1. Increasing Student Participation in Transition Plans
Introduce ourselves – explain our background
Teaching and education.
Andrea Suk & Malarie Deardorff

2. Overview
Transition should be a process and preparation that is directed by a student’s future goals, which is supported by family/school personnel/agency staff/community members to have experiences, academics and annual goals that directly link to the post-school desired outcomes.
Andrea

3. Topics of Discussion Current Research Assessments
Increasing Student Participation
Self-Determination
Self-Directed IEPs
Resources (collaboration)
Example Lesson Plans
Malarie

4. Current Research
Current research links student involvement in the transition process and IEP meetings can increase student engagement in transition planning.
When students are engaged in the transition process it can lead to increased number of met transition goals that directly links to post-school outcomes; employment, post-secondary education, and community participation (Martin & Williams-Diehm, 2013).
Individuals from the early transition states were more likely to be employed by the time their cases were closed than their match peers from later transition states (Cimera, Burgess & Bedesem, 2014)
Malarie - How can teachers involve students in the transition process when they are busy teaching state standards???
Cimera, R.E., Brugess, S., & Bedesem, P.L. (2014). Does providing transition services by age 14 produce better
outcomes for students with intellectual disabilities? Research and Practice for Persons with Severe
Disabilities, 39 (1),
Field, S., Martin, J., Miller, R., Ward, M., & Wehmeyer, M. (1998). A Practical Guide for Teaching Self-
Determination. Reston, VA: CEC Publications.

5. Laws
IDEA states transition services are required for students with disabilities at the age of 16 or younger if states determine necessary. Oklahoma requires transition to begin by 16 or ninth grade, which ever comes first.

6. So, I have this student….
Where do I start??
Andrea

7. Assessments Formal vs. informal Free vs costs money Long vs short
Must include employment and education/training.
Might include independent living.
Can include self-determination!
Andrea

8. Assessments Formal Wide Range Interest and Occupational Test (WRIOT)
Brigance Employability Skills Inventory
Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales
Transition Planning Inventory 2 (TPI)
Employability and Independent Living Assessment
TAGG – Transition Assessment and Goal Generator
ARC Self-Determination Scale and AIR Self-Determination Assessment
ChoiceMaker Self-Determination Assessment
$$$$
$599.00
$281 - $747+
$ – Pro-Ed but sections are less
Free online
$3 per student package – Zarrow Center
Free on Zarrow website
Andrea

9. Assessments Free Online – Ocali All 3 for $121.00 or $47.00 each
Informal
ENDLESS OPTIONS!!!!!
QuickBook of Transition Assessments
Informal Assessments for Transition (book by Pro-Ed)
Postsecondary Education and Training
Employment and Career Planning
Independent Living and Community Participation
Free Online – Ocali
All 3 for $ or $47.00 each
Andrea

10. Assessments for Middle/Elementary School
Career View
PAWS in Jobland
Drive of Your Life
PBS Kids Curious George

11. Assessment Information
Turn the data into INFORMATION
What does the student want to do when he/she grows up?
Does the student want to go to college?
Where does the student want to live?
What skills do they have now that support them reaching those goals????
What skills do students need to learn to reach those goals????
Andrea

12. Who is driving? The STUDENT is their own driving force
Supported by teachers
Supported by family
Supported by agencies
Supported by the community
How do we ensure that students are prepared to be a driving force?????
Andrea

13. Increase Student Participation
Teach Self-Determination
Teach and follow through on Self-Directed IEPs
Provide meaningful resources and collaboration
Malarie

14. Teaching Self-Determination
What can you do in your classroom?
Promoting Choice Making
Encourage Exploration of Possibilities
Promote Reasonable Risk Taking
Encourage Problem Solving
Promote Self Advocacy
Facilitate Development of Self- Esteem
Develop Goal Setting and Planning
Help Youth Understand Their Disabilities
ME! – bell work examples (Zarrow Center website)
I am determined
Andrea

15. Self-Directed IEP Self-Directed IEP Curriculum
Self-Directed IEP
Self-Directed IEP Curriculum
Students that self-directed their own IEPs
Attended more of their IEP meetings
Had more parents attend IEP meetings
Talked more about their interests
Shared more of their dreams
Talked more about the job they wanted after leaving school
Felt like they were the boss of their IEP meeting
Felt more confident in reaching their IEP goals
Malarie - Early student involvement (prior to the age of 14) and building self- advocacy skills can support effective transitions (Field, Martin, Miller, Ward, & Wehmeyer, 1998; Cimera, Burgess, & Bedesem, 2014).

16. Self-Directed IEP Begin in Elementary
Student created powerpoints, videos, or one-pagers to show their own preferences for accommodations, postsecondary goals, academic goals, strengths and weaknesses
Attending the IEP is not the same as participating
Begin in Elementary
Teaching self-advocacy, self-determination, and social skills
Career Awareness
Transition skills assessments/goals
Malarie

17. Meaningful Resources and Collaboration
Department of Rehabilitation Services
In-Home Supports Waivers vs Community-Based Waivers
Developmental Disabilities and Service Division
Waiting lists can be long and the process to get help from the agencies may take a few years. Be sure to include the resources for parents to view in ninth grade or sooner! Start the waiting list process sooner.
As of September 8th, 2016 – 7,436 people with disabilities are waiting for services (okwaitinglist.org)
Andrea

18. Meaningful Resources and Collaboration
Oklahoma Rehabilitation Council Youth Plan
Transition: School-to-Work sition
Oklahoma Able Tech 
Oklahoma Transition Institute
Oklahoma Department of Rehabilitation Services
Aging Out resources specific to Oklahoma. state/oklahoma/
Oklahoma Parents Center sition-school-to-work/
Health Care Transition Resources
Malarie

19. Collaboration with General Education
Co-teaching
Use the lessons provided in classes that have both special education and regular education students
Teaching the standards while helping students with disabilities (and others) meet post-secondary goals.
Send out a powerpoint, videos, handouts on transition planning to general educators in your building
Talking to general education teachers!!!
Malarie

20. Example Lesson Plans both
Math
CCSS ELA continuum (McConnell, 2016)
ELA
Social Studies Lesson Plan (middle school)
English Lesson Plan (elementary school)
NTACT
Both

23. Science Lessons incorporating Transition skills
Cooking, measuring, independent living skills combined with Science Skills for High School
e-behind-our-food/food-science.cfm
activities.com/food-science- experiments.html

24. Transition On the Right Track…..YES
Do students know how to make decisions and live the effects of those decisions?
Are students as independent as possible? Are we teaching towards more independence?
Do students have enough life experiences to have future goals?
Do students have future goals and annual goals that are linked?
Are students with peers without disabilities?
Are students and families learning how to navigate agencies?
Are students receiving the support required, without being “over supported”?
Are students on all applicable waiting lists?
Andrea

25. References
Zarrow Center -
Employability and Life Skills Assessment -
QuickBook Transition Assessment -
NTACT Lesson Plans-
Martin, J. E., & Williams-Diehm, K. (2013). Student engagement and leadership of the transition planning process. Career Development and Transition for Exceptional Individuals,
Cimera, R.E., Brugess, S., & Bedesem, P.L. (2014). Does providing transition services by age 14 produce better outcomes for students with intellectual disabilities? Research and Practice for Persons with Severe Disabilities, 39 (1),