Embedded Files
Things to keep in mind…
It is not the responsibility of the special education teacher to ensure that post-secondary goals (PSG) are met. Rather, the goals should be written to be measured and carried out by the student one year after exiting high school.
Formula for writing measurable PSG: Upon graduation, _(Student Name)_ will _(behavior)_ _(where and how)_.
Recommendations for the first transition IEP
Transition Assessments:
Student Interview
Parent Interview
Career Interest Inventory
Independent Living Inventory
When thinking about transition age, think, “14 equals 13” so that the plan is in place the year the student turns 14.
PSG must include employment, education/training, and as appropriate, independent living.
You need information or data to determine whether an independent living goal is appropriate.
Covered areas related to Independent Living goals:
Adult living
Daily living skills
Financial management
Safety
Medical care
Transportation
Other skills necessary for independent living
The PSG should reflect the student’s most current goals, so they should be reviewed annually.
There should be at least one transition service listed for each PSG.
Transition services should be outcome-oriented.
Transition services should be one-time or short-term events that are completed within the IEP year.
The school district is responsible for ensuring all transition services are completed within the IEP year.
An outside agency representative is required to be invited to every IEP meeting.
The course of study should include courses the student needs to take in order to prepare for the PSG (current and future classes only).
Be specific with the class names.
The course of study should be reviewed and adjusted accordingly.
Students with significant disabilities will have a different narrative.
Q & A
Q & A
1. What special factors should the IEP Team consider while preparing a student for graduation?
Click here for NDE's response.
2. A 19 year old student "walked" at graduation last spring. The student was suppose to continue being served, but parents have decided to be done with services. What paperwork do I need to complete?
If a child is eligible (below age 21 and without a diploma but still has a recent/valid MDT) but parents refuse services, have parents sign a Revocation of Consent form. Best practice is to do this at an IEP meeting so you can explain all of the options and consequences (loss of rights, no diploma, etc.) and document your efforts. Be sure to also complete a Prior Written Notice.
3. Does additional testing need to occur for students to qualify for Vocational Rehabilitation services?
Nebraska VR does not require any sort of re-testing. In the unusual circumstance that additional testing may be beneficial, the team could make that determination. The MDT evaluation that was completed for eligibility purposes can be used, regardless of when the testing was done.
Nebraska VA suggests re-testing for the purpose of planning when a student exit high school because many of the colleges require that testing, used to gain access to accommodations, be done within three years of their application for services. If a student has not had testing done for a long period of time, they will likely not accept the testing and will require the students to be retested. This would not need to occur until the spring of the student's senior year. But again, this would be for the student and the colleges purpose, not for Nebraska VR.
When older testing ( from 6th grade) is used, it is typically not in the adult norms so really does not give the student a very clear picture of their skills and abilities. At times it is hard to plan with students as they have the expectations of getting similar accommodations in college that they are getting in high school and it could be very likely they will get quite a few less or maybe no accommodations in college after they have their new testing. So, throughout high school they haven’t had the chance to prepare themselves for what to expect. The new testing some time in their high school years helps them with that planning and preparation but is not something that is required.
3. Is it true that Vocational Rehabilitation requires a letter?
The only letter that Nebraska VR would request is when there is a student that would fall in the Borderline Intellectual range based on their scores. This diagnosis, however, is not covered by schools. Nebraska VR could make an individual eligible as Borderline. The letter you send typically has their test scores/results and just a sentence about falling in the Borderline Intellectual range.
4. What should an IEP team consider when looking at a shortened day for a student?
See "Shortened Day"
5. What needs to happen when a student graduates?
Page updated
Report abuse