Running head: Running Project Part Two 1

Name: David Szumlanski Date: March 3, 2017 Title: Running Project Part Two

Running Project Part Two

Or

Career Development and Social Skills Research Analysis: Bolstering the Effectiveness of the

Curriculum and Instruction Domain for the Polk County School Board in Polk County, Florida

David J. Szumlanski

University of Kansas, Spring A 2017

Professor: Ryan Kellems, PhD

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Polk County School Board was recently evaluated in regard to transition by completing

the Quality Indicators Survey with Gregory Kent, the Senior Manager for Transition Services for

the school district. This district scored well in a variety of areas, including the highest score

(3.13 out of 4) in Transition Planning. The assessment revealed the Curriculum and Instruction

domain, with a score of 1.86, to be the area most in need of improvement. Within this domain,

the areas that stood to improve the most with research-based guidance were career development

skills, social skills, and independent living skills. During the initial interview, Kent explained his

ideas and goals for independent living, and knew of innovative programs that may serve as

models for the district. Based upon this, and subsequent communication with Kent, the area of

focus for this paper was narrowed to career development skills and social skills.

The purpose of this paper is to provide information and guidance to transition teachers in

the Polk County School Board as they continue to strive to provide the highest quality of

education possible. It is also the aim of this paper to not merely add to the plate of teachers.

The contents of this paper are meant to strengthen efforts already being made by illuminating

research-based perspectives and drawing attention to the indicators of transition education that

correlate with positive post-school outcomes in the Curriculum and Instruction domain. These

may change the way teachers approach various aspects of instruction, or replace current methods

with more efficacious ones. For the purpose of reader accessibility, this paper is divided into the

following three sections: Literature Review, Website Abstracts, and Summary of Findings.

LITERATURE REVIEW

Several sources provide information on strategies for Career Development and Social

Skills instruction. Detailed information from three articles is included in Table 1.

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Table 1. Information pertinent to Career Development and Social Skills Instruction
References
Trainor, A. A., Smith, S. A.,
& Kim (2012). Four
Supportive Pillars in Career
Exploration and
Development for
Adolescents with LD and
EBD. Intervention in School
and Clinic, 48(1), 15-21.
Purpose(s) of Study
1. Explain importance of
Career Assessment,
Authentic Experiences,
Social Capital, and Self-
Determination for students
with LD and EBD in
relation to positive post-
school outcomes
2. Highlight difference in
needs of students with LD,
EBD (as opposed to
students in general
education), including
students from diverse
backgrounds (particularly
in Social Capital)
3. Provide guidance and
suggestions for
practitioners to strengthen
instruction and
opportunities in the areas
listed above
3
Key Findings
Individualized Formal and
Informal Career
Assessments are necessary
for effective planning
Authentic Experiences,
such as early work
experiences and paid-
employment, are a predictor
of post-secondary
employment; students with
LD and EBD often need
guidance from teachers or
adults in order to benefit
from these optimally.
Peer mentorships in
inclusive work settings
effective strategy to
increase social capital of
youth with disabilities;
characteristics of effective
mentor programs include
Longevity, Communicative,
and Action Oriented.
Students of diverse
backgrounds, particularly
socio-demographic
characteristics such as
gender, race/ethnicity, and
citizenship status, often
experience more limited
social capital. Increasing
connections for these
students is especially
beneficial and necessary.
Self-determination that
pertains to career
development is critical, and
should be practiced in
authentic situations such as
early work experiences.
Specific recommendations
made in the article.
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References
Lindstrom, L., Doren, B., &
Miesch, J. (2011). Waging a
Living: Career Development
and Long-Term Employment
Outcomes for Youth and
Adults with Disabilities.
Exceptional Children, 77(4),
423-434.
4
Purpose(s) of Study Key Findings
1. Examine career Students from diverse
development process and backgrounds (household
post-school employment income, race/ethnicity, etc.)
outcomes of individuals experience differences in
with disabilities employment outcomes
2. Discuss key influences Influences on Initial Post-
upon initial post- School Placement:
secondary job placement Work Experience all
3. Discuss factors that study participants had work
support post-secondary experience in high school
career advancement Transition Services and
Supports teachers, VR
specialists, or service
providers served as
advocates and mentors
during high school.
Transition teachers ought
provide instruction in
resume writing & interview
skills, and should facilitate
site visits to potential
employment or post-school
training opportunities.
Family Support and
expectations females in
study received more family
support than males; teachers
can discuss expectations
with families
Career Advancement:
Postsecondary education &
training all participants
enrolled in some type of
higher education, short-term
training, or other employer-
sponsored coursework.
Stability of Employment
over time increased
likelihood of wage increase
and other opportunities
Personal Attributes
instruction in coping skills,
self-efficacy, & persistence
could benefit students
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References Purpose(s) of Study Key Findings

Ganz, J., Earles-Vollrath, T.,
& Cook, K. (2011). Video
modeling. Teaching
Exceptional Children, 43(6),
8-19.
1. Provide information about
the Video Modeling
strategy and the potential
uses of it.
2. Provide information and
recommendations
regarding implementation
of the strategy with
students of various ages
and abilities.
Versatile, flexible, research-
based strategy that can meet
the needs of a variety of age
groups and objectives,
including social skills.
Autism Spectrum Disorder
referenced, though the
strategy is useful with
students who have other
disabilities as well.
Uses/flexibility social
interactions, daily living
skills, play skills, reduce
problem behaviors, improve
communication skills,
Community Outings,
Responding to adult
requests, Answering/Asking
informational questions
Components of Video
Modeling Strategy ID
target skill, Produce video,
Implement Intervention

WEBSITE ABSTRACTS

The following two websites serve as resources for teachers as they address various

transition-related needs. For the purpose of this paper, the focus upon Career Development and

Social Skills is maintained. The abstracts include information regarding the target audience,

purpose of the site, links and media, resources available, layout of the site, and site navigation.

Project 10: Transition Education Network, is a website developed through a grant from

the Florida Department of Education (Bureau of Exceptional Education and Student Services),

and the University of South Florida. The website, http://Project10.info, is geared toward

professional educators and service providers in Florida, though it could be seen as a resource for
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other states as well (Project10.info website). As evidence, information is disseminated through

newsletters called Tropical Briefs, and the November 2016 includes a section on promising

practices in transition, which would likely be most beneficial to active professionals. The

purpose of the website, as explained on the home page, is to assist Florida school districts and

relevant stakeholders in building capacity to provide secondary transition services to students

with disabilities in order to improve their academic success and post-school outcomes. On the

left hand side of the webpage, one will find a variety of topics displayed in alphabetical order.

Among the twenty topics listed are Career Development, Effective Practices in Transition, and

Online Training. Hovering over certain topic buttons produces additional choices. For instance,

the Effective Practices in Transition button opens up five choices: Student-Focused Planning,

Student Development, Interagency Collaboration, Program Structure, and Family Involvement.

Clicking on one of these takes the viewer to a separate page. The Student Development button

is particularly useful, and provides information about how the topics were selected (based upon

evidence based-practices identified by NTACT), how the information is organized

(alphabetically by topic), and citations. Each topic on the page includes a variety of resources

and website links, with a description of the information one would expect to find on the linked

page. The media type used almost exclusively links to other pertinent sites, as well as the

Tropical Briefs mentioned previously. While navigating the site, the navigation buttons on the

left appear on each page, which makes navigating the site particularly user-friendly. One tip:

when selecting a link that is shared as a webpage, right clicking and selecting open link in new

tab will prevent having to hit the back button to return to the Project10 website. In exploring

the site for its attention to diversity, no explicit mention is made on the front page, though a

search for terms commonly pertaining to diversity abound throughout the website. For instance,
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a Tropical Brief from July 2016 notes that family involvement can have a stronger impact on

students than family socioeconomic levels, and cites a 2010 article by Staples and Diliberto.

This seems to indicate that the staff at Project10 has a finger on the pulse of the needs of learners

in our area with some degree of awareness of diversity. Overall, the website appears current and

regularly updated, has an abundance of accurate information that is pertinent to transition, and is

easy to navigate.

The National Center on Secondary Education and Transition website is another source for

Transition information (ncset.org website). Most of this site is also geared toward practitioners,

with such topics as Academic Standards, Dropout and Graduation, and Professional

Development. There is a section called Youthhood.org which is designed by and for youth.

From the home page, the purpose of the website is that it coordinates national resources, offers

technical assistance, and disseminates information related to secondary education and transition

for youth with disabilities in order to create opportunities for youth to achieve successful

futures. The website communicates with E-Newsletters, though the most recent issue was

posted in March of 2015. This massive website is much easier to navigate from the Topics

button on the left side of the webpage. From here a viewer can see information grouped into five

categories: Teaching and Learning, Postsecondary Education and Employment, Planning and

Community Resources, Youth Development and Family Participation, and Linking Systems

(school and community resource systems). Within Postsecondary Education and Employment,

one can find topics such as career guidance and exploration, self-determination, and employer

engagement. Clicking on an item opens up a page that offers an introduction on the topic, and

links to more specific information: Frequently Asked Questions, Related Research, Emerging

and Promising Practices, NCSET Resources, and Additional Resources. Much like the Project10
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website, the navigation bar is evident to the viewer up until this point, at which time the viewer

will see links to outside websites and resources. Again opening a new page by right-clicking is

helpful. This website features links to other sites over original media, and funding through the

US Department of Education ended in 2008. This could be the reason that some links are no

longer current, though the vast majority of links work properly. In regard to diversity, this

website also does not explicitly mention this topic on the main page, though the search feature

provides many resources for search terms such as: diversity, socio-economic, race, ethnicity,

gender, and sexuality. Overall, this is a mother resource for finding other resources, is

somewhat easy to use, and has plethora information pertinent to transition education.

SUMMARY OF FINDINGS

Within the topic of Transition Curriculum and Instruction, many articles have been

published, and many programs have been developed. The quality of programs can vary greatly

depending upon the type and quality of supporting research. These articles and websites were

selected because each offers different information and resources for teachers and district

personnel. The first two articles in Table 1 feature information that educators could utilize to

focus their efforts upon elements of transition found to be indicators of positive post-school

outcomes. Particularly if efforts by teachers lead to paid employment or work experience,

positive post-school outcomes include increases in education, employment, and independent

living (National Secondary Transition Technical Assistance Center, 2010). The third article

discusses a highly versatile classroom strategy that can be used to address the individualized

needs of students regarding social skills instruction, which could be used to support the various

social-skills needs of students in the district. Social skills instruction has been shown to be a
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predictor of positive post-school outcomes in education and employment. The websites were

selected because of the abundant resources available on each.

Project10 was selected because it can be viewed as an accurate, pertinent resource at an

institution that is relatively close to home. The Polk County School Board could call upon the

University of South Florida to form a partnership of sorts and to help set up additional transition-

related programs in a symbiotic manner. That is to say that by aiding our district, such a

partnership could benefit students and researchers at the university by providing research

opportunities, student observation and internship possibilities, and other potential benefits. The

NCSET website was selected as a mother resource for information on research-based practices

that this paper does not have room to discuss in meaningful detail. Teachers could use this site

to locate strategies to be utilized in the classroom.

While completing this research, several aspects of transition education became more

apparent. The information pertaining to peer mentoring as an effective strategy for transition

makes sense, though this had not surfaced in this particular course. The attention to detail for

this strategy, as evidenced by the inclusion of characteristics of effective mentor programs,

allows a reader to understand some of the elements of implementing the strategy with fidelity.

Additionally, the information about employment stability as an indicator of success makes sense

and was a new take-away.

Because this work is aimed at the specific needs of the school district, the resources were

explored in the areas of Career Development and Social Skills. Within career development,

there seems to be a consensus among sources that paid work experience is one of the most

important factors in a high-quality transition program for students with disabilities. Though each

article approached the subject from different angles, this was a notably similar theme from
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source to source. For social skills, it was preferable to find an article that teachers in the district

could learn to use and implement relatively quickly with students regardless of age (though

considerations to the different ways it may be used with different age-groups is noted in the

article). Thus, I did not find any differences of perspective within this category, though each

website offers several other strategies for (and information pertinent to) social skills instruction.

That is to say that this is also an important facet of a high-quality transition program.

The information from this paper will be utilized in various ways. For one, at the school

at which I teach, I will share this information with our transition teachers. It will be important to

share the importance of these two components within the Curriculum and Instruction domain,

and their buy-in will be necessary. This information can be shared through discussion at

collaborative planning meetings or by discussing the needs of individual students in their care.

The second, and more ambitious goal of this paper is to help our district tackle some specific

areas. The Polk County School Board, under the leadership of Gregory Kent, has made progress

in various areas of transition in recent years, and Kent is aware of a variety of programs and tools

that can help to further bolster the effectiveness of Transition services. It would be deeply

meaningful to be part of that progress, and research contained herein could be viewed as

recommendations for the district, and could also serve as a basis for future Professional

Development opportunities for teachers. The district could overcome the problem of limited

face-to-face time (due to the expansive area that the district covers) with webinars and other

media publications. It is my hope to utilize the knowledge from this course (including things

learned from this assignment in particular) at the school where I teach. I would also like to share

information from this and other courses with teachers in my area by creating professional

development presentations or web content tailored to the needs of my school and district.
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References

Trainor, A. A., Smith, S. A., & Kim, S. (2012). Four Supportive Pillars in Career Exploration

and Development for Adolescents with LD and EBD. Intervention in School and Clinic,

48(1), 15-21.

Lindstrom, L., Doren, B., & Miesch, J. (2011). Waging a Living: Career Development and Long-

Term Employment Outcomes for Youth and Adults with Disabilities. Exceptional

Children, 77(4), 423-434.

Ganz, J., Earles-Vollrath, T., & Cook, K. (2011). Video modeling. Teaching Exceptional

Children, 43(6), 8-19.

Author Unavailable, curated by the University of South Florida (2017 month and day

unavailable). Project 10: Transition Education Network. Retrieved from

http://project10.info.

Curated by Timmons, J. at the University of Minnesota (2016, March 10). National Center on

Secondary Education and Transition. Retrieved from http://www.ncset.org.

National Secondary Transition Technical Assistance Center (2010). Evidence-based practices

and predictors in secondary transition: What we know and what we still need to know.

Charlotte, NC, NSTTAC (now NTACT).