TRANSITION PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

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TRANSITION PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

• The Pennsylvania Model

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The Pennsylvania Story 1999 - 2001

• The Transformational Process
• Compliance to Commitment
• PA IDEA Memorandum of Understanding Regional
  Training
• Promoting Effective Outcomes A Cross-Systems
  Approach Regional Training

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Partners in Planning

• PA IDEA Memorandum of Understanding TrainingFall
  2001

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Findings of the MOU Training Identification of
Real World Problems

• Roundtable discussions to identify barriers to
  collaboration and strategies to foster
  interagency collaboration
• Communication breakdowns
• Turf issues
• Money issues
• Staff turnover
• Differing priorities and language
• Lack of relationships and mutual respect
• Lack of opportunity to network

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Promoting Effective Outcomes A Cross Systems
ApproachRegional Training Fall 2001

• This training was designed to aid in the
  development of local, cross system transition
  planning

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Promoting Effective Outcomes A Cross Systems
ApproachTeams developed action plans and a
picture of their vision
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The Pennsylvania Story2002

• PA Office of Mental Health Substance Abuse SPA
  Office of Mental Health Substance Abuse
  Services Transition Pilot Projects
• Regional Cross-Systems Training Spring and Fall
  2002 Sessions
• First Annual 2002 PA Transition Conference
• PA Bureau of Special Education Mini-Grants
• PA Office of Mental Retardation Employment
  Coalitions
• PA Office of Children, Youth Families
  Impacting Policy Practice
• 2002 PA Disability Mentoring Day

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2002 PA TRANSITION CONFERENCE June 2002

• 1st statewide, cross-systems transition
  conference
• Sponsored by the Pennsylvania
• Department of Education (PDE), Bureau of Special
  Education (BSE) in collaboration with the Parent
  Education Network (PEN), Office of Vocational
  Rehabilitation (OVR), PDE Bureau of Career and
  Technical Education and the IDEA Memorandum of
  Understanding Partners in Pennsylvania

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Primary Components of the PA Transition Conference

• A Panel of Young Adults who transitioned to adult
  life kicked off the conference, by discussing
  their experiences.
• A Strand for Parents with sessions structured to
  provide information requested by parents.
• An Agency Forum offered information about several
  community and statewide agencies, their programs
  and general eligibility guidelines
• An Information Sharing Session was held to share
  resources.
• Invitation to apply for the Bureau of Special
  Education Mini-Grants.

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BSE Transition Mini-Grants

• 117 mini-grants for the 2002-03 school year were
  awarded more than 700,000 in funding.
• Awarded to teams who attended the 2002 Transition
  Conference. (teams parent, agency
  representative, school administrator and
  teacher).
• Purpose to build a critical mass of promising
  programs. Thirty-one model "mentor" program
  models were replicated through 117 mini-grants.
• Goal extend the number of outcome-driven
  transition programs focusing on employment,
  post-secondary education/training, and community
  living outcomes.
• Baseline mid-point and year-end data on two
  student outcomes were reported.

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OMR Employment Coalitions

• Building coalitions in local communities, with a
  goal of shifting to the culture of collaboration
  and competitive employment as a goal for youth
  with mental retardation.
• Initial Pilot Lehigh Valley Transition pilot.
• Coalition building is supported by OMR in various
  communities across the state, connecting to Local
  Transition Coordinating Councils.

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Promoting Transition in Pennsylvania Child Welfare

• Integration of service planning and delivery
  Involving other systems in the service and
  permanency planning for children placed through
  the child welfare system.
• Regulation revision rewrite Bringing
  transition language into child welfare
  regulation.
• Independent Living Services Building a
  collaborative cross-systems approach to better
  serve foster care youth.

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PA Disability Mentoring Day

• Jointly planned and implemented by the ten
  offices of the IDEA MOU partnership.
• 115 students with various disabilities from
  across the state participated.
• Mentors from several offices in each of the four
  state agencies volunteered.
• 135 parents attended.
• 200 educators and agency staff received a How to
  Kit for implementing mentoring activities
  locally.
• Youth from Pennsylvania participated in National
  Disability Mentoring Day event.

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The Pennsylvania Story2003

• 2nd Annual 2003 PA Transition Conference
• PA Signs on as First State of the National
  Community of Practice
• Regional Training Building Sustaining Local
  Transition Coordinating Councils Teams
• Office of Vocational Rehabilitation Transition
  Projects
• 2003 PA Disability Mentoring Day

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Primary Components of the 2003 PA Transition
Conference

• Keynote Presentations
• National Community of Practice Introduced
• Mentor and Mini-Grant Replication Panels
• Transition Strategies Sessions
• Self-Determination Strand Sessions
• Capacity Building Sessions
• Information Sharing Agency Fair
• Vendor Displays

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National Transition Community of Practice

• In early 2003 PA signed on with the IDEA
  Partnership to be the first state to grow the
  National Transition Community of Practice at the
  Conference

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How Does a Community of Practice Work?

• Communities cross agency boundaries
• Communities cross role boundaries
• All interests are valid
• Emphasis is on understanding interests
• Emphasis is on crafting sustainable positions
• Learning can come from anywhere

• Peer/peer networks provide assistance
• Networks share a vision they have crafted
• Networks are goal oriented
• Networks are results focused
• Communities always ask, Who is not here?
• Joanne Cashman, NASDSE

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PA Dept. of Labor IndustryOffice of Vocational
Rehabilitation

• Created an innovative mechanism to enhance and
  expand transition to employment strategies for
  eligible youth with disabilities in Pennsylvania,
  a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the
  Department of Labor Industry and the Department
  of Education became effective September 29, 2003.
• 4 Million was invested in systems change efforts
  to expand employment opportunities for
  OVR-eligible youth with disabilities.

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Local Project Design

• The 38 local projects fit into one or more of the
  following project category designs
• Outreach-Underserved
• Vocational Assessment
• Mentoring
• Post-Secondary Education and Training
• Employment

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The Pennsylvania Story2004

• Regional Capacity Building Sessions with Local
  Transition Councils Teams
• Local Transition Coordinating Councils and Teams
  Development of Cross-System Portfolio Assessment
  Strategies Regional Training, paired with
  Office of Vocational Rehabilitation Mini-Grants
• 3rd Annual 2004 PA Transition Conference
• 2004 PA Transition Communities of Practice
  Reaching Our Outcomes Together Phase 4
• PA Dept. of Health Cross-Systems Development of
  Transition Healthcare Checklist
• PA Youth Employment Expo

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PA Transition Communities of PracticeSpring 2004

• State to Local and Local to State Strategies
• Regional Sessions across the State to Build the
  State to Local and Local to State Learning

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State to Local and Local to State Strategies

• Policy Practice
• Recognition of LTCCs Teams Activities,
  Products, Projects Expanding Community of
  Practice Opportunities.
• Strengthening the PA Transition Communities of
  Practice Communication Network.
• Including cross-systems local participants in
  national activities.

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State to Local and Local to State Strategies

• Capacity Building
• Transition Portfolio Assessment Strategies
  Training Financial Support.
• Non-traditional Cross-Systems Team Funding
  Strategies.
• Expanded Cross-System Learning Opportunities.

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Strengthening and Expanding Local Interagency
Transition Coordinating Councils and Teams
Through Regional Training

• Findings of Phase I regarding Local Transition
  Councils Teams across the state.
• Memorandum of Understanding Interagency Team
  Response to Outcomes of Phase I Training.
• Discussion of state to local, local to state
  learning.
• Learning through Current Research and Literature
  Review
• Learning from One Another
• Membership Organizational Structure
• Projects Products
• Action Planning and Future Strategies

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2004 PA Transition Communities of Practice
ConferenceJuly 14 16, 2004

• The primary purpose of the Third Annual
  Conference was to provide opportunities for
  community partners to learn new information about
  successful practices to assist youth/young adults
  with disabilities in achieving successful
  post-school outcomes (employment, post-secondary
  education/training and community participation).
  
• The first state-to-state meeting of the National
  Community of Practice was kicked off at the
  conference, with eight states participating
  through support of the IDEA Partnership.

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A Shared Vision Foundation for our Future

• Pennsylvania Post School Outcome Design Focus
  Groups
• 9 Regional Sessions across the State, designed
  and implemented by the State Leadership Team in
  partnership with Local Teams to strategically
  plan local goals and hear youth voice
• Created vision statement
• To build and support sustainable community
  partnerships that create opportunities for youth
  and young adults with disabilities to transition
  smoothly from secondary education to the
  post-secondary outcomes of competitive
  employment education, training and lifelong
  learning community participation and healthy
  lifestyles.

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Pennsylvania Community on Transition
Communication Structure
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Priorities of the PA Community on Transition

• Develop a cross-agency data sharing system and
  longitudinal study.
• Enhance the PA Community on Transition
  communication structure.
• Outreach to additional partners.
• Create a seamless service delivery system,
  empowering youth to transition to the role of
  productive, participating adult citizens.

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Pennsylvania State to National, National to
State and State to State Learning

• The PA Community of Practice on Transition, has
  played an instrumental role in moving national
  efforts forward, by being invited to present to
• National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL)
• National Association of State Directors of
  Special Education (NASDSE)
• National Center on Secondary Education and
  Transition (NCSET) 3 Summits National
  Teleconferences
• The IDEA Partnership Summits
• Kickoff of the California Community of Practice

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Pennsylvania Professional Development for
Secondary Transition

• Embracing an agenda to interface with the high
  school reform effort, integrating efforts with
  general education curricula and workforce
  investment initiatives
• Developing a relationship with key leaders and
  legislators to improve policy and funding
  mechanisms
• Continuing commitment to cross agency process
• Continuing and strengthening our investment in
  the youth voice
• Continuing focus to move the agenda to the local
  level