1. Baseline/Trend Data
   (for reporting period July 1, 2003 through June 30, 2004):

(In addition to the data provided below, see Appendices 15.1, 15.2, 15.3, 15.4, 16.1.)

Data Sources

There is no single, annual measure regarding post-school transitions; data about transition performance draws from many sources including:

• Annual reporting by school districts regarding the types of school exit and planned post-school activities for students with disabilities (form PD-5, collected by VESID annually);
• Post School Indicators (PSI) studies comparing students with and without disabilities (one-year statewide sample of all exiters from the class of 1995, one-year out sample of all exiters from the Big Five Cities from the class of 1996;
• The Longitudinal PSI (LPSI) study of randomly stratified samples from the classes of 2000 and 2001 exiting with Regents, Local, High School Equivalency and IEP diplomas. LPSI data is collected at Senior Exit and One-, Three- and Five-years beyond school exit.
• Data from the State Education Department (SED) Office for Higher Education (OHE) indicating college participation and completion;
• SED data collection reports called BEDS (Basic Educational Data System) and CTEDS (Career and Technical Education Data System);
• VESID’s vocational rehabilitation case management data system regarding youth served; and
• Data provided from the regional TCS technical assistance network quarterly reports and their local self-assessment planning tool, called TRANSQUAL, plus other demonstration project outcome data. Information about TRANSQUAL may be found at http://www.transqual.org.

Comparative Rates of Positive Transitions

Comparative post-school transitions one-year, three- and five-years beyond high school by students with and without disabilities are measured by the New York State PSI studies. The most recent data collection is from the LPSI study for the classes of 2000 and 2001 for students who left school with a Regents, Local, High School Equivalency or IEP Diploma. PSI studies are not conducted annually for every class due to the volume of students and costs.

*Preliminary data

Post-school Transition Activity and Rate Varies by Disability

Post-school Transitions at Three Years Out Vary by Disability Classification (LPSI Data, Class of 2001)

Post-School Plans of High School Seniors with Disabilities

Post-school plans are reported annually by school districts for high school seniors with disabilities completing school with a Regents, Local, IEP or High School Equivalency Diploma (source: Pupils with Disabilities PD-5 data, NYSED VESID). This data, in addition to data on dropouts is one source used by the SEQA Team to target districts for monitoring reviews.
 

Postsecondary Plans of Students with Disabilities Who Completed High School

__________________________

* Represents data from public school districts, state agencies, data for students placed by the courts in residential schools.
**** These Regions reflect the assignment of school districts to the VESID-SEQA regional offices.
*** Represents public schools only.
 

Comparative College Participation for Students With and Without Disabilities

Comparative College Completion

Transitions from High School to Vocational Rehabilitation Services

Identification of What Makes a Difference in Achieving Positive Transitions: Using Data for Decision-Making

1996- 97 Baseline

The PSI studies enable VESID to examine what makes a difference in helping students achieve positive post-school transitions. Results guide decision-making about policies and technical assistance needs. The first statewide studies occurred at the conclusion of the five-year federal transition systems change grant. From 1991 through 1996 the grant enabled New York State to set up and operate regional technical assistance centers, i.e., TCSs, to support local schools, families and communities in implementing transition practices. TCSs worked in concert with a State team who developed supporting policy and resources. The earlier PSI studies in 1995 and 1996 documented the following results from that initial push for transition systems change:

• At one year beyond school, 70% of former special education students transitioned to work, postsecondary education or day program alternatives. There were gaps in certain school districts geographically distributed statewide, especially among those who had not participated in the voluntary technical assistance process;

• The provision of “helpful” transition planning related to higher frequency of school completion and successful post-school transitions. Students who reported the provision of helpful transition planning transitioned, one year beyond school, to positive outcomes at a rate of 78 percent, versus 63 percent positive outcomes among those who had not received helpful transition planning;

• Better post-school employment outcomes were related to work experiences and occupational education. These included higher wages, more steady employment, more hours of employment and fringe benefits. However, only 44 percent of students with disabilities had received such experiences in high school, and the post-school employment of students with disabilities was half that of their general education peers. (In the 1997 study, 38% of former students with disabilities were working versus 70% of their former general education peers); and

• Former students wished they had had more core academics, including math and computer classes.

Following a presentation of the information to the New York State Board of Regents, the following decisions were made:

• Key Performance Indicators (KPI) would set shared responsibility for special education and vocational rehabilitation for students with disabilities. (See Table ST.I - Key Performance Indicators.)

• VESID would continue funding the TCS beyond the life of the federal systems change grant, but would redirect their efforts from general training conferences to the provision of individualized technical assistance based on research-based Transition Quality Indicators and developing model practices to build capacities. TCS priorities would be to develop school-based community employment experiences, improve opportunities for students to prepare to transition to and succeed in postsecondary education, connect transition planning and services to changes in general education (emphasizing higher learning standards in academics as well as career development and occupational studies) and create models aligned with increased integration of students with disabilities with their non-disabled peers in least restrictive environments.

• Initiatives would improve special education and vocational rehabilitation linkages, including School - Vocational Rehabilitation Career Link demonstration projects.

• Quality Assurance regarding transition would be enhanced for both special education and vocational rehabilitation.

• Additional data would be developed to better understand what works in the transition process over a longer transition time frame from senior exit to 5 years beyond school, thus committing VESID to the LPSI, (collection of school exit plans data from school districts), and continuing annual reviews of vocational rehabilitation case services pertaining to youth and to referral relationships to school.

2000-01 Mid-Course Correction

• Additional information from the LPSI study gathered from the Senior Exit survey component, and from the One-Year Out interviews with the classes of 2000 and 2001, as well as ongoing coordination and communication with internal and external stakeholders, helped to identify further needs for improvement in the transition system.

Positive findings reported that those former students with disabilities who had completed high school:

• More often transitioned to positive outcomes (83% for the class of 2001, versus the 75 % of the class of 1996);

• More than twice as often transitioned to 2- and 4-year college programs (38% for the class of 2001, versus 17% for the class of 1996);

• More often participated in community work experiences in high school (80% in 2001, versus 37% in 1996); and

• Those who worked as their primary activity, as well as those who worked while attending college enjoyed a higher rate of paid competitive, post-school employment (62% in 2001, versus 38% in 1997).

The LPSI study confirms that the following educational program, transition planning, and service factors are statistically correlated with positive transition outcomes:

• Transition Planning throughout K-12: Eighty-nine percent of graduates from the class of 2000 who reported their schools helped them plan and prepare for post-school life, transitioned to positive outcomes versus 59% of graduates who did not receive such assistance. The earlier the conversations were held with students, families and schools about transition, the better the transition outcomes. The earlier the provision of helpful career planning and postsecondary planning information, the better the transition outcomes;

• Career Preparation, especially paid or unpaid work experiences in the community: Former students from the class of 2001 who had paid or unpaid work experiences in high school were employed a year later at a rate of 70%, while students without such experiences were employed at a rate of 51%;

• Safe, Supportive Educational Environment: This is a composite score defined by a series of questions, including students reporting that their high school learning environment was safe, they were treated with respect and cared about as individuals by fellow students and were challenged by their teachers to perform well in their courses of study;

• Integrated Learning Environments: Students educated with their general education peers were more likely to have positive post-school transitions; and

• Attainment of Standards Based Diploma: Students with a Regents diploma were more likely to have positive post-school outcomes, especially successful transitions to 2- and 4-year college programs.

Among the problem areas identified, it was discovered that:

• Less than half of the students with disabilities reported ever having had conversations about transition planning prior to eleventh grade,  or ever having received planning information before eleventh grade;

• Seniors with disabilities planned to go to work immediately after high school more often than did their general education peers, but less often actually had jobs lined up at the point of exiting school;

• In comparison to their general education peers, students with disabilities (including those with Regents diplomas) had lower expectations for the level of postsecondary education to which they could aspire and they did not make decisions about pursuing such study until eleventh grade, or beyond.

• While youth referrals to vocational rehabilitation have steadily increased, there remains a significant gap in the vocational rehabilitation system between the numbers of students with disabilities exiting school annually and the numbers of new youth cases opened annually. From July 2001-June 2002, 24,098 students exited from special education, while from April 2002 through March 2003, only 11,432 new youth cases were opened.

Decisions made to address these problems included the following:

• To increase the capacity of the vocational rehabilitation system in order to work with schools and with youth, 22 Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor positions and 11 Counselor Assistant positions would be created to serve in-school youth.

• To increase the quality of transition planning and services at the school district level, SEQA would create a Focused Quality Assurance Review on Transition and School Exits.

• To focus transition services and increase the awareness of students, families and schools about the need for development of student transition skills, State requirements would be set for the Present Levels of Performance section of the IEP to contain Transition Needs Assessment information. From this section of the IEP, appropriate transition-related goals and objectives, as well as the necessary services could be then identified more clearly.

• To assure earlier occurrence of transition planning conversations, provision of post-school planning information, and the inclusion of students and parents, VESID would develop a routine data collection process to assure that IEP meetings for 14 year old students would better address transition planning requirements.

• Guidelines would be developed in order to enable schools to acknowledge the career learning achievements of those students planning to receive IEP diplomas and who complete Career and Technical Education courses and programs.

2003-04: Transition of Students with Emotional Disabilities and with Mental Retardation

Transition of Students with Emotional Disabilities

During 2003-04, data analysis examined educational participation, success and transition issues for children with mental health needs. Students with mental health issues, one year out of school, are found to struggle with transition significantly more than students with other disabilities, and also, more than their general education peers. Students with emotional disabilities reported feeling less prepared for employment than their previously cited peers. While there is some rebound in the rate of positive transitions at three years out of school, these students are still not transitioning as successfully as other former special education students.

• Just before graduation with a Regents, local, or IEP diploma, seniors with emotional disabilities reported lower understanding of and confidence regarding individual work interests and aptitudes (36%) than other students with disabilities (48%) and than their general education peers (47%).

• Seniors with emotional disabilities reported feeling less prepared to find and keep a job (44%) than other students with disabilities (52%) and their general education peers (50%).

• At one year beyond school completion, students with emotional disabilities reported having less support in obtaining employment than did their peers. Both former special and general education students who were employed one year after school exit reported finding jobs themselves 54% of the time. For students with emotional disabilities, 70% reported finding jobs themselves. While parents and friends assisted students with disabilities in finding employment 31% of the time as compared to 37% of the time for those from general education, students with emotional disabilities relied on parents and peers only 16% of the time to assist them in obtaining employment.

• At three years beyond school completion, students with emotional disabilities improved their successful transitions, maintaining participation in postsecondary education. Additional others of these students found employment, mostly through their own job-seeking efforts. Former students who did not successfully transition continue to experience depression, anxiety, inability to establish or maintain relationships, maintain employment or live independently.

Transitions of Students with Mental Retardation

During 2003-04, interviews with former special education students, specifically those with mental retardation, from the class of 2001 reported decreasing connection to day programs (i.e., day treatment, prevocational and habilitative services, supported employment and sheltered employment) that are alternatives to competitive employment and postsecondary education. Additional investigation will be conducted to isolate reasons for this decrease. Changes in public policies and procedures affecting planning and eligibility for day programs may have affected the capacity of some former students to obtain supportive programming in order to meet their adult needs.

2. Targets
   (for reporting period July 1, 2003 through June 30, 2004):

Transition resources and strategies to continue improving the transition system will be maintained and enhanced through the following efforts:

• The Career and Technical Education (CTE) Skills Achievement Profile, a process for acknowledging the accomplishments of students with disabilities receiving IEP diplomas who also complete CTE courses and programs, will be made available statewide. This document enables the student with an IEP diploma to provide a potential employer and/or postsecondary program with documentation of the career and technical skills proficiency level acquired.

• Implement Social Security Administration Youth in Transition Demonstration grant funding for demonstration projects geared to assist in-school youth with the most severe disabilities in two of the Big Five Cities (Buffalo, New York City) to design transition planning and service models and use Social Security incentives to improve transition outcomes.

• A process to collect, report and use data regarding the IEP planning process will  be designed and field tested. Its focus will be students at the beginning of the transition planning process, age 14. This effort will stimulate earlier, more effective transition planning activities.

• A method to identify, collect and disseminate information regarding effective transition practices, to promote wider sharing of effective practice information, will be designed and developed.

• Field guidance aimed at improving school district assessment of student transition needs, as well as relating assessment information to IEP transition planning and services, will be researched and developed.

• LPSI Research and other data will continue to provide planning information to federal, state and local groups regarding transition.

• A Quality Assurance Focused Review on Student Exiting/Transition will be developed and piloted.

• A TCS will be re-established in New York City.

• Incentives will be provided to Institutions of Higher Education for the purpose of including transition planning and services in preservice education programs. Model programs will be developed during 2004-05.

• The following educational efforts will occur:
  • Continued dissemination of information via the transition web page: http://www.vesid.nysed.gov/specialed/transition/home.html;
  • Development of brochures detailing participant roles in the CSE process; and
  • Development of a process and protocol to collect effective practices around transition.

• Annual collection and use of Exit Plan and periodic collection and use of LPSI, as well as and other transition-related data will continue to support local, regional and statewide planning for improvements.

• The vocational rehabilitation Quality Assurance monitoring protocol will continue to include key questions regarding transition process and youth services, enabling data to be used to guide local efforts.

• Specific challenges faced with respect to the transition of students classified with emotional disabilities will be identified.

3. Explanation of Progress or Slippage
   (for reporting period July 1, 2003 through June 30, 2004):

Progress 2003-04

• Annual and periodic measures confirm that the rate of successful transitions is increasing including transitions to postsecondary education, particularly college study. Connections with vocational rehabilitation are increasing steadily. The reason is the targeted use of capacity building resources. The following examples, while citing specific locations, are typical of regional activities statewide.

Policy Development

• The CTE Skills Achievement Profile was made available statewide during 2003-04 and acknowledges the accomplishments of students with disabilities receiving IEP diplomas who also complete CTE courses and programs. Using the profile, the student with an IEP diploma can give a potential employer and/or postsecondary program documentation of the career and technical skills proficiency level the student has acquired. TCS support local implementation. How-to information was made available via the web: http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/workforce/cteskillsachievementprofile/home.html. Plans are to gather information about the use of this credential as part of VESID’s annual exiting data collection system in 2004-05.

• VESID assisted a regional education agency in Western New York and an Institution for Higher Education (IHE) in New York City to successfully apply for grants from the Social Security Administration. The demonstration projects will help in-school youth with severe disabilities to more effectively use Social Security incentives and improve their transition outcomes. VESID facilitates an interagency planning and support team to help each local project with implementation issues. Results will be documented and reported to facilitate replication in future years.

• The LPSI study identified that the earlier transition planning begins, the more positive the transition outcomes. A data collection instrument was developed to determine how the State could follow up with Committees on Special Education (CSE) to encourage student and parent participation, as well as provision of career and postsecondary planning information at IEP meetings for 14-year olds. The survey was piloted with 18 districts to determine if the tool and the process were manageable and informative. With their feedback, the survey was revised. The “Transition Beginnings Survey” was released in the winter of 2003 in a Request for Proposal (RFP). The ongoing survey process with randomly selected schools will be conducted as part of annual data gathering beginning in 2004-05.

• A process to identify, collect, and disseminate information regarding outcome-based effective transition practices was developed and field-tested by the TCS to promote a wider sharing of information. With feedback from schools involved in the pilot, the TCS network and the Transition Subcommittee of the Commissioner’s Advisory Panel (CAP), the process was modified. Effective practices will be collected by the TCS network and reviewed by a group charged with obtaining additional information and clarification, as needed. When posted to the website, effective practices will be linked to the web-based Transition Quality Indicators Checklist, called TRANSQUAL. Contact information will be provided so that TRANSQUAL customers who identify a similar need will be able to contact effective practice sites to get help with replicating the practice.

• The Transition Life Skills Rubric was developed by the TCS network in order to improve school district assessment of a student’s transition needs to assist in the development of IEP transition planning and services. The rubric is designed to assist districts in determining the functional level of the student in the basic skills and competencies identified in the universal foundation skills of the Career Development and Occupational (CDOS) Learning Standards.

• LPSI data is shared continuously with stakeholders to provide planning information to federal, State and local groups. Stakeholders include CAP; regional college consortia; local transition leadership groups; parents; students; IHEs; Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA); Northeast Regional Resource Centers (NERRC); and the New York Council of Administrators of Special Education. Special reports were prepared for the Developmental Disabilities Planning Council, New York City Department of Education (NYC DOE), the Independent Living Centers (ILCs) and the mental health community. LPSI facilitators share district findings confidentially with individual districts to assist with district level strategic planning while TCSs use regional and statewide LPSI data to assess regional technical assistance needs. Plans are in process to post NYSLPSI findings on VESID’s Transition Website during 2004-05.

• The Quality Assurance Focused Review on Student Exiting/Transition was developed to evaluate a district's performance regarding successful preparation of students with disabilities (grades 7-12 or age 21) for post-school transition. Stakeholders, including CAP, reviewed the protocol prior to piloting it in nine schools. At the initial stages of the review, VESID prepares a district-specific special education data report related to the focus area. A Parent Forum solicits feedback on parents’ perceptions of special education within their district. The SEQA Regional Associate observes CSE meetings. The entire team reviews records, conducts staff interviews and visits classrooms. The culminating activity is the identification of corrective actions and expected improved outcomes to address the identified compliance and programmatic issues impacting student outcomes. The regional TCSs are involved in the review process and provide technical assistance to districts as a result of review findings.

• TCS in New York City was reestablished in 2003-04 after the reorganization of the NYC DOE. With the reorganization, Transition Linkage Coordinators in each of the five boroughs were eliminated, resulting in the loss of several key transition contacts. With the establishment of the new TCS, a transition contact is now identified for each region in the NYC DOE structure, as is a contact person for each school. The work plan focuses on training for newly identified liaisons, developing an organizational structure to support school-based delivery of transition services and the identification of regional needs.

• The TCS network continues to provide technical assistance at the regional and local level using the Transition Work Day strategic planning model, along with the Transition Quality Indicator checklist for program self-assessment. The paper-generated TQI was converted to the on-line system called “TRANSQUAL” from its paper and pencil format. The on-line TRANSQUAL system permits schools to revisit their confidential improvement plans over time and allows the aggregation of regional needs data for prioritizing technical assistance interventions. A Request for Proposal for the management and expansion of the TRANSQUAL Online System for the next five years is in development.

• To begin to address the transition issues of students with mental health needs, the Transition Subcommittee of CAP, hosted a discussion with key stakeholders. Concerns identified include:
  •  Impact of academic standards and graduation requirements;
  • Transmission of students’ personal educational histories throughout transitions to and from specialized mental health settings;
  • Lack of a system-wide structure that provides school-based mental health services, as well as ongoing communication challenges for those in residential placements, especially out-of-state schools;
  •  Lack of clear responsibility for “cross system” students, i.e., those students with multiple disabilities who are served by two or more state agencies;
  • Disparity in goals, language, and practices existing between mental health and educational professionals; and
  • Perceived lack of service options for students with mental health issues, with existing options not well coordinated.

  The CAP subcommittee recommended revision of the current Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) between the State Education Department and the State Office of Mental Health (OMH) and requested that a protocol be developed to assist in the transition of students to and from mental health facilities. To gain a better understanding of the needs and post-school outcomes for students with mental health issues, during 2004-05, the NYS LPSI facilitators will conduct more intensive interviews at three years after school exit with former students classified as emotionally disturbed. VESID is working with OMH and a family organization, Families Together of NYS, Inc., to expand school-based mental health options including Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS).

Postsecondary Capacity Increased

• The annual “Recipe for College Success” conferences organized by the North Country TCS give high school students with disabilities practical information about how to prepare during high school for college participation. During the past two years, the North Country TCS, in concert with Paul Smith’s College, worked with the college consortia to replicate “Recipe” conferences on college campuses in each of the 5 Boards of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) in the region. Over 3,000 students, 140 parents and 250 school staff and 100-community agency personnel participated, enhancing their awareness of post-secondary education transition. The model has been replicated in other regions throughout the State.

• The Rochester regional TCS established a partnership with the Advocacy Consortium for College Students of Greater Rochester and area school districts. The partnership facilitates student panels twice yearly on college campuses or in individual schools and provides annual workshops for teachers, administrators, support staff, VESID counselors, parents and students covering topics related to transitions to postsecondary education.

Adult Education Program Capacity

• Using grant resources from Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities (OMRDD), the Rochester Regional TCS and Monroe # 1 and 2 BOCES developed "Learning Unlimited," a continuing education program for individuals with developmental disabilities. From February through April, weekly sessions are offered in cooking, arts and crafts, and computer literacy. Transportation and free classes are provided for 100 students, aged 18+ who have socially acceptable behavior and are able to communicate and follow class instructions.

Assistive Technology:

• The Southern Tier TCS helped Corcoran High School in Syracuse and Onondaga Community College to obtain a grant, the High School to College Technology Project, to train teachers and students with learning disabilities to use text-to-speech computer software by Kurzweil. The goal was to provide to enable the students to be better prepared for college, through use of assistive technology at the college level. In 2003-04, 12 teachers and 63 students were trained. Eight of the eleven students entering college knew how to use the software at school exit. The Southern Tier TCS organized an Assistive Technology Task Force to increase teacher training, resource dissemination and capacity building around Assistive Technology in New York State. To address issues, a list serv, ATFOCUS-L@cornell.edu was established and a website is planned.

Employment Programs Capacity

• The North Country TCS offers technical assistance and 6-8 Job Coach Training programs for 16 school districts, all five BOCES plus adult service agencies. To obtain a Job Coach Certificate, participants also complete a two-day training workshop and demonstrate their skills in a real setting. Annually, approximately 200 job coaches are trained who are employed by districts and BOCES, ensuring that staff have the skills necessary to support students in the work experience programs and help youth transition to employment. Requests for job coach training have more than doubled. Surveys indicate that 99% of school districts in this region now have community based work programs, available either by offering the services themselves, or by contracting with BOCES.

• The Southern Tier Transition Leadership Group is a collaborative leadership team involving regional VESID Special Education and Vocational Rehabilitation managers and the TCS. The goal is to increase the number and quality of youth referrals to vocational rehabilitation services from local education agencies and the six BOCES. Quarterly meetings discuss progress toward data targets and plan strategies to improve outcomes. An Articulation Agreement was developed to clarify the referral process. A 34% increase in the number of youth referred to VESID occurred in 2003-04. Graduating seniors experienced a 17% increase in agency involvement, a 7% increase in paid employment, and a 10% increase in IPE’s developed prior to graduation.

Transqual, Tool for Self-Assessment and Strategic Planning

• In 2003-04, the Transition Quality Indicators self-assessment checklist (TQI) was put on-line as “Transqual.” TCSs use the TQI to help schools develop strategic plans for improvement, including prioritizing which improvement to address first. TCSs use the TQI in facilitated group meetings, called "Transition Workdays," at which school teams, including families, and community agencies jointly assess needs for change. Statewide, 143 out of the 701 total districts in the State (20 percent) used “TRANSQUAL” and completed plans for improvement. During 2003-04, 60% of districts in the Rochester region included transition in their Comprehensive System of Personnel Development (CSPD) plans, a 12% increase over the previous year. (See http://www.transqual.org.)

Family Support Services

• The Rochester TCS initiated a Pre Self-Determination Partnership with the Advocacy Center of Rochester. Thirty-five families participated, resulting in increased independence in decision-making and participation in the development of programs and services. Follow-up interviews indicated that 79% of student participants now attend their CSE meeting with 87% of those attending reporting they now assert themselves at that meeting. All interviewed reported they now assert themselves when unsatisfied with their situation. In addition to some participants obtaining jobs, learning to pay bills and moving to different living situations, many reported an increased ability to "speak up," voice choices and deal with confrontation.

Connections to Adult Agencies and Service Systems

• From 1999 through 2004, CLPs were funded in five upstate locations and four in New York City in order to increase special education vocational rehabilitation connections. CLP funding assisted schools to conduct in-school career preparation under the transition components of the IEP and connect appropriate students to vocational rehabilitation services. Vocational rehabilitation referrals from CLP projects proceeded through the eligibility determination process two weeks more quickly and through the plan development process a month faster. CLP referrals were more successful in staying with vocational rehabilitation services to a successful conclusion.

Upon completion of its final year, the Utica CLP funded services for 120 students in nine school districts. For students involved in the project:

• 70% participated in a pre-employment skills course. Student attendance at school improved by 5%;
• 3.5% more students passed their classes;
• No students dropped out of school;
• 90% of students are active in the development of their IEP and the transition components of the IEP; and
• Nearly 90% of the high school seniors were connected with adult agencies and were pursuing their post school outcomes.

• The North Country Transition Implementation Support Team (NCTIST), facilitated by the North Country TCS, is a team of school, agency and family representatives who help schools, families, students and agencies with transition issues in their region. Activities focus on strengthening the connection between schools and community agencies as a means of improving student outcomes. In 2003-04, a survey of the 90 participating schools indicated that:

• 94% of districts have seen transition practices improve over a two year period;
• 68% of students with disabilities attend their CSE meeting;
• 99% of the school districts have a community based work program available;
• 89% of student IEPs for student’s ages 14-21 include post school outcome statements;
• 88% of districts report an improved connection with VESID vocational rehabilitation services;- 85% of students with disabilities are referred to VESID prior to school exit; and
• 81% of districts have a designated VESID contact person.

Training and Information Dissemination

• Information continues to be disseminated to stakeholders through the transition web page http://www.vesid.nysed.gov/specialed/transition/home.html. Documents on the web are frequently revised with new documents being posted regularly. A guidebook, titled “Effective Models for Transition Planning” developed in order to support the "Tools for Schools" public television broadcast on Transition Planning was posted on the web site, along with other documents.

• Transition planning and services information is also shared through ongoing regional planning and advisory groups affiliated with each regional TCS.

• A set of brochures was developed to describe in brief the roles and responsibilities of each of ten key team members of the CSE in transition planning and services. The brochures describe expectations for the participation of the: CSE chairperson, School Administrator, Special Education Teacher, General Education Teacher, School Counselor, School Psychologist, General Education Teacher, Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor, Parent and Student. Dissemination used the regional TCS network to target recipients statewide. The brochures are used to assist with improving team building, and especially, to orient people new to the process of transition planning and services. In 2004-05, the brochures will be posted on the transition web page at www.vesid.nysed.gov/specialed/.

• TCS Coordinators developed a training package focused on the Career Development and Occupational Studies Standards (CDOS) learning standards to help educators integrate career with academic learning standards. The package was presented to the Special Education Training and Resource network (SETRC) to use with districts.

• As a result of intensive training by the TCS, strength-based planning is better integrated within transition planning in Hudson Valley regional schools. Student schedules were redesigned to balance academic with post-school non-academic skill needs. Families report that students are better connected to community resources. Students rely on natural supports at the work site rather than relying on the job coach.

Pre-service Teacher Preparation

• Results from a TCS network survey of colleges engaged in teacher preparation indicated that transition planning and services is not adequately addressed. A Request for Proposal by the Higher Education Support Center (HESC) at Syracuse University was released to bring together key partners to address this issue. An IHE in New York State will be funded to work collaboratively with other universities and the regional TCSs to develop a plan to strengthen transition planning and service aspects of teacher preparation programs.

Challenges 2003-04

• Demand for technical assistance and support statewide remains high due to the aging educational workforce and retirements of school staff resulting in a loss in knowledge and expertise needed to implement transition. More complex issues in transition, such as developing specialized models for students placed out of district, are less prioritized than maintaining basic awareness. Resource limitations of school districts often result in layoffs or reassignment of personnel who formerly focused on assuring the availability of transition planning and services for all students.

• The State’s continuing fiscal crisis and a hiring freeze with different state agencies at the regional and State level causes a similar loss of professional expertise to facilitate cross-systems support needed for the transition process. Resource limitations impede service delivery by the major systems. In vocational rehabilitation, for example, losses of staff have limited the Department's ability to engage the vocational rehabilitation system to an optimal degree in providing consultation to help schools with in-school youth work experience needs.

• Appropriate programming for the “gray area” students is especially challenging for schools. These students do not qualify for alternate assessment yet experience much difficulty in completing coursework and passing exams necessary to obtain a Regents Diploma. In response to increasing frustration, the fear is that these students will either drop out of school or not be prepared to transition to successful post school outcomes.

• Gaps between students with and without disabilities are closing, yet inequities remain. Post school outcomes, particularly for students classified with emotional disturbance and mental retardation, are in need of improvement.

4. Projected Targets
   (for NEXT reporting period July 1, 2004 through June 30, 2005 and on going):

Activities during 2004-05 will build the infrastructure that is necessary to achieve the following long-range targets.

• IEP Content: All students with an IEP will have goals and objectives related to transition, including having their respective services and service providers specified, by age 14. Target: 100 percent by 2010. (Baseline data will be collected during the 2004-05 school year.)

• IEP Process: All students with disabilities will participate in their transition planning meetings. Target: 100 percent by 2010. (Baseline data will be collected during the 2004-05 school year.)

• IPE/IEP Connections: All students with an IEP who are eligible for vocational rehabilitation services from VESID while in school will have an Individualized Plan for Employment (IPE), reflecting transition services and service providers, before leaving school. Target: 100 percent by 2010.

• Schools Represented As Referral Sources For Vocational Rehabilitation: School districts with exiting students will be represented in the VR database. Target: 100 percent by 2008.

• Post-school Plans Reported by Schools: There will be  an annual increase of two percentage points in the percentage of post-school plans of all exiting special education students, ages 14-21 reported by school districts. Target: 95 percent by 2010.

• Post-School Outcomes: In a representative sample conducted under the longitudinal study, the percentage of students with disabilities receiving special education services who are transitioned one year after school exit to positive post-school outcomes (postsecondary education, employment or adult day programs) will be the same as that of their non-disabled peers. Target 96 percent by 2010.

• Successful Participation in Vocational Rehabilitation: There will be annual increases in positive outcomes for youth served in vocational rehabilitation, and who are actively engaged in the vocational rehabilitation systems, and there will be decreases in unsuccessful closures.

5. Future Activities
6. Projected Timelines and Resources
   (for NEXT reporting period July 1, 2004 through June 30, 2005 and on going):

• In 2004-05 and ongoing, VESID will support TCS networks statewide and provide additional assistance to New York City to increase knowledge and expertise of key personnel. The TCS network will be aligned geographically with other technical assistance and support networks of VESID and SED to increase their impact on the educational service delivery system.

• In 2004-05, TCSs will work with schools in their region to pilot the Transition Life Skills Rubric as a means of determining if the transition needs assessment tool and process is manageable and informative.

• In 2004-05, data with respect to school district use of the CTE Skills Achievement Profile will be collected by SEDCAR, and will be available in the spring of 2006 to permit necessary adjustments to the CTE process.

• The Transition Beginnings Survey data collection and reporting process will begin in 2004-05. Up to 2500 student surveys will be completed annually with randomly selected schools. Data will be shared and used as a basis for improving the delivery of transition planning and services.

• On an ongoing basis, VESID will continue to support implementation of two Social Security Administration grant funded demonstration projects which are geared to assist in-school youth with severe disabilities to more effectively use Social Security incentives and to improve their transition outcomes.

• On an ongoing basis, outcome based effective transition practices will be collected and posted on VESID’s Transition Website to promote wider sharing of effective practice information.

• Beginning in 2004-05 and ongoing, NYS LPSI findings will be summarized and posted to VESID’s Transition Website to provide planning information to federal, State and local groups regarding transition.

• SEQA Focused Review on Student Exiting/Transition will continue with nine reviews scheduled for 2004-05.

• In 2004-05 and on an ongoing basis, VESID will update and post on the web the Transition Planning and Implementation Guide, a resource frequently used by the TCS and schools, when developing transition programs and services.

• In 2004-05, NYS LPSI facilitators will obtain additional information from former students who had been classified as "emotionally disturbed," as a means of further determining needs and post school outcomes. Follow-up surveys with former students who had been classified as "mentally retarded" will be designed and conducted.

• On an ongoing basis, VESID will continue to expand upon the resources available for school personnel and families with respect to transition planning and services, through the development of a web based "Transition Toolbox."

• On an ongoing basis, VESID will continue to report findings from the NYS LPSI, sharing the information via the web: http://www.vesid.nysed.gov/specialed/ and through various presentations to stakeholders and participating districts as a means of informing decisions at the State, regional and local levels.

• On an ongoing basis annually, data from the vocational rehabilitation case management system will be reviewed and reported to assist VESID leadership to plan for appropriate systems improvements.

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