Transition Plan

Joah Hickel

High Incidence Special Education Program, Fort Hays State University

SPED 860 VB: Transition in SPED: Early Childhood to Adulthood

Professor Sherry Dumolien

December 12, 2023

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Abstract

The transition from high school to life after high school can be a very challenging

transition. There is an overwhelming amount of options or directions that one could choose to go

in. This transition plan aims to take the wide scope of post-secondary options and narrow down

the focus and help guide and direct the student and family. Clarence Daily is the student that this

study closely examines. Through transition assessments and interviews, there are goals and

resources that are provided for the student. The case study highlights some strengths and

weaknesses of the child and also provides a list of some careers that might fit into the students’

interests and skills.

Key words: Transition plan, post-secondary education, community resources

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Overview of Student

Clarence Daily is a high school student at Topeka High School who is receiving special

education services under the IDEA for a learning disability. He is 16 years old and beginning to

get serious about what he wants to do after high school. He has had some behavioral struggles in

the past, but has matured tremendously over the last year. He is very responsible and goes to all

of his classes and is tirelessly working towards getting and maintaining excellent grades. He has

very high hopes and dreams for his life and wants to consistently put the work in to get there. I

have seen him fight through adversity by getting cut from the basketball team last year to make

the team this year. That required much determination and consistency that will serve him well in

whatever endeavor he pursues after high school. Clarence does not have too many friends

outside of school and he tends to gravitate towards keeping a low profile and enjoying solo

activities. This transition report will analyze different transition assessments and interviews to

provide planning and direction to the process of transitioning to life after high school.

Transition Assessments and Interviews

The first assessment that Clarence took was the O’NET Interest Profiler. This assessment

was selected because it helps the student identify characteristics about themselves that they are

not able to on their own. The profiler uses this assessment to generate a list of potential careers

based on the characteristics of the one being assessed and ultimately “helps you decide what

kinds of careers you might want to explore” (O’NET Interest profiler, 2023). This assessment

addresses both the post-secondary education and the employment goals. The employment goal is

more directly addressed by this because it provides a student with choices of specific careers that

they could choose to pursue. The assessment was given to the student in a separate, quiet setting

and was proctored by his IEP case manager. The student filled out five pages of bubble sheets
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that inquired how interested he is on a 5-point scale to engage in a wide variety of tasks. The

findings of the assessment showed that the three most prominent characteristics that define him

are that he is enterprising, social, and artistic. The assessment found that the best fit for possible

careers for him to pursue include jobs in advertising, managing athletes, director of religious

activities, or sales.

The next assessment that Clarence participated in was the O’NET Soft Skills Custom

List. This was selected because employers value the possession of soft skills that are “needed to

interact successfully with people and to perform efficiently and effectively in the workplace”

(O’NET Soft Skills, 2023). are highly sought after by employers and can help identify soft skills

that he can continue to develop in. This assessment helps to address the employment goal

because the development of these soft skills and intangibles will help Clarence look appealing to

those who look to hire him. Clarence took this assessment in a separate, quiet setting and was

proctored by his IEP case manager. He was asked to read about 14 soft skills and click on the

ones that he possesses strength in or really desires to develop. The soft skills listed fall into the

two categories of social and thinking skills. The results of the assessment based on the skills that

he selected show that careers that match his skills include surgical technologists, broadcast

technicians, forest and conservative technicians, mechanical drafters, product promoters, and

telemarketers. This was helpful because it provided him with options that he had never even

remotely considered before.

The last assessment that Clarence took is called the My Plan: Values Assessment. This

specific assessment was selected due to its ability to “help you learn more about your underlying

work needs and motivations and can help you decide what is important to you in a job” (MyPlan,

2023). This most directly impacts the community living goal and how to contribute to his
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community. He took this assessment in a separate, quiet setting proctored by his IEP case

manager. The assessment more so just gives him an opportunity to examine himself internally

and allows him to read a card that might say “In my ideal job I would be able to be busy all the

time” and place it on a 5-point scale ranging from least important to most important. There were

twenty different cards that he placed into different value levels. Results from this assessment

indicated that Clarence really values things like good working conditions, being treated fairly,

gaining a sense of accomplishment, and making use of his abilities. Clarence’s least important

things include being so busy all the time, doing something different every day, and trying out his

own ideas.

The student interview took place on December 10th at Topeka High School. I

administered the three assessments to him and followed that up with an interview. The interview

consisted of questions about his current and future education, career, community / independent

living, communication / social interaction, and recreation and leisure. Clarence stated that his

“dream college is Duke University to play basketball but would be content playing at a smaller

NCAA Division 1 school or even a Division 2 school” (E. Caddell, personal communication,

December 10, 2023). His best subjects include business and psychology while his weakest

subjects are math and English. He learns best when being able to listen to others. He possesses

many skills necessary for independent living such as cooking, shopping, cleaning, laundry,

yardwork, and taking out the trash. Clarence approaches adversity and stress with his natural

calm presence. He helps his friends out regularly when they need help with something or even

just advice. He enjoys working out, listening to music, reading, and playing video games. Some

goals that he has for himself are that he wants to be financially independent at age 24 and

graduate high school with above a 3.0 GPA.

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The parent interview also took place on December 10th and followed a template for a

parent interview for transition planning. The questions that were asked consisted of leisure

activities, independent living skills, goals for the upcoming year, strengths, weaknesses, and

ideas for future employment opportunities that the child could excel in. Clarence’s mother stated

that he enjoys basketball, learning at school, and time with his friends. He possesses and is

working on many life skills. The only skills on the checklist that were not checked off are styling

hair, meal planning, scheduling appointments, taking medication, driver’s permit, and driver’s

license. She expressed that she would like Clarence to grow in communication, and more

specifically in “how he communicates with his siblings and his peers” (T. Carter personal

communication, December 10, 2023). His strength is his ability to lead himself and other people.

He really takes on the challenge to lead others well. She stated that business is a career that he

would be able to thrive in.

The community member interview took place over the phone by a man who is not related

to him but has served as an uncle / mentor to Clarence for a long time. The interview took place

on December 11, 2023. The interviewee was asked about Clarence’s strengths and weaknesses as

well as some goals that he has for him. The community member spoke very highly of Clarence’s

ability to “show respect to authority figures, make eye contact, and receive criticism in a humble

and coachable manner” (E. Lee, personal communication, December 11, 2023). A weakness that

he sees in Clarence is that although he is a leader in his home, he can be a follower around his

friends and “give into peer pressure pretty easily” (E. Lee, personal communication, December

11, 2023). A goal that he has for Clarence would be to get into community work and give back to

the community that helped raise him that has a lot of needs.
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There is clarity across all of the assessments and interviews that Clarence has a great

vision for his life. He balances both huge dreams and realistic goals. The assessments and

interviews all pointed toward the fact that Clarence will thrive in a business role. The interviews

just highlighted business in a vague sense, but the assessments helped provide a more focused

path towards advertising and management. Another conclusion drawn from both the assessments

and interviews is that Clarence is very enterprising. This was the number one characteristic trait

from the O’NET Interest Profiler and his mother raved about how he takes initiative around the

house and with his schoolwork. Some needs that were learned from these tools are that Clarence

needs to grow in communication skills and show the leadership skills that he displays at home

when he is around his peers.

Transition Goals

Domain one is in the area of post-secondary education. Clarence’s goal for this domain is

that by May 2025 he will graduate high school with a cumulative GPA of above 3.0 measured by

his high school transcript. He currently sits at a 2.78 cumulative GPA. This goal is to allow him

to receive as much financial aid as possible so that he will be able to get into the universities that

he wants to apply to. His desire is to go to an NCAA Division 1 or 2 school and a 3.0 or above

GPA will help him gain admittance and scholarship. Accomplishing this feature will also help

him develop study skills and other soft skills needed for success in post-secondary education.

Domain two relates to the area of employment. A goal for him in this area is that he will

receive a job in the business / sports management field within 6 months following post-

secondary graduation. This will have many subgoals like going to job fairs in college, applying

for jobs, working on resumes, and much more. This long-term goal will help keep him focused

throughout his final year of high school and his college years. On the O’NET Interest Profiler his
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strongest characteristic is that he is enterprising and that ability to show initiative will bode well

for success at finding jobs following college graduation.

Domain three relates to community living and participation. A goal for him in this area is

that he will be financially independent by the age of 24. He currently lives at home with his

mother and is dependent on her financially. This goal falls into domain three because financial

independence will allow Clarence the opportunities to become a more conscientious and

productive member of the community. He will be able to make his own decision, impact lives

around him, and be generous with time and money in a way that is more difficult as a dependent.

He has expressed the desire in the interview to live by himself and pay all his bills without

assistance from anyone.

Transition Resources

There is a vast wealth of resources that are available and accessible designed to assist

students in the transition out of high school. A few categories of resources include community,

employment, and educational resources. All the resources that will be listed are available to

reference in Appendix A with contact information for getting in touch with the resource.

Community resources available for Clarence include HirePaths, Let’s Help, Valeo

Behavioral Healthcare, Topeka Housing Authority, and the Topeka Rescue Mission. HirePaths

helps provide students and families with opportunities to do some extensive research into

different career paths. The site connects students with possible career paths while simultaneously

getting them connected with training programs that can help get them there. Let’s Help is an

organization that seeks to help others succeed by providing financial emergency assistance, job

education / training, free lunches, and a clothing bank and career closet. Valeo Behavioral Health

Care provides a wide array of services ranging from mental health crisis assistance to
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employment and transition support services. The Topeka Housing Authority serves to connect

people with different affordable housing options as well as provide health services like urgent

care and physical check-ups for work / school. The Topeka Rescue Mission generously provides

trauma intervention and food / shelter opportunities for those in need.

Employment resources that are available for Clarence consist of, but are not limited to,

the Topeka Workforce Center, KansasWorks, Flint Hills Job Corps, O’NET Career Exploration,

and Vocational Rehabilitation. The Topeka Workforce Center provides a network of

employment, training, and educational programs and opportunities to job seekers. KansasWorks

serves to connect job seekers with employers through various job fairs, resume searches, and

training programs. Flint Hills Job Corps offers advanced hands-on training programs, assistance

with job searching, and career counseling. O’NET Career Exploration is a resource that can be

provided through the school district or found online that helps individuals explore a wide range

of career options. Vocational Rehabilitation is a customized resource to help students with

disabilities reach their employment goals and ultimately become self-sufficient.

Educational resources that Clarence will have access to consist of Washburn Institute of

Technology, the Topeka Center for Advanced Learning and Careers, Accuplacer testing

resources, FAFSA assistance, and College Board. Washburn Institute of Technology is a

technical school affiliated with Washburn University that provides career specific training in

areas such as construction, health, design, transportation, human resources, and much more. The

Topeka Center for Advanced Learning and Careers (TCALC) is a program for high school

students that allows them to deeply explore areas of high interest through curriculum based on

inquiry and projects. The Accuplacer test helps colleges evaluate students’ reading, writing, and

math skills so that they can be met at their levels. The transition coordinator in the district will be
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able to help the student get set up to take the Accuplacer. The transition coordinator will also be

able to aid with filling out the FAFSA in order to receive financial aid for college. The College

Board is a program that has expanded access to higher education through services in college

readiness and college success.

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References

MyPlan: Values Assessment. MyPlan. 2023. https://www.myplan.com/assess/values.php

O*net Interest Profiler . My Next Move. 2023. https://www.mynextmove.org/explore/ip

Soft Skills Custom List. O*NET OnLine. 2023. https://www.onetonline.org/skills/soft/

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Appendix A
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Appendix B
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Appendix C
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Appendix D

Appendix E
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Appendix F
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Appendix G
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Appendix H
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