Transcript Planning for Effective Transition to Postsecondary Education

Evidence-based Practices That
Build And Foster Student
Competence For Success In
Postsecondary Education
Dr. Margo Izzo, Ohio State University
[email protected]
Dr. Stan Shaw, University of
Connecticut
[email protected]
Presentation at the State Transition Planning
Institute
Charlotte, NC
May, 2008
1
Where are We Going?
Session Goals:
• Review Postsecondary Enrollment and
Retention Trends
• Discuss Evidence-Based Practices
• Discuss Best Practices Implemented by
Quality Secondary & College Programs
• Conclusions
2
Postsecondary
Education: The
Good News
• College students with disabilities increased
from 2.6% in 1978 to 9.2% in 1998
• The National Council on Disability (2004)
states that “higher education is key to the
economic prospects and independence of
youth with disabilities.” (p. 68)
3
Postsecondary
Education: The
Good News
• Students with disabilities who graduate
from college exhibit similar employment
rates and annual salaries compared to
their counterparts without disabilities
(Madaus, 2006; National Center for
Education Statistics 2000)
4
The Good News: Between 55 - 70% of
SwD Anticipate Going to College
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Full-time work (52.4%)
Part-time work (30.1%)
Two-year college (30.7%)
Four-year college (25.9%)
Technical school (15.3%)
Military (6.0%)
Vocational rehabilitation services (15%)
Other training (7.9%)
Source: The Ohio Longitudinal Transition Study: A Preliminary Analysis (2004)
5
Postsecondary
Education: The Not
So Good News
In spite of the more than 50% of students who
want to go to college, NLTS2 reported that one
year following graduation only
• 30% of students had taken college classes
• 18% of students were currently enrolled
(compared to 40% of their non-disabled peers)
6
Table 1: Postsecondary School Attendance
(N = 12,000)
40%
35%
YWD taken classes since high school
YWD currently attending
30%
Youth in gen pop currently attending
25%
20%
15%
10%
5%
0%
Any college
Voc/tech
2-year college
4-year college
Source: NLTS2 (2004)
http://www.nlts2.org
7
Postsecondary
Education: The Not
So Good News
• In spite of these increasing numbers, too many
students with disabilities are experiencing
limited success and exiting college without
completing their programs.
• Only 25% of students with disabilities received
an associate degree after five years at a
community college.
(Burgstahler, Crawford, & Acosta (2001)
8
Why Are Students Dropping
Out of College?
• Lack of self-advocacy skills?
• Lack of time management/organization skills?
• Lack of learning and study strategies?
• Student was provided too many accommodations
or supports in high school by teachers or
parents?
9
Strategies To Avoid
Regarding Transition to College
• Get a diagnostic evaluation that recommends as many
accommodations and waivers as possible.
• Use as many modifications, accommodations, waivers, and
content tutoring as you can get in order to achieve seemingly
competitive grades.
• Parents should provide whatever advocacy (pressure) it takes to
help student “look like” college material.
• The “best” college is the one with the “most” support
services.
• Parents should make all the calls and send in applications or
documentation because student with a disability is busy,
disorganized, or forgetful.
10
Need for Self-Determination
• IDEA 2004 encourages student involvement in
transition planning and acknowledges student
control at age of majority
• Profoundly different expectations between
HS and college
• Student must assume role of independent
self-advocate to receive assistance in
college
• “Increasingly and justifiably, youth with
disabilities are viewed as capable of
conceiving and shaping their own futures.”
- NLTS2 (2003)
11
Self-Determination Makes a Difference
•
Highly self-determined young adults with
disabilities demonstrated more employment
success and financial independence (Wehmeyer &
Schwartz, 1997)
•
Positive correlation between high selfdetermination and high GPA in college students
with LD (Field, Sarver & Shaw, 2003; Sarver,
2000)
12
Characteristics of
Self-Determined Individuals
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Self-knowledge
Internal locus of control
Positive attribution of efficacy and outcome expectancy
Self-evaluation
Goal setting and attainment
Problem-solving
Decision-making
When we hear the word self-determination, the
terms “control,” “goals,” “choice,” and “selfconfidence” should come to mind.
13
Evidence-Based Practices:
Self-Advocacy Strategy
• Motivation and Self-Determination Strategy
designed to prepare students to participate in
education and transition conferences.
Indicator 13 Checklist:
• #1: Student participation in identification of
postsecondary goals
• #5: Student involvement in identification of
strengths, needs, and preferences within the
transition assessment process.
14
Self-Determined H.S. Students:
• Understand and can describe their disability
• Know how to learn and compensate for
weaknesses
• Are good self-advocates
• Know when and how to properly disclose their
disability and request accommodations
• Function without direct parental involvement
• Understand legal mandates under Section 504
• Engage in planning postsecondary goals through
involvement in the IEP Team Transition Process
and developing Summary of Performance
15
Practices designed to promote
self-determination
• Universal Design - universal design operates on the
premise that the planning and delivery of instruction as
well as the evaluation of student learning outcomes can
incorporate inclusive attributes that anticipate diversity in
learners without compromising academic standards. Such
an environment will obviously foster student selfdetermination because options are available that allow the
student to select personally productive approaches to
learning (McGuire, Scott & Shaw, 2006)
16
Practices designed to promote
self-determination
• Strategic instruction - Providing students the
tools they need to compete in college: time
management, organization, memory skills
language and communication skills, note-taking,
outlining
(Deshler & Schumaker, 2006)
17
Practices designed to promote
self-determination
• Coaching - not yet evidence-based strategy that is
being used with some success with students labeled
ADHD, Aspergers, & LD. Activities such as
listening as a student verbalizes plans, encouraging
a student to make choices, and asking questions that
help students reflect on and learn from the selfdetermination process
(Parker, 2004)
18
Helicopter Parents
• “Helicopter parents” is clearly a pejorative term
used to indicate the concerns of postsecondary
personnel and the need to attend to this problem
• Differences in the role of parents in HS & College
(IDEA v 504)
• A transition plan for parents - Parent advocacy to
student self-sufficiency
19
Understand How Laws
Change After High School
• IDEA NOT IN EFFECT (i.e., no FAPE, no
special education, no availability of
diagnostic evaluations, no formal parent
role, no “guarantee” of a seat or success)
• 504/ADA provides equal access (i.e., no
discrimination) but only if you are
“otherwise qualified,” self-identify, and
provide acceptable documentation of a
disability
20
Disability Documentation
for Postsecondary
Education
Section 504 Requires Data to Answer the
Following Questions:
• Does the student have a documented
disability?
• Does the current disability substantially
limit a major life function (e.g.,
learning)?
• What supports and accommodations are
reasonable and appropriate based on the
data?
21
IDEA 2004 - Evaluations
Evaluations before change in eligibility
– An evaluation is not required before the
termination of a child’s eligibility under this
part due to graduation from secondary
school with a regular diploma, or due to
exceeding the age eligibility for FAPE under
State law (§ 300.305(e)(2)).
22
The Evaluation Dilemma
• IEP or 504 Plan insufficient to meet documentation
requirements
• Secondary schools moving to more functional data
(Response to Intervention, Curriculum-Based
Assessment, Functional Behavior Assessment)
• Postsecondary schools require documentation of a
current disability & need for academic adjustment.
• Postsecondary personnel have typically used recent
psycho-educational evaluations to determine eligibility
23
Requesting Formal Evaluations
Although formal evaluations are no longer required, IEP Teams and/or
parents can still request evaluations or re-evaluations in order to:
1) to determine whether the student continues to be a student with
a disability
2) to determine if the student’s educational needs still require
special education and related services;
3) to determine the present levels of academic achievement and
related developmental needs of the student;
4) to determine whether any additions or modifications to special
education and related services are needed to enable the student to meet
the measurable annual goals set out in the IEP and to participate, as
appropriate, in the general education curriculum.
24
IDEA of 2004: Requires Transition
Assessments
“Beginning not later than the first IEP to be in
effect when the child turns 16… the IEP
must include:
• Appropriate measurable postsecondary
goals based upon age appropriate
transition assessments related to training,
education, employment….”
• http://www.nsttac.org
25
IDEA 2004
Summary of Performance
– For a child whose eligibility terminates
under circumstances described in paragraph
(e)(2) of this section, a public agency must
provide the child with a summary of the
child’s academic achievement and functional
performance, which shall include
recommendations on how to assist the child
in meeting the child’s postsecondary goals
(§ 300.305(e)(3)).
26
What Does the Summary of
Performance Offer
A tool to bridge the gap between standardized
assessments and actual current performance
– Informal assessment data
– Data on actual skills and behaviors
– Problem solving skills
– Self-advocacy skills
– Accommodations based on classroom performance,
rather than standardized test data
– Accommodations that are actually used
27
Assumptions about SOP
• Does not require new testing
• Data exists in student’s file and from current
teachers
• Based on student’s postsecondary goals
• Narrative of strengths and needs should distill
data into understandable and useable terms
– Not jargon
– Not a list of test scores
– Not a list of “see attached report”
28
Implementing the Summary of
Performance
• The SOP is most useful when linked with the IEP and
transition planning process and the student has the
opportunity to actively participate in the development of this
document.
• The SOP should be developed by someone who knows the
student and should be reviewed and approved by the IEP
Team
• The SOP must be completed during the final year of a
student’s high school education.
• It can be the basis for transition planning throughout high
school so it is virtually completed by the senior year
29
SOP Development
Suggestions:
– Be sure to include informal data from classrooms
and testing accommodations
– Be sure to include names and dates of assessments
and standard scores
– Indicate basis for disability determination
– “Ask the student ‘how do you learn best?’”
– Clarify accommodations listed in IEP versus those
that were actually utilized
– Limit statements related to future “success”
30
Nationally Ratified Summary of
Performance Template (SOP)
• This is a model form that they may use as the
basis for developing their own
• It is available at:
http://www.cec.sped.org/pp/pdfs/SOP_Ratified.pdf
• This template has been ratified by many
national organizations including: CEC, DLD,
CEDS, LDA, HECSE, and CLD
• A review of SDE websites indicates that fewer
than 1/3 meet IDEA SOP mandates and less
31
than 20% fulfill the template guidelines.
Part 1: Background Information –this
section requests that you attach copies of
the most recent formal and informal
assessment reports that document the
student’s disability or functional
limitations and provide information to
assist in post-high school planning.
• This is critical for the documentation of a
disability in post-school settings.
• This section includes the name and
contact information for the professional
completing the SOP
32
Part 2: Student’s Postsecondary Goals –
These goals should indicate the postschool environment(s) the student intends
to transition to upon completion of high
school.
• The goals(s) could include employment,
higher education, training, community
participation, and/or independent living
• This sets the direction for the focus of the
contents of the SOP
33
Part 3: Summary of Performance – This
section includes three critical areas:
Academic, Cognitive and Functional levels
of performance.
• Next to each relevant area, complete the
student’s present level of performance and
the accommodations, modifications and
assistive technology that were essential in
high school to assist the student in
achieving progress.
34
Part 4: Recommendations to assist
the student in meeting
postsecondary goals – This
section should present suggestions
for accommodations, adaptive
devices, assistive services,
compensatory strategies, and/or
collateral support services, to
enhance access in a post-high
school environment.
35
Part 5: Student Input - It is highly recommended that
this section be completed and that the student provide
information related to this Summary of Performance.
The student’s contribution can help:
• secondary professionals complete the summary;
• the student to better understand the impact of his/her
disability on academic and functional performance in
the postsecondary setting;
• postsecondary personnel to more clearly understand
the student’s strengths and the impact of the disability
on this student.
This section may be filled out independently by the
student or completed with the student through an
interview.
36
Postsecondary Documentation
The Association on Higher Education and Disability recently
published AHEAD’s Best Practices: Disability
Documentation in Higher Education (2005) to support
postsecondary personnel in this effort. It states,
The principles espoused by this document recommend
that “institutional documentation policy should be
flexible, allowing for the consideration of alternative
methods and sources of documentation, as long as the
essential goal of adequately describing the current
impact is met” (p. 5)
What is the current reality?
37
School-wide Supports
Responsiveness to Intervention (RTI)
Positive Behavior Supports (PBS)
• Evidence-based strategies in primary and middle
grades and in basic subjects (reading, math)
• Both have potential to provide effective instruction
and social skills to prepare high school students with
disabilities for college
• Based on their efficacy in lower grades, the support
of IDEA 2004 and the need for effective models at
the high school level, extensive implementation and
evaluation of RTI/PBS in high school would be
appropriate
38
Technology Expectations
for College Success
We have preliminary data that there is a gap between
technology skills needed and mastered in high
school compared to those critical in postsecondary
education? Those skills are across three domains:
• Assistive Technology
• Learning or Mainstream Technology (Blackboard, Vista,
PowerPoint, Excel)
• Distance (On-line and Blended Instruction)
Students with disabilities often need preparation across all
three domains (Parker & Banerjee, 2007)
39
Integrate Technology and
Transition Planning
SwD who participated in EnvisionIT, a 40 hour
transition course delivered online had:
• Significantly higher scores on IT Literacy Tests
• Significantly higher knowledge of how to find a
job
• Significantly higher knowledge of how to find
information about college
Izzo, Dillon, Nagaraja, Novak, in press
40
Rights and Responsibilities
• Disclosure – Teach students how to disclose and encourage
them to practice their Junior and Senior years of High School
• Confidentiality – Assure students and teachers that
confidentiality must be followed.
• Documentation – Gain the most up-to-date documentation
available from secondary sources and attach to the SOP
• Accommodations -Provide accommodations in secondary
that will be approved within postsecondary settings
• Grievance Procedures – Teach students about grievance
procedures.
41
Disclosure
• Student self-identifying that s/he has a disability
requiring accommodations.
• A college is not required to provide accommodations
when it does not know the student requires it.
• It is the student’s responsibility to make his/her needs
known before they attend class.
• Students are not required to tell them before they are
admitted to the school.
• If you do not require any accommodations, you can
choose not to tell.
42
Confidentiality
• Keep information private.
• The college must keep this information private.
• College personnel cannot discuss information
about the student with anyone without
permission.
• If students want their parents to have a role in
their postsecondary education, they must invite
them.
43
Accommodations
• Modifications to policy, procedure, and delivery
method that allow students with disabilities an
equal opportunity to participate.
• Documentation will determine the
accommodations received.
• Accommodations must be specific to the
limitations to learning as a result of the student’s
disability.
• Accommodations may be different than what the
student used in high school.
44
Types of Accommodations
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Extended time for tests
Reader service
Campus mobility training
Tape Textbooks
Note taker
Enlarged print
Scribe for written exams
Tape-record lectures
Exams read aloud
• Sign language interpreter
• Distraction-free testing
environment
• Calculator
• Use of a word processor
for essay exams
• Specialized assistive
technology
• Course substitutions of
non-essential program
requirements
45
Conclusions
•
Postsecondary education is a
realistic and necessary option for
successful adult outcomes.
•
An understanding of the differences
between high school and
postsecondary education is
necessary if students with
disabilities and their families are to
be prepared to make wise choices
for successful transition.
46
Conclusion
•
School personnel and students should
use transition planning to foster selfdetermination and independent
learning in students with disabilities.
•
It is critical for students to have the
required assessment data and
documentation of needs and
accommodations if they expect
supports in postsecondary education.
47
For more information:
• FAME – Online Faculty Resources
http://www.oln.org/ILT/ada/Fame
• Fast Facts for Faculty – Short Information Briefs
http://ada.osu.edu/resources/fastfacts/index.htm
• Center for Postsecondary Education and
Disability – Dr. Stan Shaw, UConn
http://www.cped.uconn.edu/index.html
48