Personnel Prep: Transition Leadership
Project Description:
Preparing transition personnel is recognized in the literature as a critical factor that leads to improved post-school outcomes for students with disabilities. Unfortunately, the knowledge base and comprehensive skill set needed extend well beyond what teachers receive currently within their pre-service training. At best, personnel preparation programs may provide one course on minimum transition requirements mandated by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) or loosely cover transition issues across a few courses. Teacher preparation programs in Massachusetts (MA) mirror the national trend, resulting in special educators who are not prepared to support students with disabilities to achieve satisfactory post-school outcomes. Not because educators dont want to, but rather because they dont know how. To this end, the project will develop an online Masters degree program with a Transition Specialist certificate. The program will comprise a combination of general and special education and guidance and rehabilitation counseling courses, with the addition of five new transition specific courses and a one-year practicum. The project proposes a transdisciplinary approach that will embody the true spirit of transition. Key goals include:
1. Recruit, retain, and graduate 36 Transition Specialists with Masters degrees in Special Education using using multi-modal outreach strategies to recruit scholars and retain them through graduation.
2. Develop and conduct an online, transdisciplinary 33-credit Masters degree program culminating in a Transition Specialists certificate with an online portfolio containing evidence of successful completion of courses and applied experiences tied to each course, as well as a 6-credit, year-long practicum in a high-need LEA for a minimum of 80% of scholars.
3. Establish Transition Taskforce composed of key stakeholders (e.g., education, rehabilitation, disability service agencies, families, students) to guide program development, assist with scholar recruitment, disseminate program statewide, and work to secure a state endorsement.
The project will also evaluate program efficacy using the 7 GPRA performance measures and by tracking student outcomes in LEAs where graduates work 3 years post-completion of program. The evaluation will also measure if scholars are equipped with skills needed not only to deliver evidenced-based transition services for students but also to train other educators for the purpose of improving secondary transition outcomes for students with disabilities in their LEA.
Keyword(s):
Transition specialist training for endorsment
Core Function(s):
Training Trainees, Continuing Education/Community Training
Area of Emphasis
Education & Early Intervention, Employment-Related Activities, Housing-Related Activities, Transportation-Related Activities, Recreation-Related Activities
Target Audience:
Students/Trainees (long or intermediate trainees), Professionals and Para-Professionals
Unserved or Under-served Populations:
Racial or Ethnic Minorities, Disadvantaged Circumstances, Geographic Areas, Urban
Primary Target Audience Geographic Descriptor:
State
COVID-19 Related Data:
N/A
