Building State Capacity: Tools

for Analyzing Transition-

Related Policies

Paula D. Kohler, Ph.D., Western Michigan University

National Secondary Transition Technical Assistance Center

Topics

Effective transition practices

Conceptualizing transition-related policies

Tools for policy planning

Student-Focused Planning

Student Development Interagency

Collaboration

Program Structures

Family Involvement

Taxonomy for Transition Programming

Taxonomy for Transition Programming

• IEP Development• Student Participation• Planning Strategies

STUDENT-FOCUSED PLANNING

PROGRAM STRUCTURES

• Program Philosophy• Program Policy• Strategic Planning• Program Evaluation• Resource Allocation• Human Resource

Development

STUDENT DEVELOPMENT

• Life Skills Instruction• Employment Skills

Instruction• Career & Vocational Curricula• Structured Work Experience• Assessment• Support Services

FAMILY INVOLVEMENT

• Family Training• Family Involvement• Family Empowerment

• Collaborative Framework• Collaborative Service Delivery

INTERAGENCY COLLABORATION

Student-Focused Planning

Short and long-term goals reflect interests, preferences, needs

Program of study addresses goals

Students prepared to participate

Self-determination skills applied

Student Development

Develop student competence in academic, occupational, life, social, and self-determination skills and behaviors

Develop career awareness

Provide, facilitate paid work experience

Provide instruction in school, work and other community-based settings

Identify and generalize student supports

Interagency Collaboration

When done well, facilitates transition; when done poorly, impedes success

IEP/transition teams include relevant members, including service providers

Teams address individual student needs

Community planning addresses service needs and delivery

Family Involvement

Families participate in multiple roles, but participation often limited by others’ assumptions and attitudes

Effective communication, collaborative partnerships, caring attitudes facilitate family involvement

Family involvement is dependent on quality and quantity of information provided to them

Program Structures

Policies and philosophy provide context for transition-focused education

Professional development fosters extension of research to practice

Leadership facilitates system-wide implementation and resource allocation

Program evaluation supports improvement and ongoing reform

Hold those thoughts ………

Make the Connection

Q – What’s the purpose of aligning transition-related policies across ministries?

A – Facilitate implementation of effective transition practices to improve transition outcomes

Your Challenge #1

Use this state planning institute to

Provide context for analyzing state and local level policies and their effects on facilitating implementation of effective transition practices

Move toward systems reform and service improvement

Your Challenge #2

Determine the extent to which your policies Complement collaborative service delivery

Facilitate implementation of effective transition services

Communicate a “transition perspective” of education

What Policies Do We Examine?

Any policy instruments that influence how,

when, where, and who provides transition-

related education, services, and resources

to individuals with disabilities

What are Policy Instruments?

State or federal legislation, and specifically laws, regarding: Special, general, and career education

Services to children, youth, and adults with developmental disabilities

Other relevant services

State plans for service provision – e.g., state plans for special education, rehabilitation services, career and technical education

What are Policy Instruments?

Ministry and agency regulations

Training and resource materials

Special project proposals, annual reports, surveys or needs assessments, products

Make Sense of the Instruments

Apply Analytic Frameworks

Policy Analysis How do we organize the many policy

instruments?

Transition practices What practices do/should the policies

promote?

Policy Analysis Framework

McDonnell & Elmore (1987) Mandates

Inducements

Capacity Building

System Change

Mandates

Usually in the form of laws, rules, regulations

Focused on producing compliance

Example: Licensure requirements

Inducements

Typically utilize the transfer of money from one organization to another

Money is used to produce specific goods or services

Example: Local agency/organization must establish interagency council to receive grant funds

Capacity Building

Focuses on transferring money or other resources to produce some desired benefit in the future

Generally concerned with developing future potential or growth, but often difficult to measure impact

Example: Providing funds to an agency or organization to conduct professional development

System Change

Focuses on transferring authority so the way goods and services are delivered is altered

Results in a new structure or method for delivering goods or services

Example: Policy to require community service agency to develop individual service plan prior to student’s exit from school

Policy Tools

Mandates

Inducements

Capacity Building

System Change

Regionaland

LocalEducationAgencies

Students and

Families

Roles

Provide Leadership

Provide Funding and Other Resources

Set Policy

Assure Compliance

ST

AT

E E

D A

GE

NC

YConceptualizing State Agency Roles and Policy

Tools

Transition Practices Framework

What practices do the policy instruments foster/facilitate?

Do they: Facilitate implementation of the Taxonomy for

Transition Programming?

Apply a “transition perspective of education”

Result in seamless, successful transitions for young people with disabilities?

Policy Analysis Process

Review “Instruments” (e.g., documents) Organize by type Identify responsible agency Determine policy actions Identify intended results

Summarize Findings

Develop Recommendations

Policy Analysis Tools

Summary document for gathering and reviewing your policy instruments

Applicable for use either inter- or intra-agency

Example: Mandate

Policy Instrument

Implementing Agency

Policy Actions Intended Results

Michigan Pupil Accounting Rules

Michigan Department of Education

-Allows for use of state aid (education funding) for provision of work-based education

-Student acquisition of employment-related and specific occupational skills

-Post-school employment

Example: Inducements

Policy Instrument

Implementing Agency

Policy Actions Intended Results

Special funding to schools to implement student leadership activities and self-determination curricula

New Mexico Governor’s Council on Developmental Disabilities (DDPC)

-Fund and support “trainers” and TA providers to assist schools to implement self-determination curricula

-Fund purchase of self-determination curricula

-Require participation in evaluation of implementation

-Increased implementation of self-determination curricula

-Increased student competence to practice self-determination

-Improved post-school outcomes

Example: Capacity Building

Policy Instrument

Implementing Agency

Policy Actions Intended Results

OK State Professional Development Improvement Grant (SPDIG)

OK Department of Education

-Fund statewide transition institute

-Fund transition-related technical assistance and professional development

-Improved capacity to implement evidence-based transition education and services

-Increased implementation of evidence-based transition education and services

-Increased compliance and performance on SPP indicators

-Improved student outcomes

Example: Systems Change

Policy Instrument

Implementing Agency

Policy Actions Intended Results

NM state statutes—legislation to establish Vocational Rehabilitation licensure

NM state rehab department—licensure unit

-Establish definition of vocational rehabilitation counselor

-Establish competencies of vocational rehabilitation counselor

-Establish roles of vocational rehabilitation counselor

-Increased voc rehab services to students while still in school

-Increased collaboration between vocational rehab and special education

-Improved student outcomes

Policy Analysis Process

Effective transition practices

Policy tools that facilitate implementati

on

Conclusions: Research

Importance of a broad perspective of transition-focused education and services

Complexity of transitions and transition practices research

Critical relationship of all aspects of development and education to “transition”

Importance of transition-focused “programs” that provide individualized education and services

Conclusions: Policies

Policies facilitate or throw up barriers to effective practices

Policies come in many shapes and sizes

Policies influence direct services and context of those services

When considering policies, must consider explicit intended impact, and eventually measure that impact