1. Using Individualized Learning Plans to Maximize College and Career Readiness Efforts V. Scott Solberg, PhD National Collaborative on Workforce & Disability for Youth School of Education, Boston University

2. Boston University Slideshow Title Goes Here  National Collaborative on Workforce & Disability for Youth  A national technical assistance center  Focus on needs of ALL youth, including youth with disabilities and other disconnected youth to  Improve state and local policy  Strengthen workforce development service delivery  Improve competencies of youth service professionals  Engage youth and families  Supported by Office of Disability Employment Policy, U.S. Department of Labor Who We Are

3. Boston University Slideshow Title Goes Here Research Partners

4. Boston University Slideshow Title Goes Here  Should ILPs be considered a promising practice for developing college and career readiness?  Are students with disabilities participating in ILPs?  Should ILPs be considered a promising practice for college and career readiness among students with disabilities Questions Guiding Our ILP Research

5. Boston University Slideshow Title Goes Here  Range of mixed methods strategies to identify college and career readiness pathways  Interviews with students to identify career readiness processes  Established a study group of schools in four states: educators, families and students participated in surveys and focus groups  50-state web review of ILP purposes and implementation strategies  In-depth conversations with select state and district/school officials Research Strategies

6. Boston University Slideshow Title Goes Here  Individualized Education Plans  Personalized learning and school engagement  ASCA national model  Career and Tech Education  Changing graduation requirements  College and career readiness initiative History of ILPs

7. Boston University Slideshow Title Goes Here What is a Quality ILP?  A document consisting of a student’s: (a) course taking and post-secondary plans aligned to career goals and (b) documentation of the range of college and career readiness skills he/she has developed.  A process that relies on a student’s understanding of the relevance of school courses as well as out-of-school learning opportunities and provides the student access to career development opportunities that incorporate self-exploration, career exploration, and career planning and management activities.

8. Boston University Slideshow Title Goes Here Individual Learning Plan (ILP) Components 1.1. 2.2. 3.3.

9. Boston University Slideshow Title Goes Here

10. Career Exploration ActiveDisengaged Disabilities40%60% Without Disabilities 40%60% 10

11. Boston University Slideshow Title Goes Here Disengaged Students Reported Lower Social Emotional Learning Skills  Lower academic self-efficacy  Lower career decision-making readiness  Increased psychological/emotional distress  Increased academic stress  Lower motivation to attend school 11

12. Boston University Slideshow Title Goes Here Active Career Development Characteristics Youth who are able to:  Identify one or more careers of interest  Clearly describe plans to pursue the careers of interest  Connect career plans to personal interests, skills and values  Identify how current courses relate to career plan  Articulate skill and entry requirements for their careers  Engage in additional learning opportunities  Describe their needed skills & future development plan

13. Boston University Slideshow Title Goes Here Final Model General Sample 13

14. Boston University Slideshow Title Goes Here Engaging in ILPs Goal SettingMotivation Academic Self-Efficacy GPA; Career Decision- Making Readiness; Distress General Sample GPA (std. est. =.027, p <.001). Career decision-making readiness (std. est. =.011, p <.000). Distress (std. est. = -.012, p. <.000)

15. Misti Ruthven Postsecondary Education and Success Manager, Colorado Department of Education Ruthven_M@cde.state.co.us

16. Boston University Slideshow Title Goes Here 16 Legislation CAP4Kids Accountability Act of 2009 Educator Effectiveness School Counselor Corps Grant ICAP Concurrent Enrollment (CE) Act Early High School Grads Dropout Recovery Basic Skills Testing Tracking Results School Counselor Corps Evaluation Remediation Rates School and District Accreditation ICAP Study Concurrent Enrollment Reporting Effective Planning and Implementation Resources Tools Monitoring Professional Development State Guidance College and Career Preparation Concurrent Enrollment (CE) Career and Technical Education Colorado Standards 21 st Century Skills Innovations and Individualized Learning ICAP implementation Expanded Learning Opportunities ASCENT Academic Guidance Career Exploration Partnerships: CDE, CDHE, CIC, CCCS ICAP Tutorials CE Advisory Board Endorsed Diplomas Remediation Taskforce College Admission Data Sharing Early College Design

17. Boston University Slideshow Title Goes Here 1.Decrease the dropout rates and increase graduation rates by assisting students in developing and maintaining a personalized postsecondary plan 2.Assist parents and students in exploring the postsecondary career and educational opportunities available to the student 3.Align course work and curriculum to the students’ postsecondary goals 4.A way to determine if a student is on-track with the planning and preparation and readiness for postsecondary education and/or the workforce Individual Career and Academic Plan (ICAP)

18. Boston University Slideshow Title Goes Here 18 ICAP Data 85% of school counselors list ICAP implementation as a priority Limiting Factors: Lack of funding Turnover in administration Lack of administrator support. Source: Colorado School Counselor Corps Source: Colorado Community College System

19. Boston University Slideshow Title Goes Here In what grade is your school district implementing ICAP? 17% 18% 11% 9% 7% 0% 1% N=400

20. Boston University Slideshow Title Goes Here Who is mainly responsible for implementing ICAPs in your setting? 77% 2% 9% 5% 2% 5% N=400

21. Boston University Slideshow Title Goes Here In your district, what is your level of ICAP implementation? 37% 46% 9% 4% N=400

22. Boston University Slideshow Title Goes Here How are ICAPs being implemented? ICAPs are embedded into current classroom and counseling curricula and are referred to on a regular basis. 317% ICAPs are being completed through classroom or counseling curricula throughout the school year. 15435% Students complete their ICAPs in one or two settings, at a computer or with a few handouts. 13832% Elements of ICAP are being completed, but we could be doing more. 7417% Students are not completing ICAPs 235% N=400

23. Boston University Slideshow Title Goes Here In what format is your district implementing ICAP? 20% 67% 25% 4% N=400

24. Mindy Larson Senior Program Associate, Center for Workforce Development Institute for Educational Leadership Project Manager, National Collaborative on Workforce & Disability for Youth (NCWD/Youth) larsonm@iel.org

25. Boston University Slideshow Title Goes Here Emerging Promising Practices  Begin in middle school and continue through high school graduation  Provide access to online career information systems that use an ePortfolio for the ILP  Emphasize three career development processes: Self- exploration, Career exploration, and Career planning and management skills  Establish whole school buy in by incorporating ILP activities into advisory periods  Adopt student-led parent-teacher conferences

26. Boston University Slideshow Title Goes Here State Policy Recommendations  Est. mandates that start ILPs no later than 6 th grade  Est. mandates that all students are to be included  Est. clear expectations that ILPs will be own by the whole school and not be segregated to school counseling alone  Est. Task Force of key stakeholder groups  Est. evaluation systems to determine ROI  Est. professional development systems 26

27. Boston University Slideshow Title Goes Here Resources on ILPs 27  Policy Brief: “Using Individualized Learning Plans to Produce College and Career Ready High School Graduates” http://www.ncwd-youth.info/ilp/produce- college-and-career-ready-high-school-graduateshttp://www.ncwd-youth.info/ilp/produce- college-and-career-ready-high-school-graduates  How-to Guide: “Promoting Quality Individualized Learning Plans: A How to Guide Focused on the High School Years” www.ncwd-youth.info/ilp/how- to-guidewww.ncwd-youth.info/ilp/how- to-guide  ILP Fact Sheet: http://www.ncwd-youth.info/fact- sheet/individualized-learning-plan http://www.ncwd-youth.info/fact- sheet/individualized-learning-plan  ILP Resources Home Page: www.ncwd- youth.info/ilpwww.ncwd- youth.info/ilp

28. Boston University Slideshow Title Goes Here Moving Forward: Three Actions to Support ILPs Providing Sustainable Leadership Setting Voluntary Standards of Practice and Identifying metrics to Measure Results Supporting Capacity Development within Multiple Institutions

29. Boston University Slideshow Title Goes Here Key Strategies Include:  Developing benchmarks to meet the needs of all individuals using the “ILP System” based on the specific institutional requirements  Using these benchmarks as building blocks to design specifications for technology platforms and monitoring processes Setting Voluntary Standards of Practice/Measuring Results

30. Boston University Slideshow Title Goes Here Key Strategies Include:  Improving content of career information systems  Improving staff competencies  Providing access to evidence-based resources Supporting Capacity Development in Multiple Institutions

31. Boston University Slideshow Title Goes Here Accessible to all individuals statewide to address:  Overall cost containment  Quality control  Transferability  Student ownership of a portable document Web-based Career Information Systems

32. Boston University Slideshow Title Goes Here Multi-state organizations helped launch ILPs and can help move the effort forward. The following areas emerged as the most important to center collaborative action:  Improving access to and use of technology  Developing common measures to track return on investment (ROI)  Develop materials and tools to be shared with states and localities to provide professional development opportunities and use web-based resources  Address the development or upgrading of voluntary standards of practice Moving Forward: How National Collaborations Can Help

33. Boston University Slideshow Title Goes Here States Repurposing Money Providing services through content rich internet- based platforms Building platforms to blend information from multiple sources to track people and programs Increasing use of evidence-based research to drive program design and services substantial reliance on a national network of non- governmental organizations

34. Boston University Slideshow Title Goes Here Recommendations for Including Family  Develop family- friendly ILP communication materials  Provide ideas for how schools can more effectively engage families in ILPs  Direct web-based career information system vendors to enable family participation in their child’s ILP and to allow for parallel ILP activities at home  Use ILP to establish annual student-led parent-teacher conferences

35. Boston University Slideshow Title Goes Here Recommendations for Including Students with Disabilities  Establish multidisciplinary task force to design accommodations for ILP activities and work-based learning opportunities to support students with significant disabilities  Ensure that web based career information systems adhere to universal design principles  Create advocacy policy to ensure “all students” have access to ILPs  Design and highlight demonstration projects

36. V. Scott Solberg, PhD National Collaborative on Workforce & Disability for Youth School of Education, Boston University ssolberg@bu.edu