Sharing: The Heart of the Online Community

The public site has grown thanks to Dean Flyr, a transition specialist with Des Moines Public Schools. Dean sent me work experience assessments, general transition assessments, Spanish versions of assessments and resources. I was able to convert the material whenever I had a few minutes to spare. The addition of this material necessitated new pages dedicated to work experience assessments and transition resources. Please take a look at all the new assessments and resources. I will return to adding assessments from Quick Book of Transition Assessments until someone else shares with the community. Thanks Dean!

Online Community: Google Doc Transition Assessments

Last week I presented at the Iowa Secondary Transition Parent & Educator Conference. The presentation discussed the benefits of using Google Doc transition assessments and provided an opportunity for those in attendance to explore and test the public site. Check out the prezi.

Public Site

I have added links to a site used by districts for transition assessment. The forms and the associated data files can be accessed by the public. Please remember to use student ID# or other coded methods of identification. The data side can not be edited. However, the spreadsheets can be downloaded to your computer. Click here to go to the public site.

Quick Book of Transition Assessments - Transition Skills Assessment

Quick Book of Transition Assessments, produced by Robin Cline, Dave Halverson, Bev Petersen, Barb Rohrbach, has many great tools for transition. In addition to assessments it also contains checklists for different grade levels and sample letters . The assessments range in length, giving you the opportunity to gain general knowledge of a student and/or information on specific domains of transition. Quick Book of Assessments – Transition Skills Assessment: Student contains seventy questions divided into domains covering the transition spectrum. The responses include 0=no, or no experience in this area , 1=yes, with help or modifications, and 2=yes, no problem. The original assessment has teachers and parents answer the same questions which allows for comparison. If you would like to see the data side of this form click here.

Sharing Google Doc Transition Assessments

I have finally learned how to share Google Documents with the associated form. I have shared all the google documents discussed on the blog with seven other districts. These districts now have the ability to modify the forms to meet their needs and keep the data confidential. Please help create an online community to share Google Doc Assessments. If you would like a copy of one of the assessments on the blog, send me an email at kurtis.broeg@gmail.com. If you would like to share a document with the blog, follow the process described below:

1. Make a copy of the document.

2. In the sharing menu, change the ownership to kurtis.broeg@gmail.com

Google Doc Forms Missing From Shared Documents.

In an attempt to share a google doc transition assessment with an educator residing in my building, I discovered that the forms are not traveling with the shared documents. I apologize for making the assumption that they would travel together. I have gone back and edited my post to include both a link to the form and the document in which data from the form will be recorded. Unfortunately, I have yet to find a way to share both form and associated document. The user will have to create their own form and associated document. My suggestion is to start with the form and save time by cutting and pasting from the shared forms. I created a site in which educators from my district can use the Google Doc transition assessment forms. Due to confidentiality issues, I am unable to share this site with everyone. However, by using the links in the posts, you will be able to see how data from the forms is recorded in the associated Google Docs. I encourage you to create a site for your district.

School and Community Social Skills Rating Assessment

The School and Community Social Skills Rating Assessment is a one hundred item assessment that covers social skills in the following categories: classroom, school building, personal, interaction initiative, interaction response, community, and work. The original form on Iowa Transition Assessment asks the evaluator to check all the behaviors that describe the student. The Google Doc version asks the evaluator to check either Yes, No, or “Behavior not observed". Under the “Form” drop down menu, the the responses can summarized which gives the Google Doc version the major advantage of analyzing responses to one hundred items by multiple evaluators. The summary provides a pie chart indicating the responses for each behavior. Completion of the assessment before the team meeting will provide information on behaviors that need to be addressed. Alternatively, the assessment can be used to determine that no supports or goals are needed in the areas of Living or Working. To see the document that the data from the form will be collected, click here.

SPIN Transition Planning Template

The SPIN Transition Planning Template was introduced to me at a Transition Assessment Workshop conducted by the Grant Wood Area Education Agency Transition Team consisting of Jill Ries and Mary Crandall. SPIN is an acronym for Strengths, Preferences, Interest, and Needs. The form contains a table to list SPIN information as well as a matrix to list the assessments and results relating to the ten domains of assessment. This is definitely a form you should download and place in the files of every student with an Individual Education Plan(IEP). My hope is that it will become considered “best practice” for every student with an IEP as it would greatly assist the transfer of a student to a different roster.

Daily Vocational Behavior Point Sheet

In my last post I discussed the Vocational Behavior Assessment and how it can be used to produce a formative assessment for an Individual Education Plan. After using it as a summative assessment, I was able to identify three domains of concern. Focusing on these areas of concern, produced a daily formative assessment which I creatively titled: Daily Vocational Behavior Point Sheet. If you would like to see the document associated with this form, click here. Educators in Iowa will be familiar with the following goal section:

District Standard and Grade Level Benchmark(s) upon which this goal is based:

Standard: Developing and Maintaining Appropriate Work Skills and Behavior

Benchmark: The student will be able to maintain good attendance and punctuality.

Benchmark: The student will be able to meet quality and quantity work standards.

Benchmark: The student will be able to perform work directions and requirements.

Benchmark: The student will be able to respond appropriately to supervision.

Benchmark: The student will be able to work cooperatively with others.

Current Academic Achievement and Functional Performance (Results of the initial or most recent evaluation and results on district-wide assessments relevant to this goal; performance in comparison to general education peers and standards)

A review of the Vocational Behavior Assessment indicates that ***** greatest area of concern centers around *****'s ability to complete task. ***** scored the following mode score on the following categories: Ability to follow directions= 3 (Needs a great deal of instruction and is able to follow through on a task), Frustration Tolerance= 3 (Has considerable difficulty sticking to task when faced with obstacles), Motivation to do school work=4 (Frequent incomplete work and frequent task avoidance behavior). Tasks assigned to **** are modified to her instructional level. Peer norms do not exist but it can be assumed that same age peers would score significantly lower (1 is the best score on the scale).

Baseline (Describe individual's current performance in measurable terms using the same measurement as measurable annual goal and progress monitoring procedures).

Mode:

Ability to follow directions= 3

Frustration Tolerance= 3

Motivation to do school work=4

Total= 10

Baseline total mode of 10

Measurable Annual Goal: conditions (when and how the individual will perform); behavior (what the individual will do); and criterion (acceptable level of performance). For students 14 years and older, indicate if this goal is related to post-secondary expectations of: (check all that apply to this goal) living learning working

In the next 36 weeks, **** will score a total of 6 on the Daily Vocational Behavior Point Sheet.

Progress Monitoring procedures (State how progress toward meeting this goal will be measured, how often progress will be measured, and the decision making rule that will be used in considering instructional changes.)

Google doc version of Vocational Behavior Point Sheet will be sent to ****'s teachers, service providers and parents on a daily basis. For each two week period the sum of the modes for each of the three categories will be recorded.

In my first post I promised to be brief but I wanted to show how the results of a transition assessment can be incorporated into planning and formative assessment of services.

Vocational Behavior

The google doc version of Vocational Behavior can be used as a summative or formative assessment. Sending the assessment to several evaluators can provide a summary including statistics on each of the categories. I plan to send the form to all of teachers of each student on my roster at the end of the year in addition to the student's parents. Areas identified as necessary for improvement can be used to create a goal in the IEP. I will try using the assessment as a daily formative assessment for an IEP. To adapt the form so that both teachers and parents can complete the form, I deleted two sections from the form that can be found on site Iowa Transition Assessment. To view the document that the data from the form is collected, click here.

Sexuality Assessment

The Sexuality Assessment in google doc form is edited to reflect the different environment in which it is completed. Please note that the previous link will take you to the spreadsheet in which the data is gathered. In order to see and/or edit the actual document you must click on forms. The print version, which can be found at Sexuality Assessment -print version, is written to be used as a framework for an interview with a parent and/or caregiver. The print version has a section at the end of a series of yes and no answers in which the team identifies areas of concern. In the google doc version, I edited the print version to enable the posting of comments after each yes or no question. Given the nature of the content, my assumption is that a parent will provide more detailed data on the google doc form than on the print version. The results of the google doc form need to be discussed at the IEP meeting and the identified needs included in the transition plan. This is an assessment that I have never used but plan to use in the near future. If you have used this assessment please share your thoughts. To view the document in which the data will be collected, click here.

Career Portfolio

The Career Portfolio Assessment is a measure of job readiness completed by the student's teachers using a likert scale. The version on Iowa Transition Assessment contains a “Not Applicable” option but I have removed it from the google doc version to facilitate the calculation of statistics such as mean, mode, and standard deviation. I plan to send out this google doc to all of the teachers of each student on my roster. The information can be used for two purposes. 1) To assess and determine goals and services for an individual student. 2) Target skills for instruction as indicated by an overall review of all student Career Portfolios. To view the document in which the data from the form is collected, click here.

Student Post-Secondary Transition Interview

The Student Post-Secondary Transition Interview which can be found in text version at Iowa Transition Assessment covers all three of the transition areas required by Iowa: living, learning, and working. I have only used the section that pertains to living and therefore I do not know how long this assessment will take to complete. Breaking it up into three sections might be more efficient.

Parent of Teenager Survival Checklist

Over the last two years I have used Parent of Teenager Survival Checklist which can be found on the Iowa Transition Assessment using the traditional paper and pencil method. Sending the survey home via the student and mail was not effective. Most of the time, the survey was lost or the parent would arrive at the meeting with an uncompleted form. Completing the form at the meeting, in my opinion, is not effective because the parent does not spend efficient time. I created a shorter Google Doc version of Parent of Teenager Survival Checklist. The survey consist totally of multiple choice questions, therefore, the data fed into the spreadsheet can be manipulated. Summary statistics can be used to identify learning needs of a group and to determine the discrepancy of an individual from their peers.

Using Google Docs for Transition Assessments

In Iowa we are required to perform transition assessment. The Iowa Department of Education has created a great site to assist in this process. The site Iowa Transition Assessment includes assessments in PDF form. I have found that my students are more motivated to complete the assessments online via Google Doc forms. Assessments that require parents, employers, or others can be emailed directly. Completed assessments can be electronically attached to Individual Education Plans. Here is a Google Doc version of Job-Related Interest and Preference Inventory which can be found on the Iowa Transition Assessment site. I will post more Google Doc Transition Assessments in the future. To see the document in which the data is stored, click here.

Introduction

Reading the books A Whole New Mind and Drive! by Daniel Pink (www.danpink.com) inspired me to start this blog. In A Whole New Mind, Pink argues that we are exiting the Information Age and entering the Conceptual Age. Masters Degrees are still useful but people in other countries can also learn the same information and are willing to apply it for much less. Therefore having knowledge is a great base but not enough to be successful in the Conceptual Age. To be successful in the Conceptual Age you have to be able to bring disparate ideas to create solutions to current problems or unknown problems. But how can I find the time to search for all the information needed to make combinations to form solutions? Post a blog in which other people concerned with the education of students with special needs can comment on topics. The opportunity to converse with other professionals in the area of special education has always been my favorite aspect of continuing education. My hope is that this blog will replicate the discussions and sharing of information created when people with shared challenges and passion are able to collaborate.

In his book, Drive!, Pink presents research over the last thirty years that severely contradicts the theory that behavior is primarily based on external awards. Pink does an excellent job discussing research that shows that often the motivation to perform a task can be found in the task itself. In my occupation I often feel overcome by the mundane tasks and the feeling that financial and time constraints are preventing students from getting the services they need. My hope is that the purpose of this site, finding technology to serve students with special needs, will motivate me.

This will most likely be my longest blog. My plan is to find technology ( mostly free), try it out and share it with everyone. Using Google Docs, I created a Behavior Point sheet which I email as a form to the student’s teachers. The form is easy to complete and the results are recorded in the spreadsheet. The data can be shared with parents, administrators and others in real time. If you edit the form the changes appear in the spreadsheet. Send the form by following the dropdown menu under Forms. You will need to have a Google Account to use the Behavior Point sheet. Here is the link:

Behavior Point Sheet

If you would like to see the document in which the data is recorded, click here.