Developing Systems of Developing Systems of Professional Development in Professional Development in

Transition: Resources & Transition: Resources & Strategies Strategies

National Secondary Technical and Training Assistance Center National Secondary Technical and Training Assistance Center October 20, 2007 October 20, 2007

Mary Morningstar, Ph.D.Mary Morningstar, Ph.D.University of Kansas University of Kansas

mmorningstart@ku.edummorningstart@ku.eduDiane S. Bassett, Ph.D.Diane S. Bassett, Ph.D.

University of Northern ColoradoUniversity of Northern Coloradodiane.bassett@unco.edudiane.bassett@unco.edu

Effective Professional Effective Professional Development Is…Development Is…

““sustained, intensive, ongoing and of high quality” sustained, intensive, ongoing and of high quality” (Porter, et al., 2000; US DOE Eisenhower Program)(Porter, et al., 2000; US DOE Eisenhower Program)

““Does not take place during workshops and inservice day Does not take place during workshops and inservice day presentations, but in the context of professional presentations, but in the context of professional communities that have been locally developed to be communities that have been locally developed to be responsive to teachers’ needs” (McLaughlin, 1994)responsive to teachers’ needs” (McLaughlin, 1994)

Question for Today:

How can states develop comprehensive, sustained, high-impact professional development systems for transition?

Professional Development: Learning from the Best

How to Apply it to Transition

SEA Transition PD Goals

LEA Transition Goals

Transition Practices

Professional

Development Practices

Stak

ehol

ders

(Hassel, 1999)

Step 1: Include critical stakeholders Step 1: Include critical stakeholders

LEA personnelLEA personnel SEA personnelSEA personnel IHE personnelIHE personnel Community members, organizations & Community members, organizations &

agenciesagencies Family membersFamily members Students with Disabilities/Consumers Students with Disabilities/Consumers

Partnering with IHEsPartnering with IHEs

Include IHE personnel in planning for SEA and Include IHE personnel in planning for SEA and LEA planning and development LEA planning and development

Work collaboratively with IHE personnel to Work collaboratively with IHE personnel to integrate transition content into degree programs integrate transition content into degree programs aligned with national transition standards aligned with national transition standards

Include IHE personnel in delivering conferences, Include IHE personnel in delivering conferences, regional PD regional PD

Collaborate with IHE personnel to develop Collaborate with IHE personnel to develop collaborative grants, research projects collaborative grants, research projects

Step 2: Develop a PD Needs Step 2: Develop a PD Needs Assessment ProcessAssessment Process

Identify strengths and gaps at all levelsIdentify strengths and gaps at all levels Utilize comparison groups from other districts Utilize comparison groups from other districts

and other statesand other states Identify data sources Identify data sources Develop a plan that addresses gaps and ways to Develop a plan that addresses gaps and ways to

collect data collect data Application to Transition:

Assess for Transition Content (teacher competencies & programmatic evaluations)

Assess for Transition Policies and Compliance (SEA/LEA Indicators data; policy review; compliance review procedures)

Needs Assessment for ContentNeeds Assessment for Content

Transition Transition TaxonomyTaxonomy (Kohler, 1996) (Kohler, 1996) Quality Indicators Quality Indicators of Effective Transition of Effective Transition

Practices (Morningstar, 2006)Practices (Morningstar, 2006) TransQualTransQual Online Online (Cornell University)(Cornell University) NASETNASET National Standards and Quality National Standards and Quality

IndicatorsIndicators CEC/DCDT Standards for Transition Specialists CEC/DCDT Standards for Transition Specialists

& Secondary SPED teachers& Secondary SPED teachers Secondary Teachers Transition Survey (STTS, Secondary Teachers Transition Survey (STTS,

Benitez & Morningstar, 2005)Benitez & Morningstar, 2005)

Step 3: Develop State, Regional, Step 3: Develop State, Regional, Local Goals for PDLocal Goals for PD

Focus should be on statewide impact of PDFocus should be on statewide impact of PD Align SEA goals to LEA goals to school goals to Align SEA goals to LEA goals to school goals to

individual goals; involve IHEs in alignment of individual goals; involve IHEs in alignment of goals goals

Application to Transition:Application to Transition: Use data collected to identify goals for Use data collected to identify goals for comprehensivecomprehensive

professional development (pre-service coursework to professional development (pre-service coursework to in-service training)in-service training)

Consider goals targeting: (1) policies & compliance, Consider goals targeting: (1) policies & compliance, (2) effective practices, (3) consistent statewide (2) effective practices, (3) consistent statewide training/TA, (4) interagency collaborationtraining/TA, (4) interagency collaboration

Step 4: Identify PD content, Step 4: Identify PD content, processes and activitiesprocesses and activities

Content – What do transition stakeholders need Content – What do transition stakeholders need to know? How does this link to the needs to know? How does this link to the needs assessment & goals?assessment & goals?

Process – How will SEAs support & provide Process – How will SEAs support & provide ongoing PD to LEAs? How do LEAs ensure PD ongoing PD to LEAs? How do LEAs ensure PD embedded into daily staff activities? embedded into daily staff activities?

Activities – What specific activities can be Activities – What specific activities can be integrated into pre-service education and integrated into pre-service education and ongoing PD? ongoing PD?

2 Types of Learning Structures 2 Types of Learning Structures

Scheduled at a particular Scheduled at a particular timetime

Occurs for a pre-Occurs for a pre-determined perioddetermined period

Usually involves a Usually involves a defined learning group defined learning group (i.e., team, department, (i.e., team, department, school, graduate class)school, graduate class)

Has pre-determined Has pre-determined outcomes and evaluation outcomes and evaluation processesprocesses

Is planned, designed, and Is planned, designed, and facilitated by an expert facilitated by an expert

Uses all team members Uses all team members to bring their best ideas to bring their best ideas (i.e., building a house) (i.e., building a house)

Is educator-initiated and Is educator-initiated and directeddirected

Occurs naturally as a part Occurs naturally as a part of educator’s work of educator’s work

Can include formal or Can include formal or informal mentoring informal mentoring

(Most of the award (Most of the award winning schools used winning schools used informal structures over informal structures over formal ones)formal ones)

FORMAL INFORMAL

Examples of PD for Transition: Process, Content & ActivitiesExamples of PD for Transition: Process, Content & Activities State and Local Interagency Teams – (e.g., State and Local Interagency Teams – (e.g.,

www.sharedwork.org; Pennsylvania; Arizona, WI)www.sharedwork.org; Pennsylvania; Arizona, WI) Regional Networks of Training and TA (e.g., CO, ID, MO, NM, Regional Networks of Training and TA (e.g., CO, ID, MO, NM,

WI)WI) LEA Transition Mentors/Liaisons (e.g., ID, MO, WI)LEA Transition Mentors/Liaisons (e.g., ID, MO, WI) Ongoing Program Evaluation & Action Planning (e.g., Ongoing Program Evaluation & Action Planning (e.g.,

TransQual, Quality Indicators of Transition Needs Assess)TransQual, Quality Indicators of Transition Needs Assess) Parent Transition Liaisons (e.g., MPACT, PACER, WI)Parent Transition Liaisons (e.g., MPACT, PACER, WI) Youth Development (e.g., State YLFs; National Youth Youth Development (e.g., State YLFs; National Youth

Leadership Network www.nyln.org)Leadership Network www.nyln.org) Transition Outcomes Project (O’Leary)Transition Outcomes Project (O’Leary) State Transition Institutes + Post-Institute follow up (e.g., AR, State Transition Institutes + Post-Institute follow up (e.g., AR,

NM, OK, KS, CO, etc.)NM, OK, KS, CO, etc.) Models of Success (e.g., Transitioncoalition.org; MO)Models of Success (e.g., Transitioncoalition.org; MO) Online Communities of Practice (e.g., Sharedwork.org; Missouri Online Communities of Practice (e.g., Sharedwork.org; Missouri

COP; Idaho COP)COP; Idaho COP) SEA & LEA websites with transition information, resources, etc. SEA & LEA websites with transition information, resources, etc.

(e.g., CO, NM, CA)(e.g., CO, NM, CA)

Examples of State/IHE PartnershipsExamples of State/IHE Partnerships

State endorsement/specialization in transition w/ State endorsement/specialization in transition w/ online courses (Kent State)online courses (Kent State)

College/university courses for degree or College/university courses for degree or certification (e.g.,GWU, KU)certification (e.g.,GWU, KU)

Online Transition Certificate (KU TransCert)Online Transition Certificate (KU TransCert) Online non-instructor led modules (KU, CO*, CA, Online non-instructor led modules (KU, CO*, CA,

IRIS Center) IRIS Center) SEA supported short-courses in transition SEA supported short-courses in transition

(Transition Coalition)(Transition Coalition)* In progress* In progress

Thinking Across State, Local, School LevelsThinking Across State, Local, School Levels

What systems and structures do you need What systems and structures do you need in place at the SEA level (e.g., website, in place at the SEA level (e.g., website, interagency team, statewide institute, interagency team, statewide institute, online modules, coursework/certificates)online modules, coursework/certificates)

What systems and structures do you need What systems and structures do you need at the REGIONAL level (e.g., regional at the REGIONAL level (e.g., regional training & TA; regional mentors, etc.)training & TA; regional mentors, etc.)

What systems and structures do you need What systems and structures do you need at the LOCAL level (e.g., local CTTs; LEA at the LOCAL level (e.g., local CTTs; LEA liaisons, etc.)liaisons, etc.)

What do you Need to Consider?What do you Need to Consider? What systems do you currently have in place for providing What systems do you currently have in place for providing

professional development? Are they working? How is it professional development? Are they working? How is it supported? What else do you need?supported? What else do you need?

How are professional development needs determined? Do How are professional development needs determined? Do you use a formal system to identify state/local needs? Is it you use a formal system to identify state/local needs? Is it determined based on SEA priorities (e.g., new transition determined based on SEA priorities (e.g., new transition forms, new policies/procedures with VR, etc.)forms, new policies/procedures with VR, etc.)

What standards, competencies or endorsements for What standards, competencies or endorsements for transition professionals are in place in your state? transition professionals are in place in your state?

What resources do you have for providing What resources do you have for providing ongoingongoing professional development? (staff, TA Centers, RRCs, IHEs, professional development? (staff, TA Centers, RRCs, IHEs, SIGs/SPDGs, online resources…)SIGs/SPDGs, online resources…)

How will you evaluate the effectiveness of your PD system?How will you evaluate the effectiveness of your PD system? What are your priority areas? What are your priority areas?

Online ResourcesOnline Resources KU Transition Coalition: KU Transition Coalition: www.transitioncoalition.orgwww.transitioncoalition.org

NSTTACNSTTAC: www.nsttac.org: www.nsttac.org

IRIS: IRIS: http://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/index.htmlhttp://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/index.html NASDSE Communities of Practice: NASDSE Communities of Practice:

www.sharedwork.org www.sharedwork.org NASETNASET http://www.nasetalliance.org/http://www.nasetalliance.org/ National Center on Secondary Education and National Center on Secondary Education and

TransitionTransition www.ncset.org www.ncset.org

NICHCY: NICHCY: www.nichcy.orgwww.nichcy.org DCDT Transition StandardsDCDT Transition Standards http://www.dcdt.org/ http://www.dcdt.org/ Transition Taxonomy: Transition Taxonomy:

http://homepages.wmich.edu/~kohlerp/pdf/Taxonomy.pdf http://homepages.wmich.edu/~kohlerp/pdf/Taxonomy.pdf

California:California: www.calstat.org/transitionGuide.html www.calstat.org/transitionGuide.html