Transition- SSIP Cohort 1 Where we are & where we are going! Catawba County Schools presenting for February Northwest Region EC Directors Mtg.

Our LEA’s Greatest Strengths in relation to Transition ❏Strong CTE program and practices in all of our high schools & middle schools ❏Strong graduation rate- approximately 90% as a district and 80% for SWD based on the 4 year graduation cohort ❏Creative alternative programs for diverse learners (COMPASS, ESTEEM, CREC, Challenger Early College) ❏Currently exploring online options outside of NC VPS and the development of a centralized Career & College Ready Center, in partnership with CVCC and area businesses ❏Strong EC Support Team that provides on-the-job training, coaching and mentoring to classroom teachers ❏Strong partnerships with various community agencies~active participation on Local Community Collaborative (LLC)

Current District Initiatives ❏Artisan Teacher/Learning Centered Schools ❏Several schools involved with the “Leader in Me” framework ❏Active NC SIP participator ❏Partnering with Western Carolina University through a grant focusing on improving post-secondary transition outcomes for SWD ❏In process of applying for Kenan Fellows

Current practices that have contributed to our strengths ❏Increased student internship opportunities at middle and high school level ❏STEM Tours ❏CTE informational nights, inviting all parents from all levels within each of our feeder communities ❏Business/Industry tours for teachers, administrators, and counselors ❏Hosting and collaboratively facilitating Community Agency Fairs ❏Partnering with local advocacy groups to present to parents and agency representatives on various topics relating to students with disabilities ❏Offering various types of PD for educators throughout the year and during our Summer PD week

Current practices continued- ❏Monthly “Service Review” sessions, where educators can collaborate & problem-solve how to improve services for SWD ❏Monthly themes relating to SWD discussed during Principal Job-Alike Meetings, EC Department Meetings, and EC Support Team Meetings ❏Themes relating to SWD presented periodically during school faculty meetings ❏Diverse community based sites that OCS and HS students following the Extended Content Standards go on a regular basis to learn new career and adult living skills

Post-Secondary Transition Processes & Monitoring ❏Program Specialist (PS) who coordinates training, resource allocation, and facilitates both OCS programs and Post-Secondary Transition activities & support directly to all secondary EC providers, and expanding down to the elementary level ❏Internal monitoring of EC records are conducted on a regular basis by PS assigned to each school ❏PS meets at least once per month with all EC providers individually through a coaching session, and completes a coaching session document ❏OCS/Transition PS periodically monitors all documentation in relation to work hours (volunteer and paid employment), OCS Portfolio progress, and work site schedules

Ideas for moving forward……….. ❏Increasing student internship opportunities for SWD by resolving transportation issues ❏Increasing student and parent participation on the EC Advisory Committee ❏Increasing parent involvement by offering a variety of information sharing/outreach opportunities (face to face sessions, online sessions, etc.) ❏Strengthening the connection between post-secondary transition planning and everyday EC programming, especially at the high school level ❏Conducting yearly surveys/interviews with graduates over the past 5 years to obtain information on how we need to improve current services and practices

Discussion, Questions, Comments or Advice??????????