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Transition refers to the skills a student needs when
making major life changes such as graduating from high school or pursuing
a college education. Transition is one of the three
priority programs at the Clerc Center. Activities related to transition
are guided by the transition coordinator, who works with eight transition
specialists. The Clerc Center also conducts research and innovative projects
in this area.
The Transition Program at KDES and MSSD
The school-wide team consists of the transition coordinator and eight
transition specialists. Five specialists are assigned to the grades
6/7/8, 9, 10, 11, and 12 teams respectively. The overall goals of the
transition specialists are to provide students with the knowledge, skills,
and abilities they need to cope effectively with daily life, to make
the transition to the next level of education, and to develop a long-range
plan to facilitate lifelong learning.
Transition on the Teams
Career development and transition skills are infused into diverse curricula
on the teaching teams. At
various levels, career awareness, investigation, exploration, and preparation
are integrated into the school culture. in addition to these group-oriented
activities, career assessment and educational and occupational planning
are conducted on a more individual basis and reflected in the development
of the individualized Education Program (IEP).
Career Exploration Activities
A variety of career exploration activities are provided for students,
including:
- A job site visitation program
- Future Educators project in which students participate in teaching
activities to see if they might like to enter the field
- Career Day
- Career bulletin boards
- Guest speakers
Career Resource Center
The Career Resource Center catalogs and groups resource information
that reflects the developmental process important to the K-12 transition
program. The center includes print, audiovisual materials, software,
and Internet sites. Resources are used primarily by teams in integrated
activities. An on-fine career resource center will serve the needs of
deaf and hard of hearing students throughout the nation.
Work Experience Program
The work experience program involves students in employment opportunities.
Students, with the help of their transition specialists and work experience
coordinator, develop learning contracts with employers. The
jobs are in four types of environments: highly structured in-house,
in-house, the Gallaudet community, and the non-Gallaudet community.
The type of job environment students are placed in depends on the skills
they have. Students are encouraged to progress from the most structured
job environment to the most independent, progressing through several
jobs over a period of time. The interim Model Secondary School for the
Deaf (MSSD) graduation requirements include a requirement for one credit
of work experience.
Community Building
The teachers, staff, and students at Kendall Demonstration Elementary
School (KDES) and MSSD are working together to create a learning community
in which individuals care about others and treat them with respect and
fairness. Adults strive to model the behaviors of trustworthiness, respect,
responsibility, fairness, caring, and integrity so that children learn
and practice these behaviors. Students are encouraged to learn decision-making
and problem-solving skills and to learn how to resolve conflicts among
themselves. The goal is to create a safe, orderly school where children
and adults are free to learn and develop a positive set of attitudes
and values.
Learning Experience Accumulation Program
The Learning Experience Accumulation Program (LEAP) is a transition
program that students participate in throughout their careers at MSSD.
It includes an apartment living experience. Students learn management
skiffs that enable them to make smoother transitions during their years
at MSSD, as well as into postsecondary independent living. Students
five in a simulated apartment environment and do their own budgeting,
meal planning, cooking, and decorating. The program has many independent
living components, including signing a lease, paying rent, and using
a mock checking account. To create a realistic atmosphere, each apartment
is established as an independent rental property and the students are
treated as tenants.
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