accommodations
– Register for OSD Services
Ownership!
Impact and Results From Transition English IV
• Special Education students graduating with:– Greater sense of self-awareness– Achievable goals– An understanding of how to self-advocate– How to independently access post-secondary
learning options• Students are now enrolling in ACC and TSTC and
staying in school• ASSET score on file if students pursue
post-secondary education in the future– Equipped to transfer and generalize learned skills to other life options
Increased Options!
The bottom line…
Transition English IV demystifies: • The next step in education and • Allows students to achieve post-
secondary results that ultimately impact their: – employment – career goals – adult living
2007 Exit Survey Results
4 year University Two-year institution0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
0.0900000000000001
0.45
0.06
0.23 LISD
Other Central Texas Districts
Other district data provided by Central Texas Student Futures Project
ACC Cypress Creek Data
• January 2002-2009 – 70 LISD students accessed OSD services
• Spring 2009 – 48 LISD students actively receiving OSD services
Challenges• NCLB requirements mean more special
education students in general education English classes– Reduces the number of “Resource” students who
automatically take special education courses.
• “Selling” elective transition course to students taking English IV in the
general education classroom setting– Study lab support for Senior English Research Project– ASSET test preparation to avoid college
remedial classes
Challenges• General Ed English curriculum does not
address improvement in basic reading and writing skills
• Parents lack understanding of issues that affect their child’s transition from high school– Tired parents adopt a “just graduate”
attitude
Other Concerns• ACE (Academic and Career Excellence)
9th grade-local credit is a good start but … nothing is in place other than Transition English IV to address transition for ALL students
• Low number of students who graduate under employability & self-help equipped to pass ASSET test