We’re at Week 3 of our series on things we learned from the fabulous presenters at this summer’s statewide transition conference.

Lesson 3: The regional Indiana Cadres of Transition Educators held their annual meeting during Facing the Future Together. As a part of that meeting, members of the Northeast Indiana Cadre presented the amusing, but instructive “Friday, Indicator 13th: Transition IEP Monitoring Doesn’t Have to Be a Nightmare.” Their point: Yes, our Transition IEPs need to be compliant with federal regulations, but creating a process now will help allay the heebie jeebies.

The three-year monitoring cycle includes 1) a year of “self-monitoring,” followed by 2) a proactive year, where schools can receive free technical assistance, and then 3) the monitoring year, when data is submitted to the federal government. Creating a plan of action is key, according to the Cadre presenters. They suggested the following:

• Identify your Transition IEP team in your district.
• Review your most recent Indicator 13 compliance report or your proactive monitoring report from the Indiana Secondary Transition Resource Center (INSTRC).
• Review a sample of Transition IEPs from your district.
• Identify your areas of greatest need.
• Schedule training/coaching with collaborators (INSTRC, Indiana Department of Education, and the IEP Resource Center).
• Plan for ongoing internal monitoring.

Stick to your plan during not only your self-monitoring year but every year. And a little plug from us: We continue to see that districts who use INSTRC’s proactive services consistently score better when they’re monitored. Directors and administrators, if you’re in your proactive monitoring year and are interested in support and services, email us: INSTRC@indiana.edu 

Our thanks to members of the Northeast Cadre, including Adams Wells Special Services Cooperative, Southwest Allen County Schools, Elkhart Community Schools, and the Northeast Special Education Cooperative.