Competency+1

=Critical Element 1/ Competency 1: Incorporating Student Interests and Preferences=

D.O.T.S. **(D**on't Overlook Transition) - Pilot Program
At the Iowa Dept of Ed 2011Transition Summer Institute, several Special Educators offered their experiences in teaching and implementing self-determination/self-advocacy with their students. These programs were implemented in a variety of ways. One intensive approach offered a credit earned for a semester-long, 40 minute daily course. Another approach met 15-20 minutes once or twice weekly during TRIBES (home room) time. Following are some of the resources they used to begin incorporating student interests and preferences to address the three skills in this competency, including the (1) facilitating student involvement, (2) supporting family input, and (3) arranging inclusive IEP meetings.

Select the most appropriate strategy, support, and/or accommodation to facilitate each student's preparation and active involvement, in concert with the other IEP team members.
 * Skill One: Facilitating student Involvement**

=

 * Casey Life Skills:** Casey Life Skills is a comprehensive living learning and working set of assessments accompanied by integrated lesson planning and instructional resources, many of which are free or low cost. Casey Life Skills:=====


 * I Have A Plan Iowa: ** This is a link to the site where Iowa Students develop, beginning in 8th grade, and continue to develop throughout their high school careers, a living, learning and working exploration and planning e-portolio.

=

 * AIR: Self Determination Assessments:**The AIR Assessments measure two broad self-determination components: capacity (the student's knowledge, abilities, and perceptions that enable them to be self-determined) and opportunity (the student's chances to use their knowledge and abilities). The AIR Self-Determination Assessments are available to use, free of charge. Follow the link below to download the AIR Assessments, user's guide, and permission letter. [|AIR: Self Determination Assessments]=====

In the pilot program, participants used a video camera (such as Flip Video) to record student responses. Pilot program participants had an independent third party (not the student's primary special education teacher and/or case manager) record both Pre and Post assessment responses. These questions can be found on p. 5 Student Worksheet in [|NCHSY: Helping Students Develop Their IEPS]

[|VARK Questionnaire: A guide to Learning Styles]

Check the [|Iowa Transition Matrix] for specific Living, Learning, and Working assessments. It's a wealth of assessment resources!

[|NCHSY: Helping Students Develop Their IEPS]
 * Instructional Resources**

All three Special Educators in the pilot program independently found the following resource and all considered it very useful. This is a publication of the NCWD ([|National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability]. Here is their description of this publication: //The 411 on Disability Disclosure: A Workbook for Youth with Disabilities is designed for youth and adults working with them to learn about disability disclosure. This workbook helps young people make informed decisions about whether or not to disclose their disability and understand how that decision may impact their education, employment, and social lives. Based on the premise that disclosure is a very personal decision, the Workbook helps young people think about and practice disclosing their disability. The workbook does not tell a young person what to do. Rather, it helps them make informed decisions about disclosing their disability, decisions that will affect their educational, employment, and social lives.// Follow the link for this resource: [|411 on Disability Disclosure: Youth Version]

[|Self-Determination Lesson Plan Starters]

= =

Solicit and incorporate family input indecision-making. NWAEATransition101 for Parents The following links to an extensive list of resources at NCHSY: Parent resources Scroll down the page for many more links, including parent resources.
 * Skill 2: Supporting Family Input**

Transition Questions and Answers

= =

NICHCY Guides: [|NCHSY: Helping Students Develop Their IEPS] Self Directed IEP Guide

The following links to a helpful publication by Becky Wilson Hawbaker (Hawbaker, B.W. (2007). Student-led IEP meetings: Planning and implementation strategies. TEACHING Exceptional Children Plus, 3(5) Article 4. Retrieved [date] from http://escholarship.bc.edu/education/tecplus/vol3/iss5/art4). Here is the abstract from that publication: //Although self-determination in general and student-led IEPs in particular have received attention nationally, the extent to which students are leading their IEP meetings remains uncertain, and the rhetoric does not seem to match the reality for the majority of students with disabilities and their IEP meetings. Self determined educators are needed to translate the rhetoric into action. In this article, the advantages of student-led IEPs are discussed, obstacles to implementation are examined and answered, and specific teacher-friendly and teacher-tested activities are suggested to challenge readers to implement a student-led IEP program in their schools within one year.// [|Student Led IEP Planning and Implementation Strategies]

[|"Wecome to My IEP" Student Led IEP Template]

Self AdvocacySelf Advocacy Questionnaire Questionnaire

return to HOME page