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Title:    “Self-Determination Curriculum and Transition Resources”

The University of Tennessee Center for Literacy, Education & Employment conducts training and technical assistance in delivering a self-determination and career planning curriculum to school systems interested in assisting students self-determine their career planning at the point of transition from school to adult life. The self-determination and career planning approach curriculum is based on the principles of self-determination. Students receive instruction and opportunity to practice self and career discovery. The targeted participants are in an inclusive classroom with both regular and special education teachers co-teaching. The class objectives include providing students decision-making skills to increase self-discovery, planning for career and post-secondary outcomes, and participating in the IEP process.

As we see the first early signs of spring, we know summer can't be far away. Start planning now for summertime activities to help middle and high school students continue their journey toward adulthood. This web conference will touch on ideas such as: Completing the Transition Workbook as a family activity Volunteering Summer jobs Exploring new assistive technology Establishing new connections in the community Continuing and documenting the Discovery process Testing out new leisure activities Learning about support needs...while having fun! The web conference will be held on Monday, March 15th, from 1:00 - 2:30 Mountain Time. 

As we see the first early signs of spring, we know summer can't be far away. Start planning now for summertime activities to help middle and high school students continue their journey toward adulthood. This web conference will touch on ideas such as: Completing the Transition Workbook as a family activity Volunteering Summer jobs Exploring new assistive technology Establishing new connections in the community Continuing and documenting the Discovery process Testing out new leisure activities Learning about support needs...while having fun! The web conference will be held on Monday, March 15th, from 1:00 - 2:30 Mountain Time. 

Life is full of transitions, and one of the more remarkable ones occurs when we get ready to leave high school and go out in the world as young adults. When the student has a disability, it's especially helpful to plan ahead for that transition. In fact, IDEA requires it.

Transitioning to Kindergarten: A Toolkit for Early Childhood EducatorsThe transition to kindergarten is most successful when it is carefully planned out over the entire pre-kindergarten year.  Starting as early as the first day of preschool, it’s important to make sure that children are developing the academic skills that help form a foundation of strong pre-reading and pre-writing, as well as the social and emotional skills they’ll need in kindergarten. 

As we enter the second half of the school year, many parents hear the clock ticking louder and louder as graduation nears. We hope you have been working closely with your child’s IEP team through high school to ensure that appropriate transition goals have been established and your child's progress toward these goals has been measured and documented.

Click here to register Our next webinar “Achieve My Plan (AMP!): Increasing Youth Participation in Planning Teams” is scheduled for September 14th from 11AM - 12PM Mountain Time. This webinar will address youth participation in team planning meetings and why it is important, identify strategies to increase meaningful youth participation, and discuss common pitfalls that can occur in team planning meetings and how to prevent them.

What can teachers, family members, friends and employers do to prepare students for success in the adult world? Identifying students’ strengths and preferences is crucial to developing their skills. Cultivating support at school, on the job and in the community while increasing students’ social competence is also vital.

Carter and Hughes describe inclusive methods that treat people with disabilities as competent and increase their independence and self-determination in tandem with social support and acceptance among the general population. Students learn to make their own choices, set goals, speak up for themselves and carry out their own plans, a shift from now-disfavored programs that isolated adolescents and young adults with disabilities.

Download the full flyer for the Sue Gendron Workshop here!What:Education teams will gain a clear understanding of how the new standards and assessments differ from what is currently taught and tested. Participants will be provided with tools and strategies to address today’s standards and assessment needs while preparing to move their instructional programs to the new standards and assessments, to be phased in over the next few years.  Issues and topics to be discussed will include the following: Planning for Evolutionary Reinvention – Understanding Classroom Implications for 2014 Planning Tool — Characteristics of Standards Alignment Checklist Introduction to the Common Core State Standards: ELA, Mathematics, Science Next Generation Assessments Meeting the Needs of All Students Technology Implications and Planning Communication/Engagement Strategies Target audience:School-based Teams (Administrators, Coaches, Curriculum Directors, Teachers). Register online on My Learning Plan (directions are attached above). When:March 22-23, 20128:30 am - 4:00 pm both daysWhere:The Commons1794 Baxter Lane EastBozeman, MTContact:Sharon RedfernRESA4U Executive Director Phone: (406) 422-5049 (Home)      (406) 672-1549 (Cell)Email: sredfern@resa4u.org or smredfern@optimum.net

The transition to kindergarten is most successful when it is carefully planned out over the entire pre-kindergarten year. Starting as early as the first day of preschool, it’s important to make sure that children are developing the academic skills that help form a foundation of strong pre-reading and pre-writing, as well as the social and emotional skills they’ll need in kindergarten.

As part of the transition from childhood to adult life, planning inevitably includes housing decisions. Finding and securing housing and residential supports for adults with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) can be challenging for the individual and the family. Autism Speaks is trying to make this overwhelming journey easier through a series of tools to guide you through the process of establishing residential services and supports for your loved one with autism. By giving you the tools you need to make housing choices, we hope to make this often complicated journey as simple and successful as possible. The Housing and Residential Supports section of the Autism Speaks website contains several sections that will provide you with the information you need, help you search for housing options, and keep you informed of promising developments, resources, and news in housing and residential supports.

In accordance with the requirements under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA),  the state must report annually to the public on the performance of each local educational agency located in the state on the targets in the State's Performance Plan. Because baseline data and/or performance targets have not been established for all of the performance indicators, the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), has informed states that they are only required to report district performance for students with disabilities on indicators 1-5 and 8-12 this year. These performance indicators address the following: Graduation, Dropout, Assessment, Suspension/Expulsion, Least Restrictive Environment (ages 6-21), Parent Involvement, Disproportionality As A Result Of Inappropriate Identification, Child Find Timelines, and Early Childhood Transition (transition from Part C to Part B). The district's performance data is 2008-2009 data that was submitted by the district to the OPI as a part of its child count, exiting, student discipline collections and/or collected during a compliance monitoring record review. Performance data for performance indicator #8, Parent Involvement, is based on parent survey data. The Parent Involvement Survey was distributed to districts that were compliance monitored in school year 2008-2009. Districts were asked to provide a copy of the survey to all parents of IDEA-eligible students receiving special education and related services through an Individualized Education Program (IEP). The District Public Reports can be found on the OPI Web site at:  http://data.opi.mt.gov/SPEDReporting/ .

1.  If your child is exhibiting new behavioral problems that are interfering with their ability to access the curriculum; your school may need to implement a Behavior Support Plan to extinguish the negative or off task behavior. 2.  If your child is struggling academically in the first semester, don’t wait until second semester to address the problem.  If you have to request new assessments; keep in mind the timeline from the day you authorized the assessments.  The school has 60 days* in which to conduct the assessments and hold an IEP, so if you wait until second semester, the school year might be coming to an end; basically, your child has lost the entire year.  * Some States have different timelines so please check the timelines in your State. 3.  If your child will be attending Kindergarten, Middle School or High School the following year; you need to know all the areas of strengths and weaknesses to help them transition into the next phase of their education. 4.  If your child has been bullied in school, you need to make sure there is a safety plan implemented to protect your child from harm.  In addition, your child should know the name of the school personnel they can approach if the situation arises again; providing a safe place in the school environment. 5.  If your child’s placement is no longer working, do not wait to address this problem; otherwise, your child may lose an entire year of academics. 6.  If your child has been suspended repeatedly for behavioral problems, do not wait until the school is about to expel your child from the district.  Call an IEP to discuss changes in the Behavior Support Plan or ask for additional assessments immediately such as a Functional Behavior Assessment. 7.  If your child has been assigned an Aide that is not experienced enough to prevent your child from eloping, you need to call an IEP as soon as possible to request a BCBA (Board Certified Behavior Analyst) or additionally training for the Aide.  Remember, every time your child leaves the classroom they are not being educated! 8.  If your child is experiencing depression, lack of self-worth, anxiety…etc.  You should call an IEP and request a Social/Emotional Assessment for in-school counseling.  If your child already has in-school counseling and that’s not working then you need to request an Educationally Related Mental Health Assessment to address these issues before they escalate into more serious behavior. 9.  If the services you agreed to at your child’s last IEP meeting are not working, you need to call an IEP to ask your school to increase the amount of services, or file for Due Process if you feel it’s necessary to take the matter directly to the school district. 10. If the School has not been following your child’s IEP; therefore, is out of compliance, call an IEP right away to allow the school to remedy the situation.  If they are not willing to rectify the situation then you need to either file for Due Process or file a complaint with the State Department of Education.

This six session series on Discovery will provide educators, adult service personnel and family members with the critical information necessary to facilitate discovery for persons with significant disabilities.  This alternative to comparative assessment addresses the essential question so often overlooked by evaluations and tests, “Who is this person?”  The sessions offer a comprehensive overview to discovery, the relationship to employment and transition from school to adult work, relevance to curricular outcomes and development of visual and written profile documents that capture the information learned during discovery. Don’t miss this useful and informative series that will provide practical strategies and the foundation for all person-centered plans.