1. Seamless Transitions during Early Childhood
Linda Elenbaas
Ottawa Area Intermediate
School District

2. Transition to Kindergarten
Start at entry – day one!
Focus on independent skills and skills needed for kindergarten (Dressing, toilet training, sitting, following directions, self-regulation, responding to group instructions, following a routine)

3. Plan for Transitions Early
January or February is a good time to begin talking to your team about transitioning the student
Begin assessments and profiles
Know your student
Consider using a Transition form
Transition Procedure
Talk to your existing special education team about student movement
Transition checklist

4. Local Special Education Director Involvement
When a transition is being planned:
Give a summary of the skills and needs of the student.
Understand the expectation for communication throughout the transition process.
You need to alert the person who financially supports programing, staff, supports
They may bow out of the process once you’ve contacted them but you must know the process for proceding
Student
Summary

5. Transition Options
Visit all classroom options that might fit the student’s needs
After the visits
Hold a team meeting
Review student’s
Strengths
Deficits
Support needs
Accommodations/Modifications
Placement recommendation with rationale
Program Options

6. Moving Forward with a Recommendation
Communicate with Special Education Director after visits
Set up a visit with receiving teacher
Encourage parents to visit
May attend kindergarten round-up together
When the receiving teacher visits you can show the supports used for the student and the teacher gets to see the student being successful in a classroom setting.
If the receiving teacher does not visit video, document, show them how the student functions in a classroom.

7. Next Steps Transition Portfolio Skills Checklist Student Profile Form
Tobin
Lyndia
ECSE Report Card
Conference Report
Student Behavior Support Summary
Current Work (photos or videos of work performance)

8. Pre-IEP Meeting Share: Transition Portfolio Current assessments
Core deficit areas and goal recommendations
Examples of current work and work performance (copies, pictures, video)

9. Setting Up the Exit IEP Meeting
Meeting invitation should include the following people:
Special Education Director from each district involved
Current teacher
Receiving teacher(s)
Ancillary staff from sending and receiving team
Parents
Every member is critical so make the meeting work
around schedules.

10. IEP Meeting
Sending teacher hosts the meeting and writes the IEP Receiving teacher recommends goals based on current assessments

11. Preparations: Sending Teacher and Receiving Teacher
Give receiving teacher any supports that have been used or created for the student
Type of schedule the student uses
Visual supports
Prompting procedures
Differentiated output
Behavior support summary

12. Preparations: Sending Teacher and Receiving Teacher
Provide additional information on Autism that is pertinent to the student
Inform the receiving teacher that present staff is available for questions or concerns as the student transitions into the new class.
If available staff can be placed in new classroom for up to 2 weeks during transition period. Staff is to work directly with the teacher as a classroom support giving the teacher strategies and assistance with the student should issues come up.

13. Preparations: Parents and the Receiving Teacher
Discuss:
Classroom communication procedure in new class
Programs and family activities that are part of the new classroom and school community (PTA, volunteering…)
Food or health needs or restriction
Sensitivity training
Sensitivity Training

14. Preparing the Student Create a countdown calendar
Create a transition book
Give the student the classroom rules in advance
Prepare student for riding a new bus and having a new bus driver
Have the child visit the classroom and playground
Transition book-Things Tobin wants you to know…

15. Preparing Peers Get parent consent to do sensitivity training
Sensitivity training may include:
Talking about all the differences between each of us (hair color, eye color, glasses, tall , short)
Reading the book My Friend With Autism
Reading 10 things my friend “Tobin” wants you to know about him (LINK)
Let the students ask questions and answer as honestly as possible while maintaining the student’s dignity

16. Models to Support Successful Transition
Special education teacher is available to assist with transition
Related services staff supports transition to new classroom
Paraprofessional staff attends kindergarten (or new early childhood program) for first week
In the fall, early childhood programs start a week later than K-12 to allow EC staff to support transition