Running head: TRANSITION ACTION PLAN 1

Transition Action Plan

Jen Cwik

University of Colorado Denver

TRANSITION ACTION PLAN 2

Abstract

In this paper, you will find an in depth look into a student and the beginning of his

transition process. This student is in 4th grade, and is in the “career awareness” phase of the

transition process. The student, named KM for the purpose of this paper, participates in a unit

that involves reading, spelling, and writing in order to reach the final product of self-awareness

and, further, career awareness.

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Introduction and Assessment Plan

Student Privacy Agreement

Parent and Student both agreed/signed the permission form on 9/7/2019. I signed the

Student Privacy Agreement on 9/11/2019.

Student Interview

KM is a student in 4th grade at FV Elementary and has an IEP for Speech or Language

Impairment and Serious Emotional Disability. KM is a friendly and considerate child. He is

interested in drawing and any form of artistic expression. He loves building things and making

sculptures out of other objects. He is protective and loving when discussing his Mom and

younger sister, and is always thinking about them during school.

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KM feels conflicted when he is at school. He is constantly worried about his Mom and

sister, and so he feels sad at school at times when he thinks about them. When he is focused on

school, he loves to read and likes helping people in his classroom.

KM does not know what he wants to do as a job in the future. He knows that he likes to

make art, but he does not know what he could do with this skill in the future. He wants to make

money to take care of his Mom and sister.

KM does not know that he has an IEP. He said that he goes to work with Ms. P, the

speech teacher, but does not know why they work together with her and other students. He also

knows that he meets with Ms. S, the school psychologist, and knows that he talks with her when

he is feeling sad or worried. KM does not know what an IEP is or what it means for students like

himself.

IEP Information

From his IEP, his strengths are listed as: KM is a kind, sensitive student with a great

sense of humor. He enjoys reading spooky books, like Goosebumps. He also loves to draw and

write stories. Delays in expressive language impede KM’s ability to communicate for academic

and social purposes. Deficits in expressive language may make it difficult for KM to

communicate in a clear and effective manner. KM's pervasive feelings of sadness can have a

significant effect on his ability to participate in academic and social aspects of his school day.

KM receives 30 minutes a week of direct intervention with the School Psychologist. KM

also receives 120 minutes a month of direct intervention with the Speech and Language
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Pathologist. These interventions both occur outside of the general education classroom, with

KM remaining in the general education classroom 80% of the time.

KM’s ACCESS Scores are as follows: Listening 6.0, Reading 2.8, Speaking 4.1, Writing

3.3, Literacy 3.2. KM’s overall score of 3.7 is in the high range of Limited English Proficient

(LEP). KM’s most recent CMAS scores are 689 in English Language Arts (Did Not Meet

Expectations) and 708 in Mathematics (Partially Met Expectations).

KM’s 3 IEP Goals are as follows: “By 3/11/2020, when in mental health sessions, KM

will be able to independently identify at least 3 positive coping skills he can use in the classroom

when experiencing emotion dysregulation with 100% accuracy. KM will identify the main idea

and 2-3 supporting details, using full and complete sentences, after being read 3-4 paragraphs of

informational text, with 80% accuracy, given mild decreasing to no cues, as measured by SLP

records. KM will demonstrate 80% accuracy in formulating grammatical sentences in structured

activities (i.e., is/are, word order, irregular past tense verbs) given minimal cueing, as measured

by SLP records.”
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Assessment Plan

Assessment Educat Career Indep. Communi Social Rec. and

ion Living cation Interacti Leisure
on

CMAS X

Life Skills Inventory X

Dream Sheet X

Observation (during recess) X

ACCESS Test X

Interest Survey X

Assessment Rationale

For the Education category of assessment, I chose to use the CMAS test, or Colorado

Measure of Academic Standards. This test is a comprehensive English Language Arts and

Mathematics test that compares students to those in their same grade level all over the state of

Colorado. This test will help me compare KM to his grade level peers in terms of academic

achievement and growth. This will help KM identify post-secondary education goals based on

his academic achievement.

For the Independent Living category of assessment, I chose to use the Life Skills

Inventory questionnaire. This assessment uses a leveling system to find the student’s baseline of

living skills in 15 different categories. This assessment is typically given to high school
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students, but I think it will be interesting to give this questionnaire to KM because it will allow

him to see his future independent living goals.

For the Career category of assessment, I chose to use the Dream Sheet. The Dream Sheet

helps students discuss “hopes, dreams and concerns about the student’s future,” which is crucial

in creating a vision for the future (Roberts & Karan, 2012).

For the Social Interaction category of assessment, I chose to use the Observation tool. I

think that using an observation tool for KM will help me better understand his current levels of

social interaction with peers, to then help set transition goals regarding his social interaction

skills. These communication skills and goals are also part of his annual goals on his IEP, and

this tells me that these interaction skills are a priority for KM. Identifying questions and

priorities are important in understanding which skills are crucial to assess for a particular student

(Roberts & Karan, 2012).

For the Communication category of assessment, I chose to use the ACCESS test. This

test assesses students in a variety of English language communication skills, including listening,

reading, speaking, writing, and literacy. This test is a great indicator for students oral and

auditory communication skills because it separately tests each of these categories.

For the Recreation and Leisure category of assessment, I chose to use an Interest Survey.

I think that an interest survey will help KM better identify his strengths and interests inside and

outside of school. I think that KM has trouble identifying his strengths and interests on his own,

and so a survey with categories and prompts will help spark ideas. This also gives KM and I
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time to discuss different hobbies and activities, establishing a rapport that is important to the

assessment process (Roberts & Karan, 2012).

Summary of Assessment Results

I gathered assessment data through past assessments given to KM and administered some

assessments myself as well.

For the Education category of assessment, I chose to use the CMAS test, or Colorado

Measure of Academic Standards. The results I gathered were that KM did not meet expectations

set by the state of Colorado and was in the 12th percentile as compared to his peers in English

Language Arts proficiency.

For the Independent Living category of assessment, I chose to use the Life Skills

Inventory questionnaire. In the 15 categories, KM scored mostly Basic. Money

Management/Consumer Awareness (Basic), Food Management (Basic), Personal Appearance

and Hygiene (Intermediate), Health (Basic), Housekeeping (Basic), Housing (Basic),

Transportation (Basic), Educational Planning (Basic), Job Seeking Skills (Basic), Job

Maintenance Skills (Basic), Emergency and Safety Skills (Basic), Knowledge of Community

Resources (Basic), Interpersonal Skills (Advanced), Legal Skills (Basic), and Pregnancy

Prevention/Parenting and Child Care (Basic). I believe that these Basic scores are due mostly to

his age and limited life experience, not based on his intellectual abilities.

For the Career category of assessment, I chose to use the Dream Sheet. Through this

assessment, KM identified his future goal of being a stuffed animal creator, and he identified
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supports and steps to get there. I thought the resource of “someone who already works there”

was a very intuitive resource and showed great awareness.

For the Social Interaction category of assessment, I chose to use the Observation tool. I

conducted an observation of KM during his recess outside with peers. I observed him interacting

socially, and I noted that his interactions were abrupt when a conflict arose between him and a

peer. He didn’t work through the problem or use words, he just retreated from the problem and

was upset.

For the Communication category of assessment, I chose to use the ACCESS test. KM

scored 3.5 Overall, with 6 being Fully English Proficient. His strengths from his scores were in

the Speaking and Writing domains, and his weakness was in the Reading comprehension

domain.

For the Recreation and Leisure category of assessment, I chose to use an Interest Survey.

I used the Leisure Interest Survey to understand current levels of community engagement and

recreation activities. KM answered “no” for a lot of the activities, but some of the activities he

has done before and would participate in again. For “currently doing” he did not have that many

activities.

Through my assessments, I learned of many strengths and weaknesses of KM. Through

the Life Skills Inventory, I learned that his Personal Appearance and Hygiene skills are at the

intermediate level and his Interpersonal Skills are at the advanced level. I think this is extremely

positive when looking at him through a transition lens because these strengths will serve him

well in a place of employment in the future. I think that through the Recreation and Leisure

assessment, his answers of “Interested in Doing” were numerous, meaning that he is willing to
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try new things and learn new skills and hobbies. He is not apprehensive to expand his current

life. Through his Dream Sheet assessment focusing on career goals, he did a great job

identifying resources in his parent and teachers in order to help him reach his goal. He also

could independently identify tangible action steps in order to work towards his goal, which I

think is a great strength. In his ACCESS scores to assess for communication, his speaking score

was very high (4.1), which shows that this is one of his strengths.

Area of weaknesses identified through the assessments were many different life skills.

Because KM is only 9, I think that these weaknesses will only improve with time. KM’s

weaknesses also could be shown through his recreation and leisure assessment, due to the fact

that he has not participated in many different extracurricular activities. Again, hopefully this

changes as he gets older and can be more in charge of his life experiences. In his ACCESS

language scores, his reading score was very low (2.6), showing that this comprehension is also

one of KM’s weaknesses.

I notice some similarities and differences between these assessment results and the results

of past assessments that are listed on his IEP. I think that a clear difference is his IEP goal about

speaking identifies this as a deficit area for him, and yet his ACCESS score for Speaking is very

high. I think that his is something to consider being reevaluated as a primary area of concern for

him. I think that a similarity could be his feelings of pervasive sadness, as through my

observation of him, he did not communicate his feelings with his peer in a productive way during

a game at recess. I think that his interpersonal skills are very advanced at times, but can be

obviously changed due to his extreme mood dips.

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I think that a theme that I saw across assessments is KM’s variance in his performance

due to mood. I think that at times, he may be hard to communicate with and he has difficulty

with tests such as the CMAS or ACCESS reading tests. I think that at other times, he is

extremely productive, motivated, and forward-focused, as he was during our Dream Sheet and

Recreation and Leisure assessments. I think that KM’s depression-like symptoms impact his

learning in a very real and unpredictable way, and we need to work on coping skills to help him

control his moods and continue to persevere through school to reach his goals.

I think that when interacting with teachers one-on-one, as in the assessments that I

performed on him, he reacts in a more positive and motivated way. I believe he enjoys the

interactions and, therefore, the results are more positive. Assessments like CMAS or ACCESS

show lower scores on his comprehension because he is taking these exams alone and has to

control his feelings and motivation on his own, which is difficult for him.

Based on KM’s age and instructional levels, I have identified his learning goals for this

project to be: Reading Comprehension, Spelling, Oral Expression, and Self-Awareness. I

identified these goals by analyzing KM’s previous assessment data and the data I collected, as

well as looking at his IEP goals and have found that these learning goals will be relevant to him

and his transition.

I am proud of the assessments that I chose and the information that I gathered. I think

that I have learned a lot about KM and can better identify transition goals for him now that I

have gathered this data. I think that the assessments I chose were relevant and productive pieces

of data. I would like to gather more information from KM’s Mom about her vision for KM’s
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future, as this is important to note because KM is still young and under the care of Mom. I think

that her input would be valuable to our transition process for KM in the future.

In the future, I would conduct more assessments involving parents, especially with a

student as young as KM. His answers were as honest as he could be, but I would have

appreciated the parent input, especially on the Life Skills Inventory. I think that if I were

actually in charge of KM’s transition process, I would have a better relationship with KM’s Mom

in order to gather more information about KM and make better future goals. At this moment,

that would be hard for me to do because I am not his case manager, and she might not understand

why I would be asking all of these questions so early in his transition process. Also, the

language barrier is a difficulty when communicating with KM’s Mom, and so I would need to

have all assessments for her translated.

Assessment Protocols

Attached.

Instructional Plan

I. Unit Title: Literacy Skills

II. Unit Learning Goals:

A. Reading Comprehension

B. Spelling

C. Oral Expression

D. Self-Awareness

III. Student Portfolio

A. What are your goals for the portfolio?

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1. The goal of this portfolio is to demonstrate proficiency on the learning

goals through work in reading comprehension, spelling, self awareness

and oral expression. I think that this portfolio will encompass all of these

goals through a comprehensive final project that will use these learning

goals together.

B. What will you create as a final product?

1. The final product is to combine these learning goals and lessons in a final

project of an Autobiography Poem. This poem will combine the learning

goals and lessons together in a final display of what KM has learned and

worked on through the lessons.

C. How will it be integrated into your lesson plans?

1. The Autobiography Poem will be a final project at the end of the 4

lessons. The lessons will each teach a skill that will be needed for KM to

complete the final project as a culmination of what he has learned. This

poem will be written and read aloud.

IV. Lesson Plan Ideas

A. Lesson 1: Reading Comprehension

1. Curriculum: Wonders Reading Program by McGraw-Hill. I will use a

poetry lesson from the 4th Grade Reading/Writing Workshop textbook.

2. Learning goal: Reading Comprehension - KM will be able to fluently read

a piece of poetry and respond to questions about its sensory language.

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3. Brief summary of the lesson (What, where, when, how, length): The

lesson will be taught in a small group setting, using the Reading/Writing

Workshop textbook and worksheet. KM will read the poem and identify

and write down sensory language words and discuss how they contribute

to the purpose and theme of the poem. This lesson will take 20 minutes

over 2 days.

4. Rationale for this lesson: Based on KM’s ACCESS and CMAS scores, his

reading comprehension is an area of weakness. Through this lesson, I

hope to improve upon his reading comprehension skills through reading

poetry.

5. Identify the products or skills that will relate to the transition portfolio:

KM will compile a list of sensory words from this lesson to use in his final

Autobiography Poem.

6. How will you know the learning goals have been met? The learning goal

will be identified as met when KM can show expression in reading the

poem aloud and be able to identify sensory words with peer and teacher

assistance as measured by writing them on the worksheet.

B. Lesson 2: Spelling

1. Curriculum or resource: Structured Literacy Program (produced by the

CDE, research-based early-literacy program for all students as a Tier-1

instructional resource).
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2. Learning goal: Spelling - KM will be able to spell multisyllabic words

combining multiple syllable types by using knowledge of syllabication.

3. Brief summary of the lesson (What, where, when, how, length): This

lesson will be taught in a whole group setting, 45 minutes a day over an

indefinite time period (daily lesson that is adjusted based on student’s

responses and needs). The lesson structure is the same every day: Sound

Deck, Sounds to Spell, Words to Read, Words to Spell, New Learning,

and Learned Words. Currently, KM’s class is working in the 3rd grade

scope and sequence and working on closed, silent-e, open, and vowel team

syllables.

4. Rationale for this lesson: The rationale for this lesson is to help KM with

his writing abilities and have this knowledge of spelling transfer to his

final project of the Autobiography Poem. This Structured Literacy

Program is research-based and will help students of all levels of

proficiency become better readers and spellers by learning all the rules of

the English language. This program especially is great for English

Learners, like KM.

5. Identify the products or skills that will relate to the transition portfolio:

This lesson will have daily products of spelling and correcting errors in his

Structured Literacy notebook. These skills will transfer into his final

product of the Autobiography Poem as KM will need to use his spelling

knowledge when writing his own poem.

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6. How will you know the learning goals have been met? The learning goal

will be identified as met when KM can show proficiency in spelling

multisyllabic words as measured in his Structured Literacy notebook in the

Words to Spell section with little to no spelling errors.

C. Lesson 3: Oral Expression

1. Curriculum: Wonders Reading Program by McGraw Hill. I will use a

poetry lesson from the 4th Grade Reading/Writing Workshop textbook.

2. Learning goals: Oral Expression - KM will be able to fluently read aloud a

poem with expression and accuracy to a small group using a poem from

the Reading/Writing Workshop text. KM will use his knowledge of

decoding multisyllabic words in order to reach this goal.

3. Brief summary of the lesson (What, where, when, how, length): This

lesson will encourage oral reading fluency and expression. KM will

become familiar with the poem through the small group lesson, and will

orally read the poem using a whisper phone to hear his own oral reading

fluency. He will practice this poem over a few days during silent reading

time before orally reading the poem aloud to his small group with fluency,

expression, and accuracy.

4. Rationale for this lesson: In KM’s IEP, one of his speech and language

goals is to combine sounds into multisyllabic words with accuracy, which

is met through this oral expression lesson. Through observation, KM also

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needs to work on his oral reading fluency and expression and that is

accomplished through this lesson as well.

5. Identify the products or skills that will relate to the transition portfolio:

The product of this lesson is an oral presentation, witnessed by teacher and

peers in a small group setting. KM can also reflect on this oral

presentation and use the reflection in order to improve upon his oral

expression in his final project.

6. How will you know the learning goals have been met? The learning goal

will be identified as met when KM can show proficiency in oral reading

fluency through orally reading the poem with expression and accuracy.

D. Lesson 4: Self-Awareness

1. Curriculum: “Heart Map” resource from online resource of self-awareness

lesson

2. Learning goal: Self-Awareness - KM will be able to identify what inspires

him as a writer by using a Heart Map.

3. Brief summary of the lesson (What, where, when, how, length): This

lesson will be taught in a small group with the blank Heart Map for each

student. The lesson will be 45 minutes, and students will create a Heart

Map of their own, after watching the teacher model. They will brainstorm

things, people, places, words that are important to them and inspires them

in their writing. They will discuss with peers and then write down these

ideas in their own Heart Maps. “Writers often write about their own
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feelings, hopes, memories, and things they care about most” is the basis

and takeaway for the lesson.

4. Rationale for this lesson: In order to increase KM’s self-awareness, this

lesson will help KM identify things that he cares about. Through the

Dream Sheet assessment, I learned that KM’s future goals are limited, and

increasing self-awareness will help with identifying these future goals.

5. Identify the products or skills that will relate to the transition portfolio:

The Heart Map is the product of this lesson, and will be used when

planning KM’s Autobiography Poem.

6. How will you know the learning goals have been met? The learning goal

will be identified as met when KM can show proficiency writing at least

10 ideas on his Heart Map as identified as inspiring to him.

Rationale of Lessons

I chose these lessons specifically to begin the process of transition with KM. Since he is

so young, the transition process for him needs to begin with an overall vision for the future

(Roberts & Karan, 2012). Identifying a student’s “hopes, dreams and concerns about the

student’s future,” is the first step in any transition and helps to create an overall vision for the

student’s transition process (Roberts & Karan, 2012). Again, due to KM’s young age, I think

that this is the most appropriate place to start and to really cultivate his vision before moving

forward with any sort of transition goal or plan.

I believe that KM’s current vision of becoming a stuffed animal creator is a dream for the

future, but he needs to eventually better understand the employment steps he will need to take to
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achieve this dream. I think that KM will need to have other employment experiences before he

can reach his goal, and creating this vision will help his transition team identify which other jobs

will be a good fit for KM before he attempts to meet his final career goal.

From the Transition Coalition website in the “Employment Outcomes” Learning Module,

it identified “Career Awareness” as an appropriate goal for ages preschool through 6th grade

(2019). KM falls right in this age range, and so I know that it is important for him to discover

different work environments and the purpose of work in general. As students begin to become

aware of different careers and employment, they will connect that employment can help make a

fulfilling life.

The lessons I chose all work together in an overall “Literacy Unit.” This unit meets four

different learning goals. The learning goals all work together to support KM in completing the

final project of the Autobiography Poem. This final project poem will encompass KM’s future

vision through displaying self-awareness and future minded-thinking in his writing. The four

lesson goals I have identified in this unit are reading comprehension, spelling, oral expression,

and self-awareness. Through the assessments I gave KM and through his previous assessment

data, I identified each of these learning goals as areas of need for KM. I believe that each of the

lessons I have created will help KM reach these goals, and in turn, become more aware of his

vision for his future.

I chose the learning goal of reading comprehension through looking into past assessment

data. Based on KM’s ACCESS and CMAS scores, his reading comprehension is an area of

weakness. Through the lesson, I hope to improve upon his reading comprehension skills through

reading poetry.
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I chose the learning goal of spelling because I knew that this goal would contribute

directly to the final project of writing his own poem. Through the lesson, I hope to improve

upon KM’s spelling skills in order to demonstrate proficiency in this important academic and life

skill.

I chose the learning goal of oral expression because this is a skill listed as a weakness on

KM’s IEP. His IEP directly states that delays in expressive language impede KM’s ability to

communicate for academic and social purposes. Although the ACCESS scores show that his

speaking score was his strength and the highest of all of the domains (4.1), I still think that this

area of oral expression is something to focus on until his IEP goals are reevaluated.

I chose the learning goal of self-awareness in order to increase KM’s awareness of

himself and his future goals. Through my readings and learnings, I know that KM is in the

crucial transition period of becoming aware of careers, and that becoming self-aware is an

important step in creating a vision for his future (Roberts & Karan, 2012).

In the article ​Universal Design for Transition: A Conceptual Framework for Blending

Academics and Transition Instruction​ written by Bruno and Scott, I learned more about the

intersection between academics and transition skills (2018). The article states that “The School

to Work Act was developed to promote the connection of academic content to workplace skills

to engage student interests and increase academic achievement” (Bruno & Scott, 2018). I

believe that my Unit plan does just this. My Unit plan takes academic skills and merges them

with future-focused planning in order to connect content to workplace skills. I believe that it is

important to create the connection early between academics and workplace readiness so that

students understand the importance that school has on their future employment outcomes.
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The lessons build on one another in a unit that is culminated by the final project of the

Autobiography Poem. This poem will include lines of “I am” statements, identifying different

aspects of who KM believes that he is. This project will utilize skills mastered in each of the

previously taught lessons, and each lesson plays an important role in the ability of KM to

complete this final project. Without the lessons, he would not be able to write the

Autobiography Poem to proficiency. I believe that the Autobiography Poem will be a beautiful

reminder to KM about who he is and what he wants for himself in his future. I think that this

self-awareness is important in supporting KM’s independence in that he has identified goals and

a vision and his next steps will be an action plan of how to reach that vision.

As an additional activity, I would love to have KM participate in a career interest survey

or exploration on one of the many websites available. Due to time constraints, I am not able to

walk him through one of these websites at the moment, but I think that eventually this would be

very meaningful to his transition process. I think that because of his young age and limited life

and community experiences, KM does not know many of the career options he could pursue. I

think that a career exploration on a website could really open his eyes to the possibilities that he

could have.

Lesson Plan Reflections

I. Lesson Title: Reading Comprehension

A. Were you able to complete this lesson?

1. Yes, I completed this lesson during the week of November 11th-15th.

B. Did this lesson go as planned? List any surprises or unforeseen challenges.

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1. The lesson went well overall. KM’s fluency was a barrier during this

lesson, as he needed help decoding some words and did not know the

meanings of some words.

C. What was the student reaction to the lesson?

1. KM loved the lesson! He enjoyed the poem and discussing the sensory

details. He said that this is the first poem he has ever read!

D. Was the learner(s) engaged? How do you know?

1. Yes, KM participated in this lesson with a small group of students, and

they were all engaged in conversation as well as intentional work trying to

identify sensory details in the poem. They were talking with each other,

asking questions, and writing the sensory details on their worksheets.

E. Was the learning goal met? How do you know?

1. The learning goal was met when KM showed expression in reading the

poem aloud and be able to identify sensory words with peer and teacher

assistance as measured by writing them on the worksheet.

F. What went well overall?

1. Students were excited by the poetry, as it was a new piece of reading for

them. They also were excited to find the sensory details, like a scavenger

hunt.

G. What can be improved (lesson, delivery, timing, methods used, etc):

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1. My small group was 6 students for this lesson, and I might try to do this

lesson with a smaller group as many as 3 students. This could make for

more focused participation from each student.

H. What changes would you make in the future?

1. In the future, I would make the reading passage leveled lower so that KM

would not have trouble decoding and reading and could just focus on the

comprehension.

II. Lesson Title: Spelling

A. Were you able to complete this lesson?

1. Yes, I completed this lesson during the week of November 11th-15th.

B. Did this lesson go as planned? List any surprises or unforeseen challenges.

1. During this week, my lessons went mostly as planned. My only unforseen

challenge was that my students did not have the prior knowledge I thought

they would for learning the doubling and dropping-e rules of adding

inflectional endings.

C. What was the student reaction to the lesson?

1. KM worked hard during this lesson. He had trouble “spotting” the vowels

at times, but by Thursday he was able to add endings with accuracy.

D. Was the learner(s) engaged? How do you know?

1. KM was engaged in the lesson. I know this because he spelled all the

words and sentences in his spelling notebook, correcting errors as well.

E. Was the learning goal met? How do you know?

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1. KM was able to spell multisyllabic words combining multiple syllable

types by using knowledge of syllabication.

F. What went well overall?

1. After multiple lessons, KM was able to drop-e or double to add

inflectional endings. This will improve his accuracy in spelling in his

writing.

G. What can be improved (lesson, delivery, timing, methods used, etc):

1. KM would benefit from using finger tapping strategies to help him decode

and spell multisyllabic words.

H. What changes would you make in the future?

1. In the future, I would test prerequisite spelling skills before starting a

lesson to know how much my students remember from the previous year.

III. Lesson Title: Oral Expression

A. Were you able to complete this lesson?

1. Yes, I completed this lesson during the week of November 11th-15th.

B. Did this lesson go as planned? List any surprises or unforeseen challenges.

1. The lesson went well overall. KM’s fluency was a barrier during this

lesson, as he needed help decoding some words and did not know the

meanings of some words.

C. What was the student reaction to the lesson?

1. KM enjoyed reading the poem and tried very hard to read with expression.

He practiced the poem over many days.

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D. Was the learner(s) engaged? How do you know?

1. Yes, KM read the poem in the small group and also practiced reading the

poem on his own! It was awesome to see him practice reading on his own

without being asked to.

E. Was the learning goal met? How do you know?

1. KM was able to fluently read aloud a poem with expression and accuracy

to a small group using a poem from the Reading/Writing Workshop text.

KM will use his knowledge of decoding multisyllabic words in order to

reach this goal.

F. What went well overall?

1. KM worked hard on his fluency, improving his accuracy each time he

read.

G. What can be improved (lesson, delivery, timing, methods used, etc):

1. Next time, I would make the reading passage easier so that KM could

focus on his fluency more than his accuracy.

H. What changes would you make in the future?

1. In the future, I would make the reading passage leveled lower so that KM

would not have trouble decoding and reading and could just focus on

fluency.

IV. Lesson Title: Self-Awareness

A. Were you able to complete this lesson?

1. Yes, I completed this lesson during the week of November 11th-15th.

TRANSITION ACTION PLAN 26

B. Did this lesson go as planned? List any surprises or unforeseen challenges.

1. This lesson was a big success! I think that KM enjoyed focusing on

himself and his priorities to complete his Heart Map.

C. What was the student reaction to the lesson?

1. KM and I worked together to brainstorm and write things, people, places

and words that are important to him and inspire him.

D. Was the learner(s) engaged? How do you know?

1. Together, KM and I worked on his Heart Map for 15 minutes a day for 4

days in a row. He was focused and engaged, brainstorming and writing

the entire time during our group.

E. Was the learning goal met? How do you know?

1. KM was able to identify what inspires him as a writer by using a Heart

Map.

F. What went well overall?

1. Overall, I feel that KM was very self-aware and honest during our

brainstorming and discussion. He was introspective and thoughtful.

G. What can be improved (lesson, delivery, timing, methods used, etc):

1. I would improve my lesson by possibly using an online platform to make

the Heart Map. This could allow us to input pictures instead of just words.

H. What changes would you make in the future?

1. Next time, I would do this as a whole group lesson. I think that each of my

students could benefit from this self-awareness activity.

TRANSITION ACTION PLAN 27

Final Portfolio

The goal of this portfolio is to demonstrate proficiency on the learning goals through

work in reading comprehension, spelling, self awareness and oral expression. I think that this

portfolio will encompass all of these goals through a comprehensive final project that will use

these learning goals together. The final product is to combine these learning goals and lessons in

a final project of an Autobiography Poem. This poem will combine the learning goals and

lessons together in a final display of what KM has learned and worked on through the lessons.

The Autobiography Poem will be a final project at the end of the 4 lessons. The lessons will

each teach a skill that will be needed for KM to complete the final project as a culmination of

what he has learned. This poem will be written and read aloud.
TRANSITION ACTION PLAN 28

Student Component:

I have included this Heart Map

template to show what KM used

as his format for brainstorming

things that are important to him.

In order to increase KM’s

self-awareness, this lesson

helped KM identify things that

he cares about. Through the

Dream Sheet assessment, I

learned that KM’s future goals

are limited, and increasing

self-awareness will help with

identifying these future goals.

TRANSITION ACTION PLAN 29

I have included the poem and sensory

details sort in this portfolio to show

what was used during the lessons in

the lesson plan. Based on KM’s

ACCESS and CMAS scores, his

reading comprehension is an area of

weakness. Through this lesson, I

hoped to improve upon his reading

comprehension skills through reading

poetry. The poem I chose was called

“My Name is Ivy,” which discussed

why a girl was named that, and

related to self-awareness, one of

KM’s goals as well.

The sensory details

sheet was a necessary

scaffold to help KM

organize his sensory

detail thoughts.
TRANSITION ACTION PLAN 30

I included the Autobiography Poem

as the final product of the Transition

Portfolio. KM did an excellent job

being introspective, and wrote a

beautiful poem. He was able to

identify important things to him,

thoughts and wonderings--increasing

his self awareness. Through his

increase in self-awareness, as he

matures, this will help him to

identify career goals and dreams.

TRANSITION ACTION PLAN 31

Parent Component:
TRANSITION ACTION PLAN 32

I. Independent Living Checklist

A. I think that independent living goals are a really unique part of the transition IEP

process. I think that parent input as well as a student completing this form would

be very eye opening to teachers who might not know the student's independent

living skills/knowledge. I also chose this resource because it came with an

English and Spanish version, which is sometimes hard to find in resources!

B. "This checklist is designed to help the IEP team decide if a student needs a

postsecondary goal in the area of independent living" Members of the IEP team

can fill this form out and decide through the responses if the student needs

independent living goals on his/her IEP.

C. The checklist has 5 areas of focus: Home Living, Household & Money

Management, TransportationLaw & Politics, Personal Safety and Interpersonal

Relationships, Self-Advocacy. The adults filling out the survey will choose:

1. Yes – performs independently and consistently

2. No – performs inconsistently or not at all; consider an independent living

goal

3. NA – not an area of independence being considered at this time

D. From the responses, independent living goals can be considered and prioritized

E. I would give this checklist to each adult in the students life, asking them to fill it

out honestly and independently from one another. I would also give the checklist
TRANSITION ACTION PLAN 33

to the student or ask them the questions from it. I think that compiling answers

from multiple sources and then coming together to analyze the results would be

helpful for determining if an independent living goal is the course of action. Even

though my student is younger, I believe that independent skills are important for

his parents to know and understand.

https://transitioncoalition.org/blog/tc-materials/independent-living-checklist/
TRANSITION ACTION PLAN 34

Rationale of Portfolio

Transition Portfolios are important in order to focus your transition skills and academic

goals. The portfolio is a final culmination of what the student has been working on in class that

is focused on the future. From the Transition Coalition website in the “Employment Outcomes”

Learning Module, it identified “Career Awareness” as an appropriate goal for ages preschool

through 6th grade (2019). When working with a student as young as KM, it was important for

me to blend his academic skills with self-awareness activities because that is the phase he is

currently in his transition journey. Through my readings and learnings, I know that KM is in the

crucial transition period of becoming aware of careers, and that becoming self-aware is an

important step in creating a vision for his future (Roberts & Karan, 2012). An article states that

“The School to Work Act was developed to promote the connection of academic content to

workplace skills to engage student interests and increase academic achievement” (Bruno &

Scott, 2018). The Transition Portfolio is also important because it builds over time, as the

student works towards their career dreams and goals.

I chose the learning goal of reading comprehension through looking into past assessment

data. Based on KM’s ACCESS and CMAS scores, his reading comprehension is an area of

weakness. Through the lesson, I hope to improve upon his reading comprehension skills through

reading poetry. I chose the learning goal of spelling because I knew that this goal would

contribute directly to the final project of writing his own poem. Through the lesson, I hope to

improve upon KM’s spelling skills in order to demonstrate proficiency in this important

academic and life skill. I chose the learning goal of oral expression because this is a skill listed
TRANSITION ACTION PLAN 35

as a weakness on KM’s IEP. His IEP directly states that delays in expressive language impede

KM’s ability to communicate for academic and social purposes. Although the ACCESS scores

show that his speaking score was his strength and the highest of all of the domains (4.1), I still

think that this area of oral expression is something to focus on until his IEP goals are

reevaluated. I chose the learning goal of self-awareness in order to increase KM’s awareness of

himself and his future goals. Through my readings and learnings, I know that KM is in the

crucial transition period of becoming aware of careers, and that becoming self-aware is an

important step in creating a vision for his future (Roberts & Karan, 2012).

The lessons build on one another in a unit that was culminated by the final project of the

Autobiography Poem. This project will utilize skills mastered in each of the previously taught

lessons, and each lesson plays an important role in the ability of KM to complete this final

project. Without the lessons, he would not be able to write the Autobiography Poem to

proficiency. I believe that the Autobiography Poem is a beautiful reminder to KM about who he

is and what he wants for himself in his future. I think that this self-awareness is important in

supporting KM’s independence in that he has identified goals and a vision and his next steps will

be an action plan of how to reach that vision.

Overall, this Transition Portfolio will support KM and eventually his transition team by

identifying his dreams, interests, and goals so that these can eventually be built into career goals

and actual transition goals in his IEP. Since he is so young, the transition process for him needs

to begin with an overall vision for the future (Roberts & Karan, 2012). Identifying a student’s

“hopes, dreams and concerns about the student’s future,” is the first step in any transition and

helps to create an overall vision for the student’s transition process (Roberts & Karan, 2012).
TRANSITION ACTION PLAN 36

Again, due to KM’s young age, I think that this is the most appropriate place to start and to really

cultivate his vision before moving forward with any sort of transition goal or plan.

Final Project Reflection

Overall, I learned a lot about my student and the transition process through this project.

Through the assessments, I learned more about what KM’s future dreams and goals are at the

moment. Through the lessons, I learned about how KM learns and how to support his career

awareness through academics.

Successes and Failures- What went well and what didn't go as planned. How would you

change your plans for assessment and lessons?

I believe that the assessments and were successful in some ways and I would have

changed a few of them. My student’s age was a factor with some of the assessments, not being

able to answer all of the questions on the life skills assessment. I wanted to use this assessment

because I believe that students have life skills at every age, and I knew that this information

would be valuable to know. But, in the future, I would develop or find a more developmentally

appropriate life skills assessment. The Dream Sheet assessment was extremely impactful for me

as his teacher and also for him. I would love to be able to complete a Dream Sheet with each of

my students, one-on-one. This would be useful to me currently as a general education teacher by

knowing where my students want to be and how I can adapt my lessons to help get them there. I

can most definitely tailor some of my lessons to my students hopes and dreams.

From this Transition Action Plan, I learned that the transition process starts well before

the students are at age 15. I also learned that every student, Special Education services or not, is

working in some phase of the transition process. As a current fourth grade general education
TRANSITION ACTION PLAN 37

teacher, I hope to begin the transition process with all of my students by exposing them to

different careers and exploring these careers. This early exposure will hopefully instill values

and goals in my students, making them career and future-focused as they continue their

educational journeys.
TRANSITION ACTION PLAN 38

References

Bruno, L., & Scott, L. A. (2018). Universal Design for Transition: A Conceptual Framework for

Blending Academics and Transition Instruction. ​Journal of Special Education

Apprenticeship,​ ​7(​ 3), 1–16. Retrieved from

https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1201594.pdf

Roberts, L., & Karan, O. (2012). The Competency Based Community Assessment: A Five Step

Process. Journal of the American Academy of Special Education Professionals, 124–130.

Transition Coalition Front Page. (n.d.). Retrieved October 13, 2019, from

https://transitioncoalition.org/​.