I posted this list a couple of years ago, but it seems like a good time to send out a reminder of all of the resources available to assist you on your Transition IEP journey this spring.  I have this list saved in my own Google Drive and would recommend the same for you.  I use it and update it often to help improve my own transition IEPs or to help train new teachers on the ins and outs of transition.  If you have a transition resource that you think is helpful, please share in the comments below.

 

1)  Earlywood’s Transition Corner

Transition Corner is a resource for parents, teachers, and students in need of post-secondary information.  Whether you are headed for college or work, this site will help navigate you through a number of helpful topics and contacts.  You can also check out previous transition articles from previous Earlywood Special Editions.

 

2) Indiana Dept of Education (IDOE) Indicator 13 Information

IDOE provides information on monitoring timelines for districts, definitions on how this indicator is measured, information and guidance on this federal indicator, and a list of current resources for school districts and teachers.  All of this information is available to educators through the Office of Special Education Community on the Moodle platform.

 

3) Indiana Secondary Transition Resources Center (INSTRC)

Staff members of the Indiana Secondary Transition Resource Center (INSTRC) work closely with transition educators and teams throughout the state, providing technical assistance, troubleshooting challenges, and assisting schools as they collaborate with state agencies and organizations to build seamless transitions for their students.

 

4) Indiana Secondary Transition Resource Center (INSTRC) Resource Collection

Indiana Secondary Transition Resource Center (INSTRC) provides a multitude of resources for teachers who work with transition age students, including resources that focus on: career videos, curricula, health, new administrators, postsecondary education, professionals new to transition, sample IEPs, self-determination resources, writing quality IEPs, and collected resources for families.

 

5) Indiana Transition IEP Rubric

The Indiana Transition IEP Rubric is a guide to help you create quality IEPs for your transitioning students. It is distributed by Indiana Secondary Transition Resource Center (INSTRC) and updated often.  This is a link to the most current version.

 

6) Transition Assessment Matrix

Teachers and transition professionals can access a searchable database on the Indiana Secondary Transition Resource Center (INSTRC) website with filters for Employment, Independent Living, and Education/Training, which can be sorted further by Grade Level(s) and Disability Area(s).

 

7) Tuesday’s Transition Tips

Indiana Secondary Transition Resource Center (INSTRC) sends out weekly tips on Tuesdays.  Teachers and transition professionals can subscribe to the emails.  Previous tips can be accessed on their website, as well.  Their tips include topics such as: quality and compliant Transition IEPs, transition assessments, drop-out prevention strategies, work-based learning, academic and life skills instruction, family involvement, working with Vocational Rehabilitation Services and much, much more.

 

8) Indiana IEP Resource Center (IEPRC)

Teachers can access resources and trainings on IIEP, transition IEPs, and many other special education topics through Indiana IEP Resource Center (IEPRC).  They facilitate workshops throughout the state on various topics including, but not limited to, the following: goal writing, facilitating effective CCC meetings, and IIEP walkthroughs.  Virtual Office Hours (VOH) are available each month as an open webinar for individuals to ask questions concerning IIEP or special education.

 

Earlywood is hosting our own virtual office hours with staff from INSTRC in February and March for those who have questions regarding transition and transition IEPs as the districts get ready for our federal monitoring pull later in the school year.  Look for the update on our website for the sign up sheet for time slots, if you're interested.

 

If you need more resources for another transition topic, please email me at mcrouch@earlywood.org.

 

 

Misty Crouch, Special Education Coordinator 

I recently viewed a webinar where author and special education consultant, Carol Kosnitsky, shared ideas and tips focused on transition.  She explained that good planning is to “begin with the end in mind” and that transition planning would follow that same idea.  She said, “Where do you want to find yourself? And then how can we use the time available to us and the resources available to us to strategically move in that direction so that we increase the likelihood that we can achieve that goal or be well on our way to achieving that goal?”  These are the questions we want to ask as we are helping our students plan for their post-secondary goals.  The key part of this process is that you, the teacher of record or the teacher of service, are one of the resources that will help the students plan their transition.  As a resource, you are helping your students make good choices and see the options that they have before them.  Asking yourself and your students these questions also helps you see transition as the cyclical planning process it is.  Each year, you reevaluate your students’ progress on their post-secondary goals and update the way in which they can meet those goals.  Even if a student changes their mind on their post-secondary goal, all of the work and discussion around the first goal still serves as part of the decision making process and is helping them make decisions for their future.

The “begin with the end in mind” idea is also referred to in The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, 4th Edition by Stephen R. Covey (2020) and The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens by Sean Covey (2021) and could be beneficial resources for both you and your students. 

If you are interested in viewing the transition webinar yourself, here is the link to

Writing High Quality IEPs, An 8-part series by Carol Kosnitsky.  

If you have a transition topic that you need more resources for or another topic you would like covered in this year’s transition articles, please email me at mcrouch@earlywood.org.

~Misty Crouch, Special Education Coordinator