NASDSE PresentationCalifornia Community of Practice

on Secondary TransitionPracticing Authentic Engagement

Leading by Convening

Fred Balcom, Director, Special Education Division California Department of Education (CDE)Jill Larson, Education Programs Consultant, CDEJennifer Bianchi, Education Programs Consultant, CDESue Sawyer, President, California Transition AllianceLiz Zastrow, Program Specialist, Lodi (CA) Unified School DistrictVicky Shadd, Director of SELPA/Student Services Glenn County Office of Education

October 7, 2014

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Our Challenge

How do we build a community that embraces what we’ve learned from transition research to improve postsecondary outcomes for students with disabilities in our community, our region and our state?

Research

Practice

Implementation

Evaluation

3

The State of California: A Challenge

55,779 square miles

Mix of urban and rural issues

38,041,430 students

9,900 schools

212,573 transition age students with IEPs(10% of all youth with disabilities in U.S.)

127 Special Education Local Planning Areas

Urban Rural

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2014 Growing COP

1983Work Ability I

MOUs 1988Systems Change

GrantSWITP

1997 School To Career

All Youth One System

2005COP

SecondAttempt

1987Transition

Partnership Programs

2004Improving Transition Outcomes Projects

Bridges

2001COP First Attempt

Building a COP is Like Riding a Roller Coaster

2010COP Third Attempt

Appreciation: We Value These Contributions

• Dr Fred Balcom, California Department of Education Leadership, Willingness to Collaborate, Support with Staff

• Dr. Joanne Cashman, Shared Work / IDEA Partnership Encouraging, Support, Guidance, and Persistent

• Dr. John Johnson, Facilitator, Friend, Prodder, Challenger, Encourager

• The opportunity to engage with the National Centers for technical assistance, research and informing our work.

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Lessons Learned As We Worked to Build the COP

Tried Top Down and Bottom Up

Both have worked to some degree 1985 Memos of Understanding led to a contract with Department of Rehabilitation that has sustained support for Transition Partnership Programs and PROMISE Grant.

Or not Agency driven support is impacted by changes in leadership, shifting agency priorities and political challenges.

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We Have Learned:

• The value of committed, but shared, leadership• The whole is greater than the sum of its parts• Allow “bubble up” effect• Create sense of inclusion• Shared purpose/vision/issue/intent• Everyone brings what they can to the table• Suspend turf issues• Bring the right drivers to the table• Grassroots approach works when it can leverage support from essential partners.

A Leadership Team Is Essential• Receive technical assistance from national experts

and researchers.• Create a Statewide Action Plan• Get Action Plan input from the COP at large• Implement the Action Plan• Include practitioners throughout the state • Evaluate the effectiveness of the Action Plan• Develop strategies to engage youth and their voice• Develop strategies to engage business partners

The Intermediary System Works in CA!

Fred Balcom, CDE: Support, Leadership and Commitment Sees Value of Dedicated Staff: Jill Larson, Jennifer Bianchi

• Current CA COP is supported by grassroots efforts that thrive because of the relationship with agencies (CA Department of Education, CA Department of Rehabilitation) which developed as a result of CA administrators in Sacramento seeing action and results from CA COP.

• The CA Transition Alliance plays the role of Intermediary or Convener

Goal: Expand CA COP

• Are all the partners that should be involved at the table?

• Who else do we need to invite?

• How do we engage parents? Youth? Business?

• Can we improve communication with all partners?

FAMILY

LEAs Local COP

Teachers CARS

CA. Dept.

Education

CA DOR

Community College

Youth

University

DDS

NEA/CTA

CA Transition Alliance

CA Promise Adult ED Mind Institute

CA CareerResources

Diagnostic Center

Community

SELPA FAMILYWorkAbility

CECY

How Many Hats Do Each of Us Wear?

Are there any Hats that are missing for Your Table?

What hats do you partner with the most?

What new opportunities are emerging in your state?

The CA COP Action Plan- Year 41. Enhance the CA COP structure and sustain the COP

Transition Leadership Team. Focus efforts on local, regional collaboratives.

2. Develop and implement a multi-faceted capacity building strategy to identify best practices that lead to successful student outcomes.

3. Analyze statewide data to document outcomes, and identify successful models on a local, regional and statewide level.

4. Increase youth and family involvement and shared leadership in the implementation of evidence-based transition practices (EBTPs).

Strategies to Build Connections

• IDEA Partnership / Shared Work

• Engage leadership team at COP/NSTTAC

• Invite all to join the CA COP

• Utilize conference calls as tools for communication

• Offer information and resources

• Be responsive to new, emerging issues

• Develop and maintain strategic partnerships

Evaluate Our Efforts• Are people engaged?

• How can we improve youth and family engagement? Business?

• Do we connect with economic and workforce development? One Stop/WIOA

• Families and youth: Can we do a better job of addressing their needs?

Emerging Opportunities

Common Core

Student Success ActEmployment First

Career Pathways Trust

Adult Ed

Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act

Senate Autism Committee

Industry Sectors

CA Promise

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Goal 2: Capacity Building - Current Efforts

• Build A Bridge to the Future Institute• Transition Planning: The Basics• Transition Planning: The Essentials• Webinars• Local and regional workshops• Challenges:

• Evaluating effectiveness: Did our efforts have a positive impact? Have we changed behavior? Have outcomes improved?

• Seeking new opportunities – cross-agency training

New Efforts for 2014 - 2015

• Transition Planning: The Basics is our training resource.

• Secondary transition is not an IEP, but a process.

• Outlines mandates and corresponding best practices that have the greatest likelihood of leading to successful outcomes.

• Subsequent training incorporates the booklet.

• Transitioning Planning: the Essentials

• Certifying trainers is required to assure a common message.

• California Transition Nuggets is an effort to capture good ideas, tips and best practices being implemented throughout the state.

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Create Strategies to Build Connections

CACOP

CATransiti

onAlliance

EventsProjectsResourc

es

Focus on OutcomesEmployment

Postsecondary Education

Independent Living

OpportunitiesCareer Pathways TrustStudent Success Act

AB 86 Adult EducationROP/Career Technical Ed.

Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act

(WIOA)

Bridge to the Future IIStatewide Secondary Transition Institute

Capacity Building Opportunities

Transition Planning: The Essentials

Train the Trainer ModelCertification

Meetings, Webinars, Website

New PartnersCommunity College Chancellor’s OfficeCalifornia Career

Resource NetworkTransition Essentials

Trainers

ChallengesData Collection

Focus on Documenting Outcomes

Implement Employment First Policy

Support, Sustain, Grow Local / Regional Community

Collaboratives

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Are We Making a Difference?

Our Criteria Do we have an impact on improving transition?

Are we impacting learning? Changing practice? Changing attitudes?

Which capacity building efforts are the most effective?

What measurement should we incorporate in training?

Can conferences make an impact? Feedback from Institute:

Factors: How did the Institute Impact Transition Locally

Yes No

My knowledge and skills have increased. 93% 7%

There will be a positive impact on my professional work.

94% 6%

My ability to advocate for transition age youth increased

92% 8%

I expanded my networking with individuals doing similar work.

90% 10%

I would recommend that the COP and CA Transition Alliance continue this type of work.

96% 4%

How Do We Know the Value of Our Work?

Transition Planning: The Essentials (a Train the Trainer Program)

• Participant knowledge increased by 33%• Participants found the training useful - average 4.68 on a

5 point scale • 73% rated the usability at 5 out of 5.• Overall, the training was also highly rated -average of 4.57

• 66% rated the event overall 5 out of 5.

Nothing About Us Without Us

Who is the VIP at the IEP

YLF is an annual five day leadership program that provides information and resources about employment, education, independence and assistive technology. In addition, students have the opportunity to interact with students their own age and staff with various disabilities to develop long lasting friendships. YLF is held in Sacramento. Students will get to stay in the dorms on campus at California State University, Sacramento.

“My adults are my parents, friends, and co-workers who I work with now at DHSS.

When I need help I can go to my adults allies.

They help me with problems. They also believe in me”.

Engage Families

Adult Allies – Characteristics

Asks Probing Questions

Family Empowerment CentersParent Training/Information

Fiesta Educativa

Secondary Transition Planning: The BasicsFrom Mandates to Practices that Lead to Successful Outcomes

Hope

ConfidenceTrust

Write IEPs that meet the legal mandate!Compliance+ Effective Practice = Positive Outcomes

Secondary Transition:

The EssentialsA Workshop Based on The BasicsFocus: Develop an effective IEP

Transition is a ProcessNot an IEP

Apply to CalSTAT for Technical Assistance Funds to assist your district in their capacity building efforts in regard to secondary transition for youth with disabilities.

·Improve compliance

·Increase the use of evidence-

based practices

·Identify effective and useful

resources

·Have a positive impact on the

lives of transition age youth

with disabilities

To find a qualified trainer in your local area, please contact the California Transition Alliance

Contact person: Sue Sawyer, Executive Director Email: suesawyer@att.net

Phone: 530.604.3150

CalSTAT Technical Assistance: http://www.calstat.org/ta.html

Secondary

Transition

Training

California Transition Nuggets

We are kicking off a campaign to collect tips, strategies, resources and programs that transition practitioners throughout California recommend as an effective tool to prepare youth with disabilities for successful transition.

Nuggets will be submitted through the www.catransitionalliance.org website. They will be vetted by the CA Transition Alliance to verify they meet the standard of an effective transition best practice.

Reflection• Sustain and Grow the Statewide COP

• Encourage, support and train to develop local/regional COP

• Many parts of the state are geographically large and sparsely populated

• Continue to engage individuals in effective transition training

• Fine tune the way we evaluate our CA COP efforts

• Keep up with Change!

• Embrace new and emerging trends and legislation as opportunties

Working Together…

Coming together is a beginning… Staying together is a process…

Working together is success!