POWER OF FOCUS: LEARNING AND EARNING FOR SUCCESS

The purpose of the Transition Project is to create an early intervention, assessment and training system for students with disabilities prior to high school graduation. A second purpose is to match students with disabilities to appropriate career and technical school curriculum based on their aptitudes and abilities using the CareerScope interest inventory. The program also monitors, coordinates and assists vocational technical training to targeted students.

Central Susquehanna IU 16 works with 17 school districts and three CTE centers - SUN Area CTC, Northumberland AVTS and Columbia Montour AVTS. It is a comprehensive four-year program for 700 students beginning in the 9th grade where exploratory students attend a different shop each marking period. The program is modified for individual districts and CTE centers.

Intermediate Unit 1 serves 25 school districts and six AVTS in southwestern Pennsylvania which is a significantly depressed economic region. It utilizes Keys2Work to provide a coordinated set of activities for a student with a disability within an outcome-oriented process, which promotes transition from school to post-school activities, while taking into account the student’s interests, aptitudes, preferences and abilities. A self-determination component provides self-knowledge, goal setting and planning.

A partnership exists among education, business partners, special education, Office of Vocational Rehabilitation and community providers. At the local career and technology center, learning facilitators continue to support the students coming from sending schools. Mobile labs go into the shop/classroom areas providing differentiated activities, hands-on or training activities.

Linda Rhen expressed her interest in Career and Technical Education and commented on the following issues and activities her Bureau is involved in:

Lee Burket provided an update of Bureau activities:

She also revealed the findings of the Jobs for the Future report.

Jeff-Tech is a comprehensive technical school, serving grades 10-12. Sharon was hired to increase student achievement, by integrating reading, writing, speaking and listening standards into the technical areas of study.

English, math and science teachers now assist Sharon with the integration efforts. The learning support teachers also visit the academic and technical classes to assist with the integration.

An essential aspect of the integration involves making minor modifications to curriculum. One example consists of creating vocabulary modules within the technical programs. Curriculum mapping and student and peer assessments are also utilized.

All of the stakeholders demonstrate that these integration efforts involve a school-wide responsibility. Students perceive this as a "united front." Assessments and data reflect increased student skill retention.

As Congress considers its FY 2006 budget and appropriations measures, career and technical educators and others must be proactive in urging Congress to invest in America’s workforce by funding the Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act. Each participant received a fact sheet emphasizing why career and technical education (CTE) is important. The group discussed drafting a position paper supporting: 1) Special Education funds must follow the students enrolled in CTE; 2) Perkins funding should be used for program development; 3) Use industry standards to drive completion and placement and 4) Training of teachers and staff who work with special populations. PAVESNP supports the state’s efforts to open communication between the Bureaus of Career and Technical Education and Special Education.

The group discussed the advantages of the partnering with the AmeriCorps team to assist students with disabilities successfully transition from school to the adult world. The advantages are:

AmeriCorps is a state program supervised by PennSERVE which has a long tradition of service opportunities that include Civilian Conservation Corps, the Peace Corps, VISTA, etc.

To provide background information, presenters gave an overview of programs and services offered in the Lancaster County Career and Technical Centers (LCCTC). Additionally, they summarized the type of services for special populations students as well as an explanation of how the elementary Instructional Support Team (IST) model of intervention for at risk students has been modified for the career and technical school setting.

The LCCTC support teams, special educators, and Perkins staff collaborated and modified the model to meet their needs to support a large number of at risk students enrolled at the schools. The team meets weekly for one hour to identify and discuss students who are experiencing difficulties in school. Presenters provided a brief overview of the process they have developed and explained how the weekly meetings have become a valuable tool for supporting students.

Trisha Hoffman, 2004 Life/Work Challenge Award Winner, spoke about the instructional support she received at Berks County Career and Technical Center and at her home school, Conrad Weiser. A service learning book was exhibited; it was an extensive montage of projects that were completed during her school years.

Both Trisha and Ms. Quick discussed their perspectives on the career portfolios that were distributed. The career portfolios are an important assessment of what needs to be learned as well as a tool to prepare students for graduation and continuing in their future careers.

Trisha has become a positive, motivated and confident young lady. We are proud of her for being our 2004 Life/Work Challenge Award Winner for Pennsylvania and the 2004 Life/Work Challenge Award Winner for NAVESNP, our national organization.

Lehigh Career and Technical Institute provides an Occupational Transition program which currently services 130 students, from ninth through twelfth grade. Students are initially assessed through a SAM evaluation. The students are invited to a half-day program prior to the start of school, the purpose of which is to meet the staff, become familiar with riding the bus, lunch routines, etc. Parents are also invited to attend the session. Career exploration activities occur during the ninth grade in building trades maintenance, materials handling and food service. A student then enters a program in tenth grade, such as indoor/outdoor maintenance, with modified career objectives. Cooperative work experiences are available during the senior year.

The Service Occupations program at the Berks Career and Technology Center - East Campus serves life skills, as well as MR and LD students ranging in age from 15 to 21. Performance assessment logs are utilized to record tasks that lead to job titles. The physical layout of the program provides for an industrial kitchen, commercial laundry facility, locker room area, and maintenance area, including lighting fixtures that can be lowered to aid in training students as well as floor buffers, carpet extractors, etc. Curriculum areas include commercial laundry operation, industrial kitchen skills, general indoor and outdoor custodial and maintenance activities, as well as social skills and job readiness skills. Students are cross-trained, participating in all of the curriculum areas within the Service Occupations program. Tasks are performed in the program area as well as throughout the building and grounds. There are opportunities for some of the students, based on their interests and skill levels, to integrate into other vocational programs, such as Horticulture and Culinary Arts. Students are also encouraged to attend the county Employability Expo, which provided practice job interviews for special needs students and the Agency Expo that is well attended by post-secondary schools and agencies that offer supports to special needs students after graduation.

The Millcreek School District provided two life skills programs; one for ages 14 to 17 (ninth and tenth grades), and one for ages 18 to 21 (eleventh and twelfth grades). The first program focuses on motivation and work ethic. Students participate in a job preparation class dealing with quality and quantity of work, work stations and time cards. Students work in job sites within the school and receive tokens for their work experiences and they are able to "cash in" and shop in the community. Students complete an interest inventory and community field trips are planned based on student interest. Community service projects are also included in the curriculum. At age 16, students participate in a summer work experience, doing landscaping tasks for the school district, supervised by a special education teacher.

The second program focuses on basic decision-making skills and job preparation. The students are taught to run their own IEP meetings, prepare their own lunches, shop for needed ingredients, etc. Students work at job sites within the school. Seniors present a portfolio through a Power Point presentation. Students from regular education classes assist in the preparation of the presentation. Seniors are involved in mock job interviews. The life skills students may audit regular education classes. Paraprofessionals assist students at community job sites. The students rotate through all of the job sites, with the focus on retaining transferable job skills.