Secondary Transition

The Armstrong-Indiana Transition Council met on September 22, 2022. At this meeting, the council discussed Student-Centered Planning using Vision Boards, the OVR/BSE Benefits Counseling Toolkit for Educators & Families https://www.pasecondarytransition.com/assets/img2/OVR-BSE%20Benefits-Counseling%20Tlkt%2012-7-21.pdf, and the RENEW stipend opportunity for school districts interested in implementing the TIER III intervention. Council members shared current transition events happening at their district/agency.

The next meeting will be held on December 6, 2022, at ARIN IU 28 from 12:30 PM- 2:30 PM. The administrators from OVR will be presenting on accessing OVR supports, the new referral process and Pre- ETS services, and answering questions from the council.

Safety Care is a training that a lot of our school districts require, therefore, I became a certified Safety Care Trainer in July 2022. I have facilitated re-certifications for the ARIN IU 28 & Freeport Area School District staff. Other trainings are planned throughout the rest of the 2022-2023 school year.

This three-part series focuses on best-practice in writing compliant, effective IEPs. Day One, held on October 3, 2022, focused on the invitation to the IEP, special considerations, agency involvement, assessment, and the Present Levels of Academic Achievement & Functional Performance. The next two sessions (December 2022 & February 2023) will address the remainder of the IEP, with special focus on the Transition Grid, Specially Designed Instruction, Measurable Annual Goals, and Extended School Year.

On Day One, there were four participants. All of the educators were from the River Valley School District. I look forward to Day 2 & 3!

For more details, please visit: https://www.smore.com/zxgsy

At the Act 80 Indiana County-Wide In-service, I presented on the positive post-school outcomes of students who are active participants of their IEPs. During this training, I shared my experience with students who were at-risk for dropping out of school. Through the RENEW Tier III intervention and student-led IEP meetings, these students turned their lives around! All graduated from high school and some went on to pursue higher education. The session participants left with resources to start implementing student-led IEPs within their districts. A total of 15 teachers from Purchase Line SD, Marion Center Area SD, Homer Center SD, and Indiana Area SD were in attendance.

At our annual RENEW Trainer of Trainers meeting, I was asked to share my experience with other RENEW trainers across the state of Pennsylvania. RENEW is a TIER III intervention utilized for students at-risk of dropping out. Over the past several years, I have had the honor of working with the ARIN IU 28 and Penns Manor School District in implementing RENEW. The classroom teacher, Mrs. Megan Frycklund, was the facilitator for RENEW. Megan and the administration were truly the driving force behind this intervention. We witnessed students on the brink of never returning to school to graduating with a smile! One of the students is now attending IUP for nursing. This student also co-presented with me at Marion Center Area School District on how RENEW changed her life! Another student who struggled to get to school started walking to school because she missed the bus! It was even snowing that day! What a difference this intervention makes!

In November 2022, PaTTAN awarded the Leechburg Area School District and the United School District $4500 each in order to implement the RENEW Intervention within their district. I am beyond excited to work with these districts in changing lives of our students!

RENEW One-Pager Resource: https://www.pattan.net/getmedia/8226cf71-460e-432a-a8e2-d0fc0a85d776/ses04_renew_1_pager

The Training & Consultation Team, Curriculum Department and Administrative Team from IU 28 spent two professional development days with consultant Dr. Tom Dewing from Silver Strong & Associates. Further information on Dr. Dewing and his services can be found at https://www.ascd.org/people/r.-thomas-dewing and https://thoughtfulclassroom.com/about-us/meet-our-team/. Our time spent with him enabled us to explore engagement strategies that can be used with adult and student audiences, tools for igniting curiosity, and ways to learn from each other. As a team, we will be incorporating these strategies into our trainings, as well as sharing them with the educators that we work with.

During this session, participants were provided training on classroom instructional basics. These basics included: effective classroom management, active student engagement, using instructional time effectively, family engagement, checks for understanding, explicit-scaffolding instruction, and organizers and tools to support learning. It was a great group of teachers! I look forward to working with them each year!

In these series of workshops, I provided participants with information related to the special education eligibility process. As Lacie Cook worked with the general education teachers on the IEP components, Mariha Shields and I provided technical assistance to the special education teachers. We reviewed the IEP by each section. Afterwards, we were able to spend time with the teachers in answering questions they had regarding instruction.

In its infancy stage, this committee has met four times since the beginning of the year. Stacie Isenberg, IU 28, has invited school districts and community partners to form a career pathways committee for Armstrong & Indiana Counties. We have been active in goal-setting, brain-storming, and developing what this group could and should offer, who needs to be at the table, and identifying long and short-term goals. We have developed a purpose, vision, and mission. We want this partnership to benefit a variety of stakeholders including students, parents, K-12 schools, CTCs, post-secondary, community organizations, and local businesses. For further information, please contact Stacie at sisenberg@iu28.org.

Homer-Center Area School District has invited me to work with some of their teachers on IEP writing. Before our meeting, teachers submit an IEP for me to review. In turn, I provide them with a variety of resources that support IEP writing. At our first meeting, we look at the IEP together, reviewing the observations that I noted from my review. This time is a time that I can provide specific feedback tailored to the teacher's needs. Teachers are always encouraged to use the IEP writing resources as a continual guide, as well as reaching out to me for any additional support needed.

In my role as transition consultant, I act as a liaison between the school districts and agency partners. Working to solidify these important partnerships is one of the most meaningful things that I do in my work. This year, I have been collaborating with OVR, Community Guidance Center, Armstrong Indiana Behavioral and Developmental Health Program (AIBDHP), and The Arc of Indiana County to provide seamless services to our students and their families.

I have provided professional development, technical assistance, consultations, and/or parent meetings for all of our districts in IU 28. This is an honor of mine to do so. Please reach out to me if I can be of any service.

Adrienne Stiteler

TaC- Secondary Transition

ARIN IU 28

724-463-5300 ext. 1105

mailto:astiteler@iu28.org

Secondary Transition Smore Newsletter: https://www.smore.com/bagzr