1. In the Middle Transitioning Elementary to Middle

2. Who Are We? Cheryl Wright ▫Altadena —Special Education Teacher Karen Reiss ▫Monte Vista —Special Education Teacher Jo Shurman– ▫Teacher Specialist

3. Transition Thoughts The purpose of a smooth transition is to ensure that the student begins the new year in a new school with all the necessary supports in place to allow him/her to be successful.

4. Power in Partnership  Communication is critical  Home and school  Current staff and new staff  Trust  All parties have the student’s best interests in mind  Process  If things aren’t working-revisit  Adjustment period Transition Thoughts

5. Students with disabilities are more likely to transition successfully if: They establish meaningful relationships with faculty and staff Feel connected to their school Establish meaningful relationships with peers Establish goals – make a connection between the here and now and their future Know and understand their disabilities and how to compensate for them.

6. Process To ensure student success, middle school staff needs to be made aware of the student’s needs and the necessary support the student requires. Articulation meeting between elementary and middle school special education teachers ▫Discuss student strengths and needs ▫Recommendations ▫No IEP decisions are made

7. Special Education Eligibility May have a 3 Year Re-evaluation to update testing in elementary school Special Education services continue based on eligibility Related service (OT, PT, Speech) will continue based on eligibility

8. Transition Process IEP meeting ▫Aug-Dec: begin discussions about middle school program ▫Dec-May: IEP meeting or addendum  Discuss middle school options  Include service times on IEP  May include middle school resource teacher IEP and/or Re-Eval due in August ▫Should be done in spring of 5 th grade

9. Transition Process School visits ▫5 th grader with general ed class ▫5 th grader with special education teachers (optional)  Meet resource teacher  Pair with other student  Ask questions of middle schoolers

10. Transition Process Parent Information Nights Administration visits elementary school Student completes course elective forms for middle school ▫Could be discussed at transition meeting ▫Special Education team may be involved in creating student schedules

11. Differences between Elementary and Middle School All Students Students with IEPS 5 different classes and teachers a day 68 min in a class (60 min on Wednesday) Academic Lab (30 min/4 days) Transitioning between classes Homework Electives Lunch! No Recess Extracurricular activities LRE options ▫General Education ▫Co-Taught ▫Pull Out Resource  Language Arts  Math ▫Extended Resource  May participate in other classes based on student’s needs

12. Open Enrollment If a student is OE at an elementary, granted OE for feeder middle school, no application necessary If requesting a different middle school, has to apply for OE

13. Questions