IEPs

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IEPs ICAPsFrom No Where .To Know Where!
Lauren Jones and Tracy Thompson Colorado
Community College System Fall, 2013
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IDEA 2004 The Purpose

• (a) The purpose of IDEA is to ensure that all
  children with disabilities have available to them
  a free and appropriate public education (FAPE)
  that emphasizes special education and related
  services designed to meet their unique needs and
  prepare them for further education, employment
  and independent living. 606(d)(1)(A)

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a) Transition services means

• a coordinated set of activities for a child with
  a disability that
• (1) Is designed to be within a results-oriented
  process, that is focused on improving the
  academic and functional achievement of the child
  with a disability to facilitate the childs
  movement from school to post-school activities,
  including postsecondary education, vocational
  education, integrated employment (including
  supported employment), continuing and adult
  education, adult services, independent living, or
  community participation

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Indicator 13 Its all About Transition!
-Preparation for Life!

• "Percent of youth with IEPs aged 16 and above
  with an IEP that includes appropriate measurable
  postsecondary goals that are annually updated and
  based upon an age appropriate transition
  assessment, transition services, including
  courses of study, that will reasonably enable the
  student to meet those postsecondary goals, and
  annual IEP goals related to the student's
  transition services needs. There also must be
  evidence that the student was invited to the IEP
  Team meeting where transition services are to be
  discussed and evidence that, if appropriate, a
  representative of any participating agency was
  invited to the IEP Team meeting with the prior
  consent of the parent or student who has reached
  the age of majority." (20 U.S.C. 1416(a)(3)(B)

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Indicator 13 Its all About Transition!
-Preparation for Life!

• School to community
• Exploration of
• Post-secondary experiences and activities
• Vocational
• Employment opportunities
• Housing
• Transportation
• Each students BIG vision anything and
  everything
• Self-advocacy and self-determination
• Skill based learning from goals

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Digging Deeper 1

• With your team talk about the following
• What do transition plans look like in your
  setting?
• Who is involved? Do you need to involve anyone
  else?
• Are there areas that you would like to change or
  improve?

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ICAPs

• States use different names Individualized
  Learning Plan, Student Success Plan, Individual
  Graduation Plan, etc.
• A process and a document
• Students define goals and plans for careers and
  postsecondary education and use to inform
  decisions about secondary courses and activities
• Beginning in the 9th grade or earlier
• Required or encouraged for all students
• Purpose Personalize learning, develop and
  measure college and career readiness

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The ICAP journey
Source CDE 2013
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Individualized Career and Academic Plan

• Senate Bill 09-256 and Colorado State Board of
  Education Rules 1 CCR 301-81 created standards
  for Individual Career and Academic Plans (ICAP).
  The goal of the provisions is to ultimately
  decrease dropout rates and increase graduation
  rates by assisting students and their parents in
  developing and maintaining a personalized
  postsecondary plan that ensures readiness for
  postsecondary and workforce success.

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Four Components of Colorados ICAP
Source CCCS/CDE 2012
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What is a Quality ILP?

• A document consisting of a students (a) course
  taking and post-secondary plans aligned to career
  goals and (b) documentation of the range of
  college and career readiness skills he/she has
  developed.
• A process that relies on a students
  understanding of the relevance of school courses
  as well as out-of-school learning opportunities
  and provides the student access to career
  development opportunities that incorporate
  self-exploration, career exploration, and career
  planning and management activities.

Source National Collaborative on Workforce and
Disability
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Source National Collaborative on Workforce and
Disability
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Quality ILP Process Characteristics

• Youth define career goals and post-secondary
  plans through regular exposure to activities that
  build self-exploration and career exploration
  skills
• Youth identify course-taking plans that align to
  those career goals and select out-of-school
  learning opportunities that optimize their
  employability skills
• Youth develop the career planning and management
  skills they need to successfully enter their
  chosen careers
• Engage in ILPs regularly 2X per week
• Whole school implementation expands mentoring and
  advocacy opportunities by general educator and
  school counselors

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In Colorado.
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Meaningful
PWR
Thoughtful
Transition
Non-Traditional
Intentional
Process
Gender Equity
YOU!
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In your district, what is your level of ICAP
implementation?
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46
9
4
4
19
Who is mainly responsible for implementing ICAPs
in your setting?
77
2
9
5
2
5
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How are ICAPs being implemented?
ICAPs are embedded into current classroom and counseling curricula and are referred to on a regular basis. 31 7
ICAPs are being completed through classroom or counseling curricula throughout the school year. 154 35
Students complete their ICAPs in one or two settings, at a computer or with a few handouts. 138 32
Elements of ICAP are being completed, but we could be doing more. 74 17
Students are not completing ICAPs 23 5
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Boulder Valley
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Falcon
23
Montrose
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R-5
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R-5
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Animas High School
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Digging Deeper 2

• With your team talk about the following
• What do ICAPs look like in your setting?
• Who is involved?
• When do they happen?
• Are there areas that you would like
• to know or be involved in?

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ILP/IEP Similarities and Differences

• Arent ILPs and IEP Transition Plans the Same?
• Mostly Yes with respect to documentation
• No with respect to process

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ILP and IEP Transition Plan Documentation
IEP Transition Components Transition IEP ILP
Annually updated measurable post-secondary goals
Transition assessment
Transition services
Course taking plans
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ICAP and Transition IEP Processes

• Transition IEPs and ILPs are both focused on
  college and career readiness
• Common goal for creating student and family
  driven planning
• Common goal for increasing self-determination
  skills that expand student power to direct their
  life course
• ICAP focuses on students strengths and how to
  align those strengths with future career goals
• ILP is responsive to DCDT call to link disability
  into national school reform efforts college and
  career readiness

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Effects Attributed to ICAP Engagement

• Breaks down silos between special education and
  school counseling
• Increased engagement in transition readiness
  activities by general educators
• Annual student-led parent-teacher conferences
  using ILPs results in strong student
  self-advocacy
• Increases in students with disabilities
  graduating with a general education diploma
• Increased access to transition assessments
• Access to ePortfolio systems to manage ILP
  document

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Self-Determination Characteristics in Relation
to ILP Engagement

• Youth who are able to
• Identify one or more careers of interest
• Clearly describe plans to pursue the careers of
  interest
• Connect career plans to personal interests,
  skills and values
• Identify how current courses relate to career
  plan
• Articulate skill and entry requirements for their
  careers
• Engage in additional learning opportunities
• Describe their needed skills future development
  plan

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Special Education Officials

• Nothing is more important than a career pathway
  for youth with IEPs. The ILP provides a clear
  path it is student-led, the family is engaged,
  and there are school supports. All of these are
  critical planning tools for a successful outcome
  for a child. Students must begin to think about
  the relevance of the postsecondary outcomes to
  visions and planning. The ILP is a lever for
  that.

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Why Should Special Education Buy Into ICAPs?

• Student engagement Regular implementation
  allows schools and families to be more responsive
  to changing developmental needs of middle and
  high school age youth (Eccles and Roeser, 2012)
• Linkage to national initiatives creates
  opportunity for more cross-sector and
  cross-department collaborations in support of
  youth with disabilities
• Access to work-based learning and leadership
  development opportunities
• Bundling resources across sectors to support
  education and workforce development needs of
  youth with disabilities
• Access to engaging families in career transition
  readiness activities

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Issues Related to Promoting Career Development
Among Students with Disabilities

•  
• Students with disabilities who were highly
  motivated to attend school were less ready for
  post-school transitions.
• Educators were less certain on how to support
  students with disabilities around career
  concerns.
• It is not clear what career development
  information and experiences students with
  disabilities are receiving, especially those with
  significant disabilities.

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Digging Deeper 3

• In your mind what are the differences/similarities
  between an ICAP and an IEP?
• How confident do you feel in communicating these
  differences/similarities with your colleagues?
• What kind of messaging can you use?
• How can an IEP and an ICAP complement one
  another?
• Is there someone you need to talk to about
  coordinating efforts? What would that look
  like?

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Thanks!

• Lauren Jones
• Lauren.Jones_at_cccs.edu
• 720-858-2825

• Tracy Thompson
• Tracy.Thompson_at_cccs.edu
• 720-858-2323

CCCS - http//www.coloradostateplan.com/counselors
.htm ICAP/CCCS - http//www.coloradostateplan.com
/ICAP.htm CDE - http//www.cde.state.co.us/Secon
daryInitiatives/ICAP.htm