Transitioning Students with Disabilities (SWDs) to Post-Secondary Options

Candice willie-lawes

Harry S Truman High School

Introduction:

The adverse post-secondary outcomes for many students receiving special education services in high school is a social problem that nationally all states are working to address, but this WebQuest focuses on initiatives in New York State. Many educators, students and families are not aware of the options available for students who received special education services and/or have classifiable disabilities. Lack of awareness of the available resources leaves many educators, students and families frustrated with the seemingly limited or obscure options available to ensure that students with disabilities successfully transition to adulthood through proper goal setting, career planning and acquisition of necessary independent living skills.

Task:

You and your team will create a presentation to educate your class about the identified social problem of the disproportionately negative post-secondary outcomes of students with disabilities and identify effective solutions to help alleviate the problem.

Your presentation will include a five minute PowerPoint presentation that will be presented to the class with a minimum of 10 slides.

Your slides should use text and images to detail the information that you gathered using the six worksheets that are part of the Public Policy Analyst (PPA) process as a guide for gathering the information and thinking through the steps of your assignment.

Your group is also required to turn the completed worksheets in a folder/portfolio on the day of your presentation as evidence of your research and thought processes.

Process:

1. Meeting in groups of four you will gather data from the websites listed below and additional websites related to the identified social problem.

2. You will review the data provided to identify policies and describe the current conditions regarding negative post-secondary outcomes of students with disabilities.

3. You will identify projections for future problems if a solution is not identified and/or policies are not created and/or implemented effectively.

4. You will also review the resources listed below and attempt to come up with solutions to alleviate the growing concern for effectively transitioning students with disabilities (SWDs).

5. Your group’s focus should be on identifying the role that adequate policy implementation, such as goal setting and post-secondary program identification plays in developing a solution to SWDs transitioning needs.

GROUP MEMBER ROLES

Group Facilitator: The group facilitator is the person who will organize the group and coordinate the group’s effort by preparing the final PowerPoint for presentation. The facilitator will assist all other members in completing their tasks and collect member contributions.

Researchers: The researchers are all members who will explore the resources and present the data for the group as a whole to analyze. Everyone in the group should contribute to the research process.

Recorder: The recorder person in the group who will type the results of the group’s coordinated research efforts on the six required worksheets in a format that can be presented in an organized folder to the teacher.

Presenters: The presenters are the two members of the group who will present the group’s findings to the class as a whole.

Use the Public Policy Analysis (PPA) to assist you in researching for your presentation.

1. Define the Problem

2. Gather the Evidence

3. Identify the Causes

4. Evaluate an Existing Policy

5. Develop Solutions

6. Select the Best Solution (Feasibility vs. Effectiveness) Worksheet #6

Evaluation:

You will be graded utilizing the following rubric:

Resources:

Your group may utilize these resources and others that you find to assist you in completing the requirements of this WebQuest (See “Process” Stage).

Search Engines

Websites

· IEP

· Transition Planning

· Transitioning from School to Work (Part I) (Video)

· Transitioning from School to Work (Part II) (Video)

· Transitioning from School to Work (Part III) (Video)

· ACCES-VR (Formerly VESID)

· OPWDD

· New York State Special Education

· Transitional Planning Services

· Coordinated Set of Transition Activities

· BOCES

· Disability Resources and Services

· CUNY LEADS

· CUNY Start

· NYS Disability Services Council

· Sheltered Employment

· CDOS

· Project Search (Video)

· US News

· Think College

· Next Steps Programs (Video)

· Coop Tech

· Job Corp

Standards:

College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Writing

NEW YORK STATE’S PERFORMANCE STANDARDS

English Language Arts

Research to Build and Present Knowledge

· Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects based on focused questions, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.

· Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, assess the credibility and accuracy of each source, and integrate the information while avoiding plagiarism.

· Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

Conclusion:

At the end of this WebQuest your team should have a more universal perspective on the policies and initiatives surrounding transitioning students with disabilities from high school to adulthood and independent living. You should also be able to identify why educators, students and families face challenges in this area and aspects that contribute to the issue. Your group should have identified possible solutions to help in successfully alleviating the problem.