District Administration - September 2012 - (Page 55)

On bottom, from left to right: A 2012 graduate of the Memphis City Schools works a few hours in the nearby University of Memphis’ library, as part of the College Campus Transition Program. He worked in multiple fields throughout the semester. A girl in the Transition to Adulthood program in Montclair, center, makes lasagna, in preparation for adult living. And, right, another Transition to Adulthood male student is preparing food for same-day surgery patients at Mountainside Hospital in nearby Glen Ridge, N.J. Students temporarily work at various sites in the community to learn skills for the future. Inadequacies in transition planning exist in many districts. “A lot of special education teachers coming out of colleges and universities today haven’t heard of transition coordinators,” says Roger Pierangelo, co-executive director of the National Association of Special Education Teachers. “That position is no longer in many schools because of economics. Every special education teacher who teaches at the secondary level should know transition services forward and backward.” Changing the Landscape The postsecondary landscape and the prospects for students with autism, intellectual www.DistrictAdministration.com disabilities and other learning problems are beginning to change, though, as innovative programs create a different trajectory to the world of work and continuing education. In Tennessee this past year, the Memphis City Schools and the University of Memphis Institute of Disability jointly piloted the College Campus Transition Program (CCTP), which brings high school seniors with moderate disabilities to the UM campus, where they rotate through a series of internships in various university departments. According to the program’s directors at the Memphis schools, Pat Beane and Maurice Williams, the aim is to have these students learn about careers while still in high school, as well as benefit from the considerable resources of the neighboring university. Seven seniors, each with an intellectual disability, participated in CCTP’s inaugural year. During the first half of the yearlong program, based at the University of Memphis (or UM) campus, special education teachers from MCS provide classroom instruction on job preparation, take the students through career and academic assessments, and help them build electronic portfolios of the results. At the same time, the seniors work on learning and practicing life skills as fundamental as making eye contact and September 2012 55 http://www.DistrictAdministration.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of District Administration - September 2012

District Administration - September/October 2012
Contents
From the Editor
Letters
News Update
Curriculum Update
Inside the Law
District Profile
Administrator Profile
Product Focus
Resistance to High-Stakes Testing Spreads
Postgraduation for Special Needs Students
Rick & Becky DuFour
CIo News
Getting the Best ROI in Technology
Shaping a Digital Decade
Professional Opinion
Professional Opinion
Online Edge
Going Mobile
New Products
New Directions

District Administration - September 2012