Transition Services Page Creator

patricia8961 - http://patricia8961.googlepages.com/home Adult Learner

Transitioning from school to adult life is a critical area of concern for both students and their parents. Lack of access to available resources and services can be a barrier for the succesful transition from school to work. This website will serve as a database for acquiring and determining available services as students prepare for life beyond high school.

Chapter 27 Competencies for Instructional Design and Technology

This chapter focused on the skills necessary for competency in the field of instructional design and technology. As I read through this chapter, I reflected on what my own areas of strength and what competencies I needed to develop given my professional goals in area of special education. In addition to completing a sequence of courses and experiences, there are 12 competencies identified for Directors/supervisors of special education. They include:

Program development and evaluation

Personnel staffing, supervision, and evaluation

Interpersonal relationships, communications, persuasion, and morale

Evaluation of inservice organization and management

Budgeting, financing, and reporting

Parent relationships School plant planning Consultation Research and grant writing Office management, including office automation School-related legal activities and due process hearing Computer-assisted management

My professional practice does not necessarily lend itself to instructional design and technology however, a few of the above mentioned competencies can be easily adapted to my professional role as an administrator in special education, they include:

1. Plan and monitor instructional development projects- Correspondingly, program development and evaluation is an area I identified for further development. In doing such, my focus for this year is on program design and evaluation.

2. Demonstrate appropriate interpersonal, group process, and consulting behaviors - Interpersonal relationships, communications, persuasion, and morale are ongoing development goals.

3. Assess learner/trainee characteristics - Evaluation of inservice organization and management. With the complexities of students we serve, I have to continue to assess and staff development in the educational process. The author in chapter 27 indicates that in the field of IDT, the competencies will continue to evolve as the field continues to change, this holds true for most professions. Given the complexities involved in special education, the standards and competencies for director/supervisor of special education are appropriately aligned with my professional role. Each year, I establish learning goals for my professional development as director/supervisor of special education.

Staff Training Session

Today, each staff member received a document identifying students with disabilities who they will case manage during this school year. ... The purpose of our meeting today is to go over this document and identify students with outdated IEPs and MET reports. This first step begins the process for case managing students with IEPs. Subsequent trainings will focus on obtaining and analyzing anecdotal records, determining students' present level of performance and functioning, contacting parents to determine their availability to meet and assist in planning their child's educational goals and objectives, coordinating ancillary services and facilitating the IEP meeting.

Reflection Week 11

Our most recent chapter readings created opportunities to view instructional design/technology in the contexts of business, P -12 and higher education,

Several themes appear across these contexts I considered systematic structures and the development of personnel, students, and instructors to strengthen the information age.

In chapter 21, the author highlights a systematic approach to meet the needs of students and communities. When they speak of the ecological and systematic change, one can easily generalize the meaning across the three contexts. When we consider change in the contexts of business, p-12, and higher education we address 1) the core and supporting work; 2) the internal “social architecture”; and 3) the district’s (industry) relationship with its internal environment.

In chapter 18, the authors describe the complexities of work settings are impacted by the expanding roles and development of instructional designers in business and industry today. This holds true for not only special education but for education in general.

Considering the complexities associated with educating youth in confinement, our organizational climate advocated an ecological perspective. This systematic approach involved a comprehensive view of our students, school, community, parents, and the interactions among and between them. Our goal is to change the anti-social school behavior and promote appropriate social skills.

Chapter 21 Trends and Issues in P-12 Educational Change

Chapter 21 reviews different meanings for systematic change and describes ecological systemic changes for P-12 education. As I read the chapter, I reflected on a recent conversation I shared with several colleagues where we discussed the sustainability of public education and integration of pedagogy to strengthen student achievement. The author suggests an ecological prospective and transformational process as having implications for teaching and learning. Education as a complex system is continually developing strategies for student achievement which can be interpreted as a “piecemeal” approach.

In the GSTE approach, the Michigan Department of Education has framed this idea through ED Yes and the school improvement process. The importance of schools and teachers has been questioned for decades. Several studies have been conducted which explain that effective schools can make a big difference in the achievement of students.

My school is working on a school-wide strategic plan. The framework for our strategic plan can be framed using the GRTE (or a similar) approach. For example, Phase I- Introduce Systemic Change Efforts – change the image/focus of our school from a discipline school to one of learning and academics with social skill development; Phase II—determine a plan for an effective curriculum and a safe and orderly school; and Phase III of this process resulted elimination of our behavior lab. Phase IV created an ideal approach for changing our school culture, using a positive behavior support.

In our district, we are working on a strategic plan for strengthening leadership and support for educational improvement. The administrative team was tasked with assessing their own readiness for this process by complete a self-assessment. Additionally, we assessed our readiness for an ecological systemic change. We began this process by meeting with our leadership team to develop a district-wide framework with broad participation.

The administrative team developed a three-year (change process strategy) strategic plan to address the following goals: 1) provide key services to support student achievement; 2) strengthen development of our human capital; 3) strengthen and expand technology leadership; 4) provide facilities required for quality programs; and 5) continue to develop appropriate organizational visibility.

The admin team will communicate district level designs to our respective programs and evaluate the process strategy. Yearly, the admin team will meet to discuss any new ideas we have for moving forward along the process for change.

Lesson Plan

1. Explore it
Using Google Maps, students will plot underground railroad stops beginnning in Kalamazoo, MI and ending in Amherstburg, Ontario.

2. Find it
What may have been the shortest route for a person escaping slavery?

3. Follow it
On your route to Dresden, Ontario (location of Uncle Tom's Cabin), in what city is the historical Second Baptist Church?

Once you arrive at Uncle Tom's Cabin, you can explore the museum and learn more about the dangerous journey traveled by enslaved people.