F OURTH A NNUAL O KLAHOMA T RANSITION I NSTITUTE Team Planning Tool for Interagency Collaboration and Program Structures September 10 - 11, 2009 Metro Technology Center Springlake Campus Oklahoma City, OK 4th Annual Oklahoma Transition Institute Team Planning Tool for Interagency Collaboration and Program Structures Developed by: Additional resources are available at: Paula D Kohler, PhD., Professor and Associate Vice President for Research Co-Investigator, National Secondary Transition Technical Assistance Center (NSTTAC) Western Michigan University 3506 Sangren Hall or 208W Walwood Hall Kalamazoo, MI 49008 269.387.8283 269.387.6181 http://www.nsttac.org http://www.wmich.edu/ccrc http://homepages.wmich.edu/~kohlerp/research Taxonomy for Transition Programming Worksheet for Student-Focused Planning Worksheet for Student Development Worksheet for Interagency Collaboration Worksheet for Family Involvement Worksheet for Program Structures and Practices September 2009 Bibliography Guskey, T R (2000) Evaluating Professional Development Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press Kohler, P D (1996) Taxonomy for transition programming: A model for planning, organizing, and evaluating transition education, services, and programs Champaign: Transition Research Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Available at http://homepages.wmich.edu/~kohlerp McDonnell, L M., & Elmore, R F (1987) Getting the job done: Alternative policy instruments Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 9(2), 132-152 Patton, M Q (1997) Utilization-Focused Evaluation: The New Century Text Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications W K Kellogg Foundation (October 2000) Logic Model Development Guide Battle Creek, MI: Author (www.wkkf.org) Wholey, J S., Hatry, H P., Newcomer, K E (1994) Handbook of Practical Program Evaluation San Team Planning Tool for Interagency Collaboration and Program Structures Oklahoma Transition Institute  2009  Francisco: Jossey-Bass Team Planning Tool for Interagency Collaboration and Program Structures Oklahoma Transition Institute  2009  4th Annual Oklahoma Transition Institute Team Planning Tool for Interagency Collaboration and Program Structures Transition-Focused Education Taxonomy for Transition Programming Overview of Team Planning Tool Team Information Part – Assessing Current Implementation and Effectiveness 10 Part – Identifying Strengths and Needs 17 Part – Setting Goals and Planning Transition Education and Services 21 Team Planning Tool for Interagency Collaboration and Program Structures Oklahoma Transition Institute  2009  TRANSITION-FOCUSED EDUCATION This planning tool focuses on assisting school-community teams in Oklahoma to review and plan their strategies for implementing transition-focused education Over the past decade, transition practices research has illustrated that post-school outcomes of students with disabilities improve when educators, families, students, and community members and organizations work together to implement a broad perspective of transition planning, more appropriately referred to as transition-focused education In general, this concept of transition-focused education represents the perspective that “transition planning” is the fundamental basis of education that guides development of students’ educational programs, rather than an “add-on” activity for students with disabilities when they turn age 14 or 16 The impact of transition-focused education is greatly enhanced when service systems and programs connect and support the implementation and application of such learning Transition-focused education is directed toward adult outcomes and consists of academic, career, and extracurricular instruction and activities, delivered through a variety of instructional and transition approaches, and responsive to the local context and students’ learning and support needs Primary to the concept of transition-focused education is the expectation for all students to achieve a quality life, valued within the context of their family, school, and community Quality of life outcomes include those in four general areas: independent living (home and family), employment (including postsecondary education and training that lead to employment), community citizenship and participation, and leisure and recreation To prepare students to achieve such outcomes, transition-focused education builds student competence through academic, occupational, and social development Further, to insure that all our students develop and achieve at their greatest potential, transition-focused education provides a variety of instructional pathways that may include few or no specialized supports to extensive applied experiences or supports This framework of transitionfocused education provides a structure for educational planning that is outcome-oriented and promotes greater involvement and ownership in the decision-making process by key stakeholders, particularly students and their families Team Planning Tool for Interagency Collaboration and Program Structures Oklahoma Transition Institute  2009  The Taxonomy for Transition Programming, represented on the next page, provides concrete practices— identified from effective programs—for implementing interagency collaboration and program structures As described in the next section, this tool is designed to help you reflect broadly on implementation and effectiveness of these practices in your school or district Team Planning Tool for Interagency Collaboration and Program Structures Oklahoma Transition Institute  2009  Team Planning Tool for Interagency Collaboration and Program Structures Oklahoma Transition Institute  2009  TAXONOMY FOR TRANSITION PROGRAMMING Student-Focused Planning Family Involvement IEP Development Student Participation Planning Strategies Family Training Family Involvement Family Empowerment Student Development Program Structure Life Skills Instruction Employment Skills Instruction Career and Vocational Curricula Structured Work Experience Assessment Support Services Program Philosophy Program Policy Strategic Planning Program Evaluation Resource Allocation Human Resource Development Interagency Collaboration Collaborative Framework Collaborative Service Delivery Team Planning Tool for Interagency Collaboration and Program Structures Oklahoma Transition Institute  2009  TAXONOMY FOR TRANSITION PROGRAMMING STUDENT-FOCUSED PLANNING STUDENT FAMILY DEVELOPMENT INVOLVEMENT PROGRAM STRUCTURE INTERAGENCY COLLABORATION Collaborative Service Delivery  Coordinated requests for information (e.g., to parents, employers)  Reduction of system barriers to collaboration  Collaborative funding and staffing of transition services  Collaborative development and use of assessment data  Coordinated and shared delivery of transitionrelated services  Systems information disseminated among cooperating agencies Collaborative Framework  Interagency coordinating body that includes consumers, parents, service providers, and employers  Formal interagency agreement  Roles of service providers clearly articulated  Established methods of communication among service providers  Student information shared among agencies via established procedures (with appropriate release of information and confidentiality)  Single-case management system Team Planning Tool for Interagency Collaboration and Program Structures Oklahoma Transition Institute  2009  Part 2: Identifying Strengths and Needs Use the information from Part 1—Assessing Current Implementation to summarize the current strengths of interagency collaboration and program structures practices Building on the information regarding your strengths, identify specific interagency collaboration and program structures needs To help develop plans that address your needs, use the space provided to code your identified needs with respect to their priority and/or immediacy (e.g., high priority/immediate need, moderate priority/intermediate need, or lower priority/long-term need) You may find that your needs include a range of activities In some cases, you may determine that you need to change practice in your school or district, such as expanding the opportunities for students to participate in paid work experiences through the curriculum In other cases, you may determine that to change practice requires a policy change at the school, district, or state level For example, integrating opportunities for work experience in the curriculum may require a change in how staff funding can be used or in the assignment of personnel In other cases, you might determine that a change in a form can improve planning or data collection, such as a change in the IEP form to facilitate addressing the IDEA transition requirements Priority:  High  Low  Medium Immediacy:  Immediate  Intermedia te  Long-term Part Example: Program Structures PROGRAM STRUCTURES CURRENT STRENGTHS Educational planning,  Enrollment in CTE programs programs, and curricula increased from previous school are transition-oriented year and feature outcome All students participate in a cobased education, cultural op experience their junior and and linguistic sensitivity, senior year a range of curricular Part 1: Assessing Current Implementation and Effectiveness NEEDS  Identify more outcome-based education options for all students  Determine if programs are sensitive to culture and language PRIORITY/ IMMEDIACY High Immediat e Oklahoma Transition Institute  2009  28 options, and emphasize access and success for all students A Interagency Collaboration Practices INTERAGENCY COLLABORATION PRACTICES Formal collaborative agreements and structures are established among schools, employers, employment-related agencies, and postsecondary institutes CURRENT STRENGTHS Referrals for work study programs Referrals to Career Tech’s are best Seeing and knowing a DRS person really helps!! (Canadian Valley) DRS in Canadian Valley have pamphlets that describe their program and provide a “Transition Checklist” for IEP teams, students, parents, professionals NEEDS PRIORITY/ IMMEDIACY High/ Lack of education on transition Immediat practices; lack of knowledge surrounding workstudy and other e contractual relationships Decreased communication or ineffective communication between parents, students, and agencies Staff changes often result in good programs going bad Teachers don’t see the contracts with agencies, so don’t know what they can do, what help they are, etc Again, communication issues DRS/SPED/VoTech Connections: not well understood Little evidence and insufficient knowledge about where to find evidence and who would have the data Part 1: Assessing Current Implementation and Effectiveness Oklahoma Transition Institute  2009  29 They (teachers) don’t have representation from contract implementers Educators, service providers, and employers work together to identify and address transition education and service needs of individual students in ways that are responsive to their cultural and linguistic backgrounds Pockets of expertise (DRS example of Spanish language unit) Lack of knowledge and awareness of cultural and linguistic diversity…and how to address it Intermedi ate Educators, service providers, and employers work together to identify and address school and community level transition education and service issues, including program development and evaluation, based upon the community context Employers are very willing to work with students and training them in work adjustment programs Small business connections are there for higher functioning students …but more difficult for youth with High/ severe disabilities Again, pockets Immediat e of expertise, but inconsistent, insufficient, and not sustainable when key people leave Can check IEP’s for activity, and there have been some successful agency fairs as note by the evaluations Yukon help parent nights, and information panels, by evaluation these went well Teacher instigates/implements programs Once these people leave, program falls apart IT ALL FALLS ON THE SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHER Don’t know how to access data Part 1: Assessing Current Implementation and Effectiveness Oklahoma Transition Institute  2009  30 B Program Structures Practices PROGRAM STRUCTURES Educational planning, programs, and curricula are transition-oriented and feature outcomebased education, cultural and linguistic sensitivity, a range of curricular options, and emphasize access and CURRENT STRENGTHS Financial Literacy/Algebra class in place for El Reno High School… sort of an economics, life skills, job interests class targeted for higher functioning students Transition Camp emphasizes employment, interviews, selfevaluation after students watch Part 1: Assessing Current Implementation and Effectiveness NEEDS PRIORITY This is an isolated HS class done by a teacher who sees the need Successful by virtue of personal feedback from graduated students Don’t have other data EOI stuff gets in the way of these electives Isolated programs are good, but not collaborative They are High/ Immediat e Oklahoma Transition Institute  2009  31 success for all students Ongoing program evaluation that includes analysis of post-school outcomes is used for community needs assessment and program improvement themselves This is sort of like a job club -Awareness of a survey in the past - Have been some efforts to evaluate post-high school activity - DRS/Vo-Tech/DDSD does some follow-along Strategic planning is -OTI; Employment/information conducted to identify fairs and address -IEP community, district, and state-level issues and services regarding transition education and services PROGRAM STRUCTURES CONT’D Specific and consistent policies and procedures that support CURRENT STRENGTHS - Vo-tech/Ed practices very effective - DRS/Ed practices effective based Part 1: Assessing Current Implementation and Effectiveness teacher dependent - Unsure if this tool (survey) is still being used - Teachers don’t see the evidence of post-high school activity surveys or follow-up - How is the state getting valid data? Where is it? Who is getting it? - Seems more difficult to track the Learning Disabled students due to a lack of personal contact with school staff after graduation Intermedi ate -Cohesiveness -Establishing transition coordinator within the school High NEEDS -Agency and community issues -Movement of DRS location PRIORITY Medium/ Intermedi ate Oklahoma Transition Institute  2009  32 implementation of effective practices are established, clearly communicated, and implemented within and between educational and community service agencies Educators and other transition service providers meet established transitionrelated competencies through initial and continuing professional development that includes technical assistance and transition resources regarding evidencebased practices on counselor-district relations - OTI (best way to get that information) and they provide TA -DRS transition training during summer 2009 -Aware of successful programs that other schools (Yukon, Mustang) are running With student and family -Many resources input, sufficient -IEP resources are allocated -IPE to meet identified needs and optimize impact, including provision of services in integrated, community-based Part 1: Assessing Current Implementation and Effectiveness -Evaluation data on how effective these trainings are -More local/regional trainings on transition needs -Small schools that belong to the region that need to be at OTI High/ Immediat e -…but hard to identify which individuals need which resources -Establish consistency in transition night/information fairs in order to be effective -Have community resources come out to the schools to talk -Discussion during IEP meetings to High/ Immediat e Oklahoma Transition Institute  2009  33 settings Part 1: Assessing Current Implementation and Effectiveness identify appropriate resources -Resource Guide Oklahoma Transition Institute  2009  34 Part 3: Setting Goals and Planning The purpose of this section is to help you make plans for the coming year Use the responses from your Part 1— Assessing Current Implementation and Part 2—Identifying Strengths and Needs to identify specific goals that address your identified needs Then identify specific goal-related activities, the person(s) responsible for the activity, and the timeframe for implementation As you are planning, also identify (a) the outputs or products to be produced, (b) your anticipated or expected outcomes, (c) indicators that will determine whether the outcomes were achieved, and (d) data sources by which evidence will be collected As a resource, use the checklist on the next page to help you clarify your goals, activities, outputs, and anticipated outcomes If you need to include additional stakeholders in your plan and/or need technical assistance to implement your plan, indicate in the space provided Example: INTERAGENCY COLLABORATION PRACTICES FOCUS: Formal collaborative agreements and structures are established among schools, employers, human service agencies, and post-secondary institutions through which roles and responsibilities are clearly articulated, including: a Methods of communication d Service and task responsibilities b Information sharing protocols e Funding responsibilities c Referral protocols f Points of contact GOAL: Increase student referrals and # of students receiving services SPECIFIC GOAL-RELATED ACTIVITIES Develop an interagency council Develop a memorandum of agreement (MOU) Establish new referral procedures Develop agency information guides Identify transition contact for each agency OUTPUTS/PRODUCTS EXPECTED OUTCOMES Part 1: Assessing Current Implementation and Effectiveness PERSON RESPONSIBLE  Scott(education) with Mary H (rehab), Peggy (mental health), Craig (employment services), and Cindy (community college) POTENTIAL INDICATORS TIMEFRAME Complete by December 31 Complete by February 28 Develop by June Develop by June Complete by February 28 DATA SOURCES Oklahoma Transition Institute  2009  35  Interagency council  MOUs  Information guide  Increased student referral  Increased # students receiving specific services  Increased student employment  # referrals by agency & service  # students receiving services/agency/service  # students employed  Agency referral records  Agency service records  Agency “closure” records  Follow-up survey Checklist for Identifying and Evaluating Program Goals, Activities, Outputs, and Outcomes FOCUS AREA Goals Activities CONSIDERATIONS AND CRITERIA    Be specific Identify what you are trying to accomplish Think in terms of outcomes rather than process or products  Is the goal achievable within the specified timeframe?       Outputs  Expected Outcomes  Is the activity action-oriented? Will the activity move you toward your goal?   Is the goal measurable? Is the goal within the scope of your control? Is the goal action-oriented? Is the goal realistic? Is the activity theoretically-based? Is the activity do-able with available resources? Think in terms of “product” – something that will be produced?  Think in terms of impact—what you expect to happen as a result of your activities and outputs?  Is the expected outcome an important aspect of your goal(s)?    Part 1: Assessing Current Implementation and Effectiveness Is the “product” producible with the available resources?  Will the outputs move you toward your goal? Is the expected outcome specific? Is the expected outcome meaningful? Is the expected outcome measurable? Oklahoma Transition Institute  2009  36 Outcome Indicators  Are specific indicators needed or required by specific audiences (e.g., Feds, state, etc.?)  What information you need to answer the important evaluation question(s)?  Is the indicator specific?     Is the indicator measurable? Is the indicator meaningful? Is the indicator short or long-term (need both)? Is the indicator possible with available resources? Outcome Data Collection  Are information sources identified?  Available from existing sources?  New sources must be developed?  What methods will you use to collect information?  Must information be collected about all students?  Can sampling methods be used? Part 1: Assessing Current Implementation and Effectiveness   Who will collect the information? Do arrangements need to be made for data collection?  Do data collection instruments need to be developed? Oklahoma Transition Institute  2009  37 INTERAGENCY COLLABORATION PRACTICES Our focus for interagency collaboration is on: Tapping into Resources: Getting information out to all stakeholders (parents, students, teachers, service providers); Organizing these resources and information to increase confidence of all people to share with others (improving cohesiveness) Our goal for interagency collaboration is: to all stakeholders Identify and coordinate community resources to ensure access SPECIFIC GOAL-RELATED ACTIVITIES Establish and assimilate transition teams for geographical relevance Identify functioning and working team and hierarchy with help from Oklahoma Transition Council Establish a quarterly “Transition Night” at local schools to share and inform with participants OUTPUTS/PRODUCTS Team Rosters Resource Guides Published Calendar of Transition Nights Transition Night Evaluation from participants EXPECTED OUTCOMES Identify active participants of team Understand agency agreements and contracts Part 1: Assessing Current Implementation and Effectiveness PERSON RESPONSIBLE Parker, Amber, Peggy Debbie will contact Steve OTC Council POTENTIAL INDICATORS Number of referrals by agency Number of students receiving services TIMEFRAME 9/14/09-9/21/09 Fall 2009 (by 9/30/09) Fall 2009 DATA SOURCES Team Rosters Agency referral records Oklahoma Transition Institute  2009  38 Additional stakeholders and/or technical assistance needs: Parents, Students, Teachers, Counselors, Transition Coordinator, etc Invite Marilyn Schmidt and Steve Watson to be team members and seek OTC support and TA INTERAGENCY COLLABORATION PRACTICES Our focus for interagency collaboration is on: Our goal for interagency collaboration is: SPECIFIC GOAL-RELATED ACTIVITIES OUTPUTS/PRODUCTS EXPECTED OUTCOMES Part 1: Assessing Current Implementation and Effectiveness PERSON RESPONSIBLE TIMEFRAME POTENTIAL INDICATORS DATA SOURCES Oklahoma Transition Institute  2009  39 Additional stakeholders and/or technical assistance needs: Part 1: Assessing Current Implementation and Effectiveness Oklahoma Transition Institute  2009  40 PROGRAM STRUCTURES Our focus for program structures is on: Transition-based programs that are collaborative, informative, sustainable, and replicable across schools that administrators support Our goal for program structures is: Establish transition elective/work adjustment program class at the regional high schools SPECIFIC GOAL-RELATED ACTIVITIES Locate financial support (Determine grant status of El Reno Public School Foundation Grant) Acquire administrative support Investigate work adjustment curriculum Look at Owasso, Yukon, and Norman for transition elective and work adjustment programs OUTPUTS/PRODUCTS Money Curricular materials Collaborative agreement EXPECTED OUTCOMES Draft/template for transition elective and or work adjustment class Part 1: Assessing Current Implementation and Effectiveness PERSON RESPONSIBLE TIMEFRAME Cindy Carolyn Debbie talk to M Schmidt Debbie talk to Jill Jill, Marilyn Spring 2010 (Fall 2009) 09-10 school year Spring 2010 09-10 school year POTENTIAL INDICATORS DATA SOURCES Number of students enrolled in transition elective Number of students enrolled in work adjustment program Agency records IEPs Class roster Oklahoma Transition Institute  2009  41 Additional stakeholders and/or technical assistance needs: Administrators, Counselors, Teachers, Parents, Students, etc Invite Marilyn Schmidt and Steve Watson to be team members and seek OTC support and TA PROGRAM STRUCTURES Our focus for program structures is on: Our goal for program structures is: SPECIFIC GOAL-RELATED ACTIVITIES OUTPUTS/PRODUCTS EXPECTED OUTCOMES PERSON RESPONSIBLE TIMEFRAME POTENTIAL INDICATORS DATA SOURCES Additional stakeholders and/or technical assistance needs: Part 1: Assessing Current Implementation and Effectiveness Oklahoma Transition Institute  2009  42 ... address your needs This planning tool is designed to help guide you through this process Note: Many teams will have engaged in pre -planning on Parts and of the team planning tool prior to the institute... Team Planning Tool for Interagency Collaboration and Program Structures Transition-Focused Education Taxonomy for Transition Programming Overview of Team Planning Tool. .. Oklahoma Transition Institute  2009  10 Overview of Team Planning Tool Adapted for the Fourth Annual Oklahoma Transition Institute, this planning tool focuses on assisting teams to review specific