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What’s Happening on College Campuses? Postsecondary Education for Students with Disabilities May 2007 Kristine Wiest Webb, Ph.D. Associate Professor: Special Education University of North Florida Jacksonville, FL 32224 (904) 620-1807 [email protected] “Oh, my bags are packed, I’m ready to go…” I think….. What do students need in order to begin their careers in postsecondary education? Think of skills, abilities, tools, information, and characteristics that will help students make a successful transition to postsecondary education. How about you???? Think about your own postsecondary experience. Circle the skills, abilities, tools, information, and characteristics that you believe you had when you began your postsecondary experience. Underline the ones you wish you could have had! Evidenced-based practices? As we review our list of skills, tools, abilities, and other characteristics or indicators, how many are evidence-based? Voices of College Students with Disabilities Self-determination Academic preparation Social skills-interpersonal skills Accommodations-rehearsal-evaluation Assistive Technology Resources Dare to Dream for Adults Available from the Florida Department of Education: http://www.firn.edu/doe/commhome/pdf/dream_adults.pdf Or contact: Clearinghouse Information Center Bureau of Exceptional Education and Student Services Room 628 Turlington Building Tallahassee, FL 32399-0400 (850) 245-0477 Other Resources Going To College: Expanding Opportunities For People With Disabilities (Paperback) by Elizabeth Evans Getzel (Editor), Paul Wehman (Editor) Transition to Postsecondary Education: Strategies for Students With Disabilities (Pro-ed Series on Transition) (Paperback) by Kristine Wiest Webb (Author) OPEN Model Opportunities in Postsecondary Education through Networking Deciding Exploring Selecting Applying Enrolling Deciding… What career is best for me… What postsecondary education does that career require… What postsecondary education is a good match for me… Career Exploration Exercises: Dare to Dream for Adults http://www.firn.edu/doe/commhome/pdf/dr eam_adults.pdf Informal assessments What other methods could you use to help your students find career interests? Strengths, Talents and Abilities Hot off the Press! Informal Assessments for Transition: Employment and Career Planning (Paperback) by Katherine O. Synatschk (Author), Gary M. Clark (Author), James R. Patton (Author), L. Rozelle Copeland (Author) Circle of Opportunities Career Career Career Choice Choice Choice Reasons for Career Choices Reason #1 Related jobs or careers Reason #2 Related jobs or careers Reason #3 Related jobs or careers Interviewing a Professional! (List profession or career)___________________ is a good match for me because: Planning… Now that I know what career I would like to pursue, what classes should I take in high school? Tips for Course selections Generally, college-bound students bound for 2-year or 4-year colleges need to enroll in classes that are included in the high school’s college preparatory tract. The classes in this tract are academicallyoriented rather than based on the completion of competencies. College Preparation The organization and format of college tract classes helps students build a high degree of independence, become accustomed to lecture presentations, and attain test-taking skills. Tips for Course selections Students who are preparing for vocational or technical schools may not require the rigor demanded by the college preparatory tract. Discussions with the school counselor and T-IEP team will assist the student in making this decision. Dare to Dream for Adults Finding a match between the student and the postsecondary education choice! How is college different from high school? Activities for Postsecondary Preparation Differences between High School and College Characteristics of Post-secondary Institutions Adulteducation Average tuition/costs for 1 year (write in number) Home studyIn Internet Average class size (write in number) Apprentice-ship Remedial or developmental classes Military education Work experiences or internships Vocational school Bachelor’s degree granted Technical institute Program for students with disabilities Community college Housing on campus 2-year college Open admission 4-year private college/university SAT/ACT tests required 4-year state college/university Mark each item Y for yes N for no Make additional notes on a separate page Assign each student a different post-secondary option. Direct them to identify a person who is attending, or has attended the post-secondary option assigned to them. With assistance from students, devise an interview script for the students to follow. Examples of questions are included below. Why did you decide to attend ________________________? What other options did you consider? Describe the climate on campus. Would you describe the climate as very competitive, competitive, relaxed, or very relaxed? In what ways were you given support to succeed? What are the advantages of attending this type of school? What are the disadvantages? If you could step back in time, would you attend this school? Study Skills Questionnaire Accommodations History Appropriate Self-managed On-going evaluations Connecting with postsecondary organizations Questions for students about ? ? ? Section 6: Building Relationships Layers of Your Relationships (p. 98-99) Relationship Building Checklist (p. 100101). Developing goals based on checklists How do I begin the exploration process? How do I identify what activities, needs, and characteristics are important to me? Activities for Exploration Design an exploration worksheet that includes college programs, services, and characteristics (see sample on following page). Include a column for comments and another column for questions that arise as a result of the student’s investigation. Ask students to indicate areas of interest or need with a highlighter pen. Use college catalogs, brochures, college information sheets and Internet references as resources for the worksheet. Students complete an exploration worksheet for each of the five colleges. If they choose to explore additional colleges and universities, instruct them to complete an exploration worksheet on each institution. When students have gathered the college information they believe will be helpful as they consider a final selection, direct them to organize the information and their worksheets in the Exploring Section of their portfolios. Arrange a T-IEP meeting or an informal meeting with parents, school counselor, and support personnel. Assist students in preparing for the presentation of their exploration. If students decide to explore additional colleges, direct them to explore options using the College Exploration Worksheet. Services, Programs & Characteristics COLLEGE CLIMATE Highly competitive Competitive Moderately competitive Not competitive Average class rank of Freshman class High school grade point average of freshman class Average SAT/ACT score Size of college Size of city/town Information Good match for me because… College Exploration Worksheet could include the following categories: College Climate College Setting Admission Requirements Major Field of Study Classes Services for Students with Disabilities Counseling Services Financial Considerations Housing Other Areas of Importance How do I select a school that matches my needs? What should I look for in a support program for students with disabilities? Activities for Selection Develop a worksheet to help students evaluate services and programs for college students with disabilities. Ask students to target the type of program that matches their particular needs by writing a star to the left of the appropriate program (shaded gray). A sample worksheet follows. Direct students to complete one worksheet for each of their final college choices. Students can gather information by visits to the college, telephone, e-mail, interviews, or letter correspondence, or Internet resources. Ask students to contact the learning disability directors at the colleges or universities. During this communication, students can arrange to speak or correspond with a college student currently in the program. Students can summarize these conversations in notes, recorded tapes, or charts. Learning Support Services and Programs Questions Data-based Services Does the program have a full-time learning disability director? Does the program have a learning disability assistant coordinator? Does the program provide a full range of accommodations? Does each student in the program have an Individualized Semester Plan? Is tutoring available from staff and graduate-level interns who are trained in learning disabilities? Does the program maintain data-based records of all contact with students? Does the program maintain data-based records of services used by students? Yes No Learning Support Services and Programs Data-based Services Centrally Coordinated Services Loosely Coordinated Services Decentralized and Limited Services No Services Available Evaluation of Final Choices 4 = an excellent match with my interests and needs 3 = a good match with my interests and needs 2 = a fair match with my interests and needs 1 = a poor match with my interests and needs How do I begin the application process? Activities for Application Process Students should apply to their highest choices late in the junior year or early in the senior year of high school. Admission applications can be obtained by mail, telephone, or electronic requests from each college or university. Most institutions have created an on-line electronic application that may be found on college websites. Because most colleges and universities charge a non-refundable admissions fee, students may need to limit the number of times they submit a formal application. It is advisable to check fees on each application. Develop a chart to assist the students as they create checklists and timelines for application requirements. Keep in mind that ACT or SAT scores must be sent from the testing agencies. Unless the student requested that his/her scores were to be sent to the chosen college on the day of the test, the scores may be sent after application deadlines. If evaluations, recommendations, or transcripts are required, plan to give school personnel sufficient time to complete these requests. Print a computer-generated calendar that begins with the present date. Ask students to write dates from the previous activity in the calendar. Review the calendar daily with students Ask students to compare the following list of required information with their college applications. Create a two-column checklist with the left column devoted to required information and the right column designed to give students space to write their specific information. Information included on the checklist could include: Social Security number Complete address and telephone number Names of parents or guardians Emergency addresses and phone numbers Birthplace of student Ethnicity (optional) Occupation of parents or guardians Highest level of education attained by parents Names of family members who attended the college and dates of attendance High schools attended and dates of attendance Graduation date High school code (available from school counselor) Dates that student took SAT or ACT Religious preference (optional) E-mail address Semester student plans to enroll Dates of residence (for in-state tuition) Dates that income tax was filed by parents/student Driver’s license number Voter registration number Vehicle registration number Important Information to Explore: Financial aid College essays Dealing with students who are not accepted to their first choices Connecting with support services on campus Other information???? I Learned… I Noticed I Felt… I Wondered Thank you… For being a partner in my growth today For working as a transition stakeholder For believing in human potential!