Added By: Debbie Flores (Group: TCSS-IDEA, KU, example) on February 28, 2025 11:30 AM EST
Discussions 18
Kelly Dalton
WEEK 5-
1. We noticed that our Independent Living skills were too general “live alone, at home…) We need to focus on skills they need to that.
2. WVDRS have limited funds and are in the process of limiting services to certain age groups and groups. We are virtual for the entire state so we do not have a school specific counselor from there. We generally note that information provided to parent for xyz agency and list contact info for specific area. When we do have consent and invite- they do not attend.
3. The course of study portion has been an ongoing issue. We are a public Charter school (yr 3 in operation and 1st year with senior class) We are still developing our CTE programs (have 3 currently) Students are very transient and come with limited information concerning “plan of study”. How is this addressed in a compliant way on the IEP? We list what they are currently enrolled in and how it aligns with their goal.
4. Our Dept of Ed is constantly making changes within the online program resulting in confusion. I also handle SWD records intake. We get many from out of state, I feel WV is doing the minimum to meet compliance. My opinion.
5. Post-secondary employment- We were trained to put exactly what the student indicates based on assessments- “After graduation, Jon will be employed as a welder.” They do not want us to list after graduation and upon certification, Jon…– Which is correct?
6. We seem to be using the same surveys rather than new ones- this maybe because we are relatively new and have high student turn around.
7. Is it recommended to have specific assessments/surveys that MUST be completed at each grade level in addition to any that are student specific?
8. Does anyone have or know of a digital transition portfolio available to house transition information and documents AND is user friendly.
9. Our biggest struggle is parent and student involvement in the process. Being virtual makes it difficult to get/confirm information. How do we address that in terms of compliance?
Week 5 review: The question that generated the most discussion for our team was, “Is there an appropriate measurable postsecondary goal or goals in this area?” We noticed that agency invites were not happening at the high school level in the different program areas, e.g., Life Skills, Learning Support, Support Communication, etc.
There were no transition impact statements throughout the IEP. It was difficult to determine if it was updated annually. We thought that the program we are using prevents this from happening.
We noticed a lack of variety in transition assessments. We saw a lot of brief student interviews and observations that generated one sentence in the IEP. Also, we saw data from the general education High School and Beyond Plan. The transition services were nonexistent.
The course of study was unclear regarding how it matched their postsecondary goals and interests.
Facilitators: Important information you will need for your Week 5 meeting:
There is NOT an IEP Review Activity Presentation—the instructions for this Activity are on page 61 of the Facilitator Guide: IEP Review Activity.
Ignore the statement about the presentation. Follow the rest of the instructions.
(Short version: Take the information from everyone’s Week 4 activity when they all reviewed IEP #1—mark those results on the IEP Review Form—discuss & record on review. Then Handout IEP #2, do the same & then repeat for #3. The form will calculate for you and this information will then be transferred on the Prioritization Form that you will complete as a Team during Week 6. The purpose of this activity is to openly discuss and evaluate each of the 8 questions on the Indicator 13 Checklist multiple times and be able to come to consensus & identify compliance vs. non compliance in each area.)
If you have any questions—please reach out to me. And again, I am sorry for the inconvenience.–debbie
I am struggling to locate the online presentation Week 5 IEP Review Activity for the items to complete before meeting with the team. Any guidance on locating that would be helpful. Thanks!
I am sorry Kayla– I misunderstood what you were asking & I answered incorrectly.
Here is an update for all:
I truly apologize for a mistake that was printed in the Facilitator Guide. We appreciate you pointing this error out, so it can be corrected.
There is NOT an IEP Review Activity Presentation—the instructions for this Activity are on page 61 of the Facilitator Guide: IEP Review Activity.
Ignore the statement about the presentation. Follow the rest of the instructions.
(Short version: Take the information from everyone’s Week 4 activity when they all reviewed IEP #1—mark those results on the IEP Review Form—discuss & record on review. Then Handout IEP #2, do the same & then repeat for #3. The form will calculate for you and this information will then be transferred on the Prioritization Form that you will complete as a Team during Week 6. The purpose of this activity is to openly discuss and evaluate each of the 8 questions on the Indicator 13 Checklist multiple times and be able to come to consensus & identify compliance vs. non compliance in each area.)
If you have any questions—please reach out to me. And again, I am sorry for the inconvenience.–debbie
Hi, I’m preparing to facilitate our Week 5 meeting, but cannot seem to find the Week 5 IEP Review Activity presentation. The link listed in the Week 5 items labeled IEP Review Tool doesn’t work and there are no other links to presentations. Thanks for any assistance!
Dear Facilitators!–
We are in Week 4. Some of you have had illness/ snow days/ other circumstances that may have interrupted your schedule. If you need to change your timeline & reschedule meetings, please update on your At A Glance Timeline.
I have been out of commission for the past several weeks due to unforeseen life circumstances, therefore, I will be sending you two emails in the next few days.
1. An update on your progress and check in, so we are “on the same page”.
and
2.Your QI 2 Report that has been generated from the results of the Pre-Survey your team submitted. You will use this information during your Week 6 meeting to evaluate data, identify prioritization area, set goal & develop your team action plan.
Keep up the good work and please feel free to reach out with any questions. –debbie
Hi everyone I am Les I included my presenter biography below. It is great to be part of the TCSS Self Study. My team represents a whole region of Southwest Oregon, so we are modifying as necessary a bit, but there is a lot of collaboration and learning from how different districts support transition that is creating Synergy I had hoped for.
Les Rogers Biography 2025
Leslie Rogers started in November 2022 as the Transition Network Facilitator helping students on IEP and 504 plans transition to adulthood for Douglas, Coos, and Curry Counties. Prior to that Les worked as the Accessibility Services coordinator for Umpqua Community College overseeing ADA and 504 accommodations. Les has been the Director of a Student Support Services Federal TRiO grant and has taught several courses at Umpqua Community College. He has also worked as a junior high and high school teacher, as well as a football coach at an inclusion focused early college K-12 school in California. Les is a credentialed teacher in Oregon and California. He was appointed to the State Interagency Coordinating Council (0-5 Special Education Council and has been Vice Chair) and the Oregon Universal Health Care Task Force by Governor Brown. He also served as a board member of Cardio Facio Cutaneous Syndrome International and served on the Disability Services Advisory Council for his region. Les currently serves on his regional Coordinated Care Organization Medicaid Community Advisory Council. Les holds a B.A. in Economics and an M.P.A. from California State University, Stanislaus. Les is also a certified PATH Facilitator, Lifecourse Ambassador, PYD Disability Mentor, and ADA Coordinator through the University of Missouri. Les’ fun fact- He was 1 question away from getting on Jeopardy in college.
Hi all. As of now I think I have 2 questions.
1. Does the team complete the Quality Indicators Needs Assessments (QI-2) together, individually, or even at all? If not, what data will the team be using to form their action plan?
2. I’ve had two team members (aside from my coworker on the team) start the module. One of them has already reached out expressing concern with the time it is taking to complete. She more or less stated that she plans to spend her after school time prepping for her activities that will be more impactful for the students.
That being said…I have 8 team members not yet started. I realize it is only Monday and I will sent a reminder out, but has anyone else ran into this road block yet or in the past? And what has helped?
Thanks for your questions!
1. The parts of the QI2 that you need are included in the Pre Survey everyone gets their own link for. You don’t need to do anything more than ask people to complete it (it’s in an email we send directly to people – they should not share because each link is specific to each person).
2. I think we have over estimated the time it takes on the timeline at a glance. I know people who have completed the module well within an hour, but it really depends on whether they have distractions and how detailed their responses are. I think it would be most important to read through things and respond to questions with short responses – they don’t need to be essays. AND do the funner/meatier activities.
The module provides a basis of knowledge for the rest of the TCSS, and I know it’s dry! Maybe they can look at the learning objectives for each session and focus on that content and skim the rest. Definitely getting the Indicator 13 information will help with the Week 3 activity, but that is covered really well in the Week 3 video activity (Vu’s IEP).
Hi! I’m in our first team meeting and two of my group members were unable to login/create accounts within our district’s team page. One is a new user who got the spinning wheel (over and over) upon trying to create her account. The other somehow had her account, but it wasn’t linked to our team page. They both are not showing up on my member list, so I didn’t complete the attendance because they don’t show up on my list. Any advice would be great, thanks!
Make sure your team members are using the special link Debbie emailed to you. Using that link will “connect” them to your team within the Facilitator Community. They need to use this link only one time to get them connected. Refer back to the email Debbie sent you for those directions.
As far as the spinning wheel for the other team member, please have them use a different browser to see if that helps. If it doesn’t, please email me at [email protected] and we can troubleshoot from there.
Thank you so much. I will have them give this a try and get back to you if it doesn’t work.
Katie Trier
Hi all!
I am Katie Trier, an administrator with TrueNorth Educational Cooperative 804 in Highland Park, Illinois. I support our Transition Program and Vocational Department. This is my third year as an administrator. Prior to this role, I was a special education teacher working with students with significant support needs for 12 years (maybe 13??? who knows anymore…). I’ve worked with students of all ages from early childhood through Transition. I love this work and it has truly shaped who I am as a person and a mother. I have a 4.5 year old sassy daughter and a 5 month old drooly son. They keep me busy! I also love to bake and sing, but don’t have as much time for those with the little ones (I sing a lot more Baby Shark and Wheels on the Bus than I ever wanted to!).
Staff members in our district participated in this self-study a handful of years ago and feedback was incredibly positive. Staff felt like they learned a lot about transition services and were able to make important changes to our practices in the district. We are really excited to be participating again with new, energized staff! Thank you for this opportunity!
Hello everyone,
My name is Kelly Dalton, and I’m thrilled to be part of this group! I reside in Beckley, WV, and this is my first year as a Transition Coordinator. I work with a virtual charter school that is now in its third year of operation, and we are excited to have our first graduating class this year.
Before this role, I spent 21 years as an in-person teacher for students with disabilities in our high school’s low incidence population. One of my favorite parts of the transition process is discovering what works for our students and witnessing that spark of interest and realization in them—that they can achieve more than they initially thought possible and that options truly exist!
I am eager to begin this self-study, as our school is focused on identifying and implementing best practices related to post-secondary transition. We have faced several challenges, particularly concerning parent and student participation and community collaboration. I look forward to sharing insights and learning from all of you as we navigate this journey together!
Let’s do this!
Hi, I’m Kayla, and I live in Nebraska. I currently work as a Transition Specialist through the Educational Service Unit. Prior to this, I was a special education teacher for 12 years. What I’ve found most exciting about my transition into this role is being able to support other teachers in an area that I am very passionate about. I have enjoyed learning how different school districts work and seeing what systems they have in place. I’m looking forward to continuing to grow and contribute in this new chapter!
Welcome– TCSS Facilitators,
I am so excited to be working with you during the next several weeks.
I am a retired special educator. For over 36 years, I worked in various positions to support students with special needs: as a classroom teacher, special education department chair and a transition coordinator.
I now have the pleasure of supporting practitioners in the field of special education. I look forward to getting to know you as I support you through this Self-Study.
In my spare time, I hang out with my grandchildren and love to sing in the Community Gospel Choir of St. Louis.
Welcome to TCSS IDEA SP 25!!!
Discussions 18
WEEK 5-
1. We noticed that our Independent Living skills were too general “live alone, at home…) We need to focus on skills they need to that.
2. WVDRS have limited funds and are in the process of limiting services to certain age groups and groups. We are virtual for the entire state so we do not have a school specific counselor from there. We generally note that information provided to parent for xyz agency and list contact info for specific area. When we do have consent and invite- they do not attend.
3. The course of study portion has been an ongoing issue. We are a public Charter school (yr 3 in operation and 1st year with senior class) We are still developing our CTE programs (have 3 currently) Students are very transient and come with limited information concerning “plan of study”. How is this addressed in a compliant way on the IEP? We list what they are currently enrolled in and how it aligns with their goal.
4. Our Dept of Ed is constantly making changes within the online program resulting in confusion. I also handle SWD records intake. We get many from out of state, I feel WV is doing the minimum to meet compliance. My opinion.
5. Post-secondary employment- We were trained to put exactly what the student indicates based on assessments- “After graduation, Jon will be employed as a welder.” They do not want us to list after graduation and upon certification, Jon…– Which is correct?
6. We seem to be using the same surveys rather than new ones- this maybe because we are relatively new and have high student turn around.
7. Is it recommended to have specific assessments/surveys that MUST be completed at each grade level in addition to any that are student specific?
8. Does anyone have or know of a digital transition portfolio available to house transition information and documents AND is user friendly.
9. Our biggest struggle is parent and student involvement in the process. Being virtual makes it difficult to get/confirm information. How do we address that in terms of compliance?
Week 5 review: The question that generated the most discussion for our team was, “Is there an appropriate measurable postsecondary goal or goals in this area?” We noticed that agency invites were not happening at the high school level in the different program areas, e.g., Life Skills, Learning Support, Support Communication, etc.
There were no transition impact statements throughout the IEP. It was difficult to determine if it was updated annually. We thought that the program we are using prevents this from happening.
We noticed a lack of variety in transition assessments. We saw a lot of brief student interviews and observations that generated one sentence in the IEP. Also, we saw data from the general education High School and Beyond Plan. The transition services were nonexistent.
The course of study was unclear regarding how it matched their postsecondary goals and interests.
Facilitators: Important information you will need for your Week 5 meeting:
There is NOT an IEP Review Activity Presentation—the instructions for this Activity are on page 61 of the Facilitator Guide: IEP Review Activity.
Ignore the statement about the presentation. Follow the rest of the instructions.
(Short version: Take the information from everyone’s Week 4 activity when they all reviewed IEP #1—mark those results on the IEP Review Form—discuss & record on review. Then Handout IEP #2, do the same & then repeat for #3. The form will calculate for you and this information will then be transferred on the Prioritization Form that you will complete as a Team during Week 6. The purpose of this activity is to openly discuss and evaluate each of the 8 questions on the Indicator 13 Checklist multiple times and be able to come to consensus & identify compliance vs. non compliance in each area.)
If you have any questions—please reach out to me. And again, I am sorry for the inconvenience.–debbie
I am struggling to locate the online presentation Week 5 IEP Review Activity for the items to complete before meeting with the team. Any guidance on locating that would be helpful. Thanks!
I am sorry Kayla– I misunderstood what you were asking & I answered incorrectly.
Here is an update for all:
I truly apologize for a mistake that was printed in the Facilitator Guide. We appreciate you pointing this error out, so it can be corrected.
There is NOT an IEP Review Activity Presentation—the instructions for this Activity are on page 61 of the Facilitator Guide: IEP Review Activity.
Ignore the statement about the presentation. Follow the rest of the instructions.
(Short version: Take the information from everyone’s Week 4 activity when they all reviewed IEP #1—mark those results on the IEP Review Form—discuss & record on review. Then Handout IEP #2, do the same & then repeat for #3. The form will calculate for you and this information will then be transferred on the Prioritization Form that you will complete as a Team during Week 6. The purpose of this activity is to openly discuss and evaluate each of the 8 questions on the Indicator 13 Checklist multiple times and be able to come to consensus & identify compliance vs. non compliance in each area.)
If you have any questions—please reach out to me. And again, I am sorry for the inconvenience.–debbie
Katie, I am sorry, I just say your question. The IEP Review Activity link is at the right hand top side under Activities: IEP Review.
Hi, I’m preparing to facilitate our Week 5 meeting, but cannot seem to find the Week 5 IEP Review Activity presentation. The link listed in the Week 5 items labeled IEP Review Tool doesn’t work and there are no other links to presentations. Thanks for any assistance!
Dear Facilitators!–
We are in Week 4. Some of you have had illness/ snow days/ other circumstances that may have interrupted your schedule. If you need to change your timeline & reschedule meetings, please update on your At A Glance Timeline.
I have been out of commission for the past several weeks due to unforeseen life circumstances, therefore, I will be sending you two emails in the next few days.
1. An update on your progress and check in, so we are “on the same page”.
and
2.Your QI 2 Report that has been generated from the results of the Pre-Survey your team submitted. You will use this information during your Week 6 meeting to evaluate data, identify prioritization area, set goal & develop your team action plan.
Keep up the good work and please feel free to reach out with any questions. –debbie
Hi everyone I am Les I included my presenter biography below. It is great to be part of the TCSS Self Study. My team represents a whole region of Southwest Oregon, so we are modifying as necessary a bit, but there is a lot of collaboration and learning from how different districts support transition that is creating Synergy I had hoped for.
Les Rogers Biography 2025
Leslie Rogers started in November 2022 as the Transition Network Facilitator helping students on IEP and 504 plans transition to adulthood for Douglas, Coos, and Curry Counties. Prior to that Les worked as the Accessibility Services coordinator for Umpqua Community College overseeing ADA and 504 accommodations. Les has been the Director of a Student Support Services Federal TRiO grant and has taught several courses at Umpqua Community College. He has also worked as a junior high and high school teacher, as well as a football coach at an inclusion focused early college K-12 school in California. Les is a credentialed teacher in Oregon and California. He was appointed to the State Interagency Coordinating Council (0-5 Special Education Council and has been Vice Chair) and the Oregon Universal Health Care Task Force by Governor Brown. He also served as a board member of Cardio Facio Cutaneous Syndrome International and served on the Disability Services Advisory Council for his region. Les currently serves on his regional Coordinated Care Organization Medicaid Community Advisory Council. Les holds a B.A. in Economics and an M.P.A. from California State University, Stanislaus. Les is also a certified PATH Facilitator, Lifecourse Ambassador, PYD Disability Mentor, and ADA Coordinator through the University of Missouri. Les’ fun fact- He was 1 question away from getting on Jeopardy in college.
Hi all. As of now I think I have 2 questions.
1. Does the team complete the Quality Indicators Needs Assessments (QI-2) together, individually, or even at all? If not, what data will the team be using to form their action plan?
2. I’ve had two team members (aside from my coworker on the team) start the module. One of them has already reached out expressing concern with the time it is taking to complete. She more or less stated that she plans to spend her after school time prepping for her activities that will be more impactful for the students.
That being said…I have 8 team members not yet started. I realize it is only Monday and I will sent a reminder out, but has anyone else ran into this road block yet or in the past? And what has helped?
Hi Kayla
Thanks for your questions!
1. The parts of the QI2 that you need are included in the Pre Survey everyone gets their own link for. You don’t need to do anything more than ask people to complete it (it’s in an email we send directly to people – they should not share because each link is specific to each person).
2. I think we have over estimated the time it takes on the timeline at a glance. I know people who have completed the module well within an hour, but it really depends on whether they have distractions and how detailed their responses are. I think it would be most important to read through things and respond to questions with short responses – they don’t need to be essays. AND do the funner/meatier activities.
The module provides a basis of knowledge for the rest of the TCSS, and I know it’s dry! Maybe they can look at the learning objectives for each session and focus on that content and skim the rest. Definitely getting the Indicator 13 information will help with the Week 3 activity, but that is covered really well in the Week 3 video activity (Vu’s IEP).
Hi! I’m in our first team meeting and two of my group members were unable to login/create accounts within our district’s team page. One is a new user who got the spinning wheel (over and over) upon trying to create her account. The other somehow had her account, but it wasn’t linked to our team page. They both are not showing up on my member list, so I didn’t complete the attendance because they don’t show up on my list. Any advice would be great, thanks!
Hi Katie,
Make sure your team members are using the special link Debbie emailed to you. Using that link will “connect” them to your team within the Facilitator Community. They need to use this link only one time to get them connected. Refer back to the email Debbie sent you for those directions.
As far as the spinning wheel for the other team member, please have them use a different browser to see if that helps. If it doesn’t, please email me at [email protected] and we can troubleshoot from there.
Thank you so much. I will have them give this a try and get back to you if it doesn’t work.
Hi all!
I am Katie Trier, an administrator with TrueNorth Educational Cooperative 804 in Highland Park, Illinois. I support our Transition Program and Vocational Department. This is my third year as an administrator. Prior to this role, I was a special education teacher working with students with significant support needs for 12 years (maybe 13??? who knows anymore…). I’ve worked with students of all ages from early childhood through Transition. I love this work and it has truly shaped who I am as a person and a mother. I have a 4.5 year old sassy daughter and a 5 month old drooly son. They keep me busy! I also love to bake and sing, but don’t have as much time for those with the little ones (I sing a lot more Baby Shark and Wheels on the Bus than I ever wanted to!).
Staff members in our district participated in this self-study a handful of years ago and feedback was incredibly positive. Staff felt like they learned a lot about transition services and were able to make important changes to our practices in the district. We are really excited to be participating again with new, energized staff! Thank you for this opportunity!
Hello everyone,
My name is Kelly Dalton, and I’m thrilled to be part of this group! I reside in Beckley, WV, and this is my first year as a Transition Coordinator. I work with a virtual charter school that is now in its third year of operation, and we are excited to have our first graduating class this year.
Before this role, I spent 21 years as an in-person teacher for students with disabilities in our high school’s low incidence population. One of my favorite parts of the transition process is discovering what works for our students and witnessing that spark of interest and realization in them—that they can achieve more than they initially thought possible and that options truly exist!
I am eager to begin this self-study, as our school is focused on identifying and implementing best practices related to post-secondary transition. We have faced several challenges, particularly concerning parent and student participation and community collaboration. I look forward to sharing insights and learning from all of you as we navigate this journey together!
Let’s do this!
Hi, I’m Kayla, and I live in Nebraska. I currently work as a Transition Specialist through the Educational Service Unit. Prior to this, I was a special education teacher for 12 years. What I’ve found most exciting about my transition into this role is being able to support other teachers in an area that I am very passionate about. I have enjoyed learning how different school districts work and seeing what systems they have in place. I’m looking forward to continuing to grow and contribute in this new chapter!
Welcome– TCSS Facilitators,
I am so excited to be working with you during the next several weeks.
I am a retired special educator. For over 36 years, I worked in various positions to support students with special needs: as a classroom teacher, special education department chair and a transition coordinator.
I now have the pleasure of supporting practitioners in the field of special education. I look forward to getting to know you as I support you through this Self-Study.
In my spare time, I hang out with my grandchildren and love to sing in the Community Gospel Choir of St. Louis.
Welcome to TCSS IDEA SP 25!!!