District Contextual Information Form

Evaluation of Transition Supports for Youth with Disabilities: First Phase of Data Collection Activities

Appendix C: Contextual Information Form for Districts

MARCH 2023

Overview of Information on District Transition Programs and Practices Requested for the Charting My Path for Future Success Project

Your district is piloting two new programs intended to help students with disabilities reach their goals after high school—{Program 1 name} and {Program 2 name}. The programs are part of a national U.S. Department Education project called Charting My Path for Future Success. This project includes a study to learn about ways to help students with disabilities succeed as they move from high school to college, careers, and independent living. The American Institutes for Research (AIR) is conducting the study with their partners, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and Social Policy Research Associates.

The form starting on the next page contains summaries of the current and planned transition programs and practices that your district has in place for students with disabilities, beyond what is being implemented for this project. The study team compiled these summaries based on what we learned about your district from conversations during our initial outreach, and through a review of your district’s website.

Please review the information in this form. In cases when the summaries are not fully up-to-date or accurate, we request that you update them to reflect the current status of, and plans for, transition programs/practices in your district. However, please do not make any updates to reflect practices that are being implemented solely for the {Program 1 name} and {Program 2 name} as part of this project.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding this request, please do not hesitate to contact Seth Brown at sbrown@air.org or 781-373-7034.

District Transition Programs/Practices Summary Information Form

1. Does Box 1 below reflect the general set of transition programs/practices that your district is currently implementing for students with disabilities in your district? If not, please revise the description in the box or add notes describing changes. (Note that later sections of this form cover transition supports provided by Vocational Rehabilitation staff; transition programs/practices related to self-determination and self-advocacy; individualized support for students with disabilities; family involvement in transition planning, and staff professional development, training, and technical assistance efforts around transition planning.)

Box 1. Summary of general transition programs/practices in your district

• [Description of 1st program/practice, including: name; use of standardized curriculum/structure and materials; scope of implementation (e.g., districtwide, school-specific); whether required or optional; applicable subpopulations of students (including students on specific transition “pathways”).]

• [Bullet(s) with similar content for each additional program/practice, as needed]

Box 1a. Additional notes from district staff related to Box 1

2. Does Box 2 below reflect your district’s current work with Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) staff to provide Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS) or other transition supports to students with disabilities? If not, please revise the description in the box or add notes describing changes.

Box 2. Summary of your district’s current work with VR staff related to Pre-ETS or other transition supports

[Description of Pre-ETS or other transition supports provided by VR staff within and outside school; scope of implementation (e.g., districtwide, school-specific); number of schools in which services and supports are delivered.]

Box 2a. Additional notes from district staff related to Box 2

Notice of Confidentiality. Information collected for this project comes under the confidentiality and data protection requirements of the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 (Title I, Part E, Section 183) and will be used only for research approved by the U.S. Department of Education. Project reports will summarize patterns and will not associate responses with a specific school or person. Information collected through this form will be used to describe baseline transition processes, programs, and practices in project districts.

According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays an Office of Management and Budget (OMB) control number. The valid OMB control number for this information collection is 1850-0979. The time required to complete this collection of information is estimated to average 2 hours per response, including the time to review instructions, search existing data resources, gather the data needed, and complete and review the information collection. If you have any comments concerning the accuracy of the time estimate, suggestions for improving this form, or comments/concerns regarding the status of your individual submission of this form, please write to: Institute of Education Sciences, NCEE, 550 12th Street SW, Washington, DC 20202.

3. Does Box 3 reflect your district’s current implementation of self-determination/self-advocacy instruction programs and practices for students with disabilities? If not, please revise the description in the box or add notes describing changes.

Box 3. Summary of existing self-determination/self-advocacy instruction programs and practices in your district

• [Whether the district is implementing any self-determination/self-advocacy curricula/programs.]

If yes:

• [Description of 1^st self-determination/self-advocacy curriculum/program, including: name; scope and duration of implementation; student participation criteria; whether required or optional; applicability and availability for students on particular transition pathways; aspects of transition planning covered by the program/curriculum; format of delivery (e.g., full classroom, group-based, or one-on-one); delivery staff; hours, frequency, and duration of participation; place of instruction; involvement of outside organizations in implementation or delivery; whether curriculum/program includes family engagement]

• [Bullet(s) with similar content for each additional curriculum/program, as needed]

• [Description of self-determination/self-advocacy instruction offered as part of VR programs and/or Pre-ETS, including: list of skills taught; and number of schools offering instruction]

Box 3a. Additional notes from district staff related to Box 3.

4. Does Box 4 reflect the individualized support programs and practices currently available in your district to help students with disabilities prepare for college/careers? If not, please revise the description in the box or add notes describing changes.

Box 4. Summary of existing individualized transition supports for students with disabilities in your district

• [Whether the district is implementing any individualized programs/practices for students with disabilities related to college or career preparation.]

If yes:

• [Description of 1^st individualized support program/practice, including: name or type of approach (e.g. coaching/mentoring); scope and duration of implementation; applicable subpopulations of students (including students on specific transition pathways); student participation criteria; whether required or optional; specific guidelines or requirements for focus of supports (e.g., formal instruction, student activities, skill-building, progress towards post-school goals); whether supports are differentiated based on student needs; delivery staff; hours, frequency, and duration of participation; place of delivery/participation; involvement of outside organizations in implementation; whether program/practice includes family engagement]

• [Bullet(s) with similar content for each additional program/practice, as needed]

Box 4a. Additional notes from district staff related to Box 4

5. Does Box 5 reflect how your district currently facilitates family involvement in the transition planning process for students with disabilities? If not, please revise the description in the box or add notes describing changes.

Box 5. Summary of your district’s existing practices to involve families in transition planning

• [Information about how district staff engage with students’ families, including: whether dedicated staff work with families; frequency of engagement; format of engagement (e.g., virtual or in-person); trainings or resources offered to parents/families; involvement of outside organizations in providing information or supports to families; procedures agreed to with Parent’s Association.]

Box 5a. Additional notes from district staff related to Box 5

6. Does Box 6 reflect recent or upcoming (over the next two years) professional development, training, and technical assistance efforts for staff in your district related to transition planning or delivery of transition programs/practices or individual supports? If not, please revise the description in the box or add notes describing changes.

Box 6. Summary of transition-related professional development, training, and technical assistance for your district’s staff

• [Information about professional development, training, or technical assistance efforts in the district, including: support for teachers or other school staff in transition planning, delivery of transition programs/practices or delivery of individualized supports; and plans for such professional development, training, or technical assistance in the coming 2 years.]

Box 6a. Additional notes from district related to Box 6