TRANSITION

A. ABOUT TRANSITION

Transition refers to the knowledge and skills a student needs to move through school and beyond successfully into the worlds of postsecondary education and employment. The Clerc Center views transition as a critical component of a student’s school experience from pre-school through high school graduation. Transition is one of three Clerc Center priority areas identified by its National Mission Advisory Panel and through other public input.

Transition services at KDES and MSSD are framed by student outcomes, most specifically, the Life Planning Outcome:

Students design, refine, and initiate a life plan based on self-exploration and experience that incorporates knowledge of their rights, available resources, and effective self-advocacy.

The Life Planning Outcome is further defined by five broad standards and a series of grade-level benchmarks. The Life Planning Standards are:

• Student demonstrates the skills necessary to advocate for self.
• Student demonstrates knowledge of education and career planning strategies
• Student develops positive and practical work habits, skills, and attitudes within a work environment.
• Student demonstrates the knowledge and skills necessary to live independently and successfully.
• Student demonstrates knowledge of one’s role and available resources in the community.

Transition specialists provide transition support to students beginning in middle school. Additionally they coordinate the MSSD Career Center, the MSSD Work Internship Program, and the Expanded Work Program.

Students participate in a variety of transition activities as part of their educational experience. Career awareness, investigation, exploration, and preparation are part of each student’s educational program. In addition, career assessment and educational and occupational planning are conducted on a more individual basis and reflected in the development of the IEP.

B. MSSD INTERNSHIP PROGRAM ATTENDANCE PROCEDURES

A key component of the MSSD Internship Program (MIP) is the opportunity for students to develop and practice effective work habits. This includes demonstrating consistent attendance at their internship site. The MIP Attendance Policy provides guidance to students. The information below describes the policy for absences on internship days.

Unless there is a valid reason, all students are expected to work on all internship days. It is vital that families contact the MSSD front office in advance regarding possible absences. Absences will be excused only when proper documentation is provided. In addition, if a student needs to be absent at the last minute, notice should be given to the front office as soon as possible and documentation explaining the absence should be presented immediately upon the student’s return.

Absences are considered excused only for the following reasons:

• Illness (an absence of three or more consecutive days requires a doctor’s note)
• Doctor’s appointments (proof of appointment is required)
• Travel
• Death in the family
• Court appearance
• Religious observances

Students will not be required to make up internship hours for the first (1) excused absence. Beginning with the second, and for all subsequent absences, students will be required to make up their internship hours (three hours per absence for sophomore and juniors, six hours for seniors).

Absences that do not fit into any of the above categories will be unexcused. A parent or guardian’s note excusing a student from work experience for a reason other than those stated above will not be accepted. Internship attendance is mandatory.

Every absence must have a documented reason. A letter will be sent to the student and his or her family after an unexcused absence. This letter will also serve as a reminder that additional unexcused absences will result in the student earning an “F” for work experience for the quarter.

If a student is not feeling well on an internship day, he or she must see his or her transition counselor first. The transition counselor will initiate the appropriate procedures for Student Health Service. When the student is finished at Student Health Services, the student must present a written note or a return pass indicating whether he or she is able go to internship.

A student who has one unexcused absence must complete the following:

• Meet with the transition counselor and the MIP coordinator to review the absence, the decision to miss internship, and the impact of his or her decision.
• Contact his or her internship supervisor, with the support of the transition counselor, to explain why he or she missed work, accept the consequences, and understand the impact of his or her actions.
• Summarize the meeting and the telephone contact in a written reflection for his or her student portfolio.
• Arrange to make up four hours (for grades 10 and 11) or seven hours (for grade 12) for the missed internship hours and to provide restitution for his or her unexcused absence. The student is responsible for arranging and documenting these additional work hours through his or her transition counselor.

Any student with a second unexcused absence will earn a failing grade “F” for the internship. Should a student earn an “F” for his or her internship, he or she may not continue missing more hours. The student must still satisfy all internship requirements (including completing the required hours and projects) to earn the credit for work internship necessary to graduate.

C. MSSD INTERNSHIP DRESS CODE

A key component of the MIP is the opportunity for students to develop and demonstrate effective work habits. This includes wearing clothing professional and appropriate for their role. The list below indicates what is acceptable and unacceptable for students to wear.

Students must adhere to the MIP Dress Code on all work internship days unless otherwise approved by the internship specialist.

All students must have appropriate clothing and shoes at the start of their internship.

Acceptable

• Shoes: sandals, leather shoes (loafers)
• Top: blouse, dress shirt, polo shirt
• Pants: any color other than denim
• Piercing: only in ears

Unacceptable

• Flip-flops, Tevas, Birkenstocks, sneakers
• T-shirts, tank tops, midriff tops, spaghetti-strap tops, see-through tops, sweatshirts/ coats, mesh tops
• Jeans of any color, torn or faded pants, shorts, mini-skirts, sweatpants of any kind
• Tongue, nose, brow, lip piercing, or any other visible part of the body except the ears
• Any article of clothing that is too narrow, too short, too baggy, and/or too revealing. Pants that fall off the waist are too baggy.
• Hats or bandanas

The MIP Dress Code will be discussed with students at the start of the school year. Transition counselors will review the dress code with students periodically throughout the school year.

If a student does not adhere to the MIP Dress Code, he or she can expect the following:

First Incident:

1. The student is reminded of the dress code policy and will be required to return to the dorm and change clothes before leaving for his or her internship.

Second Incident:

1. The student will return to the dorm and change clothes before leaving for his or her internship.
2. The student will meet with the transition counselor to review the dress code, its purpose, and expectations.

Third Incident:

1. The student will return to the dorm and change clothes before leaving for his or her internship.
2. The student will meet with the transition counselor and the MIP coordinator to review his or her actions, their impact, and to strategize how the student will adhere to the dress code in the future. The student will summarize the meeting in a reflection for his or her portfolio.
3. The student will complete an additional hour of work internship within MSSD as restitution for the time involved meeting with him or her about the dress code violation.

Fourth Incident:

1. The student will remain at MSSD and will not go to his or her work internship. This will be recorded as an unexcused absence. A letter will be sent to the student and his or her family as per unexcused absence guidelines.
2. The student, with the guidance of the transition counselor, will call his or her work internship supervisor and explain the reason for his or her absence.
3. The student will meet with the transition counselor, the MIP coordinator, and the coordinator of Transition to review his or her actions and their impact, and to strategize how the student will adhere to the dress code in the future. The student will summarize the meeting in a reflection for his or her portfolio.
4. The student will complete four hours (sophomores and juniors) or seven hours (seniors) of work to make up for the internship time missed and as restitution to the above staff members for the time involved addressing dress code violations. The student will be responsible for arranging and documenting these additional work hours through his or her transition counselor.

Fifth incident:

1. The student will receive a second unexcused absence. As a result, the student will fail the work internship for the semester. The student will also be referred to the assistant principal for Programs for a Code of Conduct violation.
2. The student will be expected to develop a plan to satisfy work internship hour requirements as well as to demonstrate that he or she can follow professional dress expectations. This will allow the student to meet the work internship graduation requirement (though the “F” will remain on his or her report card).

To ensure students understand the MIP Dress Code, the MIP coordinator and Work Experience specialist will meet with Teams 9-12 at the beginning of the school year to discuss it as well as overall MIP expectations. Transition counselors will review the dress code with students periodically throughout the school year to reinforce these expectations.