Postsecondary Transition

Due to the COVID-19 guidelines, the 2020 Transition Training Institute scheduled for June 22-25, 2020 at the Holiday Inn Executive Center in Columbia was cancelled. PowerPoint slideshows (pdf format) and videos are now available.

• Gathering Transition Resources - Susan Hekmat, Southeast Regional Professional Development Center (RPDC) and Dr. Jennifer Bumble, University of Missouri - St. Louis
• Apprenticeship 101 - Dr. Oscar Carter, Director, Skilled Technical Sciences
• Person Centered Transition Planning: Building a Bridge to the Good Life - Casey Wisdom, Director of Transition Services, Special School District of St. Louis County

The Missouri Interagency Transition Team (MITT) was formed in 2007 by the Office of Special Education at the Missouri Department of Elementary & Secondary Education (DESE) to increase interagency collaboration at the state, regional, and local levels. This state transition team meets quarterly to address data-driven goals for improvement and collaboration with the shared vision of improving employment, independent living, and postsecondary education outcomes for Missouri students with disabilities. MITT provides a venue and mechanism to share information, network, and partner to coordinate professional development activities.

• Membership List (April 2020)
• Meeting Schedule
• Profiles and Projects (January 2020)
• MITT Agency Representation Chart (January 2020)

Missouri Transition Liaisons are practicing teachers from across the state who devote time and energy to increasing the capacity of local level secondary special educators and districts. They work within their own districts to enhance transition practices and programs. Liaisons participate in regular trainings and meetings and disseminate information at the district and regional levels to develop a collaborative network of colleagues focused on issues related to secondary transition of youth with disabilities.

• 2019-20 Liaisons - Last update 12/19

Missouri Postsecondary Success (MPSS) is a multi-year transition and college and career competency (CCC) improvement initiative that provides face-to-face professional development and online support to interdisciplinary high school teams. Teams learn to effectively teach and sustain the development of competencies which lead to success in both career and college settings. Teams analyze data, choose evidence based instruction and work with stakeholders to provide ongoing supports to students as a part of the classroom experience. An overview and description of the MPSS initiative can be found at https://sites.google.com/site/mopostsecondarysuccess/.

For additional resources or if you have questions, please contact your local Regional Professional Development Center (RPDC) or Dr. Barb Gilpin, Barb.Gilpin@dese.mo.gov or 573-751-7661.

Early Warning Signs is a data-driven decision-making process allowing educators to identifying students at-risk by examining the underlying causes, match interventions to student needs, and monitor the progress of interventions. EWS examines five essential areas:

• adult advocates
• academic support
• classroom/social/behavioral issues
• personalized learning environment/Instructional practice
• necessary skills for graduation and postschool success

Using data indicators are most predictive of a given student outcome as a “warning sign” that a student is in trouble. This system allows educators to track interventions assigned to particular students and track the associations between interventions and outcome for students.

• Early Warning Indicators
• "How Early Warning Systems Can Help Your Students and School Succeed" (37-minute video presented by Dr. Robert Balfanz)

If you need additional resources or have questions, please contact your Regional Professional Development Center (RPDC) or Dr. Barb Gilpin, Barb.Gilpin@dese.mo.gov or 573-751-7661.

Check & Connect is a model of sustained intervention for promoting students' engagement with school and learning. Demonstrated outcomes of Check & Connect implementation include 

• decrease in truancy;
• decrease in dropout rates;
• increase in accrual of credits;
• increase in school completion; and
• impact on literacy.

The Check & Connect model originated from a partnership of researchers, practitioners, parents, and students led by the Institute on Community Integration, University of Minnesota.

If you need additional resources or have questions regarding the Check & Connect initiative and training, please contact your Regional Professional Development Center (RPDC) or Dr. Barb Gilpin, Barb.Gilpin@dese.mo.gov or 573-751-7661.  

• Check and Connect Initiative Overview
• Check and Connect: A Comprehensive Student Engagement Intervention - Administrator Overview
• Student Engagement Intervention handout