No abstract

BACKGROUND: Beginning in spring 2012, Wisconsin's Let's Get to Work (LGTW) project spent four years working with pilot school sites and state agency personnel to implement practice and policy changes designed to elevate expectations along with employment outcomes for youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD). This need was underscored by data demonstrating inconsistent transition practices across the state in conjunction with policy obstacles hindering employment for individuals with I/DD. Analysis of Wisconsin's 2010 post-school outcomes survey of high school students who exited in the 2008-09 school year indicated that only 14% with I/DD were employed at integrated competitive jobs. Similarly, individuals with I/DD enrolled in the adult long-term care system achieved community-based employment rates of less than 15%. To foster improved employment outcomes, LGTW employed a multi-level approach including: 1) direct work with high school pilot sites to increase utilization of evidence-based transition practices and identify policy needs; 2) coaching for school staff to implement effective transition strategies, develop resources, and generate policy ideas; 3) quarterly consortium meetings comprised of key state-level stakeholders; and, 4) policy work to formalize and take action on school and consortium recommendations. OBJECTIVE: This article discusses the characteristics and impact of Wisconsin's Let's Get to Work (LGTW) project. CONCLUSION: Over the course of the project, 73% of students who received interventions through school coaching had one or more paid work experience, a strong predictor of employment in adulthood. Numerous local and statewide policy changes were made, including expanded application of project strategies and resources. Analysis of the 2016 post-school outcomes survey data placed the rate of competitive integrated employment for 2014-15 high school exiters with I/DD at 24% in Wisconsin, up 10 percentage points statewide over the six-year period between 2010 and 2016.

The purpose of teacher preparation programs is to ensure that teachers are adequately equipped with the necessary knowledge and skills to support the various educational needs of their students. Nevertheless, a call for a uniform process through which teacher candidates can demonstrate their ability to meet their students’ educational needs using authentic learning environments has been called for. To that end, the American Association of College for Teachers Education (AACTE) partnered with the Stanford Center for Assessment to create a form of assessment that encompasses the three levels of teaching: planning, instruction, and assessment. This multileveled evaluation process is known as the Teacher Performance Assessment or the edTPA. The purpose of this article is to discuss some challenges that have arisen in connection with the implementation of the edTPA. The authors discuss issues such as time commitment, variability of school environments, inconsistent national implementations, and issues specific to special education.

Life after high school for students with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (IDD) looks very different from the lives of their peers without disabilities (Aron & Loprest, 2012; Newman, Wagner, Cameto, Knokey, & Shaver, 2010). Disparities for youth with IDD exist in rates of postschool competitive employment (Gold, Fabian, & Luecking, 2013). For example, secondary analyses of data from the National Longitudinal Transition Study-2 (NLTS2) found that just 27.9% of young adults with significant intellectual disability, autism, and multiple disabilities were employed up to 2 years after leaving high school (Carter, Austin, & Trainor, 2012). Simonsen (2010) found that just 14.2% of young adults with IDD worked in integrated jobs with competitive wages. Early work experiences are also limited. In a study involving more than 130 high school students with IDD, only 16% had paid community employment, compared with the 66% employment rate of youth without disabilities in the same communities during the same time period (Carter et al., 2010). Thus, the challenge of equipping and supporting students with IDD for adult life and meaningful employment is a pressing issue for many communities. At the same time, federal legislation and public policies mandate that the education system implement changes to address poor postschool outcomes. Transition planning requirements added to the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act Amendments of 1997 (IDEA), the Individuals With Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004, and the School-to-Work Opportunities Act of 1994 all called for improved transition planning, career development opportunities, and greater levels of inclusion to advance outcomes (Mazzotti, Test, & Mustian, 2014). Increased impetus on the public education system to facilitate positive outcomes through community employment experiences and high 739406D PSXXX10.

No abstract