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The Monadnock Center for Successful Transitions (MCST), is a training and technical assistance center providing support to individuals (ages 14-21), especially individuals with disabilities, as they transition from high school throughout adulthood. MCST also works to improve the employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities by fostering professional connections within the community and supporting projects that encourage employment.

The amount of information on this site in innumerable. This is such a good resource for those who are involved in transtion services. I especially enjoy the "Transition Planning" page under "Educators". This page features a variety of resources to help special educators help their students plan for transition.

"The National Technical Assistance Center on Transition (NTACT) developed the Transition Gradebook as a school-level tool for recording individual students' transition-related activities, including the required pre-employment transition services (Pre-ETS), and various risk and protective factors associated with dropout, graduation and positive postschool outcomes. The Transition Gradebook is a locally served database application that records transition-related activities from five major areas from NTACT's Predictors of Postschool Success-specifically, Career Awareness, Work Experience, Inclusion, Student Supports, and Collaboration. It also tracks whether a student has received instruction in self-determination, social skills, life skills, and/or transportation skills. Finally, the tool also records some of the risk and protective factors associated with school completion: specifically in the areas of attendance, behavior and course performance, as well as other factors that impact school engagement and postschool outcomes."

Nice article Amanda! I like that this site provides ample information in short chunks and each chunk has another resource attached to it. I think it is very helpful

I really enjoyed this article. It is very easy to navigate through and will be very helpful in the teaching profession.

This website resource covers ages from 0-22 as a transition into adulthood which I honestly thing everyone could use help with, not just individuals with disabilities. There are 3 different links to help with transition; The basics of Student Involvement, Person-Centered Planning and Materials for Students. As you scroll down the website, each category gives a brief summary and a link for more information/agencies that can be helpful. There is also related information which discusses and IEP, how a disability is defined and the health care transition for youth with special care needs. This website would be important to use with a student. They would be able to research about transition under their own age at the link at the top of the page. After all, there is a quote on the home page saying ,"there's a very simple and common sense reason why IDEA 2004 requires that students with disabilities be invited to attend every IEP meeting where postsecondary transition goals will be considered: It's their lives."

"Transition services are intended to prepare students to make the transition from the world of school to the world of adulthood. In planning what type of transition services a student needs to prepare for adulthood, the IEP team must first consider areas such as vocational training, community employment and post secondary education for the student. If the IEP team thinks that independent living and community participation are appropriate for a student then these areas should also be considered." This website is from the State of Vermont Department of Education. The website has an overview of transition planning and what to do. There are many other great links on the site as well. This is a terrific resource for anyone who will be working in Vermont. The laws are different in each state so it is good for those of us who are certified in NH and are planning to head to Vermont in the future.

This site has a plethora of information about the transition process and how you can be successful in that process using assistive technology. It is broken into 5 sections that are written in a friendly-manner that is easy to follow, even if you are not familiar with the transition process or assistive technology.  I could see myself referring to this article for guidance when working in the transition stages of a students' education. It is helpful, like a textbook, but is not nearly as lengthy.

"FCTD Family Information Guide to Assistive Technology & Transition Planning This 50-page guide offers families information and resources to effectively prepare for and participate in periods of transition in their children's lives. In family-friendly language the guide discusses transition plans and the role of AT in them, offers checklists and suggestions. and provides a range of resources aimed at helping students make successful transitions to higher education, employment and independent living. The guide can be accessed online in both Spanish and English"

"The Transition Assessment Matrix was developed for secondary education transition teachers by the Indiana Northeast Cadre of Transition Leaders and the Indiana Secondary Transition Resource Center (INSTRC).  Assessments included in the Matrix have either been created by INSTRC, are available online, or are those for which INSTRC has received permission from the original publisher.  Recent Matrix updates make it easier to navigate and identify assessments that meet the specific needs of your students."

"Welcome to the Think Tank related to demonstrating proficiency within the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics (Math) through transition-focused activities. We would like your input! Below are two tables of examples of activities that are focused on transition-related skills (e.g., self-advocacy, self-management, knowledge of career options, job-specific skills) connected to specific ELA and Math standards from the Common Core State Standards."

This website provides information about transitioning out of school. It talks about who can provide helpful services, where to find a job, and how to live independently. The home page of the website is divided into three sections; students, families, and transition professionals. Each of these three sections is then divided again on their own. The student section provides information on living within communities, managing health, and managing money. This information is given in a very friendly manner that is simple to understand. It is provided in both written form and verbal form with pictorials included. The family section is divided into 9 categories. These categories range from self-determination to employment to organizations that can help with the transition process. Each of these nine categories provides a brief description and alternate resources for further information. The section for transition professionals provides online courses and links to informational websites. As a special education teacher working on transition and career development, I would share this website with both students and families because the information is presented in a very clear way. I would work with students to help them read about and learn the information being provided and then create an activity as a follow up. For example, I would help the student navigate their way through the managing money portion of the website and then have the student complete a series of activities having to do with money and budgeting.

This article describes the need for parents to be equal partners in the transition programming of their disabled child. Even after a student has transitioned from high school, their parents often remain a very strong and important part of their life. The article explores reasons that some parents may be less inclined to participate in the transition planning for their child. The authors then go on to suggest ways include parents more in the process. Professional Practice: It is very easy for us educators to get frustrated when parents aren't as involved in important processes for their children such as IEP planning and Transition planning. This article does a good job a explaining the different reasons that parents might not be as involved. This article will remind me of the unique perspective that parents have, and will help me in my effort to get parents more involved.

Excellent choice on this article Krystin! I find that the role of parents in the transition processes is very important and I think that it would be beneficial for parents to read.

Nice article. I like that there is a resource that discusses advocacy for the students. I feel that much of the time we talk about self-advocacy, which is extremely important, but I feel that it is equally important to have family support and involvement.

"This 19-minute video is intended for administrators, counselors, and district staff leading student engagement and dropout prevention efforts in their schools and districts, as well as secondary educators helping students transitioning into high school. The video draws from experiences and findings from researchers, practitioners, and students. It begins with an overview of the challenges facing students transitioning into high school and then focuses on three promising practices to help students manage the transition and stay on track to graduate: * Using data to identify students at risk of dropping out. * Providing academic supports to students who need help. * Connecting students to caring adults."

This article briefly discusses the laws under the IDEA and the transition process. It covers the transition process during school with the IEP and the transition process after graduation. It also discusses the importance of assistive technology in the transition process. This article can be useful to understand how assistive technology can play a role in the transition process. I could see myself referring to this article for guidance. 

This website resource provides transition resources for parents, teachers and professionals. Throughout the website, there are headings for specific disabilities such as ADHD, autism and visual impairment. Each of these disabilities is provided with a brief summary and link which discusses success stories, suggestions and tips about transitions with those particular disabilities. The website is broken down into grade level options which make the search more specific. At the top of the page, there are headings related to worksheets, videos and colleges. This website will be useful to any student at any age that is transitioning either into a higher grade or new school. It will be important for parents of children who are going through the transition process to check out this website and read about what parents can do to help. I would highly recommend this to families who I speak to about this process.

I like how this article discusses success stories instead of negative views. The suggestions and tips for each disability is helpful to. What i really like is how it is broken up into grade levels so that it is easy to find what you need.

This is a great article, full of many resources, and is very easy to follow. I liked how for the student section it broke it down and from why students should be involved their IEP meetings and transition services, to providing students with resources to see about what to do after high school. Very user friendly and I would direct my students to this site.

How can educators align transition goals with standards-based education? Addressing the individual needs of students with disabilities and successfully meeting academic standards for all students is challenging. Therefore, it is critical that innovative curricula emerge that combine standards-based academics with transition planning to facilitate access to general education, including multiple-outcome measures and learning supports (Kochhar-Bryant & Bassett, 2002). This website is all about enhancing transition outcomes by using technology. The Ohio State University developed a standards-driven computer-based curriculum for students with disabilities in grade 8-10. They emphasized 3 skills: reading competencies, information literacy skills, and career planning. This would be great for a special educator to read and adopt the standards that OSU developed. It is interesting to see what different states are doing in the field as we at times tend to stay in our own little bubbles.

"The NASET national standards and quality indicators are research-based benchmarks that articulate quality secondary education and transition services for all youth. These standards and indicators can guide state and local administrators and practitioners responsible for planning and implementing comprehensive transition systems for youth, ultimately becoming a catalyst for constructive change in transition practices and policies nationwide."

"For families of youth with disabilities, the transition from high school to employment, postsecondary education, and life in the community presents a variety of significant challenges. PACER's National Parent Center on Transition and Employment website offers innovative tools, reliable research, and interactive training to help address the needs of families across the country."

Summary: This PDF document is in the form of a book which serves as a guide for professionals working on generating transition plans. The guide progresses through tips for planning for employment, education, independent living, etc. , and also features informal assessments for each. The guide closes with examples of letters to parents or guardians about transition planning, as well as questionaires to assess learning styles. Professional Practice: This guide is a "one stop shop" for those who are looking for resources for writing a transition plan for a student. It features a variety of different questions to guide the creation of this important document. As I work with students of transition age, I could see myself using this booklet regularly to guide my process.

Awesome resource! Transition plans are so important and this resource is really helpful when it comes to creating them.

This is a great resource. I liked how it was broken out by the ages so you can see how relevant transition services are at the different stages. It's helpful to see/consider things you might not have thought of for a plan. It will be very useful when creating transition plans for middle and school kids.

This document is an overview of a module that discusses how to support the transition process of individuals that use Assistive Technology. It has slides from a presentation that review the transition process, set up for someone who would be facilitating a workshop. The page is helpful because it breaks down the transition process, which is something that can be used as a refresher for those of us who are special educators in the lower grades that do not deal with transitions. The page also discusses how assistive technology is needed for individuals, and when it is appropriate to include in the transition process. I feel that I could refer to this site, although the set-up is strange, for guidance during my career.

The National Assistive Technology Technical Assistive Partnership (NATTAP) is an organization based in Virginia. It works to provide assistive technology and information about assistive technology to people with disabilities. The programs provided by NATTAP "develop and disseminate training materials, conduct training, facilitate access to AT [(Assistive Technology)], and provide technical assistance to assist school children with disabilities transitioning to work or postsecondary education and adults with disabilities who are maintaining or transitioning to community living." The website provides information about training to use some assistive technology programs, as well as information about IDEA in terms of assistive technology and transition. As a special educator, I would use this site to find trainings for certain assistive technology programs. Being trained in the use of multiple assistive technology programs is incredibly beneficial because it gives the educator more knowledge about which programs would work best for students. In terms of transition and career development, I would use this website to help my students learn about new and different programs that will help them both in college and the working world.

This resource was very informative. I can definitely see myself using this as an educator to research assistive technology programs.

"Work Early, Work Often" is a video campaign created by the Youth Transitions Collaborative's career preparation and management working group. Together, the three-part series highlights the importance of work and work-based experiences in an individual's transition to adulthood, particularly for young adults with disabilities. Each storyline focuses on a different subject and narrative, told from the perspective of key audiences that are part of the transition journey. All videos include open captioning and audio descriptions.."