Developing Self-Determination and Career Readiness Skills Through Individualized Learning Plans

1. Developing Self-Determination and Career Readiness Skills Through Individualized Learning Plans V. Scott Solberg, PhD National Collaborative on Workforce & Disability for Youth School of Education, Boston University Mindy Larson National Collaborative Workforce & Disability for Youth

2. Who We Are • National Collaborative on Workforce & Disability for Youth • A national technical assistance center • Focus on needs of ALL youth, including youth with disabilities and other disconnected youth to • Improve state and local policy • Strengthen workforce development service delivery • Improve competencies of youth service professionals • Engage youth and families • Supported by Office of Disability Employment Policy, U.S. Department of Labor

3. Research Partners

4. Correlational and mixed methods strategies to identify college and career readiness pathways Interviews with students to identify career readiness processes Established a study group of schools in four states: educators, families and students participated in surveys and focus groups 50-state web review of ILP purposes and implementation strategies In-depth conversations with select state and district/school officials Research Strategies

5. Dropout and Opportunity Crisis • Nationally, there are over 6.7 million out of school non-working youth between the ages of 16 and 24 • Collectively reduce the tax base across their lifetimes by $1.56 trillion while • Adding an estimated $4.75 trillion in social costs. Belfield, C. R., Levin, H. M. & Rosen, R. (2012). The economic value of opportunity youth. Civic Enterprises. Retrieved from: http://www.civicenterprises.net/MediaLibrary/Docs/econ_value_opportunity_youth.pdf.

6. High school graduates who fail to complete a post-secondary training or degree program are likely to have nearly identical financial and occupational outcomes as high school dropouts • Neild, R. C. & Boccanfuso, C. (2010). Using State unemployment insurance to track student post-secondary outcomes. NASSP Bulletin, 94, 253-273.

7. Wisconsin Economic Future Tied to Career Development “Between 2010-2040, the number of senior residents in Wisconsin will nearly double, increasing from 777,000 to 1,544,000. Over the same time, our working age population will grow from 3,570,000 to 3,585,000, an increase of 0.4%.” Working age population increase: 15,000 Retirement age adults increase: 767,000

8. ILPs and ASCA National Model • Career Development – Skills related to self-exploration, career exploration, and career planning and management • Personal/Social Development – Skills related to career planning and management (See ILP How To Guide) • Academic Development – Align course taking plans with career/life goals (dropout prevention; more rigorous course selection and students with disabilities selecting regular diploma)

9. Simply put… Career readiness drives college readiness

10. Purpose of ILP Webinar • Offer a vision for what quality ILP implementation looks like and rationale for why we should go “all in” for ILPs • Share results from national study of ILPs • Describe what is needed to effectively implement ILPs • Offer technical assistance resources to support school, district and state ILP implementation efforts

11. Seeking virtual interaction…. • Use the text box to send up your questions for us to be able to respond to… • What is your impression of the value of ILPs? • What are some positive outcomes? • What are some challenges? • What do you call ILPs in your state? • What are the characteristics of being career ready • Survey questions • Are you currently using ILPs in your school, district, or state • School counselors - are you working with special education coordinators on ILP implementation?

12. Early challenges expressed… • Need for communication materials • http://www.ncwd-youth.info/ilp was established to house a range of ILP related materials • ILP Fact Sheet was created • Need for ILP activities and curriculum • ILP How to Guide • Need for state leaders to support ILP implementation • Policy Brief

13. Free ILP Resources at: http://www.ncwd-youth.info/ilp

18. Should ILPs be considered a promising practice for developing college and career readiness? Are students with disabilities participating in ILPs? Should ILPs be considered a promising practice for college and career readiness among students with disabilities? Questions Guiding Our Research

19. Family ILP Experiences “It gave [my daughters] a sense that they had chosen [these courses], that they had decided this, that they had set goals around this…” Altarum (2011).  Parent and educator perspectives on ILPs: Final recommendations From a four state report. Report available from Altarum.

20. Family ILP Experiences “[This school] really seems focused on launching adults as opposed to getting through a curriculum…” Altarum (2011).  Parent and educator perspectives on ILPs: Final recommendations From a four state report. Report available from Altarum.

21. Teacher’s ILP Experience “I love it. I absolutely love it. I think it’s a success in that it’s made everyone a stakeholder in where this child is going … the ILP makes the courses and the curriculum the child chooses more relevant. They understand now why they have to take algebra I. They understand now why they have to take biology.” Altarum (2011).  Parent and educator perspectives on ILPs: Final recommendations From a four state report. Report available from Altarum.

22. ILPs and College and Career Readiness • Looking specifically at ILP engagement, results indicate that ILPs are associated with college and career readiness through impact on self-regulation, motivation, and self-efficacy. • These results were not replicated for students with disabilities.

23. Quality Learning Environment Needed to Promote Transition and Career Readiness… • Strong academic preparation • Career development and work-based learning • Connecting activities • Youth development and leadership activities • Family engagement in career exploration Guideposts for Success, NCWD-Y

24. Final Model General Sample

25. Final Model Students with Disabilities

26. Self-determination as a critical outcome • If successful in providing youth with a quality learning environment for promoting transition readiness • Youth will be able to express a choice among a range of viable and attractive options (i.e., volition). Wehmeyer, M. L. (2005). Self-determination and individuals with severe disabilities: Re-examining meanings and misinterpretations. Research and Practice for Persons with Severe Disabilities, 30, 113-120.

27. ILP Pathway to College and Career Readiness

28. What is a Quality ILP? • A document consisting of a youth’s: • Course taking and post-secondary plans aligned to career goals and • Documentation of the range of college and career readiness skills he/she has developed.  • A process for developing • Self-exploration, • Career exploration, and • Career planning and management skills

29. Kentucky - ILP Components 1. 3. 2.

31. Family Involvement General Sample: GPA (std. est. = .023, p. < .001). Career decision-making readiness (std. est. = .030, p. < .000). Distress (std. est. = -.034, p < .000). Disability Sample: GPA (std. est. = .023, p. < .001) Distress (std. est. = -.046, p. < .027).

32. ILP Reactions from Families Altarum (2011).  Parent and educator perspectives on ILPs: Final recommendations From a four state report. Report available from Altarum.

33. ILP Reactions from Educators Altarum (2011).  Parent and educator perspectives on ILPs: Final recommendations From a four state report. Report available from Altarum.

34. Discussion What does “career ready” mean to you?

35. Becoming Career Ready is a Student Who is Able to: • Identify one or more careers of interest • Clearly describe plans to pursue the careers of interest • Connect career plans to personal interests, skills and values • Identify how current courses relate to career plan • Articulate skill and entry requirements for their careers • Engage in additional learning opportunities • Describe their needed skills & future development plan

36. Career Readiness

37. College and Career Readiness for Youth with Disabilities • Completing a career assessment is not enough, youth with disabilities were more likely to be engaged in future work when they: • Received access to a paid work experience while in high school • Had employment goals in their transition IEP • Had identified post-secondary goal in their transition IEP Karpur, A., Brewer, D., Golden, T. Evidence from the NY State program on transition to adulthood for youth with disabilities: Comparative analysis with national data.

38. ILPs and IEPs • ILPs offer a method for ensuring that youth with disabilities are actively participating in the design of their transition IEP plan • ILPs mobilize a whole-school method for increasing access to career development opportunities • Encourage schools to work across departments so that general educators and school counselors are more involved in IEP programming • Ties together all of the IEP accommodations, school reform efforts for improving academic outcomes, and keeps the eye on making it relevant and meaningfiul

39. What resources do school counselors need in order to effectively engage in ILPs • Leadership within the school that explicitly values the importance of engaging in a whole-school implementation of ILPs • Access to ILP activities that are aligned to grade based college and career readiness targets • Access to an online career information system that incorporates an eportfolio • Planning time with a professional learning community of educators

40. How can school counselors more effectively engage in ILPs • Disseminate communication materials to families, educators, and students about the nature and importance of ILPs • Create a strong alliance with special education and career tech education administrators to share in managing a school-wide implementation • Identify home links to ILP activities in order to include family throughout the year • Prepare a syllabus/handbook regarding the ILP curriculum and the grade level college and career readiness skills students will develop

41. What are some promising and exciting ways in which schools can use ILPs • Annual student-led parent-teacher conferences • 8th grade and Senior exit interviews • Work more effectively with students with disabilities to ensure transition IEPs are driven by student’s career and life goals

42. Materials • NCWD/Youth www.ncwd-youth.info • NCWD/Youth ILP Materials www.ncwd-youth.info/ilp • ILP How-to-Guide www.ncwd-youth.info/ilp/how-to-guide • ILP Policy Brief http://www.ncwd-youth.info/ilp/produce-college-and-career-ready-high-school-graduates

43. Questions about the research should be directed to: V. Scott Solberg, Ph. D. Professor and Associate Dean for Research, Boston University 617.358.4224 ssolberg@bu.edu