Tips

All Tuesday Tips

We all make mistakes. It's a fundamental part of life. Rather than viewing mistakes as failures, we can see them as valuable learning opportunities. They show us what doesn't work, guiding us toward better approaches and fostering personal growth. While learning from our errors isn't always easy, it's often the most effective way to grow and develop.

Students with disabilities, especially those with higher learning needs, are sometimes overprotected by well-meaning adults, including educators. This can create environments where students aren't given the chance to make mistakes, take risks, and learn from their experiences—essentially denying them the dignity of learning through trial and error.

Dignity of risk is the right for individuals to make informed choices and experience the consequences, both positive and negative, of those decisions. As an educator, this means empowering students to learn, take calculated risks, and understand the outcomes of their actions. This process, even when it involves facing less desirable consequences, is crucial for building self-confidence and resilience.

Educators must champion the dignity of risk for their students, both inside and outside the classroom. This may involve educating parents about the importance of this concept and the valuable learning opportunities it provides for student growth and maturity. It's also beneficial for all members of a student's transition team to understand and support this principle.

Resources

Bonus Tips:

Join us for the “From Transition IEP Knowledge to Portfolio Application” webinar series. All sessions will include breakout rooms where you can ask questions and access additional support. Each session will cost $35 and run from 11:30 am to 1:00 pm ET.

Upcoming dates:

  • February 19: Transition IEP and Transition Portfolio Intersections – Transition Services and Activities
  • February 26: Transition IEP and Transition Portfolio Intersections – Annual Goal Statements
  • March 5: Quality Transition Portfolio Format, Uses, and Examples
  • March 12: Transition IEP and Transition Portfolio Work Session Breakout Rooms

To register for these upcoming webinars, visit the INSTRC Training and Technical Assistance webpage.

Attention, educators! The Center on Community Living and Careers (CCLC) along with the Family Employment First Coalition (FEFC), a group of key disability advocacy organizations across the state, have developed several new resources for schools and families and we are excited to share them with you.

We're excited to share four new resources available on the CCLC website and would love your feedback! As educators, your insights on the content, quality, and usefulness of these resources are invaluable in helping us promote competitive integrated employment.

Please take a few minutes to review one or more of the resources linked below and share your thoughts in this short survey: Transition Resources Feedback Survey. We would like your feedback by February 28, 2025.

  • What is Transition? Main Messages: This document highlights the keys to a successful transition from high school, including the Transition Individualized Education Program (IEP), the case conference team, and connecting to adult services.
  • Transition Planning and Processes: This document assists students in successfully transitioning from school to work.
  • The Transition IEP: This guide emphasizes each part of the Transition IEP and its role, encouraging families to promote self-advocacy skills and early planning.
  • Transition Best Practices from School to Work: This guide explains key features of exemplary transition practices, from school to competitive integrated employment.

We've also developed a variety of other resources on transition-related topics. Visit the Information for Students and Families webpage to learn more. Thank you for your time and for sharing these resources with others who may benefit.

Bonus Tip:

The virtual Family Employment Awareness Training (FEAT) continues this week! Sessions are being offered in English and Spanish from January 28 through March 4, 2025. To learn more, visit the English FEAT registration and Spanish FEAT registration webpages.

As a special educator, you must be familiar with the Indiana Department of Education Notice of Procedural Safeguards. Sections highlight both parental and student rights, describing important changes occurring when a student turns 18, the age of majority. When a student turns 18, they are considered an adult and may make decisions and take actions on their own behalf, such as getting married or using credit cards. At that time, all of the special education rights belonging to the parent transfer to the 18-year-old student, unless a guardian or educational representative has been established. It is your responsibility, as an agent of the school and as an educator, to prepare both students and parents for this milestone. As an informational pipeline for parents and students, you must also prepare yourself!

After reviewing the messaging below, brainstorm some ideas and create a transition activity that allows students to explore their options.

Messaging for Parents from Educators

  • Until the child reaches age 18, you have access to all educational records maintained by the school. When a student turns 18 or attends a postsecondary program, the final decisional authority lies with the student.
  • Transfer of Rights doesn’t mean termination of decisional input.
  • Transfer of Rights is an opportunity for personal growth for students.
  • Use critical thinking and intentional support planning before seeking restrictive guardianship; guardianship is exceptionally difficult to overturn.
  • Involvement, support, and guidance are possible without guardianship, even for students with significant support needs.
  • Prioritize consideration of least restrictive alternatives.

Messaging for Students from Educators

  • You have options; know what they are and explore various resources.
  • Advocate for your preferences.
  • Make informed decisions about the types of support you need and who could provide that support.
  • Work toward a decision about guardianship well before you turn 18.

Resources

The Postsecondary Transition Plan and Annual Goals are two essential components of Transition IEPs. The postsecondary transition plan outlines the student’s interests, desires, and needs for their lives as they become adults in the areas of education and training, employment, and independent living. Annual goals should focus on the student’s academic, behavioral, and personal needs.

Specifically, the annual goals should be written to support at least one of the student’s postsecondary goals. The Indiana IEP requires the identification of the supported postsecondary goal as part of the information provided for each annual goal. Teachers should consider student’s postsecondary goals as they plan, write, and evaluate progress on a student’s annual goals.

For example, suppose a student has a postsecondary goal to complete a college degree for their education and training transition goal. In that case, their annual academic goals should support preparation for future college academic work. If a student’s postsecondary employment goal is to work in customer service, and their annual goal is to improve social interactions with other people, this demonstrates how behavioral goals should directly support employment goals.

Connecting the transition plan and annual goals is crucial for students’ transitions to adulthood. By ensuring all Transition IEP components align with the student's desired future, we prioritize their long-term success. Furthermore, for students with significant learning needs, the documented data and artifacts gathered while monitoring these interconnected goals become valuable assets for their Transition Portfolios. These portfolios serve as powerful tools for demonstrating their skills, progress, and readiness for community living and employment.

The Transition IEP and Transition Portfolio Crosswalk includes a section on annual goals and examples of examples of portfolio artifacts such as achievement certificates, data, photographs, or videos that can become part of a student’s portfolio.

Bonus Tip:

We are excited to offer the “From Transition IEP Knowledge to Portfolio Application” webinar series. These trainings will consist of 6 separate one and a half hour sessions focusing on quality aspects of each section of the transition IEP and how these sections intersect with a quality transition portfolio. All sessions will include breakout rooms where you can ask questions and access additional support.

Upcoming dates:

  • February 5: Transition IEP and Transition Portfolio Intersections – Present Levels
  • February 12: Transition IEP and Transition Portfolio Intersections – Transition Assessments and Postsecondary Goals
  • February 19: Transition IEP and Transition Portfolio Intersections – Transition Services and Activities
  • February 26: Transition IEP and Transition Portfolio Intersections – Annual Goal Statements
  • March 5: Quality Transition Portfolio Format, Uses, and Examples
  • March 12: Transition IEP and Transition Portfolio Work Session Breakout Rooms

To register for these upcoming webinars, visit the INSTRC Training and Technical Assistance webpage.

The virtual Family Employment Awareness Training (FEAT) starts tonight! Sessions will be offered in English and Spanish from January 28 through March 4, 2025. To learn more, visit the English FEAT registration and Spanish FEAT registration webpages.

The Transition Portfolio and Transition IEP should work together to provide information about a student’s strengths, preferences, interests, and needs in relation to employment, education, and independent living. The portfolio is a presentation document positively demonstrating a student’s abilities in Student Information, Student Learning Characteristics, Academic Skills, and Employability Skills. We have created the Transition IEP and Transition Portfolio Crosswalk to explain how each component of the Transition IEP aligns with and can be used within the Transition Portfolio domains.

The Transition Services and Activities section of the IEP, aligned with each postsecondary goal, guides students in choosing, maintaining, or adjusting their chosen path. Transition Services and Activities are individualized, meaningful, and coordinated experiences supporting the direction students want to pursue in employment, education, and independent living.

Some activities may include: 

  • Internships
  • Job shadowing 
  • Community job experiences
  • In-school jobs

Experiences expose students to a variety of new and unique career possibilities that are culturally sensitive and individualized. These experiences also include needed supports and services.

Transition Portfolio Artifacts highlight successful transition services and activities. These artifacts may be appropriate for multiple portfolio domain areas.

Any service or activity with supporting documentation IS AN ARTIFACT that can be used across the 4 portfolio domains:

Student InformationAcademic SkillsStudent Learning & CharacteristicsEmployability Skills

Some of these artifacts may include:

Learn more about the ways you can showcase elements of IEP progress in Transition Portfolios in our upcoming IEP/Portfolio training series.

Upcoming dates:

  • February 5: Transition IEP and Transition Portfolio Intersections – Present Levels
  • February 12: Transition IEP and Transition Portfolio Intersections – Transition Assessments and Postsecondary Goals
  • February 19: Transition IEP and Transition Portfolio Intersections – Transition Services and Activities
  • February 26: Transition IEP and Transition Portfolio Intersections – Annual Goal Statements
  • March 5: Quality Transition Portfolio Format, Uses, and Examples
  • March 12: Transition IEP and Transition Portfolio Work Session Breakout Rooms

To register for these upcoming sessions, visit the INSTRC Training and Technical Assistance webpage.

The virtual Family Employment Awareness Training (FEAT) starts January 28 and runs through March 4, 2025. These sessions are offered in both Spanish and English. To learn more, visit the English FEAT registration and Spanish FEAT registration webpages.

The Indiana Secondary Transition Resource Center (INSTRC) has created valuable resources to help you support students and families throughout the transition process. The Transition IEP and Transition Portfolio Crosswalk explains how each component of the Transition IEP aligns with and can be used within the Transition Portfolio. Today’s tip highlights two sections within the Transition IEP and the Transition Portfolio: Student Information and Present Levels and Progress Monitoring.

Student information is personally identifiable information on a student such as their home address, phone number, and email address. Student information is pertinent to the Transition Portfolio as it is a way for employers to reach the student via mail, phone, or email. Any information or documentation shared in the Transition Portfolio is considered an artifact, or evidence.

The Present Levels of Academic Performance and Progress Monitoring within the IEP is a rich story describing the student's strengths and needs. Data provided in this section explains how the student’s disability affects their progress in all environments. Information from this section is valuable within the Transition Portfolio as it communicates the student’s progress on IEP goals, and any supports the student needs to be successful academically and on the job.

By using the Transition IEP and Transition Portfolio Crosswalk, you can easily identify how the IEP fulfills many of the information needs of the Transition Portfolio.

Bonus Tips

INSTRC is excited to offer 2025 intensive Transition IEP and Transition Portfolio Trainings, “From Transition IEP Knowledge to Portfolio Application.” These trainings consist of 6 separate one and a half hour sessions focusing on quality aspects of each section of the transition IEP and how these sections intersect with a quality transition portfolio. All sessions will include breakout room work sessions where you can ask questions and access additional support.

Each session will cost $35 and run from 11:30 am to 1:00 pm ET.

Upcoming dates:

  • February 5: Transition IEP and Transition Portfolio Intersections – Present Levels
  • February 12: Transition IEP and Transition Portfolio Intersections – Transition Assessments and Postsecondary Goals
  • February 19: Transition IEP and Transition Portfolio Intersections – Transition Services and Activities
  • February 26: Transition IEP and Transition Portfolio Intersections – Annual Goal Statements
  • March 5: Quality Transition Portfolio Format, Uses, and Examples
  • March 12: Transition IEP and Transition Portfolio Work Session Breakout Rooms

To register for these upcoming webinars, visit the INSTRC Training and Technical Assistance webpage.

Family Employment Awareness Training (FEAT) provides free instruction to parents, young adults with disabilities, families, educators, and transition and employment professionals. FEAT attendees learn about local, state, and federal resources that help young adults with disabilities who want to work.

In addition to the information about high expectations for employment, there is also:

  • an opportunity to hear from individuals with disabilities who are successfully employed,
  • the chance to meet people from agencies providing support to transitioning individuals, and
  • much, much more!

Delivered by the Center on Community Living and Careers (CCLC) at Indiana University and funded by Indiana Vocational Rehabilitation, FEAT is expanding its offerings in 2025. This year, CCLC is excited to provide virtual FEATs in both English and Spanish. English language FEAT will take place every Tuesday from January 28th through March 4th. Spanish language FEAT will take place every Thursday from January 30th through March 6th. Participants are encouraged to attend each FEAT session for unique and valuable topics and information. State agencies that provide related support and services will also attend the trainings.
  
Upcoming Family Employment Awareness Trainings: 

For more FEAT information and to register for these and other events, visit the CCLC FEAT webpage. 

 

Bonus Tips

February and March are packed with learning opportunities. We are excited to offer the “From Transition IEP Knowledge to Portfolio Application” webinar series. All sessions will include breakout room work sessions where you can ask questions and access additional support. Each session will cost $35 and run from 11:30 am to 1:00 pm ET.

Upcoming dates:

  • February 5: Transition IEP and Transition Portfolio Intersections – Present Levels
  • February 12: Transition IEP and Transition Portfolio Intersections – Transition Assessments and Postsecondary Goals
  • February 19: Transition IEP and Transition Portfolio Intersections – Transition Services and Activities
  • February 26: Transition IEP and Transition Portfolio Intersections – Annual Goal Statements
  • March 5: Quality Transition Portfolio Format, Uses, and Examples
  • March 12: Transition IEP and Transition Portfolio Work Session Breakout Rooms

To register for these upcoming webinars, visit the INSTRC Training and Technical Assistance webpage.

Planning daily activities is a personal experience. Students should choose activities based on their preferences, interests, and needs. With your guidance, they can prioritize skill development, exercise independence, and live a fulfilling life. These daily activities also empower individuals with disabilities to transition from sheltered employment.

To help students develop a well-rounded routine, use the Evansville Resources Wellness Chart. This tool incorporates all wellness domains and can be adapted to any community.

Use the following steps to guide students toward planning a meaningful day:

  1. Connect to Personal Goals: Outline what a student wishes to accomplish in all areas of life. Include goals for employment, education and training, and independent living.
  2. Design a Daily Schedule: Create a routine that includes work-life balance. This means striking a balance between work and free time. Be sure to include personal care activities.
  3. Focus on Health and Wellness: Schedule daily physical activities like meditation, journaling, exercise, and counseling sessions.
  4. Promote Independence: Prioritize learning and participation in skills that can be done alone such as cooking, shopping, and financial planning.
  5. Participate in Social Events: Join or volunteer for clubs and community events. Building meaningful relationships and social connections improves well-being.
  6. Seek Available Resources: Utilize online tools such as the “Building A Meaningful Day: A Step-By-Step Guide” to design personalized activities.

Continue to reference the steps above to help students create a daily routine that supports their personal growth and goals.

Bonus Tips:

We're excited to offer the Transition Educators Facilitating Employment course, starting January 13, 2025! This 10-week, comprehensive online training gives educators, specialists, Pre-ETS providers, transition coordinators, and other professionals the foundation, techniques, and effective strategies necessary for successful adult vocational transition.

Course modules include:

  • Developing Transition Programs within the Traditional School Environment
  • The Evolution of Supported and Customized Employment
  • Principles of Supported and Customized Employment
  • Roles, Responsibilities, and Expectations
  • Discovery and Customized Employment
  • Marketing for Employment Services
  • Job Development, Training, and Workplace Supports
  • Assistive Technology
  • Federal Programs for Businesses and People with Disabilities
  • Criminal Justice Involvement

This online, self-paced course costs $250. For more information and to register, visit the CCLC Transition Educators Training webpage.

Students with disabilities in Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs can be certified for specific skills through microcredentials. The Center on Community Living and Careers (CCLC) has partnered with the Indiana Commission for Higher Education and select Indiana secondary school Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs to develop microcredentials in Early Childhood Education and Auto Mechanics.

Microcredentials are competency-based certifications that focus on skills developed and demonstrated to show proficiency in a particular area. They should be related to the student’s postsecondary goals and are earned through:

  1. Personalized learning experiences
  2. Specific skill development
  3. Customized assessments that demonstrate mastery

Using industry standards, microcredentials allow students to highlight and validate specific job skills that meet employer needs. Students earning an alternate diploma or certificate of completion can use microcredentials within their transition portfolio and on resumes.

With appropriate accommodations and support, CTE programs can significantly enhance the postsecondary outcomes of students with disabilities.

  • Increased graduation rates - Research shows that students with disabilities who participate in CTE are more likely to graduate high school.
  • Improved academic performance - Students with disabilities who participated in CTE programs made significant progress in academic proficiency.
  • Enhanced career and college readiness - Students who have earned three or more sequential credits in any state-approved CTE program in grades 9 through 12 are expected to pass technical skill assessments that align with industry-recognized standards, if available and appropriate.
  • Employment - Research states that students from varying disability groups who had three or more semesters of CTE are more likely to be employed.
  • Competitive and integrated employment - Earning CTE microcredentials provides greater leverage for customized employment in competitive, integrated employment, including opportunities for career advancement.

Would you like to learn more about participating in our microcredential pilots in the areas of Early Childhood Education and Auto Mechanics? Contact us at INSTRC@IU.edu.

Bonus Tips:

The Transition Educators Facilitating Employment course starts on January 13, 2025! This 10-week, comprehensive online training gives educators, specialists, Pre-ETS providers, transition coordinators, and other professionals the foundation, techniques, and effective strategies necessary for successful adult vocational transition.

Course modules include:

  • Developing Transition Programs within the Traditional School Environment
  • The Evolution of Supported and Customized Employment
  • Principles of Supported and Customized Employment
  • Roles, Responsibilities, and Expectations
  • Discovery and Customized Employment
  • Marketing for Employment Services
  • Job Development, Training, and Workplace Supports
  • Assistive Technology
  • Federal Programs for Businesses and People with Disabilities
  • Criminal Justice Involvement

This online, self-paced course costs $250. For more information and to register, visit the CCLC Transition Educators Training webpage.

The Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) Indiana, a project of the Center on Education and Lifelong Learning (CELL), is hosting a training series focusing on restorative practices. Restorative practices focus on building positive relationships and addressing the root causes of conflict. They offer schools an alternative to exclusionary discipline by emphasizing healing, repairing harm, and restoring relationships rather than punishment. To learn more and register, visit the PBIS Indiana website.

 

Indiana is undergoing an employment systems transformation. Important changes may affect the students you support, especially those with significant disability impacts. These changes mean students using an Indiana waiver will no longer be able to attend state-funded, facility-based prevocational services (sheltered employment). Helping students understand their postsecondary employment options is critical. As they progress, developing an employment vision becomes increasingly important.

How Educators Can Empower Informed Choice Regarding Employment

Transition services and activities within the IEP offer a powerful avenue for developing students' employment visions. By incorporating concrete, action-oriented goals, students can articulate their future aspirations more clearly. Transition services and activities to consider might include:

  1. Facilitating and creating job shadowing opportunities for students.
  2. Developing and coordinating informational interviewing with local industry leaders.
  3. Helping students research the goods and services Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) offers.
  4. Collaborating with students to create one dedicated transition portfolio page that includes the:
    • Ideal conditions a student optimally needs at work.
    • Student’s most persistent strengths, including soft and hard skills.
    • Kind of supports, both at work and outside of work, a student will need to be successful and maintain a job.
  5. Exploring meaningful day options to ensure each student has balanced and holistic well-being.  ​

As always, connect students to VR as early as possible, no later than their junior year of high school. Students may now concurrently receive VR and Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS). Lastly, make sure the student can access his/her electronic transition portfolio after graduation.

Bonus Tips:

The Family Employment Awareness Training (FEAT) starts January 28 and runs through March 4, 2025. These sessions are offered in both Spanish and English. To learn more, visit the English FEAT registration and Spanish FEAT registration webpages.

The Indiana School Mental Health Initiative (ISMHI), part of the Center on Education and Lifelong Learning (CELL), will host Indiana’s 7th Annual Educating the Whole Child Summit on February 7, 2025, at the Embassy Suites Plainfield Indianapolis Airport Hotel. The keynote speaker, Cornelius Minor, a Brooklyn-based educator, will provide valuable insights on fostering equitable literacy reform. To learn more and register, visit the ISMHI events page.