Project Description:
The Indiana Secondary Transition Resource Center (INSTRC) provides support to professionals in middle and high schools in partnering with students, families, and adult service agencies to improve the post-school outcomes of young adults with disabilities in the areas of postsecondary education and training, careers, and community life. Furthermore, we believe that transition planning and setting expectations for the future should begin in early childhood and at the elementary level where the foundation is laid for academics, career awareness, interpersonal relationships, self-determination, and life skills.
To guide our work in transition, we use a research-based framework called the Taxonomy for Transition Programming 2.0 (Kohler, Gothberg, Fowler, & Coyle, 2016), which identifies five practice categories to improve educators knowledge and skills in the areas of student-focused planning, student development, family involvement/engagement, interagency collaboration, and program structures. Within this framework, INSTRC will: (1) Improve the quality and compliance of Transition IEPs or Indicator 13 through an evaluation process; (2) Support local education agencies (LEAs) in the development and use of procedures to ensure compliant IEPs that will impact post-school outcomes; (3) Provide coaching, technical assistance, professional development and resources to LEAs to implement evidence-based practices to improve transition education, services, and outcomes; (4) Develop resources and materials to disseminate in various methods and to multiple audiences; (5) Build capacity through the seven Cadres of Transition Leaders to implement evidence-based practices to improve post-school outcomes; (6) Support interagency collaboration.
Finally, through our partnership with the Early Childhood Center, we will also support professionals in public school early childhood special education programs to (7) Improve inclusive planning and education in early childhood. These efforts are guided by the Division for Early Childhoods Recommended Practices.
Target Audience:
Professionals and Para-Professionals, Family Members/Caregivers, Children/Adolescents with Disabilities/SHCN, General Public
