Mobile Transition Initiative
Mobile, Alabama

Contact

Ann Hilderbrand
Consulting Teacher
Mobile County Public School System
P.O. Box 1327
Mobile, Alabama 36633-1327
Phone: 334-690-8048
Fax: 334-690-8328

Mission

The mission of the Mobile County Public School System (MCPSS), Department of Special Education, is to promote the opportunities for students with disabilities to achieve their maximum individuality by providing student-centered transition services for becoming participants and productive members of society.

 Organization

Organization Type: Education agency: Local

Geographical Area: County

Primary Setting: High School

Funding

External Funding Sources: Title VI-B,  Mobile County Public School System (MCPSS),  Alabama Department of Rehabilitation Services (ADRS), State Department of Education’s Alabama Transition Initiative Leadership Academy

Consumers

Target Population: Secondary education students with disabilities

Disability Areas: All disabilities

NTA Framework Categories

• Student-Focused Planning and Development
• Career Pathways and Contextual Learning
• Business, Labor, and Community Resources

Description

Each year the MCPSS provides transition services for approximately 2,674 students with disabilities beginning at age 14 or younger when appropriate. These students attend 20 middle schools, 14 high schools, and 3 special schools. MCPSS contains 13 urban, 15 suburban, and 6 rural schools, 10 of which are located in inner city areas. The special schools include Evans Special School, Regional School for the Deaf and Blind and the Continuous Learning Center, an alternative school.

The school system's goal is to establish a systematic process to transition youth with disabilities from school to work and adult life. Success in providing transition services depends on the Individualized Education Plan (IEP) process. Students are taught self-determination/self-advocacy skills that encourage their meaningful participation in IEP meetings. Parents are invited to all training sessions provided by MCPSS's Department of Special Education, and parent-specific training sessions are offered annually.

Students have several options concerning instruction and programs. They may choose to pursue an advanced education diploma, a general education diploma, an occupational diploma, or a certificate of education. The content and standards required to earn an advanced, a general, or an occupational diploma are determined by the Alabama State Department of Education. A student may earn a certificate of education by completing the requirements of his/her IEP. Every effort is made to provide appropriate special education supports and services for each student in his/her least restrictive environment. Teachers are trained to use a variety of textbooks and materials to teach the curriculum and IEP objectives. Additional materials are available through the school system's Special Education Instructional Support Center and the Curriculum and Instruction Media Center.

To prevent dependency and to promote full community participation of students with disabilities, systematic procedures for Community-Based Instruction (CBI) and the Work Instruction Program (WIP) were developed. CBI and WIP enable teachers to teach skills needed to function in the community in a natural environment.

The WIP and the school-to-work preparation requirements of the occupational diploma curriculum provide a bridge between the classroom environment and the larger workplace environment. Thus, students have the opportunity to experience school-based work assessment, community-based work training, and paid employment before graduation. Many students participate in Career/Technical education courses as part of their career preparation.

A variety of tasks must be completed by system personnel to provide appropriate transition services. New job descriptions, which replaced many traditional duties, were developed. A transition coordinator, transition teachers, transition assistants, and transition job coaches now share responsibility for the tasks. Appropriate training is provided for each.

Close cooperation between students, family members, special education staff, career/technical education staff, rehabilitation services staff, agency representatives, business leaders and community leaders is important to providing successful transition services. Opportunities for collaboration occur during individual contacts, community training activities, Community Transition Team activities, recognition programs, and IEP meetings. This cooperation has resulted in an increase in the number of students employed before graduation from 25 students in 1990 to 227 students in 1999

Evidence of Success

• Close cooperation between students, family members, special education staff, career technical education staff, rehabilitation services staff, agency representatives, business leaders and community leaders has resulted in an increase in the number of students employed before graduation from 25 students in 1990 to 227 students in 1999 (with an average of 250 seniors each year).
• Several teachers have implemented a "Self-Advocacy Strategy Checklist" in which students rate the appropriateness of "I PLAN" and "SHARE" behaviors on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 indicating the least appropriate behavior and 5 as the most appropriate behavior. Using the "Self-Advocacy Strategy Checklist," 5 teachers rated 75 students following the students' spring IEP meetings. Fifty students were taught to use the "I PLAN" and "SHARE" behavior strategies while 25 students did not. The scores were obtained by averaging the totals for each area.
• Students who received training consistently scored higher than students who did not receive training. The areas of greatest discrepancies concerned:

· Making an inventory of personal skills and interest (3.4 for those with training and 1.2 for those without);

· Engaging in eye contact during the conferences (4.3 vs. 2.3); and

· Sharing information obtained from personal inventories (3.2 vs. 1.5).

• Areas of least discrepancies concerned:

· Sitting up straight (4.3 vs. 3.4); and

· Maintaining a pleasant tone of voice during the IEP meeting (4.5 vs. 3.7).

• Job coaches assisted 172 students in obtaining competitive employment; an average of 28.7 students per job coach.
• Each year the students, parents, business supervisors and employees, principals, facilitators, CBWI teachers, and special education teachers not working in the Work Instruction Program (WIP) are asked to complete questionnaires. Using this information, the WIP teachers develop an action plan to guide the program the following year. The following is a summary of the results of the questionnaires:
• In the 1995-96, 1997-98, and 1998-99 school years, employers were given questionnaires to evaluate the Community-Based Work Instruction Program implemented in their businesses. The results are as follows:

· "How well did the Community-Based Work Instruction program work at your place of business?"

- 41.8% said "excellent" and 46.8% said "good."

· "How would you rate the changes in the ability of the students to perform the job tasks?"

- 38% said "very positive changes" and 50.6% said "positive changes."

· "To what extent did the students demonstrate appropriate work attitudes?"

- 55.7% said "always" and 29.1% said "usually."

· "To what extent did the students demonstrate appropriate work-related behaviors?"

- 58.2% said "always" and 30.3% said "usually."

· "Would you consider being involved in the program again?"

- 91.1% stated "yes."

• Teachers, students, principals, parents, and facilitators were surveyed about their satisfaction with the Mobile Transition Initiative program. A majority of the respondents stated that the program met their expectations and believed that positive changes were occurring in the students' work attitudes, work-related behaviors, and classroom behaviors. Also, a majority thought that the program was teaching participants work-related skills that will help them perform on the job in the future.

Success Story

"K" is a Theodore High School graduate of the class of 1997. "K" attended THS for four years and during that time participated in a functional curriculum program designed to prepare students for the workplace. "K" also participated in the school-based work training program, which is the first step in preparation for work experiences in the community. He learned skills such as following directions, being on time to assigned area, completing a task, and being dependable. In his junior year, "K" went to work in the community through the community-based work training program. It was during this experience in a hotel environment that "K" became interested in banquet set-up and service. He completed each job assignment with high marks and praise from his supervisors. These positive experiences helped "K" realize that he could be successful in the workplace and gave him the confidence to pursue a career in the hotel business. Upon graduation, he secured employment with a major hotel in the banquet area and has become a valued employee. "K" was awarded Employee of the Month during his first year with the hotel and in his second year was honored as Employee of the Year.

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Updated 10/31/00