AIR Self-Determination Scale

The AIR Self-Determination Scale was developed by the American Institutes for Research (AIR), in collaboration with Teachers College, Columbia University, with funding from the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP). Discussion of how to use the scales, validity, reliability, and factor analysis can be found in the guide. All four scales, calculate the level of self determination. The authors of the scale argue that the scales can be used to promote discussion and measure progress over time. Three of the scales, Educator, Student, and Parent, can be found on my google site with the associated spreadsheets. I have entered formulas to calculate all of the scores as instructed in the guide. To use the scales, you need to make a copy of the spreadsheet (data file). After each entry, the formulas will need to be copied from the example student row to the new student.

Student Directed IEPrezi

After joining a forum on student directed IEPs, I was a greatly humbled to find that I was not doing near enough to encourage the self determination of my students. I found out that other teachers were having students run their IEPs. While I knew this was “best practice”, I had settled into thinking I was being successful if I could get the student to attend the meeting. The positive peer pressure forced me to change the way I approach the planning of the IEP. Over the last few years I have included students in the assessments, but when they attended the meeting, students were reluctant spectators. Based on Daniel Pink's theory that the most effective motivation is found in the task, I decided to have a student create a Prezi to guide their IEP. Based on the six critical elements I provided the student a template and a draft of their IEP. As the student went through their IEP, they asked me questions which facilitated discussions that probably would not have occurred. I was curious to see the Prezi but I waited till the meeting as the point of the Prezi was to give more control to the student. I will definitely use the Student Directed IEPrezi for both an assessment and scaffolding for student directed IEPs. Please view Kris's Directed IEP. I believe Kris has more ownership of his future and in case you are wondering, Kris will be in choir next year. The Prezi fostered a healthy discussion among all team members and a solution was found in which Kris could take both choir and more electives.

Wisconsin Transition Health Care Checklist

I have converted an extensive health assessment, Wisconsin Transition Health Care Checklist, that includes 18 areas and 168 skills. The assessment, originally a checklist, has been converted to indicate whether the skill is developed or needs to be developed. A description and rationale for the assessment can be found in Transition Health Care Checklist: Preparing for Life as an Adult. The authors of the assessment suggest annual assessment to denote progress and plan instruction. Given its length, you may want to consider breaking the assessment into multiple parts. To make your own version, copy Wisconsin Transition Health Care Checklist for Student Name Data and edit. Note if you have a google account within a domain you may not be able to copy. The quickest solution to this issue is to create a google account outside of the domain.

Assistive Technology and Self Determination Assessments

Julie Freed, Grant Wood AEA Assistive Technology Consultant, shared Wisconsin Assistive Technology Protocol for Transition Planning and Wisconsin Assistive Technology Initiative - Student Information Guide for Self Determination and Assistive Technology Management assessments during a workshop. I came away from the workshop with an expanded knowledge of Assistive Technology. Prior to the workshop I thought of assistive technology as equipment, after the workshop my view expanded to include instruction that is needed for students to use free or readily available technology. The exponential growth of free or low cost technology shifts the focus from equipment to training for independence and increases the number of individuals that can benefit from assistive technology. The assessments also measure self determination which is a necessary skill as it is not enough for the individual to know how to use the technology. In order for the individual to use the technology as an independent adult they must learn responsibility and advocacy. If you would like to copy either of the assessments please go to Broeg Google Doc Transition Assessments and follow the instructions.

Preferences

When indicating preferences on a student's IEP I have always asked the student how they prefer to learn and often times I have felt that I prompted them to respond the way I assumed they preferred to learn. Do people actually know automatically how they prefer to learn or does it take some digging? The Learning Style #1 assessment found in the Quick Book of Transition Assessments is a valuable tool to start a discussion of learning preferences. Before taking the assessment I assumed that I preferred to learn via lecture rather than out of a book but the data said just the opposite. According to the CITE Learning Styles, for language “I learn well from seeing words in books, on the chalkboard, or in workbooks. I remember and use information if I have read it.” When dealing with mathematical problems, “I have to see numbers on the board, in a book, or on paper to work with them. I am more likely to understand math facts if I have seen them.”

The contrary results caused me to reflect on how I actually learn best rather than relying on my initial assumption. Upon further reflection, the data are correct, I learn best from data I can see rather than just hear. For other people the results from the Learning Style #1 assessment may be incorrect but the important thing is that the process encourages reflection. I have set up the spreadsheet so all that needs to be done to get the results is to copy the formulas to the next row. I plan to use the tool to promote self advocacy as well as to assess.

Transition Assessment: The Process Can Be As Important As the Results

In preparation for an IEP, one of my ninth grade students was completing the Student/Parent Questionnaire while a 10^th grade student was working independently. The student completing the questionnaire asked me to clarify the following question: Are you presently in contact with any agencies that will or maybe involved with you after graduation? The student's request started a dialogue between the three of us that included VITAL, Career Connections, Iowa Vocational Rehabilitation Services and “learning centers” at institutions of post-secondary education. Both students expressed interests in these services and I explained to them the importance of making connections during their 11^th grade year. The dialogue continued to include how these agencies could assist them in their future goals. I came away from the discussion with the feeling that the perspective of the students' changed from the short term of “getting the assignment due finished” to the long term of how that assignment fit into their future. Without the process of the student completing the assessment, any discussion of the agencies would have probably been a one sided lecture rather than a dialogue initiated by the student. To make it easier for everyone to use the assessments I have created an easy to remember shortcut to the assessment site: http://tinyurl.com/transitionassessment. I am currently working on converting the assessments found in the Quick Book of Transition Assessments.

Transfer Functional Skills

I have completed all of the assessments in the Transfer Functional Skills section of the Quick Book of Transition Assessments. These assessments can be used to measure the discrepancy between the required skills and the current skills of the student's post secondary expectations. The section contains four different types of post secondary expectations (Supported Employment, Vocational Training, Four Year College and Competitive Employment). The majority of the skills are contained in all four assessments, so if the team decides the current expectation is not realistic, the data can be applied to a more appropriate expectation. The section also contains a Vocational Evaluation and a Functional Skills Inventory. The Vocational Evaluation produces a score that could be used for goal setting as it would be easy to graph. However, the evaluation contains fifty behaviors so it would be better to focus on the deficient behaviors. To see these assessments go to the Quick Book of Transition Assessments page on the Broeg Google Doc Transition Assessments website.