West Virginia Achieves Professional Development Series

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West Virginia Achieves Professional Development
Series
Volume XXI
Effective Student Transitioning Pre K to Post
Secondary
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West Virginia Department of Education Mission
  The West Virginia Department of Education, in
conjunction with the Regional Education Service
Agencies and the Office of Performance Audits,
will create systemic conditions, processes and
structures within the West Virginia public school
system that result in (1) all students achieving
mastery and beyond and (2) closing the
achievement gap among sub-groups of the student
population.
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Robert HutchinsThe Conflict in Education in a
Democratic Society
Perhaps the greatest idea that America has given
the world is education for all. The world is
entitled to know whether this idea means that
everybody can be educated or simply that everyone
must go to school.
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What We Know

• An emerging body of research identifies
  characteristics of high performing school
  systems.
• These school systems have made significant
  progress in bringing all students to mastery and
  in closing the achievement gap.
• These systems share characteristics described in
  The West Virginia Framework for High Performing
  Schools.

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Pillar of Student /Parent Support

• To assure that all students receive the support
  they need to achieve proficiency in the WV
  Content Standards and Objectives and that all
  parents (guardians) are treated as valued
  partners in their childs educational process.

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Walking Through the Learning Packet

• Table of contents
• Format
• Using with a Study Group
• Introduction and Rationale
• Segment 1Transition into Kindergarten

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Segment 2 Transition from Elementary to
Middle School and
Middle School to High
School Segment 3 Transition into
Post-SecondarySegment 4 Transition Special
Education and the Law
Appendix Facilitator Notes
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Whose Fault Is It? Certainly Not Mine!
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School ImprovementStudent/Parent
SupportEssential Question (EQ)Why is it
important for a school district to develop
effective transition programs that promote high
student achievement and post secondary success?

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Most important for the transition process
are the relationships- those between children and
teachers, parents and teachers, children and
their peers, and children and their parents.
Kamna Raj
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Segment I Transition to KindergartenReflective
Questions

• Why is it important to consider more than the
  childs cognitive competency during transition
  from preschool to kindergarten?
• What is the relationship between parental
  involvement and the childs success in
  kindergarten?

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Segment I -Reflective Questions (Cont)

• How do schools prevent fade-out of family
  involvement in kindergarten and the elementary
  grades?
• To what degree has your county school system
  implemented each of the promising practices for
  transition to kindergarten?

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Periodic ____________ ___________________
Partner
Invite ____________ _______________________
Circle of Support For Transition To Kindergarten
Support ___________
__________summer learning_______
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Transition into Kindergarten

• Focus cannot be on childs skill alone
• Focus must include the child in the context of
  the family.
• Success is closely related to the parents
  relationship with the teacher.
• Promising Practices Transitioning to School
  Policy, Practice, and Reality Dr. Robert Pianta

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Process vs. Event

• Transition is recognized as a process, not an
  event.
• Relationships among children, family members,
  teachers, and the community should be included
• Elementary teachers usually less trained in
  working with families than early childhood
  professionals.
• The Transition to Kindergarten A Review of
  Current Research and Promising Practices to
  Involve Families. Bohan-Baker Little

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Promising Practices

• Maintain contact with the families
• Include the transitioning children as part of the
  contact process
• Invite children to the visit.
• Provide home-learning activities
• Host by the kindergarten - family meetings

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Promising Practices (cont)

• Schedule home visits
• Partner with PTA/PTO
• Disseminate information to parents
• Build/Provide support groups
• Register early
• Give extra attention to families with children
  who are ESL, Special Needs

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Well my parents told me it would be different.
I would have to watch myselfgradespicking
fights.Sixth grade is like kindergarten, like
starting all over again.
Comments made by 6th grade students. Middle
School Journal
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Segment 2 The Transitions from Elementary,
Middle to High School

• How can the experiences and stresses created by
  the transitions from elementary to middle to high
  school be minimized by your school district?
• How will your school community contribute to the
  establishment and communication of the
  transitions from elementary to middle to high
  school?

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Transitions Are a Shoe-InDivide into two
groups (middle and high school) and read
transitioning articles.Ask participants in each
group to prepare a plan of transition using the
tennis shoe as your organizer.Share your plan
with the other participants.
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Positive Transition to the Middle

• Social Factors
• Organizational Factors
• Motivational Factors
• Effective and Comprehensive Transition Program
• Have activities that involve both schools
• Establish transition protocol Timeline
• Schedule between collaborative groups
• Assess human and financial resources

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Freshman Problem

• High failure rate
• High absentee rates
• Poor exam performances
• Discipline referrals
• Effective and Comprehensive Transition Program
• -Bring middle and high school educators together
• -Provide social support
• -Provide students and parents information

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Reflecting Through Your Transition Planning Do
you remember the fear of getting lost, arriving
to class on time, remembering your locker
combination (better yet where your locker is
located), the order of your classes
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• In the agricultural age, postsecondary
  education was a pipe dream for most Americans.
  In the industrial age, it was the birthright of
  only a few. By the space age, it became common
  for many. Today, it is just common sense for
  all.
• National Commission on the High School Senior Year

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Segment 3 The Transition from High School to
Post Secondary Education

• What are the school districts core beliefs about
  the purpose of the senior year of high school?
• What system of extra help and support needs to be
  in place for students to complete a challenging
  program of study in preparation for postsecondary
  education and the world of work?
• What leadership will be needed by key
  decision-makers and what roles will they play in
  closing the educational gap for the underserved
  (low-income and minority) students?

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Puzzled with Transitioning?

• Search for puzzle mates (same color puzzle
  pieces) and complete the puzzle.
• Read quotation and discuss, What are the
  implications of this information to our school
  system(s)?
• Choose someone to share one BIG IDEA from your
  discussion, with the large group.
• Wrap-up Facilitator connects activity to
  readings and reflective questions.

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Segment 3 The Transition from High School to
Post Secondary Education(Articles in packet)

• ACT. Crisis at the Core Preparing All Students
  for College and Work
• SREB. HSTW Improving Student Performance High
  School to College and Career Transition Practices
  That Work
• Pathways to College Network. A Shared Agenda A
  Leadership Challenge to Improve College Access
  and Success

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Segment IVKey Questions for Reflection

• What are the major changes between IDEA 1997
  and IDEA 2004 regarding transition services for
  exceptional students?

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Article

• Key Provisions on Transition,
• IDEA 1997 Compared to H.R. 1350 (IDEA 2004)

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Beginning not later than the first IEP to be in
effect when the child is 16, and updated annually
thereafter appropriate measurable postsecondary
goals based upon age appropriate transition
assessments related to training, education,
employment, and, where appropriate, independent
living skillsthe transition services (including
courses of study) needed to assist the child in
reaching those goals.
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Transition Services a coordinated set of
activities for a child with a disability that is
designed to be within a results-oriented process,
that is focused on improving the academic and
functional achievement of the child with a
disability to facilitate the childs movement
from school to post-school activities, including
post-secondary education, vocational education,
integrated employment (including supported
employment), continuing and adult education,
adult services, independent living, or community
participation.
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Ready-Set-Go-Whoa Segment IVActivity
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Summarize and Apply

• The Diamond Reflection

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Contact Information for Committee Members

• Ghaski Browning glee_at_access.k12.wv.us
• Cathy Jones ctrjones_at_access.k12.wv.us
• Terry Reale treale_at_access.k12.wv.us
• Marian Covey- mecovey_at_access.k12.wv.us