Developing a Model to Prepare Youth with Significant Cognitive Disabilities for College and Career

1. Developing a Model to Prepare Youth with Significant Cognitive Disabilities for College and Career OSEP Project Director Meeting July 2013 Jill Griffiths, M.Ed. Beth Miller Harrison, Ph.D. Kentucky State Personnel Development Grant/CCR

2. In this presentation, we will : • Think and talk about College and Career Ready (CCR) for ALL students even those students with disabilities who may currently challenge our thinking when it comes to post secondary college and career preparation • Share the steps we have taken to develop a CCR model for students on alternate assessment • Consider the ways in which students will be supported to achieve a great life! Kentucky State Personnel Development Grant/CCR

3. A little Context.. About “College Ready” for all students.... • Recent Data..... • From ACT suggests that only about 25% of students representing the typical population are college ready..... • Education Week (August 2011) Kentucky State Personnel Development Grant/CCR

4. College and Career Ready for All… • Components in a Comprehensive Definition of College Readiness for typical high school students • Key Cognitive Strategies • Problem solving, reasoning, analysis, interpretation, critical thinking • Key Content • Reading, Math, Science, Social Studies • Academic Behaviors • Self monitoring, time management, using information resources, social interaction skills, • Contextual Skills and Awareness • Seeking help with admissions, procedures, group interaction skills • (Conley, 2011) Kentucky State Personnel Development Grant/CCR

5. Cross walking • All kids • Key Cognitive Strategies • Problem solving, reasoning, analysis, interpretation, critical thinking • Key Content • Reading, Math, Science, Social Studies • Academic Behaviors • Self monitoring, time management, using information resources, social interaction skills, working in groups • Contextual Skills and Awareness • Seeking help with admissions, procedures, career development • (Conley, 2007) • Students with Intellectual Disabilities • Academic Access • Career Development • Social Network • Self Determination • Integration with College Systems & Practices • Coordination and Collaboration

6. Employability Skills for All Tony Wagner (2008) talked about the seven survival skills in our digital information age: • Critical Thinking and Problem Solving; • Collaboration; Agility and Adaptability; • Initiative and Entrepreneurialism; • Effective Oral and Written Communication; • Accessing and Analyzing information; • Curiosity and Imagination • Partnership for 21st Century Skills • Association for Career and Technical Education • Secretary’s Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills Kentucky State Personnel Development Grant/CCR

7. Career Readiness for All Preparedness for workplace refers to the reading and mathematics knowledge and skills needed to qualify for an occupation’s job training program; it does not necessarily mean that the qualifications to be hired for a job have been met (NAGB, 2009). Sample pathways include: • Apprenticeship programs • Community College certification • Job training programs • On the job training • Vocational technical institutes Kentucky State Personnel Development Grant/CCR

8. Predictors of Post-School Success for Students with Disabilities Test (2011) noted a set of evidence-based practices for post-school success, including: • Self-advocacy, self-determination • Student-focused planning • Interagency collaboration(e.g., VR, adult services) • High school curricula that include access to both life skill instruction and the general curriculum, • Access to paid employment while in high school, • Family/parental involvement. Kentucky State Personnel Development Grant/CCR

9. Communicative Competence – Instructional Triangle Career College Community Curriculum Common Standards Learning Progressions Core Content Connectors Instruction Grade-level Lessons Accommodations Systematic Instruction Assessment Formative Summative Communicative Competence Kentucky State Personnel Development Grant/CCR

10. SPDG Goal 2 To better prepare students with low incidence disabilities to reach proficiency and graduate from high school ready for college and careers through increased and enhanced academic achievement, communication capacity, and transition opportunities. Kentucky State Personnel Development Grant/CCR

11. Timelines • 5-year project • SPDG Approved – October 2012 • Project Director – on board February 2013 • February to Date • Study Proposal & Previous Activities • Research websites and national centers • Meetings • Materials & Internal Website Development • Capacity Building Conference – Plan focused on CCR Kentucky State Personnel Development Grant/CCR

12. Specific Purposes College and Career Readiness Initiative • To help KY define and measure college and career readiness for students with low incidence disabilities • Assessment and Accountability Model • To formalize a transition to postsecondary model for students with IEPs remaining in high school until the age of 21 • Transition to Post-Secondary Model (instructional model) • To enhance the capacity of low incidence and transition specialists Kentucky State Personnel Development Grant/CCR

13. 1. Define and Measure CCR for students participating in AA CCR Workgroup Membership • KDE • Office of Assessment and Accountability • Division of Learning Services • Career and Technical Education • Division of Program Standards • Postsecondary Transition • Human Development Institute • Community Based Work Transition Program • Supported Higher Education Program • SPDG – College Career Ready • Office of Vocational Rehabilitation Kentucky State Personnel Development Grant/CCR

14. CCR Workgroup Charge • Align a College and Career Ready (CCR) model • Utilize evidence based practices • Incorporate tools/practices currently in use Kentucky State Personnel Development Grant/CCR

15. CCR WorkgroupResearch Action To Date Reviewed Kentucky Occupational Skill Standards (KOSSA) and pulled those skill standards that appeared salient for population of youth participating in Alternate Assessment Cross-walked identified, salient KOSSA with US Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy’s Skills to Pay the Bills research and curriculum (2012) Kentucky State Personnel Development Grant/CCR

16. Products Developed to Date • Employability & Foundational Academic Standards Alternate Assessment • Employability Skills Attainment Record (ESAR) • Draft KY Work Based Learning Certificate (KWBLC) • Student Transition Review • 1st draft of new TAR student section • Planning for Special Populations (Individuals with Disabilities) in Career and Technical Education Kentucky State Personnel Development Grant/CCR

17. Kentucky’s College and Career Readiness Accountability Model for ALL Students Kentucky State Personnel Development Grant/CCR

18. Kentucky’s College and Career Readiness Accountability Model Aligned for Students on Kentucky’s Alternate Assessment (proposed) Kentucky State Personnel Development Grant/CCR

19. Transition Attainment Record (TAR) • Federal guidelines mandate any general education assessment provided must have an assessment aligned for students completing Alternate Assessment-Alternate Achievement Standards (AA-AAS). • The TAR aligns to the EXPLORE at grade 8, the PLAN at grade 10 and the ACT at grade 11. • The TAR is a checklist which evaluates the student’s readiness in reading, mathematics and science. Kentucky State Personnel Development Grant/CCR

20. Transition Attainment Record – Grade 10 Kentucky State Personnel Development Grant/CCR

21. The Employability Skills Attainment Record (ESAR) • Guide academic career readiness for youth on the Alternate K-PREP by providing teachers with skills that must be taught in the classroom along with a rubric for measuring individual student level attainment. • Serve as the foundation for experiential curriculum and assessment of the Kentucky Career Work Experience Certificate (CWEC), which corresponds to the career ready “technical” component of the Accountability Model. Kentucky State Personnel Development Grant/CCR

22. Employability Skills Attainment Record (ESAR) Kentucky State Personnel Development Grant/CCR

23. Kentucky Career Work Experience Certificate (CWEC) • Guide technical career readiness by providing a framework for experiential career education • Facilitate student employment prior to high school exit and/or facilitate student identifying post-secondary coursework needed based upon career interests Kentucky State Personnel Development Grant/CCR

24. Kentucky Career Work Experience Certificate Model Kentucky State Personnel Development Grant/CCR

25. CCR Assessment and Accountability WorkgroupNext Steps • Expand group membership • Revise Transition Attainment Record (TAR) • Determine cut-off scores which will represent a standard of performance on the Employability Skills Attainment Record (ESAR) • Incorporate feedback to assist in moving forward Kentucky State Personnel Development Grant/CCR

26. 2. Transition to Post-Secondary Model (Instructional Model) • Plan for developing the instructional model was drafted by KY Team at Capacity Building Conference • Plan review by HDI CCR Staff and other KY Team members needed • Communicate to plan Cooperative Network • Organize Instructional Model Workgroup Kentucky State Personnel Development Grant/CCR

27. 3. Enhancing the Capacity of Low Incidence and Transition Specialists Create and support the capacity of Co-ops to work with their regional postsecondary programs to increase the use of these settings for providing academic instruction in more natural environments for students remaining in school until they are 21 Kentucky State Personnel Development Grant/CCR

28. Capacity Building • Representation on workgroups • Assessment of Co-op transition and low incidence consultants in the areas of facilitating college and career opportunities for students with low incidence disabilities • Use assessment results to inform the content of trainings and coaching to occur with Co-op consultants • Communication and Updates Kentucky State Personnel Development Grant/CCR

29. Other Activities • Usability site in Year 1-2 • Increase sites Years 3-4-5 in regions • Training developed related to both CCR models • Training and Sites rolled out via regional teams/cohorts • District administrators and staff at sites will be trained and coached • Fidelity tools will be developed • Fidelity of Intervention data will be collected • CCR Modules for infusion into IHE MSD coursework or stand-alone transition course will be developed • Materials, training videos, examples shared via website Kentucky State Personnel Development Grant/CCR

30. Activities proposed to achieve each objective include • an assessment to determine the professional development needs of our partners providing the PD, as well as teachers, administrators and staff in Priority and Focus schools; • high quality training designed from the results of the needs assessment; • on-going coaching based on needs identified in training evaluation and subsequent consultation; • data collection to inform administrative decision making on the fidelity of implementation of training and coaching, and the fidelity of implementation of the intervention practice; and • training and coaching of administrators on supporting the implementation of strategies/practices. Kentucky State Personnel Development Grant/CCR

31. Comments/Questions/Suggestions Kentucky State Personnel Development Grant/CCR

32. Contact Information Jill Griffiths Project Director, SPDG-CCR Human Development Institute 2 Romar Court Huntington, WV  25705 Office:  304.523.7900 Cell:  304.633.7161 jill.griffiths@uky.edu www.hdi.uky.edu Beth Miller Harrison, Ph.D. Human Development Institute University of Kentucky Coldstream Research Campus 1525 Bull Lea Road, #160 Lexington, Ky. 40511 Voice: 859-519-7375 Fax:    859-977-4054 b.harrison@uky.edu www.hdi.uky.edu www.kypso.org www.shepky.org Kentucky State Personnel Development Grant/CCR

33. References • Kearns, Kleinert, Sheppard-Jones, Hall, Harrison (2011) What Does ‘College and Career Ready’ mean for Students with Significant Cognitive Disabilities? (Retrieved April 2013) http://www.naacpartners.org/publications/CareerCollegeReadiness.pdf Kentucky State Personnel Development Grant/CCR