Transition Tidbits
January 2024
JOIN US! In-person: February 15, 2024
During the 2023-24 school year, the in person meetings are focused on The Taxonomy for Transition Programming 2.0 (Kohler, Gothberg, Fowler, and Coyle, 2016) which builds upon earlier work and provides research-based practices for implementing transition-focused education.
The model has five primary practice categories:
Student-Focused Planning, and Student Development were the focus of the meeting on October 31. Thank you to all who were able to participate and to those who provided support to make their attendance possible!
Interagency Collaboration and Family Engagement will be the focus of out next meeting on February 15.
Program Structure is embedded in all sessions
Mobility Management
Program Purpose
Mobility Management Projects are capital projects that increase access to mobility for Ohioans by increasing understanding and awareness of transportation needs, promote coordination of transportation options to meet needs, and build sustainable and healthy communities by integrating transportation into planning and programs.
The Workforce Mobility Partnership Program was first established in Section 755.20 of House Bill 23. Through this act, $15 million is made available each State Fiscal Year for 2024-2025 to support projects in the rural and urban areas of Ohio that easily and efficiently transport resident workforce members to economically significant employment centers or to places of employment outside of their resident community.
CREATE, LEAD, EMPOWER OHIO TOOLKIT
Comparable to Ohio Mean's Jobs, INFOhio’s Create, Lead, Empower Ohio (CLEO) toolkit provides easy access to a curated collection of resources to help teachers create opportunities for K-12 students to grow and thrive through accelerating personalized learning, fostering career exploration, and cultivating employability skills.
Husted Announces High School Tech Internship Now Open for Ohio Students
The goal of this program is to provide Ohio businesses with the tech talent they need while providing students with valuable work experience at an early age.
"In a competitive world, skills are the most important factor that can help you stand out from others, and help you clock a job you aspire for. If you’re on a lookout for one, additional skills can impress your employer and increase your chance of employment." (Top 20 Skills That Employers Look For In Candidates by Nikita Tambe, Forbes Advisor July 14, 2023).
"A truly successful transition process is the result of comprehensive planning that is driven by the student’s preferences, interests, needs, and strengths. This comprehensive planning moves students toward successful future outcomes in competitive, integrated employment, education, and independent living." (Secondary Transition and Workforce Development for Students with Disabilities)
The resources below can be used to align services for students to provide a comprehensive plan that will give them the most support for being prepared for education/training, competitive integrated employment, and independent living.
Don't be afraid to think outside the box and truly individualize transition services/activities in order to support students in meeting their post-secondary goals.
The skills required to earn this seal align with what employers are looking for in employees and can be explicitly taught along with content standards through classroom expectations.
Graduation Plans and Policies for Identifying Students At Risk of Not Graduating
"Each Child, Our Future, Ohio’s strategic plan for education, calls for a student-centered system that addresses the needs of an increasingly diverse student population and prepares students for a rapidly changing workplace. Specifically, the plan seeks to ensure that high school inspires students to identify paths to future success and recognizes that students demonstrate a variety of skills and knowledge in different ways. These important sets of knowledge, skills and dispositions are necessary for high school graduates to be successful in the workplace, college, the military or other self-sustaining professions.
In support of this student-centered approach, the Ohio General Assembly enacted a requirement for each board of education of a school district and governing authority of a chartered nonpublic school to adopt a policy regarding students who are at risk of not qualifying for a high school diploma."
Identifying students who may be at risk of not earning a regular diploma or of dropping out of HS due to poor attendance, behavior, or course performance and providing evidence-based interventions can make a life-changing impact. These interventions can also be provided through transition services/activities in an IEP.
Indicator 13 - Transition Plan in IEP
(a) Transition services means a coordinated set of activities for a child with a disability that—
(1) Is designed to be within a results-oriented process, that is focused on improving the academic and functional achievement of the child with a disability to facilitate the child’s movement from school to post-school activities, including postsecondary education, vocational education, integrated employment (including supported employment), continuing and adult education, adult services, independent living, or community participation;
(2) Is based on the individual child’s needs, taking into account the child’s strengths, preferences, and interests; and includes—
(i) Instruction;
(ii) Related services;
(iii) Community experiences;
(iv) The development of employment and other post-school adult living objectives; and
(v) If appropriate, acquisition of daily living skills and provision of a functional vocational evaluation.
Take advantage of this opportunity to provide services/activities individualized to align Graduation Plans, Student Success Plans, and students post-secondary goals.
Family Training for Families and Caregivers raising Children with Autism
Family ECHO: Autism is a virtual learning program for families and caregivers raising children with autism. This series is designed to educate families so that parents and caregivers can learn to better support and care for their child with autism.
As a collaborative environment, Family ECHO: Autism connects families with an interdisciplinary panel of experts. The series is designed to increase autism knowledge, build leadership skills for managing interdisciplinary care teams and provide strategies that can be applied for families and their teams. In a series of 75-minute sessions, you will learn, engage and build skills. Upcoming Sessions Include:
February 7th: Sleep in Autism
February 28th: Challenging Behavior and Autism
March 20th: Transition to Adulthood
April 10th: Behavior Management Strategies
Ohio Parent Mentor Page
The Parent Mentors that serve districts in SST16 are AMAZING people doing incredible, life-changing work.
For more than 30 years, Ohio Parent Mentors have helped families navigate local and state special education processes and services so that children with disabilities can get the most out of their educational experience. Using our lived experience and an evidence-based approach, we work in collaboration with families, schools, and agencies to create the conditions for success for your child.
With our support as peers and trained mentors, parents will understand the special education process and become better advocates for their children. Ohio’s Parent Mentor Project offers all services free of charge to families.
Family University
Family University’s next session is Accessing and Utilizing STABLE Accounts and the Medicaid Waiver with published author and Attorney Derek L. Graham on January 23 , 2024, from 6:30 to 7:30 pm. For more information or to register, click here
In collaboration with Ohio College Tech Prep, the Ohio State Support Teams will provide a series of sessions geared toward Career Planning for Graduation and Beyond. This is a "Choose Your Own Adventure" series. We want you to select the sessions you believe will best assist you with planning for Career Advising, Graduation Requirements, and Career Readiness for your students. Everyone is welcome to attend!
AT, AAC, AEM, IEP . . . Say what?!
Calling all EDUCATORS! Accessibility. Accessible Format. Assistive Technology. Augmentative and Alternative Communication. Are you confused? You are not alone! Inclusive communities (aka - ALL classrooms) require that ALL educators (not just special educators) use careful, thoughtful, iterative design, reflection, and effort when designing instructional learning experiences. Available does not equal Accessible. Accessible does not equal Inclusive. Would you like to learn more?
Click here to view the flyer and registration information.
Literacy Academy On Demand offers short, easily-accessible courses on literacy for grades K-12. Each course is centered around a brief video of an expert In literacy instruction, along with resources, reflection questions and articles. These courses should take 30-60 minutes to complete. The goal of each course is to provide teachers, coaches and administrators with quick overviews of topics, along with tangible steps that they can take in their classrooms, coaching sessions or team meetings to improve literacy instruction.
The Accessible Ohio Playbook
Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities (OOD) presents a six-part webinar series — The Accessible Ohio Playbook. This webinar series will include guidelines from the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the intent of a universal design approach, the four priority areas of the accessibility journey, and the role of Accessible Ohio in supporting Ohio entities to be more accessible and inclusive. The first session is on January 18, 2024. For more information on the series, visit https://ood.ohio.gov/accessible-ohio/accessible-ohio-playbook
To the Teacher Feeling Unsupported with Student Behavior
These strategies can get your classroom under control when your administrator can’t—or won’t—help.
Former teacher Kelly Bicknell offers several real-life strategies for managing classroom behavior when a teacher feels abandoned by administration.
Alternate Assessment Info: Training, Ordering
The following AASCD Administration resources are available in the Resources section of the AASCD Test Portal:
- AASCD Test Administration Manual (AASCD TAM)
- AASCD Supplemental Instructions for Paper Testing Manual (AASCD SIFPT)
- Updated TA-Alt Certification Course:
- Edits have been made to the course to reflect the new TA Interface layout. There are no changes to the course regarding policy or procedure.
- New Embossed Tactile Graphics Training Video:
- This short video provides information on the policies and procedures around administering embossed tactile graphics for students that are blind or have visual impairments.
Accessibility for Ohio’s State Tests
State testing is just around the corner. Brush up on your knowledge of allowable accommodations and advocate for students through the IEP process.
Ohio’s Accessibility Manual is a comprehensive policy document providing information about the accessibility features of Ohio’s State Tests for grades 3-8 and high school in English language arts, mathematics, science and social studies. The manual helps to define the specific accessibility features available for all students, students with disabilities, students who are English learners and students who are English learners with disabilities. Ohio’s Accessibility System features are made up of accommodations for students with disabilities and English learners as well as other features including administrative considerations, universal tools and designated supports.
