Introduction to Self-Determination

Students will demonstrate knowledge of legal rights as individuals with a disability.

Students will understand their unique learning differences and its effect on learning.

Students will display knowledge of individual strengths necessary for achieving personal and academic success.

Student will complete assessments to assist in postsecondary planning.

Students will identify appropriate accommodations to facilitate learning.

Students will demonstrate knowledge of the IEP process.

Students will actively participate in transition planning.

Students will demonstrate the self-advocacy skills required for assuming responsibility for learning.

Examine contents of the Individuals with Disabilities Act of 2004 (IDEA).

Discuss how disability rights laws affect the education of minor students.

Describe the rights that will transfer from parent to student upon reaching age of majority.

Read eligibility documentation.

Define his/her specific disability.

Explain how the disability affects learning in a particular class.

Identify academic strengths.

Examine learning styles and adapt learning strategies to his or her unique style.

Analyze personal achievements and successes at school, home, and in the community.

Identify personal strengths relating to organizational skills, test-taking strategies, and study skills.

Practice time management skills.

Identify and model skills required for success in the classroom.

Adjust learning strategies to teaching styles of specific teachers.

Complete a learning style assessment.

Complete an interest inventory.

Complete an aptitude assessment.

Complete a personality inventory.

Complete a career interest assessment.

Articulate the difference between accommodations and modifications.

Analyze the disability, learning styles, and class requirements to determine the adjustments needed to learn successfully.

Identify strengths and needs for a particular class.

Analyze accommodations to determine those that are and are not successful.

Determine IEP team member roles and responsibilities.

Review current IEP with case manager.

Review IEP goals/objectives each grading period.

Actively participate in IEP meetings.

Analyze the components of the student’s IEP=

Work collaboratively with school personnel to develop/update a four-year plan of study.

Review high school cumulative file.

Become familiar with the roles of the key players in the transition process.

Complete a transition planning questionnaire.

Update personal transition portfolio.

State individual strengths to IEP team.

Articulate individual concerns for learning.

Ask for accommodations for a particular class, test, or assignment.

Set appointment to review special education file with case manager.

Use assertive communication to articulate to teachers the need for specific accommodations.

Using practical scenarios that can be generalized, understand the decision-making process (e.g. asking questions, leveraging resources, anticipating consequences) reflect and learn from decisions made.

Defend a position related to legal rights as a person with a disability.

Describe how he/she meets criteria for special education services.

Explain Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE).

Identify Least Restrictive Environment.

Articulate personal relevance of transition planning.

Discuss the types of supports, accommodations, and modifications necessary to achieve success in learning.

Articulate the impact that the IEP has on courses of study.

Define the term "age of majority."

Compile a list of rights assumed upon reaching age of majority.

Set appointments to read eligibility documentation.

Discuss and analyze disability information with case manager and parents.

Analyze personal profile of strengths and challenges in relation to disability.

Articulate that the impact of the disability varies from one environment to another.

List specific accommodations needed in specific areas.

Articulate classes requiring compensatory strategies.

List two or more classes in which he/she experiences academic success.

Discuss why he/she performs better in one class as opposed to another.

Complete a learning styles assessment.

Articulate how individual learning style affects how new information is learned.

Document successes and achievements and add to transition portfolio.

Keep homework, class assignments, and assignment book in organized manner.

Verbalize test-taking and study skills strategies that are personally successful.

Maintain assignments through a variety of sources (e.g., assignment book, online applications, etc.)

Meet class deadlines with regard to assignments and project due dates.

Articulate requirements for each teacher and class relating to the social skills, deadlines, and study skills.

Demonstrate compliance of class requirements.

Analyze teaching styles and instructional delivery models.

Identify strengths and needs of individual learning styles in relation to particular teaching styles utilized by current teachers.

Identify personal learning style by analyzing results of assessment.

Analyze how their learning style affects classroom performance and need for accommodations.

Research and match career groups to identified interest areas.

Develop long-term goals related to interests.

Compare interests and aptitudes to determine best fitting careers.

Use aptitude and interest results as a basis to investigate future career and training options.

Analyze how personality affects learning and career choices.

Articulate how personality traits affect social interactions.

Determine level of training needed for identified career interest areas.

Explore potential and appropriate careers using a variety of resources.

Articulate that accommodations equalize the educational playing field.

Discuss the difference between modifications and accommodations.

Describe the interdependence of the student’s disability and learning style.

Analyze class requirements and how the student can function in class at optimal levels using identified strengths and needed accommodations based on personal history.

Accentuate strengths and uses to their advantage.

Develop an academic plan to accommodate the student’s disability

Practice using a variety of accommodations, including assistive technology as appropriate.

Evaluate, prior to and during the IEP meeting, which modifications or accommodations are successful and why.

Participate in a collaborative process with the student’s case manager to review who his or her IEP team members are and why they are invited to the IEP meeting.

Verbalize to the student’s case manager the types of information each team member will bring to the IEP meeting.

Sign access form in the student’s special education file indicating review of the IEP=

Compile a list of questions regarding IEP content and review the questions with the student’s case manager and parent.

List initial goal and objective sheets in his or her IEP each grading period indicating review of progress.

Submit comments regarding strengths, concerns, needed modifications/accommodations, and course preferences to the IEP team.

Participate in a collaborative meeting with the case manager prior to the IEP meeting.

Submit and review a student concerns sheet in the IEP team.

Enumerate the components of the IEP.

Analyze the results of career investigation and determine the courses needed in high school to facilitate specific post-secondary goals.

Update four-year plan of study based on long-term goals and submit the plan to transition portfolio.

Set an appointment with the school counseling department to review cumulative file.

In conjunction with parents and/or case manager, request copies of test scores, report cards, and transcript to be submitted to the transition portfolio.

Identify the key players in the transition planning process.

Compile a list of transition providers, including contact information.

Submit completed transition planning questionnaire to transition portfolio.

Collect and submit interest, aptitude, learning styles, and career assessments to transition portfolio.

Complete a self-assessment to describe strengths, challenges, and learning styles.

Use completed self-assessment as prompt when participating in the IEP meeting.

Identify areas on class syllabus that are of concern.

Meet with classroom teacher to discuss learning strategies.

Practice asking for accommodations from peer, parent, or special educator.

Schedule a meeting with classroom teacher to discuss needed accommodations for project, assignment, or test.

Sign access to file record in special education file.

Respond in positive and informative manner regarding need for accommodations.

Seek assistance from special education staff when assistance is required to communicate specific learning needs to general education teachers.

Evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of decisions that impact learning in a particular class.

Assume responsibility for decisions rather than place blame elsewhere if consequences are not positive.

Explain to teachers or peers the legitimacy of his or her need for accommodations.

State what his or her educational rights are as a student with a disability.