DOMAIN 8

Although I am in the beginning stages of leadership in the field of transition, I have some basic experience with most of the competencies in this domain. I am viewed as the unofficial transition expert at my school site by some people. We do not have transition specialists in my district, though we do have a transition department. Training and information related to transition is often passed down second, or third-hand, from the transition department staff to site-based department leaders. This occasionally leads to misinterpretation, lack of use or access to services due to incomplete information, and poor quality of information that is shared. I have had many colleagues approach me for clarity about transition services, access to resources, and advice. Although I am knowledgeable, I desire to gain more experience in order to continue to build my expertise and reputation as a leader in the field.

As a case manager, I am responsible for obtaining the required documentation for my students to participate in job-training experiences. The transition department updates the document as necessary and distributes to case managers at the beginning of the school year. I use the application packet as a lesson in completing documents. My students fill out their personal information, respond to some basic questions about interests, and fill in as much information requested as possible. I then send the packet home for parent signatures. Parents are responsible for reviewing information and returning it to me. I have walked many parents through the packet to explain various aspects. The second and third pages communicate Department of Labor rules, which can be confusing for parents or guardians. I must make sure students meet the basic requirements for participation, train my paraprofessionals to support students at their job-training sites, and send students to job-training sites in the community with my paraprofessionals during the school day. Although a representative from the transition department takes care of the district-required documentation for sites to participate, I work with a staff member from that department to evaluate the effectiveness of sites from the previous year, brainstorm or approve ideas for future sites, and determine the most appropriate placement for my students based on their levels of experience, needs, and interests.

I completed the Quality Indicators of Transition Programs survey in the fall of 2016. Through this process, I was able to identify strengths and weaknesses from my perspective. I do think that my ratings may be different if compared to others in my district, as access to information differs from site to site, and even across programs. I would like to collaborate with site and district leaders to improve those scores and enable case managers to deliver high-quality transition services.  I have reached out to district leaders, shared ideas and resources, and am able to work with a variety of people. I envision sharing my knowledge in professional development activities, informally or formally through mentorship opportunities, and potentially as a private consultant for rural districts.

I support my colleagues and community directly by sharing resources, such as links to assessments, ideas for supports, and information about post-secondary goals. My resource directory was shared with the self-contained programs in my district and two community referral agencies, the Family Resource Center, and Communities in Schools. I conducted a small training for the Indicator 13 checklist for two of my colleagues last year. I would like to offer this training to colleagues at my site, or colleagues in the self-contained settings who work with transition-age youth across my district.

I have five years of experience supporting my students with completion of the NV SEARS Senior Exit Survey that gathers postsecondary transition information. Students share their goals for the future and feedback on their experiences in high school. They also provide information for the follow-up survey that collects data regarding the attainment of those goals one year later.

The need in my district for professionals with a strong understanding of best-practices and resources in the field of transition is at a critical stage. My community has potential to support a variety of transition service needs. I began this program to improve my practices as a professional and to improve the quality of services I provide to my students in order to prepare them for life after high school. Now that my program is complete, I can look for opportunities to become actively involved in leadership roles at my site, within my district, and in my community.