Illinois State Board of Education 2009 Special Education Directors’ Conference

1. Illinois State Board of Education2009 Special Education Directors’ Conference August 6, 2009 Using the Indicator 13 Checklist to Support Accurate Data Entry, Engage Staff Development, and Improve Transition Planning Results Presented by: Larry Kortering National Secondary Transition Technical Assistance Center (NSTTAC) 828-262-6060 korteringlj@appstate.edu http://www.nsttac.org Sue Walter Statewide Transition Consultant Illinois State Board of Education 618-651-9028 swalter@isbe.net &

2. SOME THINGS TO PONDER • $8, 777,221,240,095 ($29,200 Per Citizen) REFERS TO WHAT? • WHAT ___% OF SWD REPORT, AS 9TH GRADERS, WANTING A HIGH SCHOOL EDUCATION? • THE EMPLOYMENT RATE OF ALL DROPOUTS IS ____ THAT OF PEERS COLLEGE ATTENDANCE RATES OF SWD IS ABOUT ____% • A LIFE OF CRIME COSTS OVER $___ MILLION • 70% TO 80% OF WHOM ARE SCHOOL DROPOUTS? • $380,000 MORE TO $1.3 MILLION MORE REFERS TO _______ • THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT SPENDS THE MOST ON WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING: IRAQ WAR; DISABILITY SUBSIDIES FOR ADULTS; SPECIAL EDUCATION • THE EMPLOYED DROPOUT TAKES 3 AND 11 YEARS TO FIND INITIAL AND STABLE EMPLOYMENT, RESPECTIVELY • IN TERMS OF IMPROVING HIGH SCHOOL, THE TOP THREE SUGGESTIONS FROM STUDENTS ARE:

3. Indicator 13

4. SPP/APR Part B Indicator 13 Indicator 13: “Percent of youth with IEPs aged 16 and above with an IEP that includes appropriate measurable postsecondary goals that are annually updated and based upon an ageappropriate transition assessment,transition services, including courses of study, that will reasonably enable the student to meet those postsecondary goals, and annual IEP goals related to the student’s transition services needs. There also must be evidence that the student was invited to the IEP Team meeting where transition services are to be discussed and evidence that, if appropriate, a representative of any participating agency was invited to the IEP Team meeting with the prior consent of the parent or student who has reached the age of majority.” [20 U.S.C. 1416(a)(3)(B)] Note: This definition includes changes recently made by OSEP.

5. How does the revised definition impact Illinois? • Illinois has already been collecting 6 of the 8 items. • Two additions – • Is the post-secondary goal(s) updated annually? • i.e., is the post-secondary goal(s) documented in the student’s current IEP? • Is there evidence that the student was invited to the IEP team meeting where transition services were discussed?

6. INDICATOR 13: The Keys • Defining ‘Age Appropriate Transition Assessment’ • ‘Measurable Post-School Goals’ in the IEP AND Updated Annually • Defining ‘Courses of Study’ • Defining ‘Coordinated Set’ of transition-related activities (services) • Measurable ‘Annual Goals’ connected to and flowing from the transition services by way of the post-secondary goals • Inviting the student to the IEP team meeting when transition is a topic

7. Age Appropriate Transition Assessment? • Provides a basis for selecting appropriate post-secondary goals • Ongoing and involves multiple sources of information • Appropriate for one’s chronological age group • Use of formal and informal methods

8. ASSESSMENT, continued • Can be as limited as a measure of a student’s preferences and interests • Conceptually, we prefer a level one and two and person-centered planning framework • Level one for 8th and 9th graders with high incidence conditions (e.g., interest inventory, personal preferences, and survey) • Level two for 10th and 11th graders (add measure of aptitudes & redo level one) • Person-centered planning approach for those with more involved conditions

9. Post-Secondary Goals • Should reflect high but realistic expectations • Should reflect a “forward movement” instead of a “dead-end” approach • Can be “mixed” considering the student’s stamina, endurance and ability level • Can incorporate external supports • May initially be less specific, increasing in detail as the student approaches graduation • May change from year to year, sometimes slightly, sometimes drastically

10. Post-Secondary Goals • Areas of Employment, Education or Training, and, if appropriate, Independent Living • MUST BE MEASURABLE (e.g., counted or observed) • Must be updated annually, i.e., documented in the student’s current IEP

11. What are ‘Courses of Study’? • No official guidance on this concept, it will evolve • Many states have existing ‘courses’ (or programs) of study that prepare one for select outcomes (e.g., levels of higher education, trade or technical school, employment) • May entail an initial list of required and elective courses • One OCR ruling held that schools must provide parents with a formal process to request course changes • Must be linked to student post-secondary goals (e.g., given the students goal(s) for life after graduation from HS, what are the required and relevant courses that build to the goal)

12. Coordinated Transition Services • Services that will occur after high school • Services and/or activities that flow from the post-secondary goals • Services to help them get or keep jobs, get into and succeed in college, and live as independently as possible • Community resource maps • Based on established needs, including strengths, preferences, and interests • Role of parental consent when sharing information

13. Annual Goals • Annual goals that will take the student to their post-secondary goals (academic and functional achievement) • At least one annual goal in connection with the student’s transition services/activities (i.e., that follow from the post-secondary goal) • Goals that represent the next logical step toward the student’s post-secondary goals

14. Student Participation in Transition Planning • Documentation of the invitation to the IEP meeting for the student…signed by the school district and dated prior to the date of the IEP meeting • Practices that impact beyond Indicator 13 compliance, e.g., Indicators 1, 2 and 14 • Student active involvement in planning for the IEP as well as active participation at the IEP meeting • Self-directed IEP and other self-determination skill building tools support active student involvement and engagement over the long term

15. iePoint Data Entry Harrisburg Project • To meet Illinois Indicator 13 data entry requirements, there is a Transition Tab available iniePoint • The Illinois Indicator 13 Checklist • Will be updated along with iePoint by mid to late August to encompass changes finalized by OSEP in July • Great for data collection at the IEP meeting (we know some districts problems with meeting Indicator 13 are the result of getting the correct data from the IEP table to data entry) • Laid out in the same order and format as iePoint • Use NSTTAC Web-based Examples and Non-Examples for SPP/APR Indicator 13 as a reference, resource and/or training tool. • Don’t forget to go to ISBE’s Indicator 13 web page! http://www.isbe.net/spec-ed/html/indicator13.htm

16. Meeting the Requirements • There is a measurable post-secondary goal stated for each of the following post-secondary goal areas: • Employment (required) • Education and/or Training (required) • Independent Living (if applicable) • If N/A is chosen for Independent Living, responses are not required for the remainder of the Independent Living columns. BUT don’t confuse the data collection requirement with good IEP transition planning for students • There is at least one IEP annual goal for each applicable post-secondary goal. • Are there annual goals that will help the student make progress towards the stated post-secondary goal(s)?

17. Meeting the Requirements • There is evidence of coordination between the LEA and other post-secondary services for each post-secondary goal area. • A continuum of options is available to meet this requirement: • 1. Is there evidence that the IEP team discussed and listed potential post-school service providers? (this option could be appropriate for younger transition-aged students) • 2. Is there evidence of family and/or student input regarding potential post-school service and providers? (also a good option for younger students) • 3. Are there transition services listed on the IEP that are likely to be provided or paid for by an outside agency? • 4. Was parent consent (or child consent once the age of majority is reached) obtained to invite any outside agencies? • 5. Is there evidence in the IEP or the student’s file that any of the following agencies/services were invited to participate in the IEP development: post-secondary education, vocational education, integrated employment (including supported employment), continuing and adult education, adult services, independent living or community participation? • 6. For those invited post-school service providers who declined and/or were unable to attend the IEP meeting, is there evidence that alternate forms of communication and information gathering were used to support networking/access for the IEP team and specifically the family and/or student?

18. Meeting the Requirements • There is evidence that age-appropriate transition assessments were used for each post-secondary goals area. • Is there evidence that the measurable post-secondary goals were based on data from age-appropriate transition assessments? • Is there evidence that age-appropriate transition assessments – formal and/or informal – provided information on the student’s needs, taking into account strengths, preferences, and interests • A course of study is indicated which is aligned to all of the student’s post-secondary goals. • Does the transition plan include documentation of a course of study (a long-range educational plan or multi-year description of the education program) that focuses on improving the academic and functional achievement of the student to facilitate his/her movement from school to post-school?

19. Meeting the Requirements • There is at least one transition service listed for each post-secondary goal area. • Are there transition services in the IEP that focus on improving the academic and functional achievement of the student to facilitate his/her movement from school to post-school? • Is there at least one transition service listed in connection with each post-secondary goal? • Transition service types include instruction, related services, community experiences, development of employment and other post-school living objectives, and if appropriate, acquisition of daily living skills and provision of a functional vocational evaluation. • iePoint is set up so that appropriate services can be chosen for each post-school goal area (e.g., Counseling and Guidance (02) could be applicable to any of the post-school goal areas but Job-Related Services (09) would only be an available choice for the post-school goal area of employment).

20. Meeting the Requirements • Two new items finalized by OSEP in July 2009 – will be added to eiPoint in August to ensure smooth data entry for the 2009 – 2010 school year • Is the post-secondary goal(s) updated annually? • i.e., is the post-secondary goal(s) documented in the student’s current IEP? • Is there evidence that the student was invited to the IEP team meeting where transition services were discussed?

21. DO YOU HAVE THEIR DUCKS IN A ROW? TRANSITION ASSESSMENT ANNUAL GOALS COURSES OF STUDY COORDINATED TRANSITION SERVICES POST SECONDARY GOALS

22. KFC as a way to conceptualize what we MUST do

23. 7 OF THE 11 SECRET INGREDIENTS • Help students to understand the idea of a ‘rewarding’ career and education • Help students identify with an adult at the school • Get students involved in some aspect of their high school • Actively get students involved in the Indicator 13 process • Start lining up adult services that can help • Provide ‘direct links’ between what they do in school and their future • Get in touch with Sue at ISBE or Larry, Pat or NSTTAC

24. RESOURCES TO LOOK AT

25. TRANSITION ASSESSMENT: Some Great Web Based Resources • http://www.isbe.net/spec-ed/html/indicator13.htm • http://www.ilworkinfo.com/icrn.htm • http://www.nsttac.org • http://www.pepnet.org/itransition.asp • http://caseylifeskills.org/ • http://www.careerkey.org/ (*) • http://www.onetcenter.org/ • http://www.sde.ct.gov/sde/lib/sde/PDF/DEPS/Special/Transition_Assessment_Manual.pdf • Note: * has a user fee

26. RESOURCES FOR MY CLASSROOM: Web-Based Resources • http://education.ou.edu/zarrow/?rd=1 • https://php.radford.edu/~imdetermined/ • http://www.ncwd-youth.info/ • http://www.ncld-youth.info/ • http://www.youthhood.org/ • http://www.wsti.org/documents/topics/o/opening_doors_employment.pdf • http://www.wsti.org/documents/topics/o/opening_doors_education.pdf

27. Thank You! Questions?