Secondary Transition
Transition... is a Life-Long Process
What is transition?
The concept of transition is simple. It is to assist students and their families
to think about their life after high school, identify desired outcomes and then
design their school and community experiences to ensure that the student gains the
skills and connections necessary to achieve those outcomes.
Although the concept of transition is simple (backward planning), the process of
planning and providing services based on individual student needs may be challenging
in our complicated systems of education with limited resources. Additionally, providing
families and students with agency connections, community resources, and other pertinent
information for post-secondary education, employment and living beyond high school
can be an overwhelming process.
What is the Role of the Transition Specialist?
The role of the SSTR8 Transition Specialist is to assist with this multi-faceted
process. The primary responsibilities/goals of the Region 8 Transition Specialist
include:
- Assist school district personnel by providing training and technical assistance in the transition section of the IEP
- Work with parents, families, students and school districts in secondary transition planning and implementation
- Provide resources to stakeholders
- Establish and facilitate a regional advisory council to improve collaboration, communication and outcomes for students with disabilities in the Tri-County (Summit, Medina and Portage)
- Work with all districts on State Performance Plan Indicators (1) graduation rate, (2) drop-out rate, (13) secondary transition and (14) follow-up on graduates
- The Transition Specialist is to provide inservices to districts on Transition and the “new” IEP. Please call or email if you would like to schedule an inservice for your staff.
About the Tri-County Regional Transition Council
The mission of the Regional Transition Council is in representing secondary transition
stakeholders in schools and communities in Ohio, who are dedicated to promoting
strong transition plans, practices, and programs for students with disabilities
leading to successful transition from school to adult life.
The Resource Council is a collaboration of various county agencies, county transition
councils, individual school transition teams, school district administrators, teachers,
work study and VOSE coordinators, higher education, parents and other community
members to improve post-school outcomes for youth with disabilities. Sharing information,
resources, ideas and concerns provides a platform for action steps and solutions.
Although the Tri-County Regional Transition Council has been in existence for the
past few years, organizers are looking at how to improve it and address the needs
of youth with disabilities. A list-serve is used to provide information, activities
and resources to districts and families. You may send me your email to be added
to this list. You are not required to attend meetings to receive relevant information.
However, you are welcome to attend meetings and add to our discussions. Contact
Helen Brophy at helenb@cybersummit.org. The next two scheduled meetings are February
17 and April 21, 2010, from 12-3:00 p.m. Meetings are held at the Summit County
ESC building. Scheduled meetings are subject to change, only via the list-serve.
When to Plan for Transition?
Transition planning can never start too early. Children need to become self-advocates,
self-determined and independent. This includes children knowing about their disability
and how it may impact their learning so they can express this to others, including
teachers, peers and potential employers. Children, as much as possible, need to
be included in their IEPs. Below are some tips for parents, students and ideas that
teachers can incorporate into the classroom.
If you have any questions about our services, please contact: