Fall 2011

Transition Talk Green Hills AEA Transition Department

Transition Content Coaches

Betty Grimes- East Region serving the following schools: Bedford, Central Decatur, Clarke, Clearfield, Corning, Creston, Diagonal, East Union, Lamoni, Lenox, Mormon Trail, Mount Ayr, Murray, Nodaway Valley, Orient-Macksburg, and Prescott,

Theresa Jozwiak- West Region serving the following schools: Council Bluffs and Lewis Central.

Judy Kay- North Region serving the following schools: AHST, Atlantic, Boyer Valley, CAM, Griswold, Harlan, IKM-Manning, Logan-Magnolia, Missouri Valley, Riverside, Treynor, Tri-Center, Underwood, Walnut, West Harrison and Woodbine

Nancy Lindgren- South Region serving the following schools: Clarinda, East Mills, Essex, Farragut, Fremont-Mills, Glenwood, Hamburg, Red Oak, Sidney, South Page, Stanton, and Villisca

From the Desk of the PEC’s Amy Liddell and Kyla Alba are the Parent Coordinators for the Parent & Educator Connection (PEC) here at Green Hills AEA. Both Amy and Kyla are parents of young people with special needs, which is one of the requirements of the position. The mission statement for the PEC is: "Promoting communication, cooperation, and partnerships among families, educators, and community providers who live and work with children and young adults with special needs." They can attend IEP or 504 Plan meetings. However their role is not to be a 'parent advocate' but a neutral liaison between schools and families for smoother communication. They are also a part of Green Hills AEA's Transition Team and have resources that would benefit families as kids transition through middle school, junior high and high school to post high school, including information on service providers. I encourage you to contact Amy (712-623-2559 or 800-432-5804) or Kyla (712-366-0503 or 800-432-5804). Through their own experiences in this special needs world, they are always willing to become involved to help and insure that kids are given the opportunities to be as successful as they can be.

Effective October 1, 2011 All Green Hills AEA offices use the same toll-free number.

1-800-432-5804

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Transition Tips and Important IEP Notes The Green Hills AEA Transition Team, Special

Education Representatives, and Community Partners conducted Quality IEP File Reviews for the school districts that have site visits in 2013-2014. Some of the Transition related errors on IEPs are:

1. On the meeting notice- The box that says “For transition-age students: Representatives

of outside agency(ies) involved with transition planning, have been invited to attend this meeting, with the prior consent of the parent or student who has reached the age of majority, where appropriate; OR agency participation is

not applicable for this student. This box MUST be checked for the IEP meeting of any student age 13 and above. Checking the box indicates that the appropriate consideration was made regarding the involvement of other agencies and that consent was obtained, if necessary.

2. Page B: IEPs that will be reviewed in the spring of 2013 will need to have more than a student interview as the source of data for Living, Learning and Working. Please start using more transition assessments and documenting the specific assessment on Page B. IHAPI (I Have A Plan- Iowa) assessments can be used in this section.

3. Page B: In the course of study section of the IEP, the last box asks for Courses and activities needed to pursue the post-secondary expectations and graduate by the target graduation date? Many IEPs include a listing of classes, but do not include activities such as making college visits, completing financial aid paperwork, meeting with Vocational Rehabilitation to determine eligibility, completing applications for housing

and jobs, locating housing, buying essential items for independent living or the world of work. There are many other activities that can be listed in this section. 4. Well Written Goals: A goal may link to more than one postsecondary expectation. A goal for the self-determined use of accommodations, for example, may support both learning and working postsecondary expectation. Independent mobility in the community could support both living and learning postsecondary expectations. Every effort should be taken to make sure that the goal directly links to the postsecondary expectation, taking into account the student’s characteristics. Goals that support accumulation of credits or maintaining a specific grade point only support secondary expectations and are NOT considered well written goals. Academic skill goals may link directly to postsecondary expectations, if they take into account how the student learns. A reading goal to increase reading fluency, for example, would link to a 9th grader’s postsecondary expectation for college, if the data support that the student can learn at that rate. For an 11th grader with the same postsecondary expectation who had shown no progress since 9th grade the goal would not link. A more appropriate goal (that would link) would be to increase the student’s use of accommodations to access and comprehend material. Please contact the Special Education Representative or the Transition Content Coach that serves the district if you have questions, concerns, or would like more clarification about any of these items. They would be happy to answer any questions or help the district achieve the 95% compliance rate required as part of the transition review process completed during the I-STAR review.

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Save the Dates:

February 7 & 9 November 11

“Let’s Talk Transition” in Mount Ayr. This is a day for teachers from small schools to talk about transition issues.

November 14

Transition Advisory Committee meeting 9:00-11:30 via polycom in Creston, Red Oak and Council Bluffs offices.

Day 1 Transition Institute. February 7, 2012 in Creston and February 9, 2012 in Atlantic. The last day is April 16 in Atlantic and April 18 in Creston

I Have A Plan Iowa (IHAP I) First launched in August 2009, Iowa's statewide community web portal, www.IHaveAPlanIowa.gov provides free access, information and resources for all Iowans seeking assistance with education and career planning. I Have A Plan Iowa™ was implemented by the Iowa College Student Aid Commission in partnership with the Iowa Department of Education to help students successfully transition through middle school, high school, college and beyond, as well as provide tools for adults seeking education and employment opportunities. Iowa Code specifies that all Iowa students must create a career plan in grade 8 and complete the required components of the state-designated career information system in grades 8-12. The Iowa Department of Education has designated I Have A Plan Iowa™ as the state-designated career information system to help schools meet these requirements.

According to the State Transition Consultant, beginning in 2012-2013, I Have A Plan Iowa will also need to be part of the IEP for transition age students. Page B needs to include I Have A Plan Iowa as a source of transition assessment for Living, Learning and/or Working. I Have A Plan assessments should be used as part of the IEP and results from I Have A Plan should be documented on Page B, possibly on the Goal Pages and possibly on Page F. I Have A Plan Iowa™ includes many useful features that help individuals:

• Discover their strengths and interests • Match interests, values and skills with education and employment opportunities • Prepare for the ACT, SAT or GRE college entrance tests through free test preparation • Explore programs and majors at Iowa's colleges and universities • Research financial aid and scholarship options • Apply for all state-administered financial aid programs • Build resumes and practice for job interviews • Track activities from middle school, high school, college and beyond

If you have any questions or comments, please contact Iowa College Aid at: (877) 272-4456 or info@iowacollegeaid.gov.

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Exit IEP’s

Some students may be graduating at the end of first semester. Graduation from school programs is a unique exit from special education. Graduation with a regular diploma signifies the end of FAPE for the student. Federal rules and regulations require a reevaluation to terminate special education services except in the case of graduation with a regular diploma or if a student reaches the maximum age. Before a special education student is graduated, these steps should be followed and it is recommended they be done in this order:

1. Update progress monitoring on goal pages. 2. Choose New IEP within the last couple of weeks before graduation, but not more than 30 days before

graduation. 3. Meeting Notice with Procedural Safeguards Manual for Parents. 4. Prior Written Notice 5. Page A including Exit Code GRD (Graduated – Regular Diploma) 6. Final Exit form 7. Summary for Post-Secondary Living, Learning, and Working or Support for Accommodations Request

(this is a template and not included under State Forms). If the IEP team recommends continued programming for a student, an IEP should be developed. If the student chooses to exit special education services despite this recommendation, this should be documented on the Prior Written Notice.

Transition Websites

Transition websites are numerous and include a multitude of different topics related to transition. The following is a short list of transition websites teachers may want to use if more information is needed about family involvement in the transition process:

• Seamless Transition Collaboration Website: http://www.seamlesstransition.org • Pacer: http://www.pacer.org

Additionally, these sites are quality sites that include more information on helping students become better self-advocates:

• This site helps youth plan for their future. http://www.alife4me.com • This is an excellent website for resources and also shares strategies for youth regarding

transition issues and planning for the future. It is very helpful for those looking at going to some type of post-secondary option. http://www.ThinkCollege.net