quarterly state reportedi.cornell.edu/publications/mtp/mtp_quarterlyreport_q2.pdf · i advancing...

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A d v a n c i n g t h e W o r l d o f W o r k MTP Report 2

January 2009

Model Transition Project

J a n u a r y 1 4 , 2 0 0 9

Quarterly State Report Quarter 2 (June 30, 2008- October 15, 2008)

MTP Evaluation and Research Team: Kathryn Ferguson, Project Coordinator David Brewer, Principal Investigator Arun Karpur, Research Associate Sukyeong Pi, Research Associate Thomas Golden, Sr. Extension Associate William Erickson, Research Specialist Nathan Mullenax, Web Support Susan Barry Smith, Administrative Support

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................................................ 1

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ............................................................................................................................. 2

NEW FINDINGS BETWEEN QUARTER 1 AND QUARTER 2 ................................................................................. 2 IEP, STUDENT ENGAGEMENT, CAREER DEVELOPMENT & WORK EXPERIENCE ............................................. 2 VR REFERRAL STATUS FOR MTP YOUTH (CAMS DATA) .............................................................................. 3 COLLABORATION ........................................................................................................................................... 3 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................................ 4

EVALUATION FRAMEWORK .................................................................................................................... 5

TID ANALYSIS OF UPDATED STUDENT RECORDS ............................................................................ 6

HIGHLIGHTS ................................................................................................................................................... 6

DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS OF MTP STUDENTS .............................................................. 8

HIGHLIGHTS ................................................................................................................................................. 12

IEP AND CAREER DEVELOPMENT ....................................................................................................... 14

INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................................................... 14 IEP DEVELOPMENT ................................................................................................................................ 16 SCHOOL ENGAGEMENT ................................................................................................................................ 19 INCLUSION ................................................................................................................................................... 21 CAREER DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES ............................................................................................................ 24 TYPES OF MTP STUDENT CAREER DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES ................................................................... 27 MTP CAREER DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES BY GRADE LEVEL ...................................................................... 28 MTP CAREER DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES BY DISABILITY CLASSIFICATION ............................................... 29 WORK EXPERIENCE AND EARNINGS ............................................................................................................ 33 NUMBER OF HOURS OF WORK EXPERIENCE PER WEEK BY EXPECTED DIPLOMA TYPE ............................... 42 POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION PREPARATION .............................................................................................. 44

VESID REFERRAL ...................................................................................................................................... 45

INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................................ 47 VR REFERRAL STATUS FOR MTP STUDENTS ............................................................................................... 48 SCOPE OF ANALYSIS .................................................................................................................................... 48 CONSUMER DEMOGRAPHICS ........................................................................................................................ 49 CURRENT VESID STATUS AS OF OCT. 28, 2008........................................................................................... 55 CLOSURE STATUSES..................................................................................................................................... 59

INTERAGENCY COLLABORATION ....................................................................................................... 60

HIGHLIGHTS ................................................................................................................................................. 60 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................................ 62 MTP PARTNER PROVIDER SERVICES AND COLLABORATION .................................................... 64 PARTNER PROVIDER SERVICES PROVIDED BY STUDENT CHARACTERISTICS ................................................ 66

INITIAL STUDY OF SUSTAINABILITY OF THE MODEL TRANSITION PROGRAMS................ 71

INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................................ 71 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY ......................................................................................................................... 71 PARTICIPANT DEMOGRAPHICS ..................................................................................................................... 71 PRELIMINARY FINDINGS FROM THE EXIT SURVEYS ..................................................................................... 72

WORK EXPERIENCES AND PARTICIPATION IN CAREER DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES BY SITE ................................................................................................................................................................ 78

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The Model Transition Program (MTP) was funded by the New York State Vocational and Educational Services for Individuals with Disabilities. The data presented in this report were collected by Cornell University as part of the evaluation component of the Model Transition Program. We sincerely thank the VESID District Offices for their patient support and interest in our efforts, as well as the New York State Rehabilitation Association for promoting our efforts and the University of Buffalo for providing venues for training. We also thank our MTP grantees for their continued efforts in collecting accurate data for systemic improvement in services provided to students with disabilities as they transition from high school to adult life; as well as the EDI administrative staff and web team for their outstanding support in our evaluation activities. We strive to make our products available in a variety of formats and in language that is appropriate to a variety of audiences. You, as our customer, are the best judge of our success in communicating information effectively. If you have any comments or suggestions about this or any other Cornell University Employment and Disability Institute report, we would like to hear from you. Please direct your comments to: Susan Smith [email protected] or (607) 254-8870.

mailto:[email protected]�

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The focus of each individual Model Transition Program (MTP) is to provide effective programming and services related to transition planning, increase the number of quality Vocational Rehabilitation referrals, and develop and strengthen partnerships with community agencies in order to facilitate seamless transition to adulthood for students with disabilities. Each MTP site reports quarterly on student involvement in transition-related activities. As of October 14, 2008 (the end of the second reporting quarter), the MTP as a whole enrolled 11,935 students which reflects an increase of 2,481 students from the previous reporting quarter. Of these 11,935 students, 6,734 (57%) were 12th and 11th grade students. A total of 4219 records were updated between the first reporting quarter (ending June 30, 2008) and the second reporting quarter, and 2,196 records were de-activated in the second reporting quarter.

New findings between Quarter 1 and Quarter 2 Of the 3,190 students who indicated no work experience last quarter 227 (7%) found new work experience (paid/unpaid) in Quarter 2. Of the 951 students who did not participate in any career development activities in Quarter 1 - 100 (11%) newly participated in career development activities in Quarter 2. Of the 2625 students who did not receive any services from MTP partner providers in Quarter 1 - 208 (8%) newly received services from MTP partner providers in Quarter 2.

IEP, Student Engagement, Career Development & Work Experience 6,104 MTP students (65%) had Measurable Post Secondary Goals in their IEP. More than 75% of students expecting to receive a Regents and Local diploma had both employment and post-secondary education goals. Students with autism & MR were least likely to have both employment and PSE goals, followed by students with multiple disabilities. About 11% (1,050) of students had attendance problems with the highest incidences of attendance issues among students of multiracial and Hispanic/Latino ethnicities, students expecting to receive a GED diploma, and those having an emotional disability. Sixty one percent (5,769) of students participated in career development activities. The highest participation was among ungraded students, those with autism and MR, and those expected to receive an IEP diploma.

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Nineteen percent (1,782) of MTP students participated in paid/unpaid work experiences, most of this being part-time work. Fourteen percent (1,640) of MTP students participating in paid/unpaid work experience were 12th or 11th graders.

Eighteen percent (1,664) of MTP students participated in activities aimed to facilitate transition to post-secondary education.

VR Referral Status for MTP Youth (CaMS data) A total of 3,083 MTP students applied or contacted VESID for VR services between July 1, 2007 and September 30, 2008. Of these, 72% were 17-18 years old at application. As of Oct. 28, 2008, 90% of these applicants were determined eligible for VR services and 60% of the eligible consumers had established an Individualized Plan for Employment.

About 12% of the consumers exited VESID between July 2007 and September 2008 either with or without an employment outcome. Of these closures, 39.1% exited without eligibility determination (Status 08), 14.3% with eligibility determination but no IPE (Status 30), and 34.4% with an IPE developed (Status 28). Only 47 consumers (12.2%) were closed with an employment outcome (Status 26).

Of the 47 rehabilitated consumers, 92% were employed in integrated settings, without supports.

Collaboration Based on information entered into TID, out of 11,935 MTP students, 4,507 students received services from MTP partner providers, of which 1,273 (42% of all) were 12th graders. Not surprisingly, 50% of all MTP students expected to receive an IEP diploma have begun receiving provider services versus only 27% of MTP students expected to receive a Regents diploma. According to the data from TransQUAL Online, 52 (87%) of the 60 Model Transition Programs created work plans for organizational development during 2008. Of those, 34 (57%) were created with TransQUAL team members that included people other than school personnel, such as agency representatives, parents and students. The highest percentages of work plans were in the areas of family involvement, student development and interagency collaboration. Although not required until August 2009, seven MTPs have created 22 Progress Reports during 2008.

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INTRODUCTION The primary purpose of the information contained in this binder is to disseminate data and evidence related to the progress and outcomes for the Model Transition Program (MTP) grantees and participants. The binder is divided into nine sections:

• Executive Summary • Evaluation Framework • TID Analysis of Updated Student Records • Student Demographic Information • IEP and Career Development • VR Referral Status for MTP Students • Interagency Collaboration • Initial Study of Sustainability • Individual MTP Site Data • Appendix-Today’s agenda & Presentation

Each section, with the exception of the Executive Summary, Evaluation Framework, Initial Study of Sustainability and the Appendix, opens with an in-depth introduction and highlight overview. The intention of the introduction is to provide a contextual framework as to how this specific data collection aligns closely with both New York State’s long term goals and with evidenced based transition practices. We have designed all data collection and information dissemination to address the following: Quality VR Referrals and successful closures by increasing the number of youth who are successfully referred to New York’s Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) system by New York State schools. Improved Results, exceeding national standards by increasing the percentage of youth referred into the VR system that successfully complete an Individualized Plan for Employment and obtain and keep a job. Increased Collaboration by examining current and newly developed school and agency relationships where resources and responsibility are shared in order to better support the successful transition of students with disabilities. Sustained Practice by extracting valuable information from MTP participants and providing the New York State Education Department about potentially effective practices ultimately informing policy development.

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Evaluation Framework

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TID ANALYSIS OF UPDATED STUDENT RECORDS Updated between June 30, 2008 and October 14, 2008

Highlights • Of the 3190 students who indicated no work experience in quarter 1, 227

(7%) found new work experience (paid/unpaid) in quarter 2.

• Among those who started new work experience in quarter 2, 175 (83%) were paid employment experiences.

• Of the 1017 students who indicated having work experiences in quarter 1, 74 (7%) did not participate in any work experience in quarter 2.

• Greater proportion of students: (a) in 10th grade; or (b) with multiple disabilities; or (c) expecting to receive an IEP diploma newly participated in work experience in quarter 2.

• Of the 951 students who did not participate in any career development activities in quarter 1, 100 (11%) newly participated in career development activities in quarter 2.

• The missing values for the variable career development activities reduced from 581 to 121 (21% reduction).

• Greater proportion of students : (a) in less than 9th grade; or (b) with Autism & MR; or (c) expecting an IEP diploma newly participated in career development activities in quarter 2.

• Of the 2625 students who did not receive any services from MTP partner providers in quarter 1, 208 (8%) newly received services from MTP partner providers in quarter 2.

• Greater proportion of students : (a) with Autism & MR; or (b) expecting an IEP diploma newly received services from MTP partner providers in quarter 2.

• A total of 890 MTP students, including 12 cases with missing information, indicated changes in VR statuses between Quarter 1 and Quarter 2.

• Changes in VESID status were observed more in 11th graders, ungraded students and students with multiple disabilities.

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• A total of 4,219 records were updated from the last quarter within TID. The following table provides the number of updates made across key variables within TID. These numbers are not mutually exclusive therefore the total for the column exceeds that total number of records updated. This is primarily because combinations of variables were

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DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS OF MTP STUDENTS The following tables describe the demographic and background characteristics for MTP students entered in the TID online data base as of October 15, 2008.

11,935 MTP Students – Total

Total number of students in TID

TID Data Entry

11,935

Number of students newly entered last quarter 2,707

Number of student records updated in the last quarter 4,220

Number of student records not updated in the last quarter 5,008

Number of students exited or de-activated 2,196

Gender Gender

Number Percent Male 7,540 63% Female 4,395 37%

Race/Ethnicity Race/Ethnicity

Number Percent Caucasian 8,746 73% African American 1,731 15% Hispanic/Latino 622 5% Asian 104 1% Native American 76 1% Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 30 0% Multiracial 34 0% Others 144 1% Missing 448 4%

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Grade Level Grade Level

Number Percent 12th 4,137 35% 11th 2,597 22% 10th 1,657 14% 9th 1,537 13% <9th 915 4% Ungraded 785 7% Other 307 3%

Expected Diploma Type Expected Diploma Type

Number Percent Regents 5,723 48% Local 2,726 23% IEP 2,696 23% GED 261 2% Other 10 0% Missing 519 4%

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This table illustrates that expected diploma type differs from each grade level. It is interesting to report that more students in lower grades were likely to expect a Regents Diploma, while more students in higher grade a Local or IEP Diploma.

Grade Level

Grade Level by Expected Diploma Type

Regents Local IEP GED Other Missing

12th 42% 32% 22% 2% 0% 3%

11th 49% 26% 17% 3% 0% 5%

10th 59% 19% 15% 2% 0% 4% 9th 65% 16% 13% 1% 0% 6% <9th 69% 14% 12% 0% 0% 6%

Un-graded 4% 2% 88% 4% 0% 2%

Other 21% 17% 38% 19% 0% 6%

Disability Classification Disability Classification

Number Percent Learning disability 5,828 49% Physical disability* 2,076 17% Emotional disability 1,453 12% Autism and MR 1,005 8% Sensory disability** 468 4% Multiple disabilities 831 7% Others 274 2%

* Physical disability includes ‘Orthopedic impairment,’ ‘Traumatic brain injury,’ and ‘Other health impairment.’ ** Sensory disability includes ‘Speech or language impairment,’ ‘Deafness,’ ‘Hearing impairment,’ ‘Visual impairment including blindness,’ and ‘Deafness and blindness.’

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Receiving free or reduced price lunch

Free or Reduced Price Lunch Number Percent

Yes 3,099 26% No 3,256 27% Don’t know 4,103 34% Missing 1,477 12%

Public Support Public Support

Number Percent SSI 674 6% SSDI 84 1% Medicaid 1,217 10% TANF/Food Stamp 249 2%

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IEP AND CAREER DEVELOPMENT

Highlights

The Model Transition Program (MTP) has generated extensive individual student data regarding Individualized Education Planning (IEP) development, school engagement, participation in career development activities and work experiences supporting the post secondary planning for students with disabilities. The following data tables in the following section are derived from the Transition Impact Data (TID) database. Below is a summary of our findings:

IEP Post Secondary Goals: Sixty-five percent (6,104) of the MTP students had measurable post-secondary goals in their IEP. Of these,16% had employment goals only, 9% had post-secondary education (PSE) goals only, and the majority (69%) had both. Asian and Hispanic students were less likely to have documented employment goals or PSE goals in their IEPs. Also, a large proportion of ungraded MTP students had neither employment nor post-secondary goals. More than 75% of students expecting to receive a Regents and Local diploma had both employment and post-secondary education goals. Students with autism & MR were least likely to have both employment and PSE goals followed by students with multiple disabilities.

School Engagement: About 11% (1,050) of students had attendance problems. The three most frequent reasons for attendance problems were ‘Behavioral or mental health problem’ (40.5%), ‘Physical health’ (18.2%) and ‘Life time events’ (7.7%). Attendance problems were highest among:

- Multiracial, Hispanic/Latino, followed by African American - Those expected to receive a GED diploma - Those having an emotional disability

Inclusion: Seventy percent (6,591) of the MTP students participated in general education classes. Participation in general education classes was lowest for ungraded students, students expected to receive an IEP diploma, and those with emotional disability.

Career Development Activities: Sixty one percent (5769) of students participated in career development activities. Highest participation was among the ungraded students, those with autism & MR, and those expected to receive an IEP diploma. Nearly half of the instances of career development activities were pre-vocational soft skills, and only 12% were internship-type experiences. A greater proportion of seniors had the latter compared to their peers in junior years. Also, a greater

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proportion of students with autism and MR reported internship-type experiences compared to their peers. Additionally, students with autism & MR, those who are expected to receive IEP diploma, and those with only employment goals in their IEP are more likely to spend a greater proportion of their school time in career development activities.

Work Experiences: Nineteen percent (1782) of MTP students participated in paid/unpaid work experiences, most of this being part-time work. Twelfth graders, those with autism and MR, and those not expected to receive a Regents diploma were more likely to have participated in work experiences. More than half of the reported work instances involved pay, with about 28% earning at or above minimum wage, and 4% earning less than minimum wage. Interestingly, though a greater proportion of students with autism & MR report having work experience, they form the lowest proportion of students receiving work for pay. In most instances, a student had paid work experience if he/she found the job on his/her own as opposed to through school-supported or MTP-agency supported work in the community. In nearly 40% of the work instances, the student found the job on their own. Students under 9th grade, and those with autism & MR were more likely to have work instances supported by their school (either within the school or the community). Note that the work instances supported by school within the school facility were more likely to be associated with pay below minimum wage. Also students with multiple disabilities had the highest work instances associated with pay below minimum wage.

Post Secondary Preparation: Eighteen percent (1,664) of MTP students participated in activities aimed to facilitate transition to post-secondary education. Most of these were college information nights, and assistance with college applications. About 101 students are enrolled in courses for credit at the partnering post-secondary institutions in the MTP.

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IEP and Career Development

INTRODUCTION

Preparing young adults for adult life is an essential component of a comprehensive instructional program. With recent amendments in the Rehabilitation Act, the NY State Vocational Rehabilitation Program has committed to engage in transition efforts for students with disabilities receiving special education services early in their high school years in hopes of improving their opportunities for successful employment outcomes (VESID, 2008) In addition, VESID has informed the NY State Board of Regents of its on-going commitment to improve graduation and drop-out rates for students with disabilities. They have stated that, in order to achieve this commitment, quality transition planning must occur for students with disabilities.

The Model Transition Program (MTP) sites through the continued support of VESID, are providing opportunities for students to engage in such activities that have the potential to increase student employment and enrollment in post-secondary education.

Historically, individuals with disabilities have not been employed at the same rates as their non-disabled peers. Lack of exposure to employment/work opportunities in high school, not understanding workplace expectations, range of available job accommodations, understanding one’s own strengths and limitations, and low enrollment in post-secondary education are some of the contributing factors to this gap in employment opportunities. Most of these factors could be addressed with age-appropriate transition planning in education.

Through IDEA Part B local educational agencies are required to provide a coordinated set of services that support a student transitioning from high school to post high school. The Individualized Education Program (IEP) is a document used to facilitate this planning process during the transition years (14-21). Additionally, the IEP must include measurable post-secondary goals in the areas of employment, post-secondary education and independent living. It is also essential for the IEP to include specific activities that the student will engage in to prepare him or her to meet their stated goals.

Participation in various career development activities such as career counseling, pre-vocational training and/or internship opportunities provides students with a better understanding of their personal interests and strengths, as well as exposing them to the requirements of specific work settings and the types of job accommodations that would be needed for them to realize success. In addition, actual work experiences, with or without support, provide contextual experiences in specific areas of employment better preparing a student for the requirements of future competitive employment. Research has also supported the fact that

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students with disabilities having work experiences in high school are more likely to be employed in their adult lives (Leuking & Fabian, 2000).

In addition to these issues, the increasing labor market trends of hiring individuals with some post-secondary education continues to underscore the importance of participation in post-secondary education for securing better jobs, generally, and specifically impacts the transition planning for students with disabilities. Participation in various transition related activities that prepare a young student for the demands of higher education is a critical planning piece. To this effect, over the past couple of decades the proportion of students with disabilities participating in activities aimed to transition them to postsecondary education has steadily increased. (Wagner, Newman, and Cameto, 2004). The National Longitudinal Transition Study-2 reported a 17-percentage points increase in the enrollment of youth with disabilities in post-secondary education from 1987 to 2003, an increase that outnumbered the trends in the general youth population. However, the data indicated that mere enrollment did not translate into higher rates of completion of post-secondary education for these enrolled youth with disabilities. Participating in activities such as visiting disability support service offices, training on college application procedures and participating in a college level course at the high school level are all examples of actions that have the potential to increase successful transitions into post-secondary education for youth and young adults with disabilities.

The following section describes the data for MTP students on their IEP planning, participation in career development activities, work experiences, and activities related to post-secondary education.

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IEP DEVELOPMENT

Sixty eight percent (n = 8138) of the MTP students were reported to have measurable post-secondary goals in their IEP. Sixteen percent had only employment goals, 9% had only post-secondary education goals, and the majority, i.e., 69% had both employment and post-secondary education goals in their IEP.

Employment and PSE Goal Status

Employment and PSE Goal Status of MTP Students with IEP

Number Percent Total 8,138 100% Employment Goal Only 1,317 16% Post-secondary Education (PSE) Goal Only 663 8% Both Employment and PSE Goals 5,767 71% Neither Employment nor PSE Goals 391 5%

There were no substantial differences across gender for the types of post-

secondary goals in the IEPs.

Employment and Post-Secondary Education

Gender

Goal Status by Gender

Employment Only PSE Only

Both Employment and PSE

Neither Employment nor PSE

Number % Number % Number % Number % Total 1,317 16% 663 8% 5,767 71% 391 5% Male 882 17% 407 8% 3,642 70% 247 5% Female 435 15% 256 9% 2,125 72% 144 5%

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This table shows that Asian and Hispanic students were less likely to have documented employment goals or PSE goals included in their IEP.

Goal Status by Race/Ethnicity

Employment and Post-Secondary Education

Race/ Ethnicity




Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Total 1,317 16% 663 8% 5,767 71% 391 5% Caucasian 864 15% 501 9% 4,305 73% 244 4% African American 254 20% 86 7% 838 67% 76 6% Hispanic/ Latino 114 26% 28 7% 268 62% 25 6% Native American 5 10% - - 36 71% 7 14% Asian/ Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 16 18% 13 9% 69 66% 12 8% Multiracial 0 0% 3 13% 20 83% 1 4% Others 13 15% 3 4% 68 79% 2 2% Missing 51 19% 26 10% 163 62% 24 9%

A higher proportion of the ungraded MTP students did not have either employment or PSE goals . Also, note that those below the 9th grade were among the highest proportion of students with both employment and post-secondary education goals.

Employment and Post-Secondary Education Goal Status by Grade Level

Grade Level




Number % Number % Number % Number % Total 1,317 16% 663 8% 5,767 71% 391 5% 12th 440 14% 345 11% 2,126 70% 147 5% 11th 271 16% 135 8% 1,268 73% 72 4% 10th 145 13% 61 6% 855 78% 32 3% 9th 119 12% 78 2% 777 77% 40 4% < 9th 31 12% 10 4% 213 82% 6 2% Ungraded 177 38% 13 3% 171 37% 100 22% Other 19 34% - - 32 57% - -

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More than 75% of students expected to receive a Regents or Local diploma had IEP goals for both employment and post-secondary education, whereas the students expecting an IEP diploma had the lowest proportion of IEP goals in both these areas. When examined separately, most students expecting an IEP diploma had employment goals (37%) and most students expecting a Regents diploma had post-secondary education goals. These patterns are reflective of the types of educational programming these students in different tracks are receiving in their MTPs. These IEP goals do not accurately predict the post-secondary choices for students. For example, at one of the sites visited, several students had participated in activities supporting their interests in post-secondary education. According to the MTP coordinator participation in such activities convinced some students that were “college-bound” to re-think of their options and adjust their program to take the path of employment. Additionally, it is of interest to note that students expected to receive a “Local” or an “IEP” diploma are not typically eligible to attend college (2 or 4 years). However nearly three fourth of students expecting to receive a Local diploma and nearly half of the students expecting to receive an IEP diploma have goals both in the area of employment and post-secondary education. This could be as a result of: (a) data entry error within the TID, i.e., person entering data in the TID may not be drawing this information from the most updated IEP for the student; or (b) that the IEP for the student was not updated for a long time to reflect such programming changes.

Expected Diploma Type

Employment and PSE Goal Status by Expected Diploma Type




Number % Number % Number % Number % Total 1,317 16% 663 8% 5,767 71% 391 5% Regents 246 8% 368 12% 2,267 76% 97 3% Local 168 12% 137 10% 1,043 75% 40 3% IEP 536 37% 37 3% 701 48% 191 13% GED 34 27% 7 6% 78 62% 6 5% Other - - 0 0% - - 0 0% Missing 18 12% 10 7% 102 70% 16 11%

Students with autism & MR were least likely to have both employment and PSE goals, followed by students with multiple disabilities. Students with LD, physical disabilities or emotional disability were more likely to have both an employment and PSE goal.

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Disability Classification

Employment and PSE Goal Status by Disability Classification




Number P Number % Number % Number % Total 1,317 16% 663 8% 5,767 71% 142 3% LD 543 13% 345 8% 3,227 76% 48 4% Physical Disability 155 12% 121 9% 1,006 76% 48 4% ED 166 18% 97 10% 619 66% 50 5% Autism and MR 285 37% 29 4% 369 48% 90 12% Sensory Disability 74 21% 39 11% 234 65% 11 3% Multiple 86 21% 22 6% 252 62% 44 11% Others 8 10% 10 12% 60 71% 6 7%

School Engagement

About 11% (1,285) of students had attendance problems, of which 23% (297) attended school less than 40% of the required time and 53% (680) attended school between 40% and 79% of the required time. Three most frequent reasons for attendance problems were ‘Behavioral or mental health problem’, ‘Physical health’ and ‘Life time events.’ Also, in the following tables, attendance problems were the highest among students expected to receive GED diploma compared to their peers. No other interesting variations were observed across gender, race/ethnicity, and grade-level for this variable.

Attendance Problem Attendance Problems of MTP Students

Number Percent Total 11,935 100% Yes 1,285 11% No 9,024 76% Missing 1,626 14%

Gender Attendance Problems by Gender

Number Percent Male 775 10% Female 510 12%

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Race/Ethnicity Attendance Problems by Race/Ethnicity

Number Percent Caucasian 834 10% African American 282 16% Hispanic/Latino 104 17% Asian 7 7% Asian/ Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 10 8% Multiracial 3 9% Others 7 5% Missing 35 8%

Grade Level Attendance Problems by Grade Level

Number Percent 12th 502 12% 11th 280 11% 10th 167 10% 9th 121 8% < 9th grade 46 5% Ungraded 113 14% Other 56 18%

Expected Diploma Type Attendance Problems by Expected Diploma Type

Number Percent Regents 493 9% Local 297 11% IEP 357 12% GED 79 30% Missing 56 11%

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Disability Classification Attendance Problems by Disability Classification

Number Percent Learning disability 642 11% Physical disability* 236 11% Emotional disability 221 15% Autism and MR 75 8% Sensory disability** 40 9% Multiple disabilities 37 5% Others 34 12%

Inclusion

Of a total of 11,935 MTP students, 64% participated in general education classes in the last quarter (as of October 15, 2008). Of them, 4,726 (62%) students participated in general education classes over 80% of their academic time and 1,428 (19%) between 40% and 79% of their academic time. Only 865 students reported less than 40% of participation in general education classes (602 students did not answer this question).

Classes of MTP Students

Participation in General Education

Participating in General Education Classes Number

Percent

Total 11,935 100% Yes 7,621 64% No 4,314 36%

Classes of MTP Students

Participation in General Education

Gender Number Percent Male 4,780 63% Female 2,841 65%

It is interesting to note that participation in general education is around 50% for

Hispanic/Latino, African American, Multiracial, as well as Asian students.

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Race/Ethnicity

Participation in General Education Classes by

Race/Ethnicity Number Percent Caucasian 5,917 68% African American 904 52% Hispanic/Latino 278 45% Asian 54 52% Native American 45 59% Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 25 83% Multiracial 13 38% Others 61 42% Missing 324 72%

Participation in general education across grade levels varied mostly between 60 and 70%, except for ungraded students. The latter is because most of the ungraded include students pursuing their GED.


Grade Level Grade Level Number Percent

12th 2,923 71% 11th 1,731 67% 10th 998 60% 9th 1,061 66% < 9th 643 71% Ungraded 160 20% Other 150 49%



Expected Diploma Type Number Percent Regents 3,993 82% Local 1,454 73% IEP 828 41% GED 101 46% Missing 214 68%

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Students with autism and MR, and Emotional Disability have the lowest proportion of participation in general education compared to the other disabilities.



Disability Classification Number Percent Learning disability 4,165 72% Physical disability* 1,501 72% Emotional disability 575 40% Autism and MR 422 42% Sensory disability** 268 57% Multiple disabilities 463 56% Others 227 83%

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Career Development Activities

Sixty five percent (7,755) of MTP students participated in some form of career development activities. Participation in career development activities was highest among un-graded students and 12th graders. The participation was highest among students identified with autism & MR, and the participation rates varied from 59% - 66% for all other disability classifications. Students with Autism & MR typically have educational programs leading to an IEP or Local Diploma, which explains their relatively higher participation in career development activities. Also, note that students with an “other disability” classification had the lowest rates of participation. This pattern for students identified with other disabilities could be due to the fact that most of these students were de-classified following the start of the MTP.

Development activities from TID

Participation of MTP Students in Career

Participating in career development activities Number

Percent

Total 11,935 100% Yes 7,755 65% No 2,661 22% Missing 1,519 13%

Participation in Career Development

Activities by Grade Level Grade Level Number Percent

12 2,977 72% 11 1,622 63% 10 902 54% 9 767 50%

< 9th 602 66% Un-graded 635 81% Others 250 81%

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Activities by Gender


Gender Number Percent Male 4,899 65% Female 2,856 65%

Activities by Disability Classification


Disability Classification Number Percent Autism and MR 782 78% Emotional Disability 863 59% Learning Disability 3,831 66% Physical Disability 1,287 62% Sensory Disability 173 58% Multiple Disabilities 543 57% Others 29 39%

Eighty percent of all MTP students expecting an IEP diploma participated in career developmental activities. Between 59% and 67% of MTP students pursuing a Regents or local diploma participated in career development activities. Three quarters of all MTP students with both an employment and post-secondary education goal participated in at least one career development activity.

Activities by Expected Diploma Type


Expected Diploma Type Number Percent Regents 3,352 59% Local 1,823 67% IEP 2,142 80% GED 192 74%

26


January 2009

Activities by IEP Post-Secondary Goals


IEP Postsecondary Goals Number Percent Employment Only 1,150 87% Post-secondary Education Only 478 72% Both Employment and Post-secondary Ed. 4,464 77%

27


January 2009

Types of MTP Student Career Development Activities

Additional information regarding the types of career development activities students participated in was available for 84 %( 6,585) of MTP students who reported participation.

Note that the following tablepresents instances of the career development activities checked off for each student. The sum of the numbers will be greater than 6,585 as multiple career development activities were checked off for many students. It is apparent that nearly half of MTP students who are engaging in career development activities are receiving pre-vocational soft skills, where as only 11% are engaged in internship-like training.

Career Development Activities

Number (Percentage) of Instances of Career Development Activity types across 8,262 MTP students

Number Percent Career counseling 3,548 46% Career skills assessment 3,267 42% Job readiness or prevocational training 3,034 39% Instruction in looking for jobs 2,323 30% Work exploration 2,347 30% Career and technical education 1,883 25% Specific job skill training 1,250 16% Internship / apprenticeship 871 11% Job shadowing 795 10% Tech-prep/Career pathways program 343 4% Mobility or transportation training 313 4% Others 229 3% Missing 1,170 15%

28


January 2009

MTP Career Development Activities by Grade Level

The following table displays the distribution of the types of career development activities that students participated in across grade levels. For most of the career development activities, the distribution of percentage of students is fairly even across the grade levels. A higher proportion of 12th graders and ungraded students were involved in job shadowing, internships, and specific job skill training. This trend is reflective of the structuring of work-study programs across most of the MTPs, providing seniors/ school-exiting cohort with community-based experiences, while younger students receive soft skills and pre-vocational training.

Career Development Activities Totals 12th 11th 10th 9th < 9th Ungraded Others

Totals 2024 1354 741 635 478 468 69

Career counseling 2,738 47% 41% 40% 41% 32% 64% 67%

Career skills assessment 2,569 56% 47% 43% 41% 19% 54% 67% Job readiness or prevocational training 2,440 41% 39% 35% 43% 41% 66% 73% Instruction in looking for jobs 1,783 38% 29% 19% 32% 4% 47% 54%

Work exploration 1,848 29% 30% 29% 29% 41% 47% 58% Career and technical education 1,452 32% 28% 14% 7% 30% 22% 39% Specific job skill training 984 20% 18% 10% 4% 7% 37% 61% Internship / apprenticeship 661 16% 6% 6% 4% 0% 36% 16%

Job shadowing 597 13% 10% 7% 3% 1% 25% 12% Tech-prep/Career pathways program 289 8% 4% 3% 3% 3% 3% 22% Mobility or transportation training 224 4% 2% 3% 1% 1% 12% 25%

Others 113 2% 1% 2% 3% 4% 4% 3%

29


January 2009

MTP Career Development Activities by Disability Classification

The following table displays the distribution of types of career development activities across the type of disability classifications for MTP students. It is interesting to note that higher proportion of students with autism and MR, and sensory disability are participating in more formal internships (22% and 29% respectively) and specific job skill training programs (32% and 19% respectively) compared to their peers with other disability classifications. However, on further examination it was apparent that more than 50% of students with autism and MR, and sensory disability were in the 12th grade or ungraded, which could have contributed to this trend. A possible explanation for this pattern could be that these students tend to demonstrate more difficulties in their academic achievement and therefore could be spending more of their school day in work-study. In short, these students could have already been through the pre-vocational career development activities compared to their other peers with disabilities.

30


January 2009

Career Development Activities Totals

Learning Disability

Physical Disability

Emotional Disability

Autism & MR

Sensory Disability

Multiple Disability

Other Disability

Totals 2802 951 670 601 173 543 29 Career counseling 2,738 51% 41% 47% 46% 62% 41% 28% Career skills assessment 2,569 46% 41% 48% 52% 38% 36% 28% Job readiness or prevocational training 2,440 40% 40% 40% 64% 43% 39% 31% Instruction in looking for jobs 1,783 31% 29% 32% 41% 42% 21% 21% Work exploration 1,848 31% 29% 30% 45% 38% 27% 28% Career and technical education 1,452 29% 23% 21% 22% 24% 18% 35% Specific job skill training 984 17% 14% 11% 32% 19% 14% 3% Internship / apprenticeship 661 9% 9% 13% 22% 29% 8% 7% Job shadowing 597 10% 9% 9% 17% 9% 9% 14% Tech-prep/Career pathways program 289 6% 3% 3% 3% 9% 5% 3% Mobility or transportation training 224 3% 4% 2% 12% 6% 5% 0%

Others 113 2% 2% 4% 2% 1% 1% 0%

31


January 2009

Among those who participated in career development activities (6,585), 4134 spent less than 40% of their school time in such activities, while 1984 spent anywhere from 40 to 79% of their school time in these activities.

Time spent in Career Development Activities

Percentage of School Time MTP Students Spent in Career Development Activities

Number Percent < 40% 4,134 53% 40% - 79% 1,984 26% ≥ 80% 500 7% Missing 1,137 15%

Greater proportions of students with autism and MR (22%) spend ≥ 80% of their academic time in career development activities compared to their peers, and similarly greater proportion of students with sensory disability (39%) spent 40% - 79% of their academic time in career development activities. Again, this is the pattern similar to the one observed earlier sections of our analysis.


Percentage of School Time MTP Students Spent in Career Development Activities by Disability Classification

Totals < 40% 40%-79% ≥ 80% Missing Autism and Mental Retardation 782 34% 35% 22% 9%

Emotional Disability 863 60% 24% 5% 11%

Learning Disability 3,831 54% 24% 5% 17%

Physical Disability 1,287 62% 22% 4% 13%

Sensory Disability 330 38% 39% 6% 18%

Multiple Disabilities

Others 516 51% 30% 5% 14%

32


January 2009

It can be observed that a greater proportion of students expecting an IEP diploma spent a majority of their time in career development activities, reflective of educational programming for these students.


Percentage of School Time MTP Students Spent in Career Development Activities by Expected Diploma Type

Totals < 40% 40% - 79% ≥ 80% Missing

Regents 3,352 68% 19% 2% 17%

Local 1,823 54% 25% 2% 19%

IEP 2,142 30% 38% 18% 14%

GED 192 52% 32% 4% 12% Missing 241 65% 12% 6% 17%

Students with only employment goals in their IEP are more likely to spend greater proportion of their time in career development activities.

Percentage of School-time MTP Students Spent in Career Development Activities by IEP Post-secondary Goals

Post-secondary Goals Totals < 40% 40% - 79% ≥ 80% Missing

Employment only 1,150 37% 43% 17% 3%

Postsecondary only 478 61% 29% 2% 8%

Both Employment and Post-secondary Education 4,464 53% 22% 5% 20%

33


January 2009

Work Experience and Earnings

Nineteen percent (2,254) of MTP students participated in a work experience. Most of these were 11th, 12th graders and un-graded

Participation of MTP Students in Work Experience

Participating Number Percent Total 11,935 100% Yes 2,254 19% No 9,681 81%

Grade Level Participation of MTP Students in Work Experience by Grade Level

Number Percent Total 2,254 100% 12 1,190 29% 11 450 17% 10 200 12% 9 86 6% <9th grade 6 1% Un-graded 221 28%

A greater proportion of students with autism and MR (24%) were involved in work experience compared their other peers with disabilities.

Participation of MTP Students in Work Experience by Disability Classification

Disability Classification Number Percent Total 2,254 100% Autism and MR 238 24% Emotional Disability 262 18% Learning Disability 1,181 21% Physical Disability 351 17% Sensory Disability 71 15% Multiple Disabilities 113 14% Others 38 14%

34


January 2009

Also, a greater proportion of students expecting to receive a Local, IEP or GED diploma were involved in work experiences (22%, 25% and 27%) compared to the students expected to receive a Regents diploma.

Expected Diploma Type Participation in Work Experience by Expected Diploma Type

Number Percent Total 2,254 100% Regents 850 15% Local 601 22% IEP 680 25% GED 71 27% Missing 49 9%

Among those who participated in work experiences, 65% had paid jobs, and 15% were unpaid. Pay information was missing on 20% of MTP students, indicating a need for more technical assistance with this variable.

Paid or Unpaid Work Experience

Participation of MTP Students in Work Experience (Paid or Unpaid)

Number Percent Total 2,254 100% Paid 1,472 65% Unpaid 330 15% Missing 452 20%

It is interesting to note that greater proportion of the students with an emotional disability, learning disability, and physical disability had a paid work experience compared to their peers. This is especially interesting because, although larger proportions of students with autism & MR report to have a work experience, only 39% have been unpaid, forming the highest proportion of students with unpaid work.

35


January 2009


Participation of MTP Students in Work Experience (Paid or Unpaid) by Disability Classification

Paid Work Unpaid Work Pay Information Missing

Number % Number % Number % Autism and MR 127 53% 92 39% 19 8% Emotional Disability 179 68% 41 16% 42 16% Learning Disability 795 67% 99 8% 287 24% Physical Disability 243 69% 41 12% 67 19% Sensory Disability 43 61% 12 17% 16 23% Multiple Disabilities 60 53% 38 34% 15 13% Others 25 66% 7 18% 6 16%

Nearly 60% of the students across the 12th, 11th, 10th, and 9th grades have had paid work experience. This is not consistent with some of the educational programming for these young people and this trend needs further investigation during site visits.

by Grade-Level Participation of MTP Students in Work Experience (Paid or Unpaid)

Grade Level Paid Work Unpaid Work

Pay Information Missing

Number % Number % Number % 12 797 67% 148 12% 245 21% 11 281 62% 59 13% 110 24% 10 137 69% 35 18% 28 14% 9 59 69% 9 11% 18 21% <9th grade - - - - - - Un-graded 134 61% 65 29% 22 10% Grade Level Missing 63 62% 13 13% 25 25%

The following tables demonstrate the type of work experiences. Information is collected based on the number of instances certain type of work experiences occurred and cross tabulated with experiences being paid or unpaid, grade level, disability classification and expected diploma type. It is interesting to note that in most instances, students have found their own employment (37%) and again this issue needs further technical assistance in order to ensure accurate representation of the type of work experience.

36


January 2009

Types of MTP Work Activities

Employment Experiences Number Percent Total instances 3,236 100% Student has obtained his/her employment 1,188 37% School-supported work experience, in the community 840 26% School-supported work experience, in a school facility 429 13% MTP Agency-sponsored work experience, in the community 488 15% Non-MTP Provider-sponsored work experience, in the community 98 3% Other 29 2%

37


January 2009

It is apparent that most jobs found by the students were associated with some pay as opposed to either school or the MTP partner job placements.

by Type of Work Activity

Participation of MTP Students in Work Experience (Paid or Unpaid)

Work Activity Paid Work Unpaid Work Number Percent Number Percent

Student has obtained his/her employment 1,154 97% 34 3% School-supported work experience, in the community 343 41% 497 59% School-supported work experience, in a school facility 194 45% 235 55% MTP Agency-sponsored work experience, in the community 323 48% 256 53% Non-MTP Provider-sponsored work experience, in the community 82 84% 16 16% Others 56 74% 20 26%

38


January 2009

Students in grades lower than 9th grade mostly had school-supported work experience located in the school compared to the rest, where students had obtained their own employment.

Types of MTP Work Activities by Grade Level

Grade Level Stud

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% % % % % % 12 49% 20% 9% 15% 4% 1% 11 43% 14% 20% 15% 4% 2% 10 30% 20% 27% 13% 3% 2% 9 34% 19% 20% 8% 1% 3% < 9th grade 4% 2% 40% 0% 0% 0% Un-graded 6% 52% 16% 18% 3% 5% Grade Level

Missing 18% 42% 18% 12% 0% 0%

39


January 2009

It is interesting to note that the greater instances of work experiences for students with learning disability, physical disability, and sensory disability were where the student had obtained his/her own employment. In contrast, most instances of work experiences for students with autism and MR, emotional disability and multiple disabilities were school-supported. These trends point to the level of independence achieved and the need for continuing support for students with more severe disabilities

.


Types of MTP Work Activities by Disability Classification

Total Stud

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Autism and MR 521 4% 47% 18% 24% 3% 4%

Emotional Disability 384 26% 29% 23% 11% 4% 26%

Learning Disability 1,436 50% 17% 8% 15% 3% 50%

Physical Disability 480 52% 19% 12% 10% 3% 52%

Sensory Disability 130

35% 38% 12% 9% 2% 35%

Multiple Disabilities 214

11% 38% 25% 19% 1% 11%

Others 54 44% 26% 11% 17% 0% 44%

A greater proportion of work instances for students expecting to receive a Regents diploma were where they had found their own job, again pointing to higher levels of independence and function for this group of students.

40


January 2009


Types of MTP Work Activities by Expected Diploma Type

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Regents 63% 10% 8% 10% 3% 2% Local 57% 18% 10% 8% 3% 2% IEP 10% 44% 19% 21% 3% 2% GED 50% 18% 18% 10% 3% 1% Grade Level Missing 15% 2% 7% 43% 4% 1%

Only 4% of the work experience instances reported were paying below minimum wage. Conversely, 13% of the work experience instances reported pay above minimum wage. Note, 64% of the work experience instances reported did not indicate wage information.

(1,796 instances for 1,101 MTP students)

Work Experience Instances by Earning Category

Earnings Categories Number Percent Total Instances 3,236 100% Paid below minimum wage 109 3% Paid minimum wage 650 20% Paid above minimum wage 410 13% Wage information Missing 2,067 64%

A lower proportion of work instances had pay below minimum wage. However, greater instances of work experiences supported by school within the school facility were associated with pay below minimum wage.

41


January 2009

Earnings from Job by Type of Work Activity

Type of Work Activity Paid

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Student has obtained his/her employment 2% 27% 23% 49% School-supported work experience, in the community 4% 14% 4% 78% School-supported work experience, in a school facility 11% 8% 3% 78% MTP Agency-sponsored work experience, in the community 1% 23% 13% 63% Non-MTP Provider-sponsored work experience, in the community 7% 36% 19% 38% Others 1% 43% 8% 47%

Earnings from Job by Type of Disability Classification

Disability Classification Paid

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Autism and MR 3% 15% 10% 72% Emotional Disability 4% 18% 9% 68% Learning Disability 2% 25% 15% 58% Physical Disability 5% 22% 16% 58% Sensory Disability 3% 12% 9% 75% Multiple Disabilities 9% 6% 6% 79% Others 2% 11% 11% 76%

Based on the 3,236 work experience instances reported, 36% worked less then 10 hours per week and 43% worked between 10 and 19 hours per week. Therefore, most of the work was part-time and only 125 instances were full-time work experiences.

42


January 2009

Number of Instances (% of work experiences reported

Number of Hours of Work Experience per Week

(3,236 for 1,101 MTP Students)) Hours Number %

< 10 hrs.wk. 1,158 36% 10 – 19 hrs.wk. 1,379 43% 20 – 34 hrs.wk. 574 18% ≥ 35 hrs.wk. 125 4%

Number of Hours of Work Experience per Week by Expected Diploma Type

Students expecting a Regents or Local diploma had higher instances of working 10-19 hrs/wk, compared to their peers expecting an IEP diploma. This points to the fact that though there is greater participation by students expecting an IEP diploma in career development activities, the students expecting a Regents or Local diploma have a greater opportunity of finding a part-time work experience. We are interested in following these trends seen in our first wave of the data over time.


< 10 hours/wk

10 – 19 hours/wk

20 – 34 hours/wk

≥ 35 hours/wk

Regents 33% 51% 13% 3% Local 30% 49% 19% 3% IEP 40% 35% 20% 5% GED 26% 44% 28% 3% Missing 55% 27% 15% 3% Others 17% 17% 67% 0%

The above mentioned trend continues to be reflected in the following table, where students with autism & MR report fewer instances of part-time work. Interestingly, 21 of these instances were 20-34 hours also warranting further investigation.

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January 2009


Number of Hours of Work Experience per Week by Disability Classification

Total < 10 hours/wk

10 – 19 hours/wk

20 – 34 hours/wk

≥ 35 hours/wk

Autism and MR 521 44% 30% 22% 4% Emotional Disability 384 46% 37% 15% 2% Learning Disability 1,436 28% 45% 22% 5% Physical Disability 480 34% 52% 10% 4% Sensory Disability 130 32% 59% 8% 2% Multiple Disabilities 214 54% 37% 7% 3% Others 54 32% 54% 11% 4%

Type of Work Activity

Number of Hours of Work Experience per Week by Type of Work Activity

Total < 10 hours/wk

10 – 19 hours/wk

20 – 34 hours/wk

≥ 35 hours/wk

Student has obtained his/her employment 1,188 21% 54% 20% 5% School-supported work experience, in the community 840 30% 46% 22% 2% School-supported work experience, in a school facility 429 73% 21% 5% 1% MTP Agency-sponsored work experience, in the community 488 38% 38% 18% 7% Non-MTP Provider-sponsored work experience, in the community 98 24% 47% 20% 9%

Others 76 32% 33% 32% 4%

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January 2009

Postsecondary Education Preparation

Twenty percent of students participated in activities preparing them to transition to post-secondary education. Of the students who participated in these activities, 62% participated in college information nights and 25% received assistance completing college applications.

Participation in Activities Aimed to Support Transition to Post Secondary Education. Number (Percentage) of total # of MTP students entered into TID (9,454)

Participation in activities Number Percent Yes 2,406 20% No 9,529 80%

Types of Postsecondary Education-Related Experiences

Participation in Activities Aimed to Support Transition to Postsecondary Education. Number and percentage across 1,664 participating students

Number Percent College information night or informational session or college tours 1,023 62% Visited or met personnel at student disabilities services office 250 15% Received assistance in completing college application 408 25% Training for applying to/attending to college 387 23% Participated in preparation of documentation required by the college for service eligibility benefit determination from disability student services 287 17% Received assistance in completing FAFSA or college tuition aid 284 17% Meeting college students with disabilities 250 15%

Training for college entrance tests 134 8% Enrolled / participated in courses at a college for credit 101 6%

Shadowing college students with disabilities 49 3% Enrolled / participated in courses at a college for non-credit 17 1% Others 47 3%

45


January 2009

VESID Referral

Highlights This section presents our findings from the analysis of the CaMS data, provided on October 28, 2008, for VESID consumers who were referred by the Model Transition Programs.

• VR Referral received/accepted: According to the CaMS data, a total of 3,412 MTP students applied or contacted VESID for VR services between July 1, 2007 and October 28, 2008. Note that the remaining analysis in this report is limited to the 3,083 consumers who applied between July 1, 2007 and September 30, 2008, excluding 329 who were still in contact status without an application date.

• Consumer Demographics: Slightly over 60% were males, 67% were

White Americans, no Hispanic Origin, and 72% were 17-18 years old at application. The majority of them (97.7%) were either pursuing a special education certificate or a high school diploma. Approximately half reported Specific Learning Disabilities as their primary disability to be eligible for VR services. Almost 10% reported receiving one or more public supports such as SSI and SSDI at application.

• VESID Statuses: As of October 28, 2008, 90% of the applicants were

determined eligible for VR services. Of the eligible consumers 60% had developed their own IPE. About 12% of the consumers exited VESID between July 2007 and September 2008 either with or without an employment outcome.

• VR Service Patterns: As a result of merging each authorization record into

22 service types based on the RSA 911 service classification system, a total of 3,039 types of VR services were provided to 1,787 consumers as of 10/28/08. The top three VESID services received by the MTP referees were Assessment services, College or University Training services, and Other services. The average number of service received was 1.7 services with standard deviation (SD) of 0.95. The average cost of services of the 1,787 consumers was $2,885 (SD: $4,956), and the median (50th percentile) was $1,200.

• Closure Status: Of closed cases, 39.1% exited without eligibility

determination (Status 08), 14.3% with eligibility determination but no IPE (Status 30), and 34.4% with an IPE developed (Status 28). Only 47 consumers (12.2%) were closed with an employment outcome (Status 26). Race/ethnicity, level of education, and type of disability appeared to be associated with the type of closure. While impairment related reasons were

46


January 2009

related to Status 08, Inability to locate or contact consumers was the highest reason for closure for consumers without an employment outcome after eligibility determination (28 Closure and 30 Closure).

• Status 26 (Successful Closure): Of the 47 rehabilitated consumers, 92%

were employed integrated setting, without supports. The mean number of hours worked in a week at closure was 32.7 hours (SD=8.3). The average hourly wage of this group was $8.60. All of the rehabilitated consumers achieved a competitive placement which indicates that they obtained full or part time employment in an integrated setting and were earning at or above minimum wage (NY=$7.15).

47


January 2009

Introduction Section 106 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, requires the United States Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) to establish evaluation standards and performance indicators for the Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) program that include outcome and related measures of program performance. Standard 1 focused on impact on employment and has six performance indicators which include focus on change in employment outcomes, percent of employment outcomes, competitive employment outcomes, and significance of disability, earnings ratio and self-support. Standard 2 assesses equal access opportunity for individuals of all groups and backgrounds and includes the performance indicator, minority background service rate.

As stated in the introduction of this data report, under goals and priorities of the New York Office of Vocational and Educational Services for Individuals with Disabilities’ (VESID) State Plan to the Rehabilitative Services Administration (RSA), it is stated that priority #1 for the department is that individuals with disabilities, including youth, will be employed in integrated work settings consistent with their abilities, interests and achievements. In order to achieve this goal and meet federal requirements, the department has identified the following sub-set of goals pertaining to youth with disabilities:

Goal 1.1.2: Increase the total number of youth (applicants at age 14 – 21) who achieve an employment outcome.

Goal 1.2.2: Increase the percentage of youth with disabilities (applicants at age 14-21) exiting the VR program after receiving services who achieve an employment outcome and exceed the national standard of 55.8 percent (variation on RSA Performance Indicator 1.2).

This section describes MTP students’ VESID referral status reported through TID. The first part is to highlight the VR status of all MTP students (9,454). Demographic and IEP information based on the referral status is also illustrated. The second part of this section focuses on the students who reported to be referred to VESID through TID. The final section illuminates VR Status of MTP Students who were referred to and accepted by VESID based on CaMS data.

For the first two sections, the data must be interpreted with caution. This data was reported through TID (#B.17) by the students or MTP personnel and it might not accurately reflect the actual student status in the VR system. The actual CaMS data for the MTP students derived as of June 30, 2008 are shown at the end of this section.

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January 2009

VR Referral Status for MTP Students Analysis of CaMS Data This section presents our findings from the analysis of the CaMS data for VESID consumers who were referred by the Model Transition Programs. While TID reports that 4,306 MTP students were referred to VESID, according to CaMS data, a total of 3,412 MTP students applied or contacted VESID for VR services between July 1, 2007 and October 28, 2008. As illustrated in the table below, the number of referees consistently increased from October 2007 to June 2008. However, since July 2008, the number has prominently decreased. Meanwhile, 194 MTP students were still in contact status with no effective application date as of October 28, 2008. Categories of Date of Application

109

668

9751094

237329

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

# of

Stu

dent

s

Jul 07 -Sep 07

Oct 07 -Dec 07

Jan 08 -Mar 08

Apr 08 -Jun 08

Jul 08 -Sep 08

ContactStatus

Categories of Application Date (N=3,412)

Scope of Analysis For our main analysis, this report is limited to the 3,083 consumers who applied between July 1, 2007 and September 30, 2008 (end of Quarter 3). We excluded the 329 cases which were still in contact status without an application date from the analysis.

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January 2009

Based on our evaluation framework, we initially described input variables in the first section of Consumer Demographics. Process variables were displayed and discussed under the headings of Current VESID Status and Service Patterns. Despite a small number of closed cases, we have included information of the MTP students who have exited VESID by their closure statuses. While the first two sections present our findings of all 3,083 consumers, the Service Patterns section includes 1,787 who received VR services, and the last section of Closure Statuses includes 384 whose cases were closed.

Consumer Demographics

Gender Sixty percent of the VESID referees by MTP were males, and this distribution is consistent with gender distribution of TID.

Gender

Frequency Percent Male 1,857 60.2 Female 1,219 39.5 Missing 7 0.2

Race/Ethnicity Sixty seven percent of MTP students in VESID were Caucasian, and 16.5% were African American. If two or more races/ethnicities, including ‘Hispanic origin’ were reported, we considered it as ‘Multiracial,’ and 406 (13.2%) consumers were categorized in ‘Multiracial’.

Race/Ethnicity

Frequency Percent White, no Hispanic Origin 2,058 66.8 African American 509 16.5 Asian/Pacific Islander 43 0.7 Native American 30 1.0 Multiracial 406 13.2 Missing 37 1.2

Age at Application

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January 2009

Approximately 9% (n=267) of the MTP referees were younger than 17 years old at the time of application as compared to 37.5% of 11,935 MTP students documented in TID. Nearly three quarters (72.8%) of the consumers were 17 or 18 years old, and 18.4% of them were between 19 and 21 years old when referred to VESID. This finding indicates that junior and senior MTP students were those most likely to apply for VESID services.

Age at Application

Frequency Percent 14-15 5 0.2 16 262 8.5 17 1,120 36.3 18 1,125 36.5 19-21 566 18.4 >=22 - -

Special Education Status and Education Attainment at Application Most of the VESID consumers (n=2,948; 95.6%) who were referred through MTP were students classified as having a disability and receiving individualized educational plans. Likewise, the majority of the consumers (97.7%) reported that they were either pursuing a special education certificate or a high school diploma.

Education Attainment at Application

Frequency Percent Elementary education (grades 1-8) 8 0.3 Special education cert. of completion/attendance 2,334 75.7 Secondary education, no high school diploma (9-12) 677 22.0 High school graduate or equivalency certificate (regular education students) 44 1.4 Post-secondary education, no-degree 10 0.3 Bachelors degree - - Missing 9 0.3

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Type of Primary Disability About 50% of the consumers (N=1,530) reported Specific Learning Disabilities as their primary disability to be eligible for VR services, which reflects the distribution of MTP students’ type of disability. Even though the disability classification systems of IDEA and VESID are different, the distribution of type of disabilities between TID and CaMS seems comparable. The VESID status of the 133 consumers with no impairment at the time of application were either ‘Closed before Eligibility Determination’ (n=52), ‘Eligibility Pending’ (n=21), or ‘Applicant Status’ (n=59).

Type of Primary Disability

Frequency Percent No Impairment 133 4.3 Sensory Impairments 91 2.9 Physical Impairments-Orthopedic/Neurological 52 1.7 Other Physical Impairments 57 1.8 Specific Learning Disabilities 1,530 49 ADHD 289 10 MR/Autism 414 13.4 Mental Illness 256 8.3 Substance Abuse - - TBI 18 0.6 Communicative/All Other Mental Impairments 242 7.8

Severity of Disability About 95% of the consumers were rated as having either significant or most significant disabilities, while only 1.3% were less significantly disabled.

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January 2009

Severity of Disability

Frequency Percent Less significantly disabled 41 1.3 Significantly disabled 871 28.3 Most significantly disabled 2,052 66.6 Missing 119 3.9

Primary Source of Support at Application Ninety percent of the consumers (n=2,750) reported “Family and Friends” as their primary source of support at the time of application. Only 12 consumers (0.5%) gave personal income as their primary financial source, and 5% of the consumers relied on public assistance such as SSI, SSDI and TANF for living.

Primary Source of Support at Application

Frequency Percent Personal income-earnings, interest, dividends, rent 12 0.4 Family and friends 2,750 89.2 Private relief agency - - Public assistance, at least partly with federal funds-SSI and TANF 135 4.4 Public assistance, without federal funds -safety net assistance only - - Public institution - tax supported - - Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) 12 0.4 All other public sources 31 1.0 Annuity or other non-disability insurance benefits private insurance - - All other sources of support 75 2.4 Missing 57 1.8

Public Supports Of the 3,083 consumers, 297 (9.7%) reported receiving one or more public supports such as SSI and SSDI at application. Of 274 consumers who received either SSI or SSDI, seven indicated that they were receiving both SSI and SSDI at the time of application. Customers (n=238) who were receiving SSI received an average of $542.31 per month in benefits. As for SSDI beneficiaries, the average amount was $517.83.

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January 2009

Public Supports

Frequency % Average Amount $ SSI 238 7.7 $542.31 SSDI 36 1.2 $517.83 TANF 13 0.4 $308.62 Safe Net 9 0.3 $316.11 Other 12 0.4 $349.75

Medical Insurance at Application Regarding medical insurance, 17.4% of the consumers had Medicaid, 0.7% Medicare, and 34.2% private medical insurance other than employment. While 32.7% of the consumers did not provide the insurance information, 342 (11.1%) reported that they had no medical insurance at the time of application.

Medical Insurance at Application

Frequency Percent Medicaid 535 17.4 Medicare 23 0.7 Private-Other 1,054 34.2 Private through Employment - - Public-Other 71 2.3 Unknown 1,008 32.7 No Insurance 342 11.1

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January 2009

Work Status at Application According to CaMS, 142 consumers (4.6%) reported being employed at the time of application. Of them, 116 were employed in an integrated setting without any supports.

Work Status at Application

Frequency Percent Employment without supports in integrated setting 116 3.8 Employment with supports in integrated setting - - Extended employment - - Unpaid family worker 21 0.7 Non-working,student 1,863 60.4 Non-working,other 791 25.7 Non-working, trainee or worker (non-competitive) - - Other 229 7.4 Missing 57 1.8

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January 2009

Current VESID Status as of Oct. 28, 2008

Current Status The following figure presents the current VESID status of all 3,083 consumers who were referred by MTP as of Oct. 28, 2008. Eighty nine percent (n=2.731) of the consumers were determined eligible for VR services. As for the rest of 352 consumers without eligibility determination, 118 were in application status (Status 02); 150 were closed before eligibility determination (Status 08); and 84 might be closed without eligibility as their disability was re-evaluated or their eligibility was pending (Status 06 and Status 07). Of 2,731 eligible consumers, 1,620 (59%) had an Individualized Plan for Employment (IPE) as of 10/28/08. While 132 (5%) were closed before IPE development, the rate of the customers with IPE will be expected high as 979 consumers were in Status 10. Of 1,620 consumers with an IPE, 1,518 remained in the VESID system receiving VR services while 102 had exited the system; 55 consumers were closed without employment (Status 28) while 47 were closed with an employment outcome (Status 26). Twenty nine reported being employed (Status 22) and 1,088 receiving training (Status 18) as of 10/28/08. Current VESID Status

Milestones In process Closures

Application (N=3,083)

02-Application status (n=118) 06-Extended evaluation (n=6) 07-Pending eligibility (n=78)

‘08’ Closure (n=150)

↓89% 6% 5%

Eligibility Determination

(n=2,731) 10-Eligibility determined (n=979)


↓60% 36% 5%

Plan Development

(n=1,620)

12-Plan developed (n=3) 14-Counseling and Guidance (n=363)

18-Training (n=1088) 20-Ready for Employment (n=33) 22-Consumer is employed (n=29)

24-Services Interrupted (n=2)


3% ‘26’

Closure (n=47)

3% 94% 6%

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Length of Time from Application to Eligibility RSA regulations require eligibility determination to be completed within 60 days of application. The average number of days from application to eligibility for 2,731 consumers was 49.3 days (SD=44.2), and its range was from 0 to 360 days. According to the Table 5.13, 256 consumers (9.4%) were determined eligible at the application date, and 66% were determined eligible within 60 days of application.

Categories of Length of Time from Application to Eligibility

Frequency Percent 0 days 256 9.4 1-30 days 882 32.3 31-60 days 665 24.4 61-90 days 480 17.6 91-180 days 422 15.5 181-365 days 26 1.0

Length of Time from Eligibility to IPE The average number of days from eligibility determination to IPE for 1,620 consumers was 54.6 days (SD=58.1), and its range was from 0 to 366 days. 21.6% of them developed their IPE at the same date of eligibility; 54 of them had the same date of application, eligibility and IPE. About 63% of the consumers had their IPE within 60 days of eligibility determination.

Categories of Length of Time from Eligibility to IPE

Frequency Percent 0 days 350 21.6 1-30 days 371 22.9 31-60 days 301 18.6 61-90 days 247 15.2 91-180 days 279 17.2 181-365 days 71 4.4 Over 1 year - -

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Service Patterns A total of 5,466 service authorization records for the consumers who were referred by MTP were reported in the CaMS system as of 10/28/08. However, this report includes only 5,000 authorization records as 466 records were completely canceled out to $0 of the service cost. As for the partially canceled authorization records, we included them for analysis with the subtracted amount of service cost (authorized amount – canceled amount). As many consumers received the same type of services via multiple authorization approval processes, we merged each authorization record into 22 service types (e.g., Assessment) based on the RSA 911 service classification system. As a result, 3,039 types of VR services were provided to 1,787 (58%) consumers as of 10/28/08.

Type of VR Services Received The top three VESID services received by the 3,083 MTP students were Assessment services (38.1%), College or University Training services (15.1%), and Other services (10%). As of 10/28/08, no customers had received the following types of services: VR Counseling and Guidance, Basic Academic Remedial or Literacy Training, Job Search Assistance, Reader, Personal Assistance, or Information or Referral services.

Type of VR Services Received Frequency Percent Assessment 1,176 38.1 Diagnosis and Treatment - - College or University Training 465 15.1 Occupational/Vocational Training 85 2.8 On-the-Job Training - - Job Readiness Training 17 0.6 Disability Related Augmentative Skills Training - - Miscellaneous Training 182 5.9 Job Placement Assistance 126 4.1 On-the-Job Supports 304 9.9 Transportation 240 7.8 Maintenance 83 2.7 Rehabilitation Technology 15 0.5 Interpreter Service 13 0.4 Technical Assistance - - Other 326 10.6

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Number of Type of Services Received Of 1,787 consumers who received one or more types of VR services, 813 (45.5%) received multiple services (2-6 types of services) while they have been in the VESID program. The average number of service received was 1.7 services with standard deviation (SD) of 0.95.

Number of Type of Services Received

Frequency Percent 1 974 54.5 2 510 28.5 3 205 11.5 4 63 3.5 5 32 1.8 6 - -

Cost of Services The average cost of services of the 1,787 consumers was $2,885.40 (SD: $4,956.70), and the median (50th percentile) was $1,200. The table below shows the dollar amounts of minimum, maximum, mean, median and standard deviation (SD) by the number of type of services received. For example, the average amount of service cost among the consumers who received 2 types of services was $4,019.90 with SD of $5,217.40 and median of $2,194. Note that in many cases the SD is very large relative to the mean; therefore, the median might be a better indicator to refer to.

Cost of Services by Number of Type of Services Received

N Minimum Maximum Mean Median SD 1 974 2.08 1,7753.00 1,340.50 550.00 2,245.80 2 510 219.20 84,824.20 4,019.90 2,194.00 5,217.40 3 205 741.00 38,270.00 4,935.60 3,790.00 3,974.50 4 63 1,079.00 15,224.40 5,207.10 4,191.50 3,110.00 5 32 3,661.20 76,939.20 13,378.30 6,715.80 20,721.60 6 - 4,973.00 18,124.80 10,797.40 9,294.40 6,703.50

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Closure Statuses

Closure Status and Demographics Twelve percent (n=384) of the consumers who were referred by MTP exited VESID between July 2007 and September 2008. Of them, 39.1% exited without eligibility determination (Status 08), 34.4% with eligibility determination but no IPE (Status 30), and 14.3% with an IPE developed (Status 28). Only 47 consumers (12.2%) were closed with an employment outcome (Status 26). This section is designed to explore whether any demographic characteristics of the consumers were associated with the closure type (Table 5.17). Note that at this point the 12% closure rate is too low to be enough to represent the total group. Multiracial consumers appeared to exit VESID without an employment outcome while Asian Americans were more likely to have a successful VR outcome. It is also noticeable that a higher percent of Native Americans were closed before eligibility determination. A very low percent of the consumers with mental disabilities had a successful outcome at closure. Despite a small number, consumers with high school diploma or equivalent certificate tended to exit without eligibility determination. Work status at application seemed associated with the type of closure; employed consumers at application were more likely to be closed with a 08 Closure. Reason for Closure Obviously, the reason for 26 closures was an employment outcome maintained for at least 90 days. The following table illustrates the primary reason for closure for other types of closure. An 08 Closure was more related to severity of impairment (No impairment, No impairment to employment, and Does not require VR services). Inability to locate or contact consumers was the highest reason for closure for consumers without an employment outcome after eligibility determination (28 Closure and 30 Closure) followed by Refusing VR services and Failure to cooperate.

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INTERAGENCY COLLABORATION

Highlights Provider Services: Based on information entered into TID, out of 11,935 MTP students, 4507 students received provider services. Provider services were received by 1,273 12th graders or 42% of all MTP 12th graders. Not surprisingly, 50% of all MTP students expected to receive an IEP diploma have begun receiving provider services versus on 27% of MTP students expected to receive a Regents diploma. Description of Services: Although 4,507 students were indicated as receiving agency services, only 2,967 (66%) had descriptive information entered regarding the nature of those services. Since the Cornell research staff addressed this issue at our regular site visit meetings, we expect better quality of data in the future. Type of Services: Many students received multiple services during the last quarter. Consequently, the total number of service instances exceeded the total number of students with descriptive agency information. As of October 15, 2008, a total of 4,798 instances were entered into the Partner Provider Section of the TID. However 1,074 (25%) of those instances incorrectly indicated that the MTP program itself (i.e. School Districts) was the partner providing the service. Excluding those provider categories, this report only included 3,724 instances that were provided to 2,353 MTP students for analysis. Seventy-six percent of the MTP students received at least one employment-related service from the MTP partner providers. Respectively, 27% of the students received postsecondary education related services, and 30% received independent living related services. Meanwhile, 60% of the services provided by the MTP partners were designed to increase MTP students’ employability skills. Disability Classification: Students with Learning Disabilities received the highest number of services. However, higher percentages of students with developmental disabilities and autism are receiving agency services, in alignment with the expected support needs associated with these disability classifications. It also fits that older students would receive more agency services than younger students. Do these students have a more flexible school schedule, allowing for more agency interaction during school hours? Are agencies working individually with students after school hours? Type of Providers: Most of the services were provided by organizations that traditionally provide services to individuals with disabilities, such as community rehabilitation providers and Independent Living Centers. However, many students are apparently receiving agency services that are not through the MTP grants. If these services are associated with positive student outcomes, there exists potential for practices that are sustainable beyond the expected end date of the MTP.

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TransQUAL: According to the data from TransQUAL Online, 52 (87%) of the 60 Model Transition Programs created work plans for organizational development during 2008. Of those, 34 (57%) were created with TransQUAL team members that included people other than school personnel, such as agency representatives, parents and students. The highest percentages of work plans were in the areas of family involvement, student development and interagency collaboration. However, significant numbers of work plans have been created across all areas. Although not required until August 2009, seven MTPs have created 22 Progress Reports during 2008.

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Introduction As stated under policy improvement in the Office of Vocational and Educational Services for Individuals with Disabilities (VESID) State Plan to the Rehabilitative Services Administration (RSA), VESID is committed to improving coordination between special education and vocational rehabilitation services and school district staff to continuously improve transition services. Quality transition planning is dependent on inter-agency collaboration and the seamless coordination of sharing required information to facilitate services. Strong linkages must exist between school and agency partners in order to effectively meet the needs of the transitioning student. However, several factors have stood as barriers to effective collaboration. These include:

• lack of shared knowledge and vision by students, parents, school and agency staff around students’ post school goals and the transition resources necessary to support students’ needs and interests (Johnson, Stodden, Emanuel, Luecking, & Mack, 2002);

• lack of shared information across school and community agencies, and lack of coordinated assessment and planning processes (Benz, Johnson, Mikkelsen, & Lindstrom, 1995);

• lack of meaningful roles for students and parents in a transition decision-making process that respects both students’ emerging need for independence and self-determination, and parents’ continuing desire to encourage and support their children during the emancipation process that is part of becoming a productive, contributing young adult (Furney, Hasazi, & DeStefano, 1997);

• lack of meaningful information on anticipated post-school services needed by students, and lack of follow-up data on post-school outcomes and continuing support needs of students that can be used to guide improvement in systems collaboration and linkages (Hasazi, Furney, & DeStefano, 1999; Johnson & Sharpe, 2000);

• lack of coordinated eligibility requirements and funding for agency services (Luecking, Crane, & Mooney, 2002).

Research suggests that systems can work more effectively together, and student achievement of meaningful secondary and post-school outcomes can be improved, through:

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• the use of written and enforceable interagency agreements that structure the provision of collaborative transition services (Johnson et al., 2002);

• the development and delivery of interagency and cross-agency training opportunities

• the use of interagency planning teams to facilitate and monitor capacity building efforts in transition (Furney et al., 1997); and

• the provision of a secondary curriculum that supports student identification and accomplishment of transition goals and prepares youth for success in work, postsecondary, and community living environments (Hasazi et al., 1999).

Given TID, TransQUAL Online, and the site visit reports, the first step toward understanding the patterns of collaborative service delivery among the MTPs will occur by answering the following questions: What are the types and frequencies of services provided to individual MTP students by participating MTP partner agencies, with or without MTP funding in the areas of employment, postsecondary education and community living?

What are the types of frequencies of agency participation in planning for, implementing, and reflecting on the results of MTP organizational development?

What are the types of agreements that are created between MTPs, partnering agencies and NYS VESID District Offices?

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MTP PARTNER PROVIDER SERVICES AND COLLABORATION Based on information entered into TID, out of 11,935 MTP students, 4,507 students received provider services. Provider services were received by 1,273 12th graders or 42% of all MTP 12th graders. Not surprisingly, 50% of all MTP students expected to receive an IEP diploma have begun receiving provider services versus 27% of MTP students expected to receive a Regents diploma.

MTP Provider Services Received

MTP Provider Service Receipt by MTP Students (11,935)

Number

Percent

Yes 4,507 38% No 7,428 62%

Grade Level

MTP Provider Service Receipt by Grade Level of MTP students entered into TID (4,361)

Number Percent 12th 1,793 40% 11th 879 20% 10th 509 11% 9th 408 9% <9th 291 7% Un-graded 492 11% Others 135 3% Grade Level Missing 0 0%


MTP Provider Service Receipt by Disability Classification of MTP students entered into TID (4,507)

Number Percent Autism and MR 573 13% Emotional Disability 502 11% Learning Disability 2,236 50% Physical Disability 661 15% Sensory Disability 225 5% Multiple Disabilities 258 6% Others 52 1%

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MTP Provider Service Receipt by Expected Diploma Type of MTP students entered into TID (4,507)

Number Percent Regents 1,558 35% Local 1,101 24% IEP 1,492 33% GED 118 3% Others - - Missing 235 5% Although 4,507 students were indicated as receiving agency services, only 2,967 (66%) had descriptive information entered regarding the nature of those services. Since the Cornell research staff addressed this issue at our regular site visit meetings, we expect better quality of data in the future. Many students received multiple services during the last quarter. Consequently, the total number of service instances exceeded the total number of students with descriptive agency information. As of October 15, 2008, a total of 4,798 instances were entered into the Partner Provider Section of the TID. However, 1,074 (25%) of those instances incorrectly indicated that the MTP program itself (i.e. School Districts) was the partner providing the service. Excluding those provider categories, this report only included 3,724 instances that were provided to 2,353 MTP students for analysis. Seventy-six percent of the MTP students received at least one employment related service from the MTP partner providers. Respectively, 27% of the students received postsecondary education related services, and 30% received independent living related services. Meanwhile, 60% of the services provided by the MTP partners were designed to increase MTP students’ employability skills.

MTP Partner Provider Services Provided to MTP Students

Service Area Number of MTP

Students (N=2,353) Number of Service Instances (N=3,724)

Employment Related Services 1,776 (76%) 2,217 (60%) Postsecondary Education Services 641 (27%) 700 (19%) Independent Living Services 711 (30%) 807 (21%)

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Partner Provider Services Provided by Student Characteristics Students with Learning Disabilities received the highest number of services. However, higher percentages of students with developmental disabilities and autism are receiving agency services, in alignment with expected support needs associated with these disability classifications. It also fits that older students would receive more agency services than younger students. Do these students have a more flexible school schedule, allowing for more agency interaction during school hours? Are agencies working individually with students after school hours?

Partner Provider Services Provided by Disability Classification

Employment Related Services

Postsecondary Education Services

Independent Living Services

Freq Percent Freq Percent Freq Percent Autism and MR 342 34% 100 10% 164 16% Emotional Disability 235 16% 62 4% 144 10% Learning Disability 700 12% 298 5% 221 4% Physical Disability 265 13% 104 5% 82 4% Sensory Disability 84 18% 25 5% 32 7% Multiple Disabilities 105 13% 25 3% 49 6% Others 35 13% 22 8% 16 6%

Partner Provider Services Provided by Grade Level




Freq Percent Freq Percent Freq Percent 12th 753 18% 333 8% 236 6% 11th 260 10% 138 5% 129 5% 10th 139 8% 33 2% 96 6% 9th 110 7% 18 1% 61 4% less than 9th 96 11% 16 2% 24 3% Ungraded 347 42% 79 10% 126 16% Other 61 20% 19 6% 39 12%

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Partner Provider Services Provided by Expected Diploma




Freq Percent Freq Percent Freq Percent Missing 42 8.1% 22 4.2% 12 2.3% Regents 566 9.9% 243 4.2% 206 3.6% Local 358 13.1% 181 6.6% 123 4.5% IEP 768 28.5% 168 6.2% 360 13.4% GED 28 10.7% 22 8.4% 7 2.7% Others - - 0 .0% 0 .0%

Partner Provider Services Provided by Race/Ethnicity




Freq Percent Freq Percent Freq Percent White 1,150 13% 469 5% 448 5% African Am 396 23% 97 6% 162 9% Hispanic 119 19% 43 7% 47 8% Asian 22 21% 4 4% 9 9% American Indian 5 7% 1 1% 12 16% Native Hawaiian/Pacific - - - - - - Multiple 5 15% - - 6 18% Others 12 8% - - 8 6% Missing 53 12% 16 4% 15 3%

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MTP-partner Provider Services by Types of Providers

Most of the services were provided by organizations that traditionally provide services to individuals with disabilities, such as community rehabilitation providers and Independent Living Centers.

All




Freq % Freq % Freq % Freq % Community Rehab Provider/ Supported Employment Agency 1,544 42% 696 63% 172 11% 403 26% Independent Living Center 438 12% 219 50% 14 3% 205 47% Business 101 3% 84 83% 0 0% 17 17% Advocacy Agency 136 4% 107 79% 11 8% 18 13% Parent Family Agency 71 2% 30 42% 4 6% 37 52% One-Stop Career Center 181 5% 167 92% 4 8% 0 0% 2-year college 324 9% 86 27% 238 74% 0 0% 4-year college 134 4% 80 37% 68 51% 16 12% Adult Education - - - - - - 0 0% Adult Vocational Training Institution 170 5% 93 55% 15 9% 62 37% Other 13 0% 7 54% - - - - BOCES 154 4% 105 68% 29 19% 20 13% VESID 186 5% 146 79% 35 19% 5 3% Multi-sites 270 7% 153 57% 96 36% 21 8%

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Agency Services Provided to MTP Students – Paid/Unpaid by MTP

Many students are apparently receiving agency services that are not through the MTP grants. If these services are associated with positive student outcomes, there exists potential for practices that are sustainable beyond the expected end date of the MTP.

Service Area Paid by MTP Not Paid by MTP

Number Percent Number Percent

Number (Percentage) of Employment Related Services 1,704 77% 513 23%

Number (Percentage) of Postsecondary Education Services 508 73% 192 27%

Number (Percentage) of Independent Living Services 563 70% 244 30%

Paid by MTP Not Paid by MTP

Freq Percent Freq Percent Community Rehab Provider/ Supported Employment Agency 1,167 76% 377 24% Independent Living Center 366 84% 72 16% Business 78 77% 23 23% Advocacy Agency 132 97% 4 3% Parent Family Agency 33 47% 38 54% One-Stop Career Center 121 67% 60 33% 2 year college 261 81% 63 19% 4 year college 118 88% 16 12% Adult Education 0 0% 2 100.0% Adult Vocational Training Institution 157 92% 13 8% Other 5 39% 8 62% BOCES 54 35% 100 65% VESID 47 25% 139 75% Multi-sites 236 87% 34 13%

TransQUAL Data on Collaborative Organizational Development

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According to the data from TransQUAL Online, 52 (87%) of the 60 Model Transition Programs created work plans for organizational development during 2008. Of those, 34 (57%) were created with TransQUAL team members that included people other than school personnel, such as agency representatives, parents and students. The highest percentages of work plans were in the areas of family involvement, student development and interagency collaboration. However, significant numbers of work plans have been created across all areas.

Although not required until August 2009, seven MTPs have created 22 Progress Reports during 2008. On Page 89 is a table that combines TransQUAL and TID data by individual MTPs. Note that “NA” indicates no data entry by the MTP along a given row. This table will provide a starting point for discussions with those MTPs that have provided evidence of collaborative service delivery, towards a more detailed study of potentially effective practices in this area.

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INITIAL STUDY OF SUSTAINABILITY OF THE MODEL TRANSITION PROGRAMS

Introduction Critical to the success of transition systems change is the extent to which efforts should and can be sustained and identification of elements which contribute to sustainability. During the fall and winter of 2008-2009 Cornell University, in conjunction with the New York State Education Department’s Office of Vocational and Educational Services for Individuals with Disabilities initiated a preliminary study to understand the extent to which Model Transition Programs felt their current efforts were sustainable and naturally embedded within their current educational paradigm. This initial study sought to accomplish two purposes. First, to inform the project community regarding training and technical assistance needs as it pertains to sustainability across the spectrum of MTP sites. Further, to provide preliminary data and information to guide the development of a subsequent in-depth study focused on sustainability strategies and barriers faced by individual MTP sites achieving or exceeding project-related goals.

Research Methodology The preliminary sustainability study used a focus group format consisting of a standard protocol conducted using an informal round-table approach with between eight to twelve participants. Five focus groups were to be conducted ensuring equitable geographic representation across all MTP sites. The focus groups were approximately two hours each in duration. Focus groups were conducted in person and participants were also asked to complete a brief exit survey to further quantify their experiences to date regarding the MTP and sustainability. Participants were recruited based on the extent to which they were familiar with day-to-day operations of their MTP Site; supervised project personnel and related activities and events; reported project-related progress and outcomes; and oversaw project partnerships and collaborations. Participants were provided an opportunity to request accommodations required to fully participate in the focus group activities. Participants were also assured that all data would be strictly confidential and responses would only be used in the aggregate. Compensation was not offered to participants; however, lunch was provided.

Participant Demographics To date, four of the five focus groups have been conducted. The focus groups were held in the Syracuse, Albany, New York City, and Westchester areas during the month of November 2008. The focus group in Rochester, NY was canceled due to weather conditions and will be completed during January 2009. A total of 44 exit surveys were obtained from the participants across the four focus groups. More than half of the participants were females, (F: 61%; M: 39%), and had master's-level educational qualifications (84%). About three-fourths of the participants had at least one or more years of work experience within their respective MTP projects, and 56% indicated to have participated in the MTP proposal development. As intended by the study design, the focus group consisted of various levels of program personnel, including school administrators (e.g., principal, director of special education services, director of technology and grants), mid-

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level managers (e.g, project coordinators, MTP directors), and program personnel (e.g., transition coordinators, transition assistants). Thirty four focus group participants indicated having some amount of experience in special education (Median yrs. of experience = 17; Min: 1 yr and Max: 42), seven participants had some experience in the area of rehabilitation, eight had some experience in general education, and 15 participants had experience in other areas.

Following is a preliminary summary of the results of the Exit Survey conducted across focus group participants to date.

Preliminary Findings from the Exit Surveys The Exit Survey attempted to assess perceptions of participants in several primary areas which included, general beliefs about the MTP and impact to date; investment of administrators in the program; sustainability resources; impact of training, technical assistance and research supports on MTP capacity; training and technical assistance needs with respect to sustainability of MTP efforts; and general impressions of the focus group process. A preliminary summary of findings is presented below.

General Beliefs Regarding MTP and Impact to Date All participants in the study “agreed” or “strongly agreed” that the MTP has helped transition youth with disabilities. The majority of participants also felt that their MTP had met their proposed goals to date although a few had “no opinion” or “disagreed”. As a result of MTP, most participants “agreed” or “strongly agreed” that they were more competent in helping youth with disabilities transition to adult life and that they were better able to collaborate with other agencies or businesses. While the majority of respondents felt that community partners had more clearly defined roles and responsibilities in the transition planning process, some respondents had “no opinion” or “disagreed”. Overwhelmingly, most respondents “agreed” or “strongly agreed” that students were satisfied with MTP with only a few expressing “no opinion” on the matter. Some respondents did express that they had selected “no opinion” in many cases as they worked at an administrative level and did not have the direct experience with community partners, businesses or students to be able to answer those questions affirmatively or negatively.

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I believe that…

Strongly Disagree Disagree

No Opinion Agree

Strongly Agree

MTP has helped transition youth with disabilities 11 33

Our MTP has met our proposed goals to date 3 1 25 14 As a result of MTP, I am more competent in helping youth with disabilities transition to adult life 1 19 23 As a result of MTP, I am better able to collaborate with other agencies or businesses 5 12 24 As a result of MTP, community partners have clearly defined roles and responsibilities 2 7 20 17

Our students are satisfied with MTP 5 26 8

Administrator Investment and Future Orientation There was much less consensus and agreement from respondents on matters related to the extent to which administrators are informed about the importance of transition services and invested toward a future orientation for the MTP. While approximately three-quarters of respondents “agreed” or “strongly agreed” that school administrators are informed about the importance of transition services in the high school setting, one-fourth “disagreed” or had “no opinion”. Less favorable was the fact that only a little over half of respondents “agreed” or “strongly agreed” that their school administrators were invested and had a future-orientation for MTP with the remaining participants responding that they had “no opinion” or “disagreed”. While respondents had strong beliefs regarding the value and positive impact of the MTP to date, it was clear that administrative support and investment in these efforts is tenuous at best.

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I believe that…


No Opinion Agree

Strongly Agree

Our schools administrators are informed about the importance of transition services in the high school setting 5 4 21 13

Our school administrators are invested and have a future-orientation for MTP 5 15 15 9

Sustainability Resources A series of several questions attempted to gain a better understanding of the extent to which MTPs were planning for sustainability, had identified resources to sustain their efforts, and their general knowledge regarding how to sustain their efforts. The majority of respondents “agreed” or “strongly agreed” that they had the knowledge to sustain their MTP with only a few “disagreeing”. This affirmative response to “knowledge” contrasted though, approximately only three-quarters of respondents “agreed” or “strongly agreed that they and their community partners were planning for sustainability with only a couple “disagreeing” and several reporting having “no opinion”. Three-quarters of respondents did not feel they had the ability to sustain their current efforts without any external help, with fewer than one-fourth responding positively regarding their ability. An assessment of resources documented that the majority of MTPs did not feel they had the financial resources to sustain their efforts although approximately one-half did feel they had the human capital needed to sustain their MTP. Regardless, the majority did “agree” or “strongly agree” that the MTP should be sustained as it is with about one-fourth expressing “no opinion” or “disagreement”. The stark contrast between knowledge of how to sustain MTP effort and actually being able to sustain efforts points directly to a “knowing / doing” gap that must be addressed if efforts are to be sustained.

75


January 2009

I believe that…


No Opinion Agree

Strongly Agree

Our MTP and community partners have the ability to sustain our current efforts without any help 6 18 8 6 2

We have the knowledge to sustain MTP 3 3 23 15

We have the financial resources to sustain MTP 5 32 7 6 0

We have the human capital to sustain MTP 1 6 8 24 5

MTP should be sustained as it is 6 4 12 31

Impact of Training, Technical Assistance and Research It was clear from responses, that participants felt positively that training received has increased their MTP capacity. While participants also felt positively regarding the impact of technical assistance increasing their MTP capacity, approximately one-fourth had “no opinion” or “disagreed”. Similar positive impact on MTP capacity was documented as a result of research support although approximately one-third had “no opinion” or “disagreed”.

I believe that…


No Opinion Agree

Strongly Agree

Training received has increased our MTP capacity 5 27 12

Technical assistance received has increased our MTP capacity 8 24 6

Research support received has increased our MTP capacity 1 3 12 23 5

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January 2009

Sustainability Training and Technical Assistance Needs Respondents were asked as part of the Exit Survey to identify outstanding training and/or technical assistance needs with respect to sustainability of their MTP efforts. Interestingly enough the majority of responses were not in the area of sustainability, but rather the day-to-day operations of MTP and transition planning basics. A few respondents did express however an interest in training on matters related to financial resources associated with sustainability such as identifying subsequent funding sources and grant writing. In the area of research, some respondents requested training on how to use TID more effectively and expressed that they were experiencing some challenges with getting more seasoned employees to use it. Further, some participants also expressed a need for assistance in how to interpret and analyze TID and TransQUAL data. A need was also expressed for additional parent training as well as additional training for staff members. Throughout the course of the focus groups, as well as reflected in the Exit Survey, participants expressed the need for more direction from the State Education Department with information on how to manage grant funds and budget amendments. The lack of responses associated with training and technical assistance needs as it related to sustainability further reinforces the “knowing/doing” gap that exists as it relates to sustainability and the need to prioritize a series of training and technical assistance interventions to support MTP sites in moving toward sustainability.

General Impressions Regarding the Focus Group Process Participants felt positively that focus group discussions provided a chance for them to express their views and thoughts regarding MTP and sustainability of their efforts. Respondents also conveyed affirmatively that the focus group questions were clear and that facilitators led the focus group discussion respecting the ideas of each participant. It was also clear from respondents that they felt positively that the focus group discussions were led in a timely manner and that those discussions made participants aware of the importance of planning for MTP sustainability.

77


January 2009

I believe that…


No Opinion Agree

Strongly Agree

This focus group discussion provided a chance to express my views and thoughts regarding MTP and sustainability of our efforts 15 27

The focus group questions were clear 1 13 29

The facilitators led the focus group discussion respecting my own ideas 15 29

The facilitators led the focus group discussion in a timely manner 15 28 This focus group discussion made me aware of the importance of planning for MTP sustainability 1 13 27

VESID Status by MTP site (From CaMS)

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January 2009

Work Experiences and Participation in Career Development Activities by Site A great deal of previous studies has reported an importance of career development activities (i.e., Job skill training, Internships) to employment among youth with disabilities. Thus, the purpose of this section is to identify what types of career development activities were related to employment or work experiences and what proportion of the MTP students in each MTP site have participated in those activities. Participation in Work Experiences According to the TID, 2,254 (19%) of 11,935 MTP students reported having employment or work experience(s). Of them, however, only 1,773 (79%) provided further information about their work experiences in the section of ‘Student Work Experiences or Employment Status.’ Of the total of 1,773 students, 1,452 (82%) participated in at least one paid work activity and 417 (24%) at least one unpaid work activity. This table illustrates participation in work activity by wage status. Fifty four percent (n=953) of students obtained at least one paid job without any support by schools or MTP staff. Nine percent (n=161) reported multiple work experiences regardless of wage status and 96 students had work experiences from both paid and unpaid jobs. Type of Work Activity and Wage Status (Paid/Unpaid) Work Activity Paid Unpaid

Number % Number % School-supported work experience, in a school facility 132 7.4 104 5.9

School-supported work experience, in the community 200 11.3 179 10.1

MTP Agency-sponsored work experience, in the community 162 9.1 118 6.7

Non-MTP Provider-sponsored work experience, in the community

69 3.9 9 0.5

Student has obtained his/her employment 953 53.8 23 1.3

The next table displays the distributions of wage status (paid/unpaid) from the work experiences by each MTP site. A number in parenthesis of the third column indicates the number of students who had work experiences but did not provide the work related information. For example, Arlighton MTP reported that 31 students had work experiences, but none of the 31 cases provided additional work related information. Thus, we cannot report their wage status. It is also noted that two variables are not mutually exclusive as some students participated in both paid and unpaid work activities, which means that they might not be able to add up to 100%.

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January 2009

Provision of Career Development Activities by MTP sites The following table presents what percentage of MTP students reported having work experiences and had additional information related to participation in career development activities (Tech-prep/Career pathways program, Career and technical education, Career counseling, Instruction looking for jobs, Job readiness or prevocational training, Internship, Specific job skill training, Work exploration) by each MTP site. For instance, of 110 students who had work experiences and provided work related information in Alfred-Almond MTP, 6.4% participated in the Tech-prep/ Career pathways program and 46.4% received the Job readiness or prevocational training. We also included noticeable hallmark work experience or career development activities observed or collected at our site visits.

quarterly state reportedi.cornell.edu/publications/mtp/mtp_quarterlyreport_q2.pdf · i advancing...

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