How can teachers successfully implement student-centered transition planning?
Page 6: Engaging Team Members
It is not only the teacher and student who must prepare for student-centered transition planning. Other members of the IEP team must also understand the ways in which a meeting with active student participation will differ from the more typical, teacher-led variety. If this type of IEP meeting is to prove successful, IEP team members need to make certain that they:
- Give students an equal voice during the meeting
- Direct questions to and request feedback directly from the student
- Focus on the student’s strengths rather than her limitations
- Use easy-to-understand language
- Maintain a positive tone
To further ensure the success of a student-centered planning meeting, the teacher should meet with the other members beforehand and describe how their participation might differ from what they may have come to expect. This is also a good opportunity to gain the support of the other members as well as to establish expectations. Some tips suited for individual members of typical IEP teams can be found below.
Administrators
Before student-centered transition planning is implemented, the teacher should meet with the administrator to win her buy-in and support. During this meeting, the educator can:
- Explain the process and what it entails
- Describe the time and resources needed to accomplish the process effectively
- Let the administrator know that, at least until a streamlined system is developed, meetings may last longer than expected; plan accordingly
- Explain the research base and the benefits of this type of planning (e.g., improved self-determination skills, better educational and employment outcomes)
- Remind the administrator that student attendance is mandated by IDEA
Families
Families are equally important members of the IEP team. Because they will support the student long after she exits the school system, it is critical to include their opinions and feedback in all transition conversations. In typical IEP meetings, parents often act as the voice of their child. In student-centered planning, that responsibility is placed more greatly on the student herself. Some families may find relinquishing that role to be difficult. To help families make the transition to a student-centered planning process, teachers can encourage them to:
- Consider the benefits to the student (e.g., increased autonomy, gaining valuable insight into strengths, weaknesses, and support needs; increased self-determination skills)
- Recognize the benefits for themselves (e.g., improved parent expectations and parent-child communication)
- Begin talking to their child early about her interests, abilities, future goals, and the importance of the IEP process
- Allow their child to voice her opinions, and explore her own interests and preferences
- Schedule time before or after the meeting to talk about any sensitive topics that might be inappropriate to discuss during the meeting
- Prepare families for the student’s role by providing an agenda or outline of the meeting
For Your Information
Although school personnel should encourage family engagement, they must remember the primary goal of the student-centered process: for students to assume more responsibilities and make more decisions regarding their future, especially as they approach the age of majority, in most states at age 18. At this age, students are considered adults and legal rights are transferred to them. These rights include the responsibilities of making decisions in the IEP meeting, as well as other informed decisions (e.g., medical treatment, financial arrangements, housing needs). A student served under IDEA ’04 must be notified of this transfer of rights by the IEP team a year prior to reaching the age of majority. Parents should also be notified as they will need to think about their child’s needs and abilities in order to plan appropriately if their child is not able to make informed decisions on her own.
General Educators and Other Support Professionals
The role of general educators and other school professionals—for example, the speech language pathologist, school psychologist, school transportation provider, and nurse—should be relatively unchanged in a student-led IEP. When discussing student-centered planning with these professionals, the teacher can:
- Explain the benefits of the process and what it entails
- Inform them that, at first, meetings might last longer than is typically the case
- Assure them that they will still have time to share feedback about student progress and successes and participate in discussion about goals and supports
- Explain the importance of establishing a positive tone and using terms that the student will understand
- Point out that the student will present her comments and opinions and should be heard and respected when doing so
- Remind them to make certain that their conversations include the student
- Share an agenda or outline of the meeting
Erik Carter emphasizes how student-centered transition planning benefits students and educators. Next, Kelly Smoak talks about how building relationships can promote buy-in and support for the student-centered transition planning process.
Erik Carter, PhD
Professor, Department of Special Education
Vanderbilt University
(time: 2:02)
Kelly Smoak
Teacher, Special Education Resource
West Ashley High School
South Carolina
(time: 1:42)
Transcript: Erik Carter, PhD
I would emphasize that student-centered transition planning is a both a philosophy, a value we commit to, but it’s also an effective practice. It’s a core principle of good transition and one that we’re asked to do if we’re called to implement the best as what we know works. What I mean by that is it’s more than just a philosophy that has kind of an intuitive appeal, it’s actually a practice that has a positive impact on students. And I think that’s really part of engaging the team in supporting this approach to transition planning and getting their buy-in.
There’s some real benefits to this. When we involve the student actively in the process, it actually ensures the plan reflects their interests and their preferences and their needs.
But it also ends up increasing their buy-in and their motivation to work towards those goals. I think for the team, it also helps the team see the plan as linked to a real person and perhaps to come to see the student in a different way when they’re there actually sharing their goals firsthand and their needs and their strengths in that area. What we’ve also learned is that it changes the nature of the conversation that’s happening at the transition-planning meeting because we tend to talk about students differently when they’re there. We think about their future differently when we hear why that future matters to them. We come to talk about them and view them as more capable and competent and more self-determined when we hear them talk about their vision for a good life. And I think all of that leads to us being able to move forward much more confidently as an IEP team when we know that we as a team and the student are aligned in that vision.
Certainly, there’s aspects of this that takes some more time and intentionality, but it also produces a plan that’s much more relevant and has more clarity and more personal investment. So whatever additional time it takes, it has a payoff that’s really important to understand, and I think that’s part of convincing the team that this new way of thinking about the planning process is actually one that’s not only better for the team but ultimately better for the student.
Transcript: Kelly Smoak
I know that it is fearful for some, and they may have some concerns, but one of the greatest things to help with that is building that relationship with that student and the team members. When that relationship is built, and they feel comfortable conversing with the administrator, with the other teachers, the gen ed teachers, the guidance counselors then there’s a buy-in, not just from that student but from the other team members. They’re invested in that child.
When you’re building relationships with the team members, when they come to the meeting, it’s not just a student, but it’s their life, and it’s someone that they’ve engaged with and know that, oh, yeah, you did really well on that test last week, or I saw you do a great job in that game, or I heard about your interview. How did it go? There’s more of a dialog, and there’s more of a relationship there. When we value people through relationships and getting to know them then we understand, and we want to spend time on that person and hear their voice, and we want what’s best for them. When the student starts to speak and starts to take charge of their IEP by talking about their interests and their present levels and where they are and where they want to go, it’s just natural, and I don’t see it as a laborious activity that’s going to add extra time to the meeting.
