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Facilitation of postsecondary opportunities for secondary students with special needs: an evaluation study
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Facilitation of postsecondary opportunities for secondary students with special needs: an evaluation study
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Content
Facilitation of Postsecondary Opportunities for Secondary Students with Special Needs:
An Evaluation Study
By
Nadya Pantoja
A Dissertation Presented to the
FACULTY OF THE USC ROSSIER SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
DOCTOR OF EDUCATION
May 2021
Copyright 2021 Nadya Pantoja
ii
Dedication
To my two wonderful daughters, Lily and Sasha, with whom I diligently trudged to the library
with overflowing backpacks to accomplish a dream. You will forever be woven through this
journey as an integral piece of this accomplishment. And to my loving parents who supported
me, after the passing of my beloved husband, to continue on this path. I will forever be indebted
to all who support and love me.
iii
Acknowledgements
There are many who helped me along the way on this journey. I want to take a moment to thank
them.
First, I wish to thank my dissertation committee. Without their guidance, I would not have made
it. Dr.Alison Muraszewski and Dr. Nasser Cortez served as wise committee members, and Dr.
Frederick Freking, my Chair, patiently supported me to reach my goal.
To my children, my parents, my siblings and friends: thank you for believing in me and forgiving
me for all the missed events. I am grateful for your patience, love and understanding. I hope to
have time now to reconnect with each of you. And most of all the angels in heaven who guide
me through life, especially to my dearly departed husband and father.
iv
Table of Contents
Dedication ii
Acknowledgements iii
List of Tables iv
List of Figures ix
Abstract x
Introduction to the Problem of Practice 1
Importance of Addressing the Problem 2
Organizational Context and Mission 4
Organization Performance Goal 5
Stakeholder Group of Focus and Stakeholder Goal 6
Purpose of the Project and Questions 9
Review of the Literature 10
Historical Perspective 10
Post-Secondary Opportunities for Students with Special
Needs 12
Importance of Post-Secondary Opportunities for Students with Special
Needs 13
Transition Plans by SSETs to Postsecondary Outcomes 14
Supports Provided for Post-Graduation Success and Life-Skills: Independent
Living 15
Increase of Special Education Students being identified for Special Services 16
Positive Outcomes of Post-Secondary Education for Students with Special
Needs 17
Transition and Self-Determination Skills 18
Transition and Synchronized Services for Student Success in
Postsecondary Life 19
The Clark and Estes Gap Analytic Conceptual Framework 20
Stakeholder Knowledge, Motivation, and Organizational Influences 21
Knowledge 21
v
Knowledge Influences 23
Metacognitive Knowledge 25
Factual Knowledge SSETs Knowledge of Transition Planning 25
Procedural Knowledge SSET’s Implementation Knowledge of Transition
Planning 25
Motivation Influences 27
Self-Efficacy Theory 28
Attribution Theory 29
Goal Orientation Theory 30
Expectancy-value Theory 31
Organizational Influences 32
Cultural Model 33
Transition Support System 34
Cultural Setting 35
Time Allotment 35
Professional Development 36
Interactive Conceptual Framework 38
Qualitative Data Collection 40
Interviews 41
Qualitative Data Analysis 42
Findings 43
Stakeholder Knowledge, Motivation, and Organizational Influences 44
Knowledge 44
vi
Knowledge of Transition Competencies 45
Factual 45
Procedural 46
Metacognitive 47
Motivation 49
Self-efficacy theory 49
Attribution 50
Goal Orientation 51
Expectancy-value theory 52
Organization 52
Organizational culture that values transitional supports 53
Cultural Models 53
Cultural Settings 54
Synthesis of Findings 55
Solutions and Recommendations 56
Knowledge Recommendations 56
Declarative knowledge solution. Increasing the SSET’s factual knowledge of
legislative mandates on transitional services 59
Procedural knowledge solutions. Increasing procedural knowledge of
appropriate transitions to postsecondary opportunities 60
Metacognitive knowledge solutions. Performance levels increase and
completion times decrease with increased self-regulation skills 61
Motivation Recommendations 62
Increase self-efficacy of secondary special education teachers 63
Increase secondary special education teacher’s value in creating transitional
vii
goals for their students with special needs 65
Increase collaborative opportunities with peers for secondary special
educators 66
Organization Recommendations 67
Increase resources and time for processes 68
Cultural Models 69
Cultural Setting 70
Limitations and Delimitations 72
Conclusion 72
References 73
Appendix A: Interview Sampling and Guide 93
Appendix B: Interview Protocol 96
Appendix C: Credibility and Trustworthiness 101
Appendix D: Validity and Reliability 103
Appendix E: Ethics 104
Appendix F: Integrated Implementation and Evaluation Plan 106
Appendix G: Training Survey Immediately Following Program 121
Appendix H: Delayed Training Survey Form 122
viii
List of Tables
Table 1. Summary of Assumed Knowledge Influences 26
Table 2. Summary of Assumed Motivation Influences 32
Table 3. Summary of Assumed Organizational Influences 37
Table 4. Interview Participants 44
Table 5. Summary of Knowledge Influences and Recommendations 57
Table 6. Summary of Motivation Influences and Recommendations 62
Table 7. Summary of Organizational Influences and Recommendations 67
Table F1. Outcomes, Metrics, and Methods for External and Internal Outcomes 107
Table F2. Critical Behaviors, Metrics, Methods, and Timing for Evaluation 110
Table F3. Required Drivers to Support Critical Behaviors 111
Table F4. Evaluation of the Components of Learning for the Program 115
Table F5. Components to Measure Reactions to the Program 116
ix
List of Figures
Figure 1. Interactive Conceptual Framework 39
Figure 2. Dashboard of progress on external and internal outcomes 119
x
Abstract
The transition to post-secondary opportunities for secondary students with special needs can
include post-secondary education, vocational training or job attainment and independent living.
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA 2004) requires schools to
prepare students with disabilities for the transition to adult life. To be prepared for this journey,
the school’s secondary special education teacher (SSET) must be informed on how to facilitate
effective transition planning for their students with special needs. The purpose of this study was
to evaluate the SSET’s competencies in the facilitation and coordinated planning and delivery of
services to ensure their students are prepared for the transition from school to adult living. This
study evaluated the knowledge and motivation of the secondary special education teachers to
meet these competencies. In addition, this study looked at organizational influences that
impacted the SSET’s facilitation of transitions by way of professional development, time
allotment and implementations. Interviews were used to examine and identify the strengths and
weaknesses in the SSET’s knowledge and motivation in facilitating transitions for their students
with special needs and to analyze organizational influences. The data indicated that the SSET’s
were motivated to provide and facilitate transitions to postsecondary opportunities for their
students with special needs, but lacked knowledge in transition resources. The data also
indicated that SSET’s needed time to develop effective transition plans as well as appropriate
professional development for effective transition planning skills. The findings of the study shows
the need for SSET’s transition competencies.
Key Words: Post-Secondary Opportunities, Transition Plan, Secondary Special Education
Teacher
1
Introduction to Problem of Practice
Many students with special needs are graduating high school without proper transitional
guidance to post-secondary opportunities that are possible to them (Repetto, 2012). These
opportunities present themselves in a multitude of ways. After high school graduation, students
with special needs might choose to pursue a post-secondary education, enter vocational training,
achieve gainful employment, or perhaps simply seek a sense of independence within their
community through self-reliant living (Hendricks & Wehman, 2009). Post-secondary
opportunities for students with special needs have been supported, protected and available
through legislation and mandates for close to 50 years (US Department of Education, Office for
Civil Rights, 2007). The Education for All Handicapped Children Act (Public Law 94-142) was
enacted in 1975 (Sarason & Doris, 1977; Zettel & Ballard, 1979), and was first to mandate that
students with special needs be afforded the opportunity for a free and appropriate public
education (FAPE). Throughout its tenure, this law was amended and reauthorized and is now the
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act 2004 (Dunn, 2007; Grigal, Hart, & Migliore, 2011;
IDEA, 2004). Currently, IDEA (2004) provides educational opportunities for students with
special needs/intellectual disabilities to be implemented in the least restrictive environment
(LRE) for students between ages 3 through 21 years of age. Congress also passed the No Child
Left behind Act (NCLB) in 2001 which required that all students, including students with
special needs and intellectual disabilities, have access to the same general core curriculum and
post school opportunities as their general education counterparts (Behind, N. C. L., 2002;
Jiménez,, Graf, & Rose, E.2007; U.S. Department of Education, 2010). This legislation was
later replaced by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) (Act, E. S. S., 2015; Plans, 2015)
which provides pathways towards planning for post-secondary educational and/or career
2
opportunities for students with special needs (Grigal, et al., 2011). This paradigm shift provided
guidance for equitable access to education for all students, including those with special needs
and intellectual disabilities.
With these historic legislations and changes in educational opportunities, come new
responsibilities for our secondary special education teachers (SSETs) to ensure that students with
special needs are equipped with the proper tools to promote their post school endeavors.
Strategies to facilitate and assist students with special needs transitioning to and seeking
postsecondary opportunities are crucial to ensure successful outcomes (Burgstahler & Doe,
2006). Research indicates that the personnel who are most closely responsible for
implementation of the transition plans and education for students with special needs are the
secondary special education teachers (SSETs) (Curry & Jones, 2014).
Importance of Addressing the Problem
It is important to evaluate the organizations secondary special education teacher’s
competencies in facilitating the transition of graduating high school students with special needs
and intellectual disabilities (ID) to postsecondary opportunities within the context of this
problem of practice for a variety of reasons. Research indicates that post-secondary outcomes for
students with special needs fall far behind their typical peer group (Newman, Wagner, Knokey,
Marder, Shaver & Wei, 2011). The secondary special education teacher is charged with the
development of the Individual Education Program (IEP) for their students with special needs
which includes an Individual Transition Plan (ITP) implementation as soon as age 14 years of
age for the student’s preparation for adult life (IDEA, 2004). Evidence highlights that the rate of
growth of special education student enrollment has increased significantly and therefore demand
for post-secondary opportunities is expected to increase as well (Coleman & Shevlin, 2019; Boe,
3
Bobbit, & Cook 1997). Unfortunately, students with special needs are far behind their general
education counterparts in postsecondary achievement indicators (Benz, Lindstrom, & Yovanoff,
2000; Grigal, Hart, & Migliore, 2011). In fact, research shows that secondary transition
personnel are not aware of all the postsecondary opportunities available to their students with
special needs (Grigal, et al., 2011). In addition, many secondary special education teachers are
unfamiliar with the various transition models that promote positive postsecondary outcomes and
lack knowledge in understanding formal and informal transition assessments, which impedes
postsecondary success for their students (Kellems & Morningstar, 2010; Li et al., 2009).
Students with special needs face an assortment of challenges after high school (Winn &
Hay, 2009) such as the lack of post-secondary educational opportunities, underrepresentation in
the workforce and less than positive independent living probabilities (Grigal, et al., 2011).
Therefore, to ultimately achieve independent living as adults, students with special needs need to
be afforded appropriate levels of support along this journey (Luecking & Wittenburg, 2009).
This should entail relevant transition planning in high school to facilitate their pursuit of
postsecondary prospects (Chambers, Rabren, & Dunn, 2009; Shogren & Plotner, 2012).
Transition planning occurs within the Individualized Education Program (IEP) process beginning
at age 14 (IDEA, 2004) to include post school goals as related to present levels of performance
and benchmarks of the individual learner. Moreover, the reauthorization of IDEA (2004)
includes qualified transition services (U.S. Department of Education, 2007) as a set of activities
that is designed to facilitate the student’s transition to post school endeavors (Hardman &
Dawson, 2010; Peterson, Burden, Sedaghat, Gothberg, Kohler, & Coyle, 2013). Research
indicates that post-secondary education will enhance the students’ with special needs life
experiences including post-secondary education, employment opportunities, and independent
4
living (Newman, Wagner, Cameto, and Knokey, 2009; Test et al., 2009). There are key elements
that need to be considered to support these endeavors. For instance, their access to postgraduate
opportunities should include explicit teaching of self-determination (Garrison-Wade & Lehmann,
2009). Self-determination has been described as a concept that relies on an individual's ability to
make choices and manage life decisions (Shogren, 2013; Wehmeyer, 1996) that are independent
and free from outside pressures. Also, the problem of access to post school opportunities is
important to solve because students with special needs must be afforded the same possibilities to
realize their full potential as their general education counterparts (Kohler & Field, 2003). Further
research is needed and has been suggested in the literature regarding ways to fill in an essential
missing piece in synchronized services necessary for students with special needs student’s ability
to attend and ultimately flourish in post-secondary environments (Janiga & Costenbader, 2002;
Newman, Wagner, Cameto, and Knokey, 2009). The evidence suggests that these educational
opportunities increase their employment chances as well as enhances self-advocacy and
independent living skills. Finding the proper channels to access these opportunities warrants
further research and implementation through the lens of the secondary special education teacher.
Organizational Context and Mission
The organization of focus is The West School District (pseudonym). The West School
District (WSD) is an urban local school district on the west coast of the United States and serves
to educate students of all abilities. Its mission is to support diversity and educate their youth
while ensuring academic achievement for all their students. This includes the special education
student population which comprises a little over 10% of the organizations total student
enrollment. Consequently, WSD provides special education services to close to 5,000 students
with disabilities from preschool age through age 21 years. Over half of WSD students receiving
5
special education services have a primary eligibility of specific learning disability (SLD), and
20% of students have the primary eligibility of autism, and the students with special needs
designated with Intellectual Disability (ID) represents an enrollment close to 2% of all students,
to whom the organization provides an alternate curriculum aligned with the core curriculum for
students who are unable to access the general curriculum without significant modifications. All
special education students are provided a continuum of program options when found eligible,
and typically attend general education programs through inclusion and collaborative efforts with
the general education teachers and staff for at least half or more of their instructional day. The
district employs over 500 special education teachers and resource specialists, with half
considered as secondary special education teachers.
Organizational Performance Goal
The goal of WSD is for the secondary special education teachers (SSETs) to facilitate
appropriate transition goals which include and foster post-secondary opportunities for their
graduating special education students through fully integrated learning environments. It is
through fully integrated, heterogeneous classrooms and informed secondary special education
teachers, that an important objective of special education will access the core state standards for
all students leading to positive post-school outcomes. As such, a primary objective of WSD’s
current special education integration effort is to increase access to the general education
curriculum through rigorous instruction and intervention and using data to monitor student
progress to improve outcomes for students with disabilities and ensure individualized education
goals. The WSD goal to align the core curriculum occurs when students with disabilities are
actively engaged in learning the content and skills that exemplify the general education cohort.
Notwithstanding, individually designed strategies are necessary for students with intensive
6
learning and behavioral and/or social needs for students with disabilities to be successful.
Students with disabilities receive highly specialized instruction at the frequency and duration as
specified on their Individual Education Programs (IEP’s) while also engaging in the general
education curriculum. The goal for the special education population of WSD is 100% graduation
and that they are prepared for college, career and life, through the facilitation of post-secondary
opportunities by the secondary special education teachers. It is important to evaluate how the
WSD secondary special education teachers incorporate outcomes and benchmarks for their
special education students to facilitate and achieve transition to post-secondary opportunities.
Ultimately, the WSD’s secondary students with special needs need effective transition-related
instruction, services, and support to prepare them for postsecondary education, training,
employment, and independent living.
Evaluating the organization's performance goal will allow all stakeholders to gather
seminal information as to how to advance students with special needs onto a similar path of post-
secondary opportunities as their general education peers.
Stakeholder Group of Focus and Stakeholder Goal
Within the organization of the WSD, there are many stakeholders. First and foremost are
the students to whom instruction is delivered. Likewise, parents/caregivers, administrators and
teachers are part of the stakeholder consortium that depend and adhere to the district's mission
and vision for this student population. The students are responsible to come daily with the intent
to learn and expand on their knowledge base. The parents/caregivers are responsible to advance
the individual learners objectives and goals as written in the IEP and allow for students to have
access to the core curriculum through a free and appropriate placement setting within the
7
constructs of district goals. To support student achievement, the secondary special education
teachers are directly responsible to implement differentiated instruction and assessment plans for
their individual learners and create Individual Transition Plans (ITP’s).
Although the joint efforts of all stakeholders will contribute to the achievement of the
overall organizational goal of compliance with 100% of WSD’s requirements, it is important to
evaluate where the WSD’s secondary special education teachers are currently at their
performance goals. Therefore, the stakeholders of focus for this study will be the WSD
secondary special education teachers (SSETs). The stakeholders’ goal, supported by the
organization's strategic plan, is that 100% of secondary special education teaching staff will
implement competencies and compliance procedures in their daily activities that further student
achievement by facilitating transition plans for their graduating students with special needs to
postsecondary opportunities.
The purpose of WSD’s plan is to seamlessly support the implementation of the WSD’s
goal to ensure that all students within the organization graduate life-ready, college-prepared,
and/or career-ready. Compliance procedures for this plan include activities such as student file
review, individualized education programs, student schedule review, and transition benchmark
review through the Individual Transition Program (ITP). Failure to accomplish this goal will lead
to continued noncompliance. Noncompliance can lead to a loss in funding, which adversely
impacts the organization’s ability to provide support and interventions to its students with special
needs and the organization’s overall goal of 100% compliance. It can also lead to poor post-
secondary outcomes for students with special needs. The secondary special education teacher
instructs students in the development of skills and knowledge which enables them to participate
independently, to the highest degree possible, based on areas of assessed needs. Without these
8
supports and facilitation for transitions, students with special needs may not be adequately
prepared for adult life after high school.
The role of the secondary special education teacher has many facets (Boscardin, 2005;
Garwood, Werts, Varghese, & Gosey, 2018). According to Washburn-Moses, 2005, the
secondary special education teacher has more responsibilities than their general education
counterparts. First, the special education teachers must engage with the special education
division, which provides consultation and support services, including in-service training
concerning special education student needs and the appropriate methods of adaptation for the
student that will foster maximum independence and safety (Bettini et al., 2017; Kohler &
Greene, 2004). Notwithstanding, research indicates that secondary special education teachers
feel unprepared for the task of transition planning (Plotner, Trach, & Strauser, 2012) which
entails the preparation for life after high school (Karvonen, Test, Wood, Browder, & Algozzine,
2004; Thoma, Baker, & Saddler, 2002). Furthermore, the secondary special education teacher
must work with members of the Individualized Education Program (IEP) team (i.e. parents,
general education teachers, speech providers, occupational & physical therapists, orientation &
mobility and vision specialists) to provide a functional and meaningful program for the
individual student, with can include a transition plan. The secondary special education teacher
then creates an individualized program geared to the assessed needs, goals & objectives,
functional levels and motivational levels of the student. Finally, the secondary special education
teacher must conduct assessments which focus on both long and short-term needs of the student
that will eventually foster transitional goals for postsecondary outcomes and ITP implementation
(Torres, Farley, & Cook, 2012).
9
Transition planning for graduating students with special needs is an especially significant
element of the secondary special education teacher’s responsibilities. Transition planning makes
ready students with special needs to progress beyond high school graduation and mandated as an
element in the IEP process (Li., Bassett, & Hutchinson, 2009), which can include employment,
independent living opportunities and/or post-secondary education. Because transition planning is
such an integral part of the special education students' opportunity for success in the post-
secondary realm, the secondary special education teacher must possess the knowledge and
conviction in implementation (Morningstar & Mazzotti, 2014).
Successful transition planning by secondary special education teachers has been linked to
positive post school outcomes for students with special needs (Test, Mazzotti, et al., 2009). This
planning process facilitates opportunities after high school graduation that sets a path for
independence and potential quality of life (Trainor, Morningstar, & Murray, 2016). The
secondary special education teacher’s role includes the role of transition specialist (Zhang,
Ivester, Chen, & Katsiyannis, 2005). For secondary special education teachers to provide each
student with opportunities for successful transition results, the transition planning must focus on
improving both the academic and functional achievement of the student with a disability to
facilitate his/her transition from school to post-school activities (Li, Bassett, & Hutchinson,
2009).
Purpose of the Project and Questions
The purpose of this project is to evaluate the degree to which WSD is achieving its goal
of 100% of all secondary special education teachers being informed of transitional competencies
and prospects to post-secondary opportunities for their students with special needs. The goal of
10
WSD is to facilitate post-secondary opportunities for 100% of their graduating special education
students through fully integrated learning environments and support services. The analysis will
focus on knowledge, motivation and organizational elements related to achieving the
organizational goals. While a complete evaluation project would focus on all stakeholders, for
practical purposes the stakeholders to be focused on in this analysis are the secondary special
education teachers who work directly with students with special needs.
As such, the questions that guide this study are the following:
1. To what extent is WSD meeting its goal of being compliant with facilitation of transition
requirements for students with special needs to postsecondary opportunities by June 2021?
2. What is the stakeholder knowledge and motivation related to achieving this organizational
goal?
3. What is the interaction between organizational culture and context and stakeholder knowledge
and motivation?
Review of the Literature
This literature review will examine the reasons for gaps in transitioning mechanisms and
competencies for secondary special education teacher’s facilitation for their students with special
needs to post-secondary opportunities within WSD. The review will begin with a historical
overview of factors influencing post-secondary opportunities for students with special needs and
its significance in improving independent life skills. The second segment addresses the construct
of transitional planning in the secondary school arena relative to guided post-secondary
opportunities. Finally, an analysis of post-secondary prospects for students with special needs by
their secondary special education teachers’ through the lens of learning and motivation literature
11
as utilizing Clark and Estes (Clark & Estes, 2002) gap analysis of knowledge, motivation and
organization on secondary special education teachers’ ability to implement effective transitioning
of their students to post-secondary prospects.
Historical Perspective
The Education for All Handicapped Children Act was enacted in 1975, which mandated
that students with disabilities between the ages of 6 and 21 years be provided a free and
appropriate public education within the least restrictive environment (LRE). Throughout the
years this law was amended to its current status as The Individuals with Disabilities in Education
Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEA, 2004). IDEA, 2004 requires postsecondary transition
planning for students with special needs. A student with special needs with an intellectual
disability is distinguished with significant limitations, in both intellectual functioning and in
adaptive behavior as demonstrated in conceptual, social and practical adaptive skills (Luckasson
& Schalock, 2013). Data indicates that fewer than 15% of students with special needs participate
in post-secondary education (Cortiella, & Horowitz, 2014; Grigal & Hart, 2010). Currently, a
post-secondary education has evolved into age appropriate transitioning to independent living
opportunities including college, vocational training, and independent living opportunities
(Sitlington, Neubert, & Clark, 2010). Research indicates that IDEA 2004 has thus far improved
post-school outcomes for students with special needs (Madaus & Shaw, 2006), but more needs to
be done. According to Hardman and Dawson, (2010), one of the major tenets of IDEA 2004 is
to assist graduating students with special needs to transition successfully to live independently
within their communities. This implementation served to strengthen existing transition concepts
and indicated transitioning to post-school employment, continuing education and independent
living was the responsibility of the secondary special educators. Moreover, the Higher
12
Education Opportunity Act of 2008 (HEOA), has provided inclusive access to post-secondary
education at community college and university levels for students with special needs. HEOA
(2008) has also improved access to postsecondary educational opportunities for students with
intellectual disabilities. It authorizes financial aid and program funding for Transition
Postsecondary Education Programs for Students with Intellectual Disabilities (TPSID), with
options to continue post-secondary education (PSE) on college campuses. With these historic
changes come new responsibilities for our secondary special education teachers, who play a
pivotal and significant role in ensuring that students with special needs are equipped with the
proper tools to promote their educational and post school endeavors.
Post-Secondary Opportunities for Students with Special Needs
A post-secondary opportunity for students with special needs has been supported through
legislation and federal mandates in the United States for almost half a century. The Education for
All Handicapped Children Act was enacted in 1975 (Zettel, et al., 1982). This mandate gave
students with disabilities the opportunity for free and appropriate public education (FAPE).
Throughout its tenure, this law was amended and now is the Individuals with Disabilities
Education Improvement Act 2004 (IDEA, 2004). IDEA 2004 provides educational opportunities
in the least restrictive environment (LRE) for students with special needs between the ages of 3
through 21 and provides a path towards preparation for post-secondary educational and career
opportunities. Education, Life skills and the achievement of independent living are all necessary
for students with special needs to achieve successful results after graduation.
A review of literature indicates that students with special needs achieve higher levels of
independent living success when they have access to post-secondary educational opportunities
(Sprunger, Harvey, & Quick, 2018; Wagner, 1992). Evidence suggests that a lack of uniformed
13
transition programs and transition planning in the secondary schools result in low postsecondary
success for students with special needs (Stodden, Galloway, & Stodden, 2003). Furthermore,
IDEA (2004) defines transition services as a set of coordinated events predicated on the students
Individualized Education Plan (IEP) that includes facilitation of moving a student with special
needs from the secondary level to post-secondary activities (Madaus & Shaw, 2006). Research
indicates that this formal transitional planning has a positive effect on post-school outcomes
(Test, et al., 2009). Additionally, Congress passed the No Child Left behind Act (NCLB) in 2001
requiring that all students, including students with special needs and disabilities, have access to
the same general core curriculum (Jimenez, Graf, & Rose, 2007) and are assessed for
proficiency. Under NCLB, alternate assessments are suggested and available to students with
disabilities who are unable to participate in regular assessments (NCLB, 2002).This paradigm
shift of inclusion has brought equitable access to education for all students of diverse abilities.
Finally, special education is based on the premise that it will “prepare students with disabilities
for further education, employment, and independent living” (IDEA, 2004).
Importance of Post-Secondary Opportunities for Students with Special Needs
As students begin to reach the age of high school graduation, it is important that
preparations are made in advance for successful adulthood (Causton-Theoharis, Ashby, &
DeClouette, 2009). Public Law 94–142, now IDEA 2004, sets aside the provision of
comprehensive transition planning for adolescents with special needs as early as age 14
(Hardman, & Dawson, 2010). Research indicates that a postsecondary opportunity for students
with special needs has become an increasingly important prerequisite to independent adult living
(Zafft, Hart, & Zimbrich, 2004). In fact, a successful post-secondary education is a known
predictor of successful employment outcomes for youth with disabilities (Test, Mazzotti,
14
Mustian, Fowler, Kortering, & Kohler, 2009). Likewise, postsecondary opportunities are linked
as a condition for successful achievement of independent adult-living (Zafft, et al., 2004). There
are various models available to support students with intellectual disabilities to participate in
post-secondary educational opportunities (Neubert & Moon, 2006). These models include
exploring employment opportunities, outside sheltered work study programs on post-secondary
education campuses and individualized work study programs (Stodden, 2001). Secondary special
education teachers should explore strategies that promote and assist students with special
needs/intellectual disabilities transitioning and entering postsecondary institutions to ensure
successful outcomes post school outcomes (Burgstahler, et al., 2006).
Transition Plans by SSETs to Postsecondary Outcomes
Studies have found that uniformity in transitional planning leads to successful post-
secondary outcomes for students with special needs and intellectual disabilities (Mellard, 2005;
Oertle, Sax, & Chesley, 2018). The secondary special education teachers can facilitate successful
transition and IEP goal setting through appropriate transition planning with outside agency
participation (Test, et al., 2009). This planning links secondary special education teachers,
outside agencies, student and family participation with increased graduation rates, employment
opportunities, and the achievement of positive post school outcomes (Michaels & Ferrara, 2006)
for students with special needs. Moreover, collaboration efforts with all stakeholders in transition
planning lead to successful post-secondary outcomes (Francis, Gross, Magiera, Schmalzried,
Monroe-Gulick, & Reed, 2018; Oertle & Trach, 2007).
Meaningful transition plans are created through collaborative efforts with a student
centered paradigm shift (Kohler & Field, 2003). The transition services are a "coordinated set of
activities ... based upon the individual student's needs, considering the student's preferences and
15
interests, (including) instruction, community experiences, the development of employment and
other post-school adult living objectives, and, when appropriate, acquisition of daily living skills
and functional vocational evaluation" (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 1990,
Section 602(a), 20 U.S.C. 1401a). It is therefore important for secondary special education
teachers to foster uniformed transitions to post school opportunities for students with special
needs to facilitate positive post-secondary opportunities (Scanlon, 2008; Kohler & Field, 2003).
Positive post-secondary education opportunities lead to successful employment and independent
living opportunities for individuals with special needs and intellectual disabilities.
Supports Provided for Post-Graduation Success and Life-Skills: Independent Living
The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, (ADA, P.L. 110–325), was passed with a
primary focus of the individual's right to live independently in the community of one’s choice
(Ryan, Randall, Walters, & Morash-MacNeil, 2019). The evidence suggests that post-secondary
educational and vocational opportunities for students with special needs increase employment
likelihoods as well as enhances self-advocacy and independent living skills (Newman, Madaus,
& Javitz, 2016). Research points to the importance of explicit instruction for students with
special needs related to access to vocational related support services after graduation (Harrison,
Bisson, & Laws, 2019; Petcu, Chezan, & Van Horn, 2015). These instructions facilitate
postsecondary opportunities that offer a range of support services directed towards independent
living (Carter, Trainor, Sun, & Owens, 2009) that include community based instruction (CBI)
and employment training. Ultimately, for individuals with special needs, post school
employment opportunities have been directly linked to influencing their positive quality of life
outcomes, social structures and self-worth (Stephens, Collins, & Dodder, 2005).
16
There are explicit federal mandates directly linked to postsecondary goals for students
with special needs (Kochhar-Bryant, Bassett, & Webb, 2009). These mandates include parent
involvement an effective indicator of postsecondary success which can lead to independent
living achievement for students with special needs through effective transition to the
postsecondary arena (Rojewski, Lee, & Gregg, 2013; Kochhar-Bryant, Bassett, & Webb, 2009).
This research indicates that our secondary special education teachers must have knowledge of
incorporating multiple supports for their students with special needs to ensure the students’
realization of meaningful postsecondary outcomes through the transition process. These supports
have led to positive post school transitions for students with special needs (Ross, Marcell,
Williams, & Carlson, 2014).
Increase of Special Education Students being identified for Special Services
Evidence highlights that the rate of growth of special education student enrollment has
increased significantly and therefore demand for post-secondary opportunities is expected to
increase (Lipka, Forkosh Baruch, & Meer, 2019; Boe, Bobbitt, Cook, Whitener, & Weber,
1997). In fact, according to a Department of Education report, titled the Condition of Education
2018 in the school year 2015–16, a higher percentage of students ages 3–21 received special
education services under IDEA for specific learning disabilities than for any other type of
disability (National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education., 2018).
IDEA 2004 strengthened requirements of full inclusion and transitioning of secondary students
to post school opportunities and requires that states have a policy to find and identify students
with special needs through its Child Find requirement (IDEA, 2004). Child Find is a legal
requirement that mandates that schools find students with disabilities who are entitled to services
(Shapiro, & Derrington, 2004). With more students identified with special needs mirroring
17
general education growth, more students with special needs are graduating high school with the
need to transition to post-secondary opportunities. It is incumbent upon the secondary special
education teachers to facilitate these opportunities (Curry & Jones, 2014).
Positive Outcomes of Post-Secondary Education for Students with Special Needs
According to the literature, improved transitional planning by the secondary special
education teacher facilitates the post-secondary education opportunities and improves
employment outcomes for students with special needs/intellectual disabilities (Benz, Lindstrom,
& Yovanoff, 2000). Post-secondary education can include vocational schools, work study
programs and even 2 and 4 year universities (Smith, Grigal, & Sulewski, 2012). Legislative
mandates have strengthened the transition concept for students with special needs to post school
employment, continuing education and independent living (Halpern, Yovanoff, Doren, & Benz,
1995). Research indicates that students that receive relevant transition planning are more likely
to have positive post school success (Rusch, Hughes, Agran, Martin, & Johnson, 2009). The
evidence suggests that post-secondary education and training programs correspond with
increased employment, earning capacity and independent living success (Butler, Sheppard-Jones,
Whaley, Harrison, & Osness, 2016). Additionally, the secondary special education teacher’s
knowledge of interagency collaboration and facilitation of post-secondary opportunities is highly
effective for providing transition services to youth with disabilities (Wagner, M., 1993).
Research suggests that youth with special needs and intellectual disabilities who took part in
work experience programs had greater success in post school employment (Grigal, Hart, & Weir,
2012; Halpern, et al., 1995). Notwithstanding, facilitating transition to postsecondary education,
career training programs and independent living education, the secondary special education
teacher is more likely to gain positive postsecondary employment opportunities for their students
18
with special needs (Migliore, Butterworth, & Hart, 2009). The National Longitudinal Transition
Study (NLTS 2012), a national study of 13,000 secondary youth across 12 disability categories
under IDEA 2004, found that 70 percent of post school youth had been employed at some time
after leaving secondary school (Eismann, et al., 2012). Ultimately, the research indicates that
there is a positive correlation with effective transition planning in high school to post-secondary
educational opportunities and achieving independent living skills for students with special needs
(Carter, Austin & Trainor, 2012).
Transition and Self-Determination Skills
Transition is the process of making ready students with special needs for life after high
school graduation (Curry & Jones, 2014). Self- determination skills are important for students
with special needs to successfully transition to post school outcomes (Shogren, Burke, Antosh,
Wehmeyer, LaPlante, Shaw, & Raley, 2019). An important component in the transition process
is the student’s ability to participate and foster self-determination (Kohler, Gothberg, Fowler, &
Coyle, 2016). Researchers posit that developing self-determination skills benefit post-secondary
success for students with special needs (Field, Martin, Miller, Ward, & Wehmeyer, 1998; Getzel
& Thoma, 2008; Shogren, Wehmeyer, Palmer, Rifenbark, & Little, 2015). Self-determination
skills have been defined as:
“… a combination of skills, knowledge, and beliefs that enables a person to engage in a
goal-directed, self-regulated, autonomous behavior … understanding of one's strengths
and limitations together with a belief in oneself as capable and effective are essential ...
When acting on the basis of these skills and attitudes, individuals have greater ability to
take control of their lives and assume the role of successful adults.” (Field, Martin,
Miller, Ward, & Wehmeyer, 1998, p. 2)
19
Self-determination is an integral element of transition planning for secondary special education
teachers (Deci, & Ryan, 2010; Hartwig & Sitlington, 2008). The secondary special educator
should facilitate development of enhanced self-determination skills such as goal-setting, problem
solving, and decision making to enable students with special needs to assume greater
responsibility and control of their future (Karvonen, Test, Wood, Browder, & Algozzine, 2004).
Secondary special education teacher’s knowledge of pedagogical strategies in teaching self-
determination skills improves outcomes for their students with intellectual disabilities post
school (Deci, & Ryan, 2010; Eisenman, & Chamberlin, 2001). Research indicates that students
with special needs require explicit instruction on self-determination skills by highly effective
special education teachers (Field, & Hoffman, 2002). Researchers posit that self-determination
skills are considered a vital element in making successful transitions to postsecondary outcomes
for students with special needs (DeFur & Trainor, 2012). Consequently, it is important to
explicitly teach self-determination skills to students with special needs in order for them to
achieve post-secondary success (Thoma & Getzel, 2005). Ultimately, the self-determination
skills are an important component of the transition planning process that secondary special
educators need to impart to students with special needs in preparing them for post-secondary
opportunities and transitioning to independent living (Wehman, 2006).
Transition and Synchronized Services for Student Success in Postsecondary Life
The secondary special education teacher cannot do this alone. Research indicates that
students with special needs are positively impacted when services are collaborative and
comprehensive (Santangelo, 2009). In fact, interagency collaboration is an important factor to
effective transitioning to the post-secondary arena (Noonan, P. M., Morningstar, M. E., &
Gaumer Erickson, A.2008; Zhang, D., Ivester, J., & Katsiyannis, A., 2005). The secondary
20
special education teachers are tasked to work with outside agencies that will continue to provide
services after high school graduation (Noonan &Morningstar, 2012). Research indicates that
students had a higher success rate with postsecondary outcomes when their secondary special
education teacher communicated with outside agencies (Argan, Cain, and Cavin, 2002). In order
to do so, the secondary special education teachers should engage in professional development of
comprehensive transition planning in collaboration with the outside agencies (Jenkins &
Agamba, 2013). This collaboration will garner continuity amongst educators, administrators and
outside agencies conducting transitional IEPs (Wehman, 2006). IDEA 2004 mandates that
during the transition IEP meeting, all agency representatives must be invited (Noonan &
Morningstar, 2012). Research shows that successful post school transitioning relies on the
collaborative efforts and partnerships with the secondary special education teacher and outside
rehabilitation experts (Gowdy, Carlson, & Rapp, 2003). Finally, The United States (US) Office
of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services (OSERS) requires that transition for students
with special needs be facilitated as a collaborative effort with school personnel and outside
agencies (Cortiella & Horowitz, 2014; Johnson & Rusch, 1993; Will, 1983).
The Clark and Estes Gap Analytical Conceptual Framework
Clark and Estes (2008) provides a systematic problem-solving model that considers
multiple factors concurrently of an identified performance gap within an organization. The gap
between current and ideal performance is then examined through the lens of stakeholder
knowledge, motivational and organizational influences that impact performance (Clark & Estes,
2008). Knowledge is a complex concept that has many facets and meanings. There are typically
two dimensions of knowledge: explicit and tacit. Explicit knowledge can be expressed in formal
and systematic language and shared in the form of data collection and information exchange
21
which can be managed, communicated and warehoused relatively easily. Tacit knowledge is
deeply rooted in action, procedures, routines, commitment, ideals, values and emotions (Nokana,
1994). Within these two dimensions are frameworks of knowledge in four categories which are:
factual knowledge, conceptual knowledge, procedural knowledge, and metacognitive knowledge
(Krathwohl, 2002). Furthermore, according to Clark & Estes (2008), motivation is what
energizes individuals to use their knowledge to accomplish tasks. Understanding motivational
influences or lack thereof allows organizations to track increased employee outcomes and
productivity (Rueda, 2011). Finally, organizational influences will be looked at such as work
processes, material resources, and organizational culture (Clark & Estes, 2008).
All these elements within the gap analysis framework will be used to examine the
performance gap within the WSD organization and more specifically with the special education
teachers and their efforts in transitioning special education students to post-secondary
opportunities. Clark & Estes’ (2008) gap analysis will report on the special education teacher’s
knowledge, motivation and organizational needs to increase transitioning students with special
needs to post-secondary opportunities. First will examine knowledge and skill influences on
stakeholder performance goals. Then, motivational influences on stakeholder performance
realization will be evaluated. Finally, organizational influences on stakeholder performance goals
will be assessed.
Stakeholder Knowledge, Motivation and Organizational Influences
Knowledge. Research suggests that determining whether employees possess the knowledge and
skills necessary to implement an organization's goals and mission, is crucial to its efficiency
(Rueda, 2011). Finding out the knowledge and skill levels of secondary special educators can
assist in determining stakeholder capacity and/or skill gap. Although the joint efforts of all
22
stakeholders will contribute to the achievement of the overall organizational goal of compliance
with 100% of West School District (WSD) requirements, it is important to evaluate knowledge
influences of the secondary special education teachers through their performance goals and
transition tasks. The stakeholder’s goal is that 100% of secondary special education staff will
implement compliance procedures in their daily activities that further student achievement and
their pursuit of post-secondary opportunities. The Organization's purpose is to seamlessly
support the implementation of the WSD’s mission of ensuring that all students graduate life-
ready, college-prepared, and/or career-ready. Notwithstanding, this purpose includes students
with special needs. Compliance procedures include activities such as student file review,
semiannual and annual IEP report writing, student schedule review, and interagency compliance
review. Failure to accomplish this goal will lead to continued noncompliance. Noncompliance
will lead to a loss in funding, which adversely impacts the organization's ability to provide
support and interventions to its students with special needs and the organization's overall goal of
100% WSD compliance. Therefore, it is incumbent upon secondary special education teachers to
instruct students with special needs in the development of skills and knowledge that will enable
them to participate independently to the highest degree possible, based on assessment needs and
transition competencies to facilitate positive post school outcomes.
The role of the secondary special education teacher has many facets. They must be
qualified and fully certified to teach special education as well as show competency in core
content areas they may be teaching (Washburn, 2005). They must show that they are competent
in all areas that they serve their students (Mastropieri, 2001). In addition, the special education
division provides consultation and support services including in-service training to the special
education teachers concerning differentiation of instruction needs and appropriate methods of
23
adaptation for the student with special needs that will foster maximum independence and safety.
Most importantly, secondary special education teachers are directly responsible to implement
differentiated instruction and assessment plans for their individual learners. The literature review
will focus on knowledge, motivational and organizational factors that influence the secondary
special education teachers at WSD to attain their goal of informed transitional opportunities for
their students with special needs.
Knowledge Influences
The secondary special education teacher works with members of the IEP team (i.e.
parents, general education teachers, speech providers, occupational & physical therapists,
orientation & mobility and vision specialists) to provide a functional and meaningful program for
the individual student needs and be knowledgeable within these paradigms. The teacher then
creates an individualized educational program geared to the assessed needs, goals & objectives,
functional levels and motivational levels of the student. Finally, the secondary special education
teacher must be knowledgeable on how to facilitate transitions from secondary to post-secondary
opportunities for students with special needs. Secondary special education teachers are charged
with the IEP development, transition planning and implementation, and they should possess the
skills and knowledge to plan for effective transition services (Benitez, Morningstar, & Frey,
2009). Conversely, research indicates that special education teachers report a dearth of
knowledge of transition proficiencies which impacts their facilitation of post school
opportunities for students with intellectual disabilities (Blanchett, 2001). An evaluation of
WSD’s stakeholder performance goal reveals three knowledge influences likely to impact
achievement of this goal.
24
There are typically two dimensions of knowledge: explicit and tacit. Explicit knowledge
can be expressed in formal and systematic language and shared in the form of data collection and
information exchange which can be managed, communicated and warehoused relatively easily.
In other words, explicit knowledge is highly codified and transmittable in formal systematic
language (Polanyi, 1966). On the other hand, tacit knowledge is highly personal and difficult to
formulate. Tacit knowledge is deeply rooted in action, procedures, routines, commitment, ideals,
values and emotions, which makes it hard to frame is knowledge that usually is not openly
expressed or taught (Wagner & Sternberg, 1985). Explicit knowledge is embedded in the
procedures of an organization, whereas tacit knowledge develops from the transfer and
implementation of explicit knowledge. Research indicates that tacit knowledge is more valuable
to organization goal attainment (Dhanaraj, Lyles, Steesma, & Tihanyi, 2004). Organizations play
a critical role in activating tacit knowledge by creating an atmosphere that incorporates
stakeholder knowledge creation processes (Nonaka, 1994). Moreover, within these two
dimensions are frameworks of knowledge in four categories which are: factual knowledge,
conceptual knowledge, procedural knowledge, and metacognitive knowledge (Krathwohl, 2002).
Knowledge, as examined in Educational Taxonomy, originally published in 1956 and
revised in 2002 by David Krathwohl, can be parsed into four types. These four types of
knowledge are: factual, conceptual, procedural, and metacognitive (Krathwohl, 2002; Rueda,
2011). Factual knowledge is that knowledge that is retrieved and is the most easily accessible
knowledge influence. Moreover, factual knowledge is grown out of a belief system that if you
know something then you will do that thing (Krathwohl, 2002). WSD secondary special
education teachers must possess the basic elements of the subject matter to be able to solve and
facilitate transition planning (Krathwohl, 2002). Conceptual knowledge is the collection of
25
information and the meaningful relationships between those units of information (Payne,
Mendonça, Johnson, & Starren, 2007). It is the knowledge that stakeholders have woven together
with other stakeholders in their organization. For example, WSD secondary special education
teachers must be cognizant of what their general education counterparts are held accountable to,
in order to streamline the integration process for their student constituency. Furthermore, the
secondary special education teachers must have procedural knowledge of their job. Procedural
knowledge is the application of knowledge and how to use the information to further a
stakeholder’s job functionality (Krathwohl, 2002).
Metacognitive. Metacognitive knowledge is the knowledge of cognition (Pintrich, 2002).
The individual secondary special education teacher is responsible for their own cognition and
thinking. Moreover, metacognitive knowledge can be used in a deliberate manner to safeguard
that goals are met (Livingston, 1997). An evaluation of WSD’s secondary special education
teacher’s transition competencies reveals three knowledge influences that are likely to impact
achievement of WSD’s goal which are factual, procedural and metacognitive.
Factual. SSET’s Knowledge of Transition Planning. The SSE teachers are responsible
for providing an education to students with special needs (Individuals with Disabilities Education
Improvement Act [IDEA], 2004). They are also tasked with implementing a transition plan for
their students for graduating students. Federal and state laws dictate the elements that need to be
in the transition plan. These include: post-secondary opportunities, vocational opportunities,
community involvement and independent living achievement opportunities (IDEA, 2004). The
WSD secondary special education teachers need factual knowledge of post-secondary
opportunities that are available when transitioning their students with special needs. When
26
teachers increase their knowledge in transition competencies, student outcomes are enhanced
(Timperley, H., & Alton-Lee, A, 2008).
Procedural. SSET’s Implementation Knowledge of Transition Planning. Research
indicates the importance that transition services provided by special education teachers should
focus on the actual attainment of post-secondary outcomes such as employment, postsecondary
education and independent living rather than only identifying outcomes (Rusch, Hughes, Agran,
Martin, & Johnson., 2009; Plotner, Mazzotti, Rose, & Carlson-Britting, 2016). Post-secondary
transitional opportunities are incumbent upon teacher direction and knowledge of state and
federal mandates (Everston & Ivestor, 2008).As such, the WSD SSE teachers must possess
procedural knowledge on how to best implement transitional services for students with special
needs (Desimone, 2009) which will enhance post-secondary outcomes and benefit student
attainment of positive post school outcomes.
Table 1 below provides the organizational mission, organizational goal, and information specific
to the knowledge influences, knowledge types, and knowledge assessments. As table 1 indicates
three knowledge types will be used to glean employee knowledge on transitional opportunities
for students with special needs. These frameworks are factual, procedural and metacognitive.
Table1 Knowledge Influences, Types, and Assessments for Knowledge Gap Analysis
Organizational Global Goal
By June 2021, All WSD secondary special education teachers will be informed on how to
coordinate the planning and delivery of transition services for all students with disabilities,
beginning at age 14 to prepare them for transition from school to adult living.
Stakeholder Goal
By June 2021, 100% of WSD Secondary Special Education Teachers will be informed in
transition planning competencies for students with special needs to post-secondary opportunities
in preparation from school to adult living.
Knowledge Influences Knowledge Type Knowledge Influence Assessment
27
Secondary Special Education
Teachers need knowledge of IDEA
2004 and its implementation of
transition planning for post-
secondary opportunities for students
with special needs.
Factual
Secondary special education
teachers are asked to identify
legislation that mandates
transitional services for post-
secondary opportunities for their
students with special needs.
Special Education Teachers need to
know how to incorporate
transitioning strategies for post-
secondary opportunities for students
with special needs.
Procedural Secondary Special Education
Teachers will be asked if they
maintain a procedure for
transition ITPs that align to
students' needs and reflect on
outcomes.
Special Education Teachers need to
be able to reflect on their own
effectiveness of writing effective
transitional plans for their students
with special needs with
enhancements that encourage self-
determination (SD) for the
individual learners.
Metacognitive Secondary special education
teachers will reflect on
professional developments and
writing cohesive and strategic
transition plans for their students
with special needs focused on
outcome opportunities through
incorporation of SD lesson plans.
Motivation Influences
Aside from factual, procedural and metacognitive knowledge, the secondary special
education teachers of WSD should be motivated to perform in order to achieve the stakeholder
goal. Motivation consists of three critical indicators that affect outcomes of goal achievement:
active choice, persistence, and mental effort (Clark & Estes, 2008). Transferring knowledge into
working memory will develop to achieve transition goal monitoring and positive outcomes for
students with special needs (Mayer, 2011). Motivation has been defined as a process whereby a
goal-oriented activity is prompted and sustained (Pintrich, 2003). In fact, motivation is an
integral factor in completion of a task by employees (Rueda, 2011). According to Clark & Estes
(2008), motivation is what energizes individuals to use their knowledge to accomplish tasks.
Moreover, motivation implies a social cognitive perspective wherein academic motivation is
fueled both by social (contextual) and cognitive (intellectual) factors. Social cognitive theory
acknowledges that motivation is determined by beliefs about self, cognition and social contexts
28
(Bandura, 2005). Therefore, a secondary special education teacher must possess a determined
belief system to implement a course of action for their constituents, i.e., students with special
needs. Self-efficacy theory posits that it is the beliefs stakeholders maintain in their own abilities
(Pajares, 2006). Understanding motivational influences or lack thereof allows organizations to
track increased employee outcomes and productivity (Rueda, 2011). Motivation is a key factor
for the success of implementation of transitional opportunities for students with special needs by
the special education teachers in WSD. Studies show that the job design for special education
teachers is replete with insurmountable paperwork, time out of the classroom for meetings and
lack of resources (Gersten, Keating, Yovanoff, & Harniss, 2001). Therefore, despite these
factors, special education teachers must possess a belief system that overcomes the challenges
and obstacles of their job to achieve the intrinsic value of student achievement. An evaluation of
WSD’s performance goal reveals four motivation influences that impact achievement of the goal;
self-efficacy theory, attribution theory, goal orientation theory and expectancy-value theory.
Self-Efficacy Theory
Self-efficacy has been defined as the confidence one has in their ability to complete a task
(Eccles, 2006). For WSD secondary special education teachers, self-efficacy is an important
element that can access successful implementation of transition competencies to post-secondary
opportunities for students with special needs (Liasidou & Antoniou, 2013). According to Bandura
(2005) self-efficacy is a construct in which an individual regards their own capabilities as their
most central mechanism of personal agency. Moreover, individual beliefs drive behaviors and
"beliefs are far more influential than knowledge in determining how individuals organize and
define tasks and problems and are stronger predictors of behavior" (Pajares, 1992, p 311).
Therefore, WSD’s secondary special education teacher’s self-efficacy can drive successful student
29
facilitation of transitioning to post-secondary opportunities, and conversely, lack of teacher self-
efficacy negatively impacts student outcomes (Miller-Warren, 2015). Efficacy beliefs have been
positively correlated with higher levels of competencies (Wu & Short, 1996) and job commitment.
Therefore, if secondary special education teachers believe in their capacity to implement effective
transition competencies, their motivation to facilitate postsecondary opportunities for their
students with special needs positively increase. WSD SSETs need the self-efficacy required to
facilitate transitions that promote positive post school outcomes for their students with special
needs.
Attribution Theory
Attribution theory is steeped in potential to address organizational gaps in motivation.
The Attribution Theory is the study of perceived causation of performance (Kelly, 1980) where
the stakeholders think performance outcomes are a result of their own effort (Anderman &
Anderman, 2006). This lends itself to thinking about individual learner’s perceptions concerning
their success or failure in achievement of organizational missions and goals. An achievement
goal concerns the purposes of achievement behavior and an individual’s internal causation, i.e.,
ability and/or effort. It defines an integrated pattern of beliefs, attributions, and affect that
produces the intentions of behavior (Weiner, 2000) and that is represented by different ways of
approaching, engaging in, and responding to achievement type activities (Dweck & Leggett,
1988). Motivation and achievement related behaviors can be understood by considering the
reasons of purposes employees adopt while engaged in work (Dweck & Leggett, 1988). The
attributional theory construct falls into three dimensions: locus, stability and controllability
(Fishman & Husman, 2016). Locus is the location of the cause, stability is the nature of the
duration of the cause and finally controllability refers to the volition of the individual and the
30
degree to which a cause can be altered (Weiner, 2006). Having shared opportunities with staff
and administration, through academic summits, professional developments and community
outreach programs, would offer a collegial atmosphere for the secondary special education
teachers at WSD which would ultimately benefit their graduating students. This pattern of
shared beliefs would ultimately provide for better outcomes for the students with special needs
they all serve. The benefit of the attributional theory is that it provides a framework for why
people behave the way they do and enhances information for future performance (Gaier, 2015).
This can facilitate effective management of knowledge for the secondary special education
teachers of WSD, as well as to provide for future action plans for transitional planning for their
students with special needs.
Goal Orientation Theory
Goal Orientations fall into two categories: mastery goals and performance goals
(Anderman, Gimbert, Lynley, & Yough, 2010). A mastery goal is one that indicates a task is
truly understood and/or mastered. A performance goal, on the other hand, compares one’s ability
against another. Within this framework there is a division into approach and avoid goals
(Andermann, et al., 2010). Nevertheless, goal orientations are defined as the reasons and
purposes employees use to approach and engage in a task (Pintrich, 2003). In this context,
employees are concerned with demonstrating ability, recognizing high ability in a field and
focusing on comparative standards set by the organization (Pintrich, 2003). Ultimately, goal
orientation defines why and how individuals are their achieving goals (Kaplan & Maher, 2007).
In regard to goal orientation, research indicates that those who take responsibility for their own
learning tend to be more motivated and are more likely to achieve their goals (Pintrich, 2003).
Within the context of WSD, the division of special education will provide ample opportunities
31
for their teachers to explore the various post-secondary opportunities that are available to their
students. With an appropriate arsenal of information, the special education teacher can develop
appropriate transitional goals for their students based on their explicit experiences with the
various options available to their graduating students. Achieving mastery of their professional
goals will lead to positive outcomes for student’s achievement. The goal orientation theory
carries with it a motivational construct that allows the special education teachers to deal
accordingly with changes in state and federal mandates that govern special education transitional
opportunities (Deshon & Gillespie, 2005). The table below identifies two motivational influences
that focus on attributions and goal orientation. These influences will be used to more fully
understand how motivation affects employee engagement in knowledge based learning
opportunities to align with organizational goals and mission.
Expectancy-value Theory
Secondary special education teachers need to see the value of competency in facilitating
post-secondary opportunities for their students with special needs. They must also see the value
in developing measurable postsecondary goals that are outcome based on student post school
trajectories (Landmark & Zhang, 2013). The individual motivation is derived from an
individual's expectation of completing a task in addition to the attached value of completion of
the task (Eccles, 2006). Research by Eccles (2006) and Pintrich (2003) determined that
expectancy value theory relies on 4 core attributes which affect an individual’s motivation.
These attributes are intrinsic interest, attainment value, utility value, and cost. Intrinsic interest
pertains to the gratification one achieves on completion of task; attainment value refers the the
individuals importance placed on completion of task; attainment value pertains to the worth a
task has towards goal attainment; and cost pertains to the individuals expenditure in completion
32
of the task (Wigfield & Cambria, 2010). If secondary special education teachers possess an
intrinsic interest in the facilitation of post-secondary opportunities for their students with special
needs, then their motivation to increase transitional competencies will increase.
Table 2 Motivation Influences, Types, and Assessments for Motivation Gap Analysis
Organizational Global Goal
By June 2021, All WSD Secondary Special Education Teachers will be informed on the
importance of how the coordinated planning and delivery of transition services for all students
with disabilities, beginning at age 14 to be prepared for transition from school to adult living.
Stakeholder Goal By June 2021, All WSD Secondary Special Education Teachers will be
informed on the importance of transition planning competencies for students with special needs to
post-secondary opportunities in preparation from school to adult living.
Motivational Indicator(s)
Assumed Motivation Influences Motivational Influence Assessment
Self-Efficacy Theory:
Secondary Special Education teachers need to
believe they can facilitate transitions to
postsecondary opportunities for their students
with special needs.
Interview: “Do you feel confident in your
knowledge of transition competencies to
facilitate postsecondary opportunities for
your students with special needs?”
Attribution Theory:
Secondary Special Education teachers should feel
that opportunities for post-secondary education
are available to all their students with special
needs rather than students lacking the ability to
obtain these opportunities.
Interview: “Do you feel confident about your
ability to instruct students with special needs
on their post-secondary opportunities?”
Interview: “How do you feel about your
ability to instruct students with special needs
on transitional opportunities in the post-
secondary realm?”
Goal Orientation:
Secondary Special Education teachers should be
cognizant of transitional opportunities for their
students after graduation and discuss and advise
all stakeholders in IEP team meetings.
Interview: “Do you want to continue to learn
about different post-secondary opportunities
for students with special needs?”
Expectancy-value Theory:
Secondary Special Education teachers need to
value their own expectations impact on their
ability to facilitate post-secondary opportunities.
Interview: “What are your expectations for
student outcomes when developing post-
secondary goals for your students with
special needs?”
Organizational Influences
Research posits that organizations with insufficient procedures and materials can be a
weakness in achieving performance goals (Clark & Estes, 2008). But these things are inexorably
33
sieved through the organization's culture. Organizational culture is defined as patterns of shared
assumptions that are learned, accepted and shared with other members of the organization
(Schein, E.H., 2010). In fact, the processes of all stakeholders should contribute to the
achievement of the overall organizational goal of compliance with transitional opportunities for
students with special needs of WSD. It is important to evaluate organizational cultural influences
of the WSD secondary special education teachers through organizational performance goals.
Moreover, the stakeholder’s goal, supported by the district's mission, is that 100% of staff will
implement compliance procedures in their daily activities that further student achievement and
their pursuit of post-secondary opportunities. The purpose of this goal is to seamlessly support
the implementation of the WSD’s design to ensure that all students graduate life-ready, college-
prepared, and/or career-ready. In accordance, the students with special needs would be included
with the district's goal. The organization's compliance procedures include activities such as
student file review, semiannual and annual report writing, student IEP review, and interagency
compliance reviews. Failure to accomplish this goal will lead to continued noncompliance.
Noncompliance will lead to a loss in funding, which adversely impacts the organization's ability
to provide support and interventions to its students and the organization's overall goal of 100%
compliance. This system of interacting processes must be supported by organizational policies
(Clark & Estes, 2008). Furthermore, the organization’s culture can be examined through the lens
of cultural settings and cultural models that occur within it (Gallimore & Goldenberg, 2001).
Cultural Model
Cultural models refer to shared beliefs within employee groups in an organization as well
as cultural practices (Gallimore & Goldenberg, 2001). Notwithstanding, within the WSD
organization there needs to be a general acceptance and willingness amongst secondary special
34
education teachers to transition students with special needs/intellectual disabilities to post-
secondary opportunities (Cavendish, Connor, & Rediker, 2017; Taymans & deFur, 1994).
Transition planning is mandated by IDEA (2004) and identifies goals and services for students
with special needs to transition successfully from secondary to post-secondary life opportunities.
WSD secondary special education teachers need to be prepared and supported to deliver
transition services (Li, Bassett, & Hutchinson, 2009).
Transition Support System. There needs to be a culture of trust and support systems in
the school between administration and the special education teachers to achieve the institutional
goal of transitioning students with special needs to post-secondary opportunities (Neugebauer,
Hopkins, & Spillane, 2019). Research suggests that secondary special education teacher
perception of support from administrators contributes to the overall well-being, job-satisfaction
and commitment to positive student outcomes (Gersten, Keating, Yovanoff, & Harniss, 2001).
Organizational leadership can influence the development of uniformity and consistency in
transitional education plans by providing the tools necessary for the secondary special education
teacher to implement effective transition planning for their special needs students (Oertle,
Chesley, & Sax, 2017). Furthermore, administrator support is only as effective as the
administrator's knowledge of special education laws and mandates (Lashley & Boscardin, 2003).
This burden is even more exacerbated with the onset of federal mandates, such as NCLB and the
reauthorization of IDEA, 2004, which command that classrooms are filled with highly qualified
teachers (Johnson, 2012). Notwithstanding, research shows that secondary special educator
attrition is at a much higher rate than their general education cohort (Billingsley, & Bettini, 2019;
Hester, Bridges, & Rollins, 2020). This attrition has been linked to the lack of support for the
secondary special educator from administrators and colleagues (Prather-Jones, 2011). Further,
35
according to Ansley, Houchins, & Varjas, 2016, a lack of administrative support and general
educator collegiality, is a strong determinant is special education teacher dissatisfaction and
attrition. Therefore, having a support system for the secondary special educator helps promote
collegiality and an environment that promotes the organization's goal. Ultimately, literature
suggests that students with special needs, who participate in appropriate transition planning
opportunities with highly qualified secondary special education teachers, have a higher
likelihood of positive post-secondary outcomes (Halpern, Yovanoff, Doren, & Benz, 1995). The
organization needs to ensure that special education teachers are working towards the stakeholder
goal and have the resources to achieve the goal (Gallimore & Goldenberg, 2001).
Cultural Setting
Cultural settings are concrete and discernible, such as the employees, their tasks, how and
why these tasks are completed and the social context within which these tasks are performed
(Gallimore & Goldenberg, 2001; Rueda 2011). The special education teacher at the secondary
level is tasked with developing a transition plan for post-secondary opportunities. The WSD
secondary special education teachers need enough time from their non-teaching responsibilities
to have time to create transitional goals for students with special needs to post-secondary
opportunities. The data demonstrates that many special education classrooms are being taught
by unqualified and/or untrained personnel filling in the gaps for vacant special education
positions (Fore, Martin, & Bender, 2002). Special education teachers have one of the most
significant shortages identified in the field of education (Miller, Brownwell, & Smith, 1999).
This problem is important to address by the organization because the lack of qualified special
education teachers threatens the quality of transitional services that secondary students with
disabilities receive (Brownell, & Smith, 1992).
36
Time Allotment. The WSD secondary special education teachers need time to develop
transitional goals, benchmarks and Individualized Transition Plans (ITP’s) that correlate to
students needs and abilities. The ITP itself is embedded in the students Individualized Education
Plan (IEP). The ITP and IEP development is time consuming and involved (Greene & Kochhar,
2003). According to Vannest & Parker, (2010) the special education teachers' time is parsed
between instructional time and non-instructional tasks such as assessments, interagency
collaboration, IEP/ITP writing, and adapting and modifying core curriculum. The SSET needs
the time to facilitate transition plans that provide appropriate and measurable postsecondary
goals (IDEA, 2004).
Professional Development. The WSD secondary special education teachers need
effective professional development within the organization to promote continuity and uniformity
in transitioning students with special needs to post-secondary opportunities. Better teacher
preparation increases teacher quality and longevity and positive post-secondary opportunities for
students with special needs (Curry & Jones, 2014; Darling-Hammond & McLaughlin, 1995).
Research suggests that implementation of uniformed transition education practices and training
support positive post-secondary opportunities for students with special needs (Test, Mazzotti, et
al., 2009). In addition, there is a critical role that leadership plays in providing learning
opportunities for special education teachers (Halley & Trujillo, 2013). Training is an important
tool for SSE teachers to develop transition competencies (Grossman & Salas, 2012) which
positively affect student post school outcomes. Effective professional development opportunities
effectively increase student achievement and post school success (Flannery, Lombardi, & Kato,
2015) this mechanism provides the secondary special education teacher a foundation in the
development of Individualized Education Programs and transition planning (Doren, Flannery,
37
Lombardi, & Kato, 2013). This is valuable when WSD SSETs are working towards the
stakeholders goal which can be described as the who, what, and why of expected outcome
(Lattin, Dove, Morningstar, Kleinhammer-Tramill, & Frey, 2004).
Table 3 Organizational Influences, Types, and Assessments for Organization Gap
Organizational Global Goal
By June 2021, All WSD Secondary Special Education Teachers will be informed on how
to coordinate the planning and delivery of transition services for all students with
disabilities, beginning at age 14 to prepare them for transition from school to adult living.
Stakeholder Goal By June 2021, All WSD Secondary Special Education Teachers will be
informed in transition planning competencies for transitioning students with special needs
to post-secondary opportunities in preparation from school to adult living.
Assumed Organizational Influences Organization Influence Assessment
Cultural Setting Influence 1: Secondary
Special Education teachers need enough
time to evaluate and develop proper post-
secondary transitional opportunities for
their graduating students with special needs
outside of their classroom and to develop
proper transitional opportunities for their
student’s post-secondary advancements.
Interview: “How much time is needed
outside of the classroom to effectively
develop appropriate transitional IEPs for
their students with special needs that
provide optimal post-secondary
opportunities?”
Cultural Setting Influence 2: Secondary
Special Education teachers need effective
professional development within the
organization to promote continuity and
uniformity in transitioning students with special
needs to post-secondary opportunities.
Interview: “Do you have the opportunity to
attend professional developments on how to
implement transitional IEPs that provide
optimal postsecondary opportunities?”
Cultural Model Influence 1: There needs to
be a general acceptance and willingness
amongst secondary special education teachers
to create transition plans that facilitate post-
secondary opportunities for their graduating
students with special needs.
Interview: “Please describe your
willingness to change transitional strategies,
to put students with special needs on a
trajectory for post-secondary
opportunities.”
Interview: “How often do you review
annual transitional IEPs for 12
th
graders?”
Cultural Model Influence 2: There needs to
be a culture of trust in the school between
administration and the secondary special
education teachers to achieve the institutional
goal of continuous learning by transitioning
students with special needs to post-secondary
opportunities.
Interview: “Please describe whether special
education teachers trust administrators and
their knowledge of IEP’s and post-
secondary opportunities for students with
special needs.”
Interview: “Are your administrators
supporting your transitioning efforts?
38
Interactive Conceptual Framework
A conceptual framework is a map of one’s study that is aligned with key theoretical
principles that are examined in one’s literature review (Maxwell, 2013). This framework
attempts to connect all elements of the inquiry process such as the problem statement, purpose of
inquiry, literature review, and leads to the identification of the phenomena one proposes to
explore and analyze. According to Merriam and Tisdell (2016), the sense we make from the data
and literature collected is influenced by the framework. Moreover, this framework brings
together the literature review examination and provides a targeted theory that one’s research will
be bound by such as the hypothesis, theory and an overall construct of what the research is trying
to accomplish. There are 4 pillars that support the conceptual framework. The framework is
supported by experiential knowledge; existing theory and research; pilot and exploratory
research; and finally, thought experiment (Maxwell, 2013). This paradigm supports and entices
the phenomenon for which the organization is looking to guide its investigation process through.
This research will be informed through the constructivist worldview of the secondary special
education teacher. Accordingly, this philosophical worldview addresses the processes amongst
individuals (Creswell, 2018). This model posits that learning is an active, constructive process
and meaning is based on historical and social perspectives (Crotty, 1998). Therefore, the
constructivist worldview informs the conceptual framework for this evaluation study of post-
secondary opportunities for students with special needs through the secondary special education
teacher directed transitions. Knowledge, motivation and organizational needs must be addressed
concurrently for goal achievement to occur (Clark & Estes, 2008). Figure 1 illustrates this
conceptual framework.
39
Figure 1. Interaction of Stakeholder Knowledge and Motivation within Organizational Cultural
Models and Settings.
Stakeholder
Knowledge:
Factual
Procedural
Metacognitive
Organization
Cultural Setting & Culture
SSET support systems, training &
time allotment
Organizational Goal:
By June 2021, All WSD Secondary Special
Education Teachers will be informed on
facilitation of transitional opportunities for their
students with special needs to post-secondary
opportunities after high school graduation.
Stakeholder Motivation:
Self-Efficacy
Attribution Theory
Goal Orientation Theory
Expectancy-value Theory
40
Qualitative Data Collection
A qualitative approach allowed the researcher to evaluate secondary special education
teachers’ beliefs on facilitating transitions for their students with special needs to post-secondary
opportunities. Qualitative research is a method of inquiry that explores issues, seeks to
understand phenomena and answer questions. This methodology aided the researcher to
discover experiences which I wanted to understand further (Merriam, 2015). This study gathered
quantitative data by interviewing secondary special education teachers about their knowledge,
motivation, and perceptions of organizational models and settings related to the goal of
facilitating transitions to post-secondary opportunities for students with special needs. It was not
intended to predict or to generalize, in fact, according to Patton (1985), “[Qualitative research] is
an effort to understand situations in their uniqueness as part of a particular context and their
interactions there.” (p.1) The Qualitative research method was used in this study to explore the
phenomenon of special education transition planning’s impact in the facilitation of post-
secondary education opportunities for students with special needs. This research design is
effective and beneficial when investigating a social phenomenon, literature recommends that
prior to beginning a study; the researcher should investigate the literature and the researcher’s
personal preference for data collection to best meet the needs of the study (Creswell, 2017).
Moreover, the goal of qualitative research is to gain a thorough understanding of the
phenomenon being studied. In qualitative research the sample size is determined by data
saturation (Hodges, 2001). Marshall (1996) concluded the sample size for simple questions or
very detailed studies may be in single figures. According to Creswell (2016) a sample size of 5
to 25 is appropriate for phenomenological research studies. In qualitative interviews, the
researcher conducted one on one interviews with research participants. The interviews of
41
secondary special education teachers within the organization contained semi structured and
generally open-ended questions that were anticipated to stimulate views and opinions of the
participants (Creswell, 2016).
The theoretical framework was the underlying structure, the scaffolding or frame of this
study. Moreover, this underlying structure consists of concepts or theories that inform the study
(Maxwell, 2013). This study is situated within a constructionist paradigm. Within this construct,
the interview questions receive attention through discourse analysis, narrative analysis and
conversation analysis (Roulston, 2010). Moreover, this archetype is used by researchers who
study the meanings people live by and how those meanings are created (Harris, 2010).
Interviews
According to Patton (2002), the purpose of interviewing is to allow us to enter into the
other person’s perspective. Within the interview structure continuum (Merriam, 2016), I
conducted semi-structured interviews. Interview methods include structured, semi-structured,
and unstructured (Merriam, 2016) frameworks. Semi-structured interviews were used to gather
data for this study because the interview involves prepared questioning guided by identified
themes in a consistent and systematic manner that also elicited more elaborate responses (Qu &
Dumay, 2011 p. 246). According to DiCiccolo, Bloom and Crabtree (2006) most semi-structured
interviews are usually scheduled in advance, only conducted once, and take between 30 minutes
to several hours to complete. Within the parameters of a semi- structured interview, the questions
were more flexibly worded and became a mix of structured and unstructured questions (Merriam,
2016).
Interviews are a process in which the researcher and participants engaged in conversation
revolving around questions related to the research subject matter (DeMarrias, 2004). Hence, the
42
interview protocol lists the questions or issues that are to be explored in the course of an
interview. The protocol was prepared to make sure that the same basic questions are followed
with each person interviewed. As a result, the interviewer remained unencumbered to shape a
conversation within a particular subject area, to word questions extemporaneously, and to
establish a familiar style but with the focus on the research subject that has been preset. This
protocol served as a checklist during the interview to make sure that all relevant topics are
covered. The research interview is a common data collection method in qualitative research
(Merriam, 2016). It permitted the researcher to recognize a phenomenon from the participant’s
point of view and to uncover the meaning of their understandings (Kvale, 1996).
Qualitative Data Analysis
Data was collected through semi-structured interviews. A predetermined list of questions
pertaining to the secondary special education teacher’s experiences with post-secondary
transitional services were asked and explored during the interviews. Participants’ responses to
the interviews were audio-recorded and later transcribed by the interviewer. The researcher
synthesized the data collected by exploring the data themes to select parts for coding (Mertens,
2010). This thematic analysis of the narratives was used to identify themes, codes, groupings,
and categories of reports (Maxwell, 2013).
The data was checked for accuracy and corrected where applicable. The researcher
performed member checking by repeating comments and phrases to interviewees to confirm
correctness and clarification for comprehension and understanding (Merriam & Tisdell, 2016).
The data was examined for patterns, and median assertions were used where missing data were
random. The first round of coding of the interview transcripts utilized In Vivo coding. In Vivo
coding allowed for the researcher to use the participants own words to enhance and deepen the
43
understanding of their perspectives (Saldaña, 2015). Understanding that coding usually is
conducted in more than one round, a second round of analysis, used values coding techniques.
This method helped to reflect “the attitudes and beliefs of participants, representing his or her
perspectives or worldview” (Saldaña, 2015, p.131).
Analytic memos were also created after analysis of each transcript. These memos helped
to keep track of the researcher’s thoughts and interpretations through analysis (Strauss & Corbin,
1990). The memos served as a method of triangulation for codes gleaned from interview
transcripts. The process of coding, reflecting and analyzing, and then re-coding helped to refine
my results by removing and editing current codes, as well as challenged my preconceptions of
potential data trends and allowed results to emerge from the data itself (Saldaña, 2015). This type
of repeated analysis led to code-level augmentations in an attempt, again, to allow the data trends
to emerge from the data itself. Emergent themes from the interviews were used for member
checking. Participants were able to provide feedback on themes and thoughts about participating
in the study. The themes that emerged from the secondary special education teachers’ responses
revealed components of their workplace culture, behaviors, and knowledge through the use of
inquiry to explain how these participants’ supported values evolved into their daily work
practices.
Findings
The findings for this study utilized interviews with secondary special educators within a
local district. The interviews led to the findings for this study reported below. Pseudonyms are
used for the 8 interview participants (see Table 4). Findings are organized by the knowledge,
motivation, and organization (KMO) conceptual framework.
44
Table 4
Interview Participants
Participant
Pseudonyms
State Certifications;
Clear Credentials
Gender
Years Teaching SSE
1.Andrew RSP/mild/moderate Male 15 plus
2.Jenny moderate/severe Female 5 plus
3.Hope mild/moderate/severe Female 7 plus
4.Michael mild/moderate/severe Male 25 plus
5.Ted mild/moderate-AUT Male 10 plus
6.Greg moderate/severe Male 8 plus
7. Laurie mild/moderate-AUT Female 5 plus
8. Lillian mild/moderate/severe Female 20 plus
Stakeholder Knowledge, Motivation, and Organizational Influences
Knowledge. Given the stakeholder performance goal of WSD’s commitment to 100%
facilitation and implementation of transitional opportunities for students with special needs by
secondary special education teachers (SSET’s), secondary special education teachers need an
understanding of what Krathwohl (2002) referred to as conceptual knowledge. Conceptual
knowledge is the impact of the basic elements within a larger structure that enables them to
function together (Krathwohl 2002; Mayer, 2011; Rueda, 2011). WSD’s fundamental strategy
and the essential elements of effective learning environments are the objectives and key
initiatives to sustain postsecondary opportunities for all learners. Therefore, WSD’s secondary
special education teachers not only need to demonstrate their conceptual knowledge of transition
competencies, they must also know how to implement these skills through their practice. This
knowledge is referred to as procedural knowledge (Rueda, 2011). Procedural knowledge is the
45
how to do something portion of knowledge, such as the steps taken, techniques and methods
used to do something (Krathwohl, 2002; Mayer 2011; Rueda, 2011). Conceptual knowledge and
procedural knowledge, both contributed to the achievement of the stakeholder goals.
Knowledge of Transition Competencies by Secondary Special Education Teachers
Factual Knowledge. Performance requires knowledge of basic facts, information and
terminology related to a topic. The participants were asked questions that required them to
demonstrate knowledge of basic facts and information related to the task of transition planning.
All of the participant stakeholder teachers interviewed, consistently demonstrated their basic
knowledge of the Individual Transition Plan (ITP) process. Although 5 out the 8 participants
relied heavily on the support of the district's transition support team, including the transition
specialist teachers, all 8 participants referred to the varied availability to access the personnel and
job aids to execute efficient ITP’s for their students with special needs.
The knowledge portion of the first research question centers around the SSET’s factual
knowledge related to the purpose for creating appropriate transition goals for their students with
special needs and its facilitation. Four out of 8 participant teachers were not aware of legislation
that mandates transitional services as soon as 14 years of age for post-secondary opportunities
for their students with special needs. Participant 7, Laurie, stated that:
Because I am considered a new teacher, even though I have been doing this for over 7
years ... I feel that it’s harder for me to change what has already been established at the
school site as a “common” practice for post school transitioning. In fact, I am sometimes
given examples from past ITP’s to choose from that I feel would best fit the student’s
needs. It is a template atmosphere, where we tend to stick to a rote process.
Participants were also asked their knowledge regarding legislation that mandates
46
transitional services for post-secondary opportunities for students with special needs. All but one
were able to cite IDEA 2004 as the main driver that guides the transition process, but were less
familiar with HEOA, 2008 (Public Law 110-315). Participant 2, Jenny was able to make
connections to the California Education Code and its relationship to the reauthorization of IDEA
2004. Further she elucidated on prior experience with family members during the transition
process. She stated that:
I know a lot about the laws and mandates surrounding Special Education
implementations because my younger brother has special needs. I would go to all the
IEP’s as the translator for my parents. I learned a lot by sitting in the meetings … and
that is why I chose this profession, because of my personal experience, and there is a lot.
All participants were able to cite IDEA 2004 as the primary federal program that authorizes state
and local special education and services to students with disabilities. But only 3 participants were
able to cite IDEA’s mandate for transition planning based on student-centered postsecondary
goals related to employment, education, vocational training and independent living outcomes.
Participant 4, Michael relayed:
The school holds a lot of vendor fairs ... and people from outside agencies, vocational
schools and even employment agencies come to let the kids know what's out there for
them. The Principal is really good about bringing outside agencies in for the students and
the parents to find out what is out there after they leave here. I’ve met so many
professionals from the different agencies this way, I’ve even had some participate in
some of my students ITP meetings.
Procedural Knowledge. Procedural Knowledge is the knowledge of the skills and
procedures involved with the task, including techniques, methods, necessary steps (Krathwohl,
47
2002).The participants were asked to articulate the steps necessary to perform the task of
transition facilitation for graduating students with special needs. Participants responded that
secondary special education teachers needed opportunities to share samples of transition IEPs of
former students and share post school outcomes with their colleagues to gain confidence in
transition competencies. Most participants reported that the ITP process has become a very rote
process. This process does not allow for individualization nor thoughtful post-secondary goal
selections and benchmarks. This is evident in the following response:
Participant 6, Greg relayed:
Most of the (ITP) process is a cut and paste job, the district provides us with dropdowns
within the ITP document with suggested goals and benchmarks and we just click and
drag on them. I’ve even seen where some kids have had the same exact goals.
Participants shared that they are having difficulties implementing appropriate transition
goals such as developing self-advocacy skills, assuming increased responsibility for
interventions, and obtaining information about postsecondary opportunities.
Metacognitive Knowledge. Metacognitive knowledge is the ability for the SSETs to
reflect on their own awareness and understanding of the task and processes involved in transition
competencies. This includes general strategies, assessing demands, planning one’s approach and
monitoring progress. This knowledge refers to the awareness and control of one’s own cognition
which enables the knowing of when and where to perform certain actions (Krathwohl, 2002;
Mayer, 2011; Rueda, 2011). The participant stakeholder teachers' interview responses
consistently demonstrated that they do not reflect on outcome opportunities through
incorporation of self-determination lesson plans that support facilitation of transition to
postsecondary opportunities. Many participants reported that self-determination skills were not
48
explicitly taught but somewhat implied in the curriculum. When asked to elaborate, all but two
participants relayed that specific instruction in self-determination was not utilized to build
capacity in the classroom. Most participants explained that they thought that the self-
determination skills were embedded in the curriculum such as choice-making, problem-solving,
negotiating, goal-setting, advocating, and assertive communication. The participant stakeholder
teachers' interview responses consistently demonstrated that they do not reflect on outcome
opportunities through incorporation of self-determination lesson plans that support facilitation of
transition to postsecondary opportunities. Many participants reported that self-determination
skills were not explicitly taught but implied in the curriculum. For example, when asked to
describe knowledge of teaching self-determination skills and its relationship with student
transition opportunities, Participant 3, Hope acknowledged that:
I guess it’s fair. The curriculum we use has a lot of that embedded and depending on the
kids cognitive skills, it kind of does it for us. In terms of explicit lessons, our kids engage
in Community Based Instruction (CBI) where we actually take the kids into the
community and teach them how to access transportation, shopping and entertainment. I
guess you could say that we are teaching them Self-Determination skills organically in
this way. They really did not focus on that in my credentialing program. It was actually
a Master’s program, I wish they would have taught us how important it is to teach our
students these skills for their futures.
Participant 6, Greg further relayed that his role as the special educator was to create the
opportunities for instruction to take place. He stated:
I take my kids out into the community for community based instruction. I guess you can
say I am teaching self-determination skills through a more holistic approach. I take them
49
on public transportation, shopping, museums, and even to work locations where they
need to problem solve, make choices and fend for themselves. But to say that I explicitly
teach self-determination skills, I’d have to say no, it’s more imbedded in the curriculum.
Overall, in terms of knowledge, participants were not confident in their procedural knowledge of
transition competencies.
Motivation. Another influence on stakeholders reaching their performance goal is
motivation. This consists of three critical indicators that achieve goal attainment: active choice,
persistence and mental effort (Clark & Estes, 2008). In order to achieve stakeholders' goals,
WSD SSETs need to value and choose their expected transition competencies. Motivation,
learning and performance are enhanced if the person values the task (Clark & Estes, 2008;
Pintrich, 2003; Clark, 1999). The SSETs also need to believe in their abilities and competencies
and persist in formulating transition plans for their students with special needs through planning,
organizing and facilitation of post-secondary transition opportunities (Slavik & Slavik, 2010) and
persist in development of transition plans. An evaluation of WSD SSETs performance goals,
reveals several motivational influences.
Self-Efficacy. Self-efficacy describes motivation, learning and performance that are
enhanced when learners have positive expectations for success (Pajares & Schunk, 2003).
Although data was mixed, WSD’s secondary special education teachers were lacking in self-
efficacy. Respondents were varied with their responses, but a general theme that came through
was that the secondary special education teachers relayed they did not feel sufficiently prepared
to make “life” decisions for their graduating students with special needs. Six of the 8 respondents
reported feeling the “weight of the world” when identifying and implementing transition goals
for their students with special needs. The SSET participants all reported a positive sense of self
50
efficacy tied to their traditional roles as educators, but lacked confidence in transition
competencies. They relayed that they were open to new ideas and experiences that would
enhance their student outcomes, but were not specific to particular tasks as transition
professionals. Participants lacked confidence in reviewing transitional goals. For example,
Participant 1, Andrew reported a high self-efficacy as an administrative designee, but described
trepidation with transition competencies. Participant 1, Andrew reports:
As a designee, I learn a lot as the administrator designee in the IEP/ITP meetings. I am
really good at technology, and our system is quite complex, I think that's why they chose
me. All my colleagues come to me when they are getting ready for their own meetings
for technical advice. I guess that is where I shine, but I admit that I could use a little more
support in the transition competencies side of things - that is a place I am not confident
with. The district is constantly sending us updates and memorandum on how to
implement and document ITPs. It's a pretty long process, especially when team members
don't agree. It gets hectic, especially at the end of the year when final IEPs are due.
Attribution. WSD’s secondary special education teachers' motivation, learning and
performance are enhanced when they attribute success or failures to their effort rather than
ability (Anderman & Anderman, 2006). The participants were asked what they believe the
reasons for their performance outcomes are. Participants were all in consensus that, because
special education mandates are so fluid, and as Participant 4 relayed “overwhelming,” SSETs did
not feel totally capable of transition competencies, but expended much effort. They were asked
how they felt about their ability to instruct students with special needs on transitional
opportunities in the postsecondary realm, Participant 4, Michael responded:
Honestly I feel there is a lack of information and exposure for the kids - to what's out
51
there for them. Maybe that's my fault, because I am still insecure about all my
responsibilities and capabilities! I am growing and developing as a special education
teacher and I need a lot more growth opportunities. But I just keep plodding along,
because I love the kids!
A theme of hopelessness resonated with all respondents in terms of work overload as well as the
dynamic nature of special education laws and mandates. All respondents referred to the IEP/ITP
document as a “Federal” document that had legal ramifications if the implementations were not
done according to policy. Respondents reported IEP compliance and due process journeys were
daunting, time consuming and overwhelming. The student, therefore, became a byproduct of
this legal document rather than the subject of the instrument. Participant 5, Ted relayed an
experience where adjustments to the compliance issues overshadowed the individual student’s
preferred postsecondary journey:
Michael (pseudonym), one of my most memorable students, had a lot of hopes and
dreams of going to college. But the team shifted the ITP towards the typical vocational
school/job coaching program. There was a lot of confusion during the team meeting in
terms of following Federal regulations and the fact that Michael was not graduating with
a diploma, but with a certificate of completion. Many members of the IEP/ITP team
didn't realize, or maybe know, that Michael had the ability to go to University despite not
graduating with a diploma. We reconvened and had member’s research opportunities for
students with disabilities. It was a very frustrating, yet eye-opening experience.
Goal Orientation. Creating mastery orientation enhances learning, motivation and
performance (Clark and Estes, 2008; Pintrich, 2003; Clark, 1999). The SSET respondents
revealed that they wanted to continue to learn and master different post-secondary opportunities
52
for students with special needs but relayed that there were many obstacles to overcome. Dweck
(1986) asserted that when individuals have learning goals, they use these obstacles to guide their
decisions to expend their effort or how to direct their efforts and vary their strategies important
for learning. Given that all respondents understand compliance issues within the IEP process, it
is important to understand that transition competencies is one measure of overall compliance.
Participant 7, Laurie elucidated:
Our teachers are aware of compliance issues and try to adhere to the safest ITP
documents, which can sometimes run the risk of repetition rather than competent
individualized postsecondary transition opportunities for students.
Expectancy-value Theory. The Expectancy-value theory describes motivation as being
influenced by the relative value of a task along with the probability of success in completing that
task (Eccles et al., 1983). All 8 interview participants indicated that they valued transition
competencies to facilitate their student’s access to postsecondary opportunities. Participants
related that they were intrinsically motivated to encourage their students to postsecondary
opportunities, but did express concerns with the importance of transition competencies. All but
one participant understood that the overarching ITP purpose was to ready their students for
successful adult life after graduation. All participants found value in the facilitation of
transitioning of students with special needs to appropriate post-secondary opportunities.
Although the participants all found value, the majority indicated a paucity in professional
development opportunities for transition competencies. Participant 8 Lillian exposed a majority
opinion that:
We don't really have the time nor opportunities to attend professional developments
regarding transition competencies, although we all realize the value it would bring. We
53
basically rely on our Transition Teacher experts for advice, but it’s hard to get ahold of
them because they service so many school sites. In fact, we lean on prior experiences
with ITPs. My master’s program did not help either!
Overall, in terms of motivation, participants maintain their self-efficacy, but strive to achieve at
their multi-faceted job and seek mastery of transition competencies.
Organization. In addition to knowledge and motivation influences, achievement of the
stakeholder goal is influenced by cultural models, described by Gallimore & Goldenberg (2001)
as an invisible understanding of how things ought to be, and cultural settings, which are
the concrete manifestations of the cultural models. An organization is therefore composed of
developed beliefs, values and customs (Bolman & Deal, 2013). The findings addressing the
interaction between organizational context and the culture and the secondary special education
teacher’s experiences revealed three organizational influences. These influences highlighted the
need for organizational acceptance of the community of secondary special education teacher’s
professional development and time to develop ITPs.
Organizational culture that values knowledge transition competencies that facilitate
post-secondary opportunities for students with special needs. WSD needs to develop a culture
that values knowledge of post-secondary opportunities for students with special needs.
According to Senge, 1990, we are all learners who yearn to achieve mastery within the
organization. This learning process is furthered by an organizational process that includes the
necessary resources needed to achieve this mastery (Clark & Estes, 2008). The participants
indicated uncertainty of what direction to take their graduating students with special needs as
well as with their mastery in transition competencies valued by its organization.
Cultural Models. WSD’s cultural model includes shared values, beliefs, and attitudes that
54
are generally invisible and automated. (Gallimore & Goldenberg, 2001; Schein, 2004; Clark &
Estes, 2008). Shein (2004) discussed that organizational culture is created through shared
experiences, shared learning and a stability of collaborative community which indicates that
time to collaborate with other professionals in the field of transition can develop an improved
cultural model. All participants indicated that more training was needed on transition activities
and competencies. Participants further indicated that their preparation programs for special
education lacked explicit course work on transition competencies. Moreover, most special
education teacher programs embed transition standards and competencies into existing
coursework (Benitez, Morningstar, & Frey, 2009). This sentiment is shared by Participant 2,
Jenny who states that:
I often feel overwhelmed with the responsibility of knowing how to guide the IEP team
members on the right path. It is a big leap into the unknown, and I sometimes find
myself losing sleep over the whole process. I wish I knew more and had to rely less on
my counterparts, but I guess that is what is meant to be part of a team. I just think I
should have a little more information on what is out there for my kiddos. There are a lot
of opportunities for our students with Intellectual Disabilities out there. I need more time
and resources. I don't want to underestimate the students’ potential to thrive in
adulthood.
Cultural Settings. WSD’s visible, concrete manifestations of cultural models that appear within
activity settings. Participant’s responses resoundingly reflected the support of district Specialist
Transition Teachers (STT) who supported at school sites to facilitate ITP compliance, provided
valuable transition instruction and assessment, and made efforts to connect with the secondary
special education teachers, including referrals to outside agencies, to assist with post-secondary
55
planning. But, all respondents noted that the STT were few and far between throughout the
district. One participant noted that her interaction with the Transition Specialist amounted to
four 30 minute visitations within the last year. She suggested that more time and personnel be
added for collaborative transition planning and highlighting the student’s access to resources and
opportunities available to them after graduation (Wehman, Smith, & Schall, 2009). Respondents
provided feedback regarding need for administrative support and access to job aids, as well as
having time built in their schedules to do so. What was most beneficial in terms of
organizational culture, was that all participants indicated that the organization had a strong
support system embedded, where secondary special education teachers were able to find support
and assistance with transition IEPs through Transition Specialists and organization asynchronous
training opportunities.
The organization must provide the time and resources to transition staff to ensure that
students with special needs are facilitated in the process of exiting high school and entering the
postsecondary world. Further collaboration efforts are warranted to provide linkages for our
students with special needs to appropriate outside agencies which could include the Department
of Rehabilitation, Regional Center, Independent Living Center, and/or other services available
for students with disabilities at the university/college setting. Shein (2004) discussed that
organizational culture is created through shared experiences, shared learning and a stability of
collaborative community which indicates that time to collaborate with other professionals in the
field of transition can develop an improved cultural model.
Synthesis of Findings
In summary, evidence from this study shows that WSD has many of the required
components needed to meet stakeholder goals, although there are some areas that warrant further
56
attention. Recommendations follow in the next section that can be paired with the organization's
strengths and resources for goal attainment.
In terms of knowledge, interviews revealed a deficit in the area of factual knowledge of
transition competencies and would benefit from professional development opportunities. The
knowledge results indicated that participants all had a general procedural knowledge on ITP
development, but lacked declarative knowledge in transition competencies and facilitations.
In terms of motivation, interviews revealed that participants were committed to
empowering their graduating students with special needs with the skills necessary to achieve
their full potential in adulthood. This was an area of strength where the secondary special
education teachers all valued the ITP process and had a strong sense of self-efficacy; but also
vacillated in terms of access to Transition Teachers and job aides.
In terms of organization culture and setting, participants indicated that it is important that
WSD provide SSE teachers with a model of what is expected of them in terms of transitioning
their students with special needs. Participant interviews revealed a deficit in the area of
professional development opportunities offered and time allotment to complete the task. This
would include time for collaboration with their transition experts and feedback on transition
competencies. Respondents requested more protected time be set aside for them to properly
facilitate the transition process. Moreover, participants were unanimous in the opinion of
explicit training of the ITP/transition IEP development.
WSD has not yet reached full stakeholder goal attainment, but through Clark and Estes,
(2008), KMO gap analysis, this evaluation study has identified areas of strength that can aid in
improving areas of need that can further the organizations goal achievement. Recommendations
to close the performance gaps, which can lead to goal attainment, follows in the next section.
57
Solutions and Recommendations
This section will explain identified strengths and needs and provide recommendations for
the areas needed for WSD to meet organizational and stakeholder goals.
Knowledge Recommendations
Introduction. The knowledge influences in Table 1 represent the complete list of
assumed knowledge influences and their probability of being validated based on the most
frequently mentioned knowledge influences to achieving the stakeholders’ goal during informal
interviews and supported by the literature review. Clark and Estes (2008), suggests that
declarative knowledge about something is often necessary to know before applying it to classify
or identify, as in the case of the secondary special education teachers’ facilitation of transitions to
postsecondary opportunities for their students with special needs.
As such, as indicated in Table 5, it was anticipated that these influences have a high
probability of being validated and have a high priority for achieving the stakeholders’ goal.
Table 5 also shows the recommendations for these highly probable influences based on
theoretical principles.
Table 5
Summary of Knowledge Influences and Recommendations
Assumed
Knowledge
Influence
Validated?
Yes,
Highly
Probable,
or No
Principle and Citation Context-Specific
Recommendation
Secondary special
education teachers
are not aware of
legislation that
mandates transitional
services for post-
secondary
Y Information learned meaningfully
and connected to prior
knowledge is stored more quickly
and remembered more accurately
because it is elaborated with prior
learning (Schraw & McCrudden,
2006).
Provide training for
secondary special
education teachers that
builds upon their current
knowledge and includes
content on initiating,
designing, and evaluating
58
opportunities for
their students with
special needs.(D)
effective transition plans
and coordinating services
that are consistent with
federal and state statutes,
rules, and regulations.
Secondary special
education teachers
need opportunities
to share samples of
transition IEPs of
former students and
share outcomes with
their colleagues.(P)
Y Modeling to-be-learned strategies
or behaviors improves self-
efficacy, learning, and
performance (Denler, Wolters, &
Benzon, 2009)
Procedural knowledge increases
when declarative knowledge
required to perform the skill is
available or known. (Clark &
Estes., 2008).
Provide a job aid
containing a glossary
of key transition goals and
references to
postsecondary
opportunities,
along with alternatives
with references to the text.
Secondary special
education teachers do
not reflect on
outcome
opportunities through
incorporation of self-
determination lesson
plans that support
facilitation of
transition to
postsecondary
opportunities.(M)
Y Performance levels increase
and completion times decrease
with increased
self-regulation skills (Clark
& Estes, 2008).
Provide guidance, modeling,
coaching, and other scaffolding
during performance (Mayer,
2011).
Provide training for
secondary special
education teachers to
engage in peer model
talks and strategic
planning monitoring of
their own reviewing
process and based on that,
new evaluators establish a
schedule of review that is
consistent with IEP
timelines.
Secondary special
education teachers
are not implementing
appropriate transition
goals such as
developing self-
advocacy
skills, assuming
increased
responsibility for
interventions, and
obtaining information
about postsecondary
opportunities. (P)
Y Provide worked examples
(Kirshner et al, 2006; Mayer,
2011; Van Gerven et al., 2002).
Provide a job aid that
includes a clearly
structured chart of the
different types of
transition goals, i.e., a
goal bank.
Provide training with
authentic problematic
reviews, expertise based
demonstrations, and
practice by other
secondary special
education teachers with
Feedback from expert
evaluators.
59
Secondary Special
Education Teachers
need to reflect on
their own proficiency
of writing effective
transitional plans for
their students with
special needs with
enhancements that
encourage self-
determination for the
learners.(M)
HP The use of metacognitive
strategies facilitates an
individual’s learning (Baker,
2006).
Provide training in which
a peer model
informs through strategic
planning monitoring of
their own reviewing
process and based on that,
new reviewers establish a
schedule of review that is
consistent with IEP
guidelines.
Declarative knowledge solutions. Increasing the secondary special education
teacher’s factual knowledge about legislative mandates on transitional services: The data
indicates that secondary special education teachers are not aware of implementation of
legislation that mandates transitional services for post-secondary opportunities for their students
with special needs. A recommendation rooted in information processing theory has been selected
to close this declarative gap. Schraw & McCrudden (2006) have found that individuals connect
new knowledge to prior knowledge to construct meaning. This would suggest that providing
teachers with training would support their learning. The recommendation then is to provide
training for secondary special education teachers that builds upon their current knowledge and
includes content on initiating, designing, and evaluating effective transition plans and
coordinating services that are consistent with federal and state statutes, rules, and regulations.
According to Clark & Estes (2008), providing job-related information that is required for
success is most appropriate when such knowledge is easy to incorporate without aid. Providing
information aids about legislation that mandates transitional services for postsecondary
opportunities for students with special needs may help close gaps in the secondary special
education teachers’ facilitation of appropriate transitional opportunities. Additionally, an
60
understanding of causal interrelationships afforded by Bloom’s conceptual knowledge
framework (Krathwohl, 2002) could allow secondary special education teachers to apply
strategies to connected problem areas, thus increasing efficiency and return on investment for
retention efforts. Conceptual knowledge is also generalizable (Krathwohl, 2002), which may
support a more informed concept of turnover to apply to specific causes as well as novel
scenarios.
Procedural knowledge solutions. Increasing procedural knowledge of appropriate
transitions to postsecondary opportunities: The data showed that WSD secondary special
education teachers lacked procedural knowledge about how to facilitate appropriate
postsecondary opportunities for graduating special education students. Information processing
system theory informs an effective recommendation for addressing this gap. According to Clark
and Estes (2008), training is the best way to prepare individuals with “how to” knowledge.
Training provides the needed guided practice and corrective feedback to help people achieve
specific work goals. The recommendation that WSD secondary special education teachers
receive step-by-step training on how to facilitate transitioning graduating special education
students to appropriate postsecondary opportunities.
Secondary special education teachers must have the knowledge and skills to deliver
individualized, meaningful, and relevant transitional opportunities to students with special needs,
accompanied by ongoing opportunities to advance to postsecondary prospects (Orlando,
Klinepeter & Foster, 2016). This can be achieved through professional development training.
Appropriate training can provide secondary special education teachers with the information and
skills they need to feel effective in the implementation of facilitation of transition goals for
postsecondary opportunities (Billingsley, et al., 2002). Research suggests that professional
61
development can support secondary special education teachers by providing them opportunities
to grow as professionals and providing worked examples as guidelines (Billingsley, 2004). This
procedural knowledge happens with explicit directions, such as in classroom demonstrations and
guided practice. Providing worked examples (Kirshner et al., 2006; Mayer, 2011; Van Gerven et
al., 2002) for secondary special education teachers is one such example of explicit direction.
Metacognitive knowledge solutions. Performance levels increase and completion
times decrease with increased self-regulation skills: The data indicates that secondary special
education teachers need to reflect on their own proficiency of writing effective transitional plans
for their students with special needs with enhancements that encourage self-determination for the
individual learners. Many of the secondary special education teachers at WSD are not confident
with their transition competencies and facilitating postsecondary opportunities for their students
with special needs. A solution rooted in information processing theory has been chosen to close
this metacognitive gap as research suggests that metacognitive knowledge plays a critical role in
being successful at learning (Wehmeyer, 2003). By increasing metacognitive knowledge and
empowering the secondary special education teachers with the right tools to be successful it will
help increase their motivation and persistence in facilitating transitions to postsecondary
opportunities for their students with special needs. Thus, it is recommended secondary special
education teachers be provided with training that engage in peer model talks and strategic
planning monitoring of their own reviewing process and based on that, new evaluators can
establish a schedule of review that is consistent with IEP timelines.
According to the literature, metacognitive knowledge is a prerequisite to self-regulation
(Butler and Winne 1995, Baker and Brown 1984), helping learners to become ‘active
participants’ in their own performance rather than passive recipients of instruction.
62
Metacognition is enhanced when teachers are provided with guidance, modeling, coaching, and
other scaffolding mechanisms during performance (Mayer, 2011). The literature suggests that
transition in-service training incorporated with a model that incorporates effective knowledge
generation through ongoing support such as mentoring and coaching is the most effective
training device (Morningstar & Bassett, 2007). Research indicates that instead of teachers who
passively receive imparted knowledge and implement new skills procedurally, a metacognitive
model seeks to develop teachers with ‘‘the proactive state of mind and the emotional strength to
take charge’’ (Duffy, 2005, p. 301). Helping secondary special education teachers increase their
metacognitive skills may be advantageous to writing effective transitional plans for their students
with special needs.
Motivation Recommendations
Introduction. The Motivation influences in Table 6 represents the complete list of
assumed motivation influences and their probability of being validated. The table is based on the
most frequently mentioned motivation influences to achieving the stakeholders’ goal during
informal interviews and supported by the literature review. Clark and Estes (2008) posit that
there are three visible indicators of motivation: a) active choice in beginning a task, b)
persistence in the face of challenge, and c) mental effort, or using correct strategies. These three
motivation indices are driven by underlying constructs, such as self-efficacy, values and
emotions, and affect both learning and performance. More specifically, secondary special
education teachers who are positive and believe they are capable and effective will achieve
significantly more than those who are in doubt (Bandura, 1997).
As indicated in Table 6, it is anticipated that self-efficacy influences have a high
probability of being validated and have a high priority for the stakeholders’ to achieve their goal.
63
Table 6 also shows recommendations for these highly probable influences based on theoretical
principles.
Table 6
Summary of Motivation Influences and Recommendations
Assumed
Motivation
Influence
Validated?
Yes,
Highly
Probable,
or No
Principle and Citation Context-Specific
Recommendation
Secondary special
education teachers
need to have
confidence in
reviewing
transitional goals for
postsecondary
opportunities for
their students with
special needs.
Y Self-efficacy is increased
as individuals succeed in
a task (Bandura, 1997).
Feedback and modeling
increases self-efficacy
(Pajares, 2006).
Incorporate into training
sessions in which an
instructor models application
review, implementations of
successful transitional goals,
and review of actual
postsecondary opportunities
for their students with special
needs.
Secondary special
education
teachers should find
value in creating
transitional goals for
postsecondary
opportunities for
their students with
special needs.
HP The expectancy value
motivation theory
conveys the relationship
between achievement,
expectations, and the
value an individual finds
within these factors
(Eccles, 2006).
Learning and motivation
are enhanced if the
learner values the task
(Eccles, 2006).
Ensure that job tasks and
responsibilities align with
secondary special education
teachers’ value in the goal set
for them through professional
development opportunities
and collaboration.
Secondary special
education teachers
feel alone and in
silos and do not look
forward to coming to
work.
Y Individuals who do not
perceive any support in
their environment “tend
to be hopeless”
(Ambrose, 2010).
Provide opportunities for
team meetings to collaborate
and learn from peers.
Increase self-efficacy of secondary special education teachers. Approximately 70% of
secondary special education teachers lack confidence in reviewing transitional goals for
64
postsecondary opportunities for their students with special needs. The stakeholder’s lack of
confidence indicates a solution rooted in self-efficacy theory would be most effective at
overcoming this motivation gap. Pajares (2006) posits that modeling and feedback increases
self-efficacy. Teachers with higher levels of self-efficacy are more likely to provide transitional
opportunities to postsecondary outcomes based on student needs (Skaalvik & Skaalvik, 2007).
The recommendation then is for the organization to include training sessions in which an
instructor models application review, implementations of successful transitional goals, and
reviews of actual postsecondary opportunities for their students with special needs to strengthen
teacher self-efficacy.
The transition planning process is daunting for the secondary special education teacher
(Szidon et al., 2015). They must first identify appropriate post-secondary goals that will address
employment, education, and independent living for the student (Kaehne & Beyer, 2014).
Accordingly, the secondary special education teachers’ "beliefs are far more influential than
knowledge in determining how individuals organize and define tasks and problems and are
stronger predictors of behavior" (Pajares, 1992, pg. 311). Research reveals that lack of transition
training influences the special education teachers’ self-efficacy in planning and delivering
effective postsecondary opportunities to their students with special needs (Morningstar & Clark,
2003). Modeling to-be-learned strategies or behaviors improves self-efficacy, learning, and
performance (Denler, Wolters, & Benzon, 2009). Teachers with a higher sense of self-efficacy
also hold more positive attitudes towards, exert greater effort for, and cope better with the
challenges of educational reforms, such as transitions to postsecondary opportunities for their
students with special needs (Bandura, 1997; DeMesquita & Drake, 1994; Guskey, 1988; Pajares,
1996). From a theoretical perspective, increasing self-efficacy for the secondary special
65
education teacher would increase performance goals and benefit their students with special
needs. This can be accomplished through the implementation of training sessions in which an
instructor models application review, implementations of successful transitional goals, and
review of actual postsecondary opportunities for their students with special needs.
Increase secondary special education teacher’s value in creating transitional goals
for their students with special needs. More than 50% of secondary special education teachers
don’t find value in creating transitional goals to postsecondary opportunities for their students
with special needs. The stakeholder’s lack of value in the task indicates a solution rooted in the
Expectancy Value Motivation theory would be most effective at overcoming this gap. Eccles
(2006) found that learning and motivation are enhanced if the learner values the task. This
would suggest that providing learners with materials and activities that are relevant and useful to
the learners’ interests would increase their value in the task. The recommendation then is for the
organization to cultivate an environment where the secondary special education teachers are
provided materials, such as transitional goal templates, and transitional goal brainstorming
activities with colleagues that are relevant and useful to the learner’s interests that can contribute
positively to performance which is critical to improving organizational success.
Special Education Teacher education programs have continued to convey the apparent
insignificance of transition competencies as evidenced by a paucity of transition service
instruction (Razeghi, 1996). Research indicates that ongoing, effective, and vital professional
development within the organization motivates and better enables all teachers, and particularly
teachers of students with disabilities, to increase their declarative and procedural knowledge, and
therefore acquire task value in their practice (Gerston, Keating, Yovanoff, & Harniss, 2001;
Price & Nelson, 2010). According to Wigfield and Eccles (1992), both task value and
66
expectancy are influenced by task-specific ability beliefs and perceptions as well as the
individual's goals. From a theoretical perspective, it would appear that task value would increase
when secondary special education teachers are provided materials and activities that are relevant
and useful to the learner’s interests.
Increase collaborative opportunities with peers for secondary special
educators. More than 60% of secondary special education teachers feel alone and in silos and
do not look forward to coming to work. A recommendation rooted in emotions has been selected
for explaining this feeling of seclusion. Emotions tied to learning and object focus are critical in
determining if it affects the task at hand or not (Pekrun, 2003). This would suggest that the
secondary special education teachers’ emotions can stand in the way of executing effective
transitional goals for their students with special needs. The recommendation is that the
organization provides opportunities for team meetings for secondary special education teachers
to collaborate and learn from their peers. Additionally, individuals who do not perceive any
support in their environment “tend to be hopeless” (Ambrose, 2010) and are seen to lack
collaborative opportunities. As such, cultivating a healthy emotional environment where the
secondary special education teacher can collaborate with their peers can contribute positively to
performance which is critical to improving organizational success.
Emotions are multifaceted phenomena involving coordinated psychological processes,
including affective, cognitive, physiological, motivational, and expressive components (Scherer,
2009). Secondary special educators who perceive having strong collaborative and administrative
support (a) are less likely to leave the field, (b) report feeling less stressed, and (c) are more
committed to their jobs (Billingsley, 2003; Miller, Brownell, & Smith, 1999). Accordingly,
Clark & Estes (2008) posit that positive environments support motivation. From a theoretical
67
perspective, then, it would appear that increasing emotional support in secondary special
education teachers through providing opportunities for team meetings to collaborate and learn
from peers would increase teacher emotion and motivation.
Organization Recommendations
Introduction. The organizational influences in Table 7 represent the complete list of
assumed organizational influences and their probability of being validated. The assumed
organizational influences are supported by the literature review and the review of organization
and culture theory. Clark and Estes (2008) suggest that organization and stakeholder goals are
often not achieved due to a lack of resources, most often time and money, and stakeholder goals
that are not aligned with the organization’s mission and goals. Gallimore and Goldenberg (2001)
propose two constructs about culture – cultural models, or the observable beliefs and values
shared by individuals in groups, and cultural settings, or the settings and activities in which
performance occurs. Thus, in order to achieve the organization's goal, both resources and
processes and cultural models and settings must align with those goals. As such, as indicated in
Table 7, the identified organizational influences have a high probability of being validated and
have a high priority for achieving the stakeholders’ goal. Table 7 also shows the
recommendations for these influences based on theoretical principles.
Table 7
Summary of Organization Influences and Recommendations
Assumed
Organization
Influence
Validated?
Yes,
Highly
Probable,
or No
Principle and Citation Context-Specific
Recommendation
Secondary special
education teachers do
not have
Y Effective change efforts ensure
that everyone has the resources
(equipment, personnel, time,
Provide the resources
and time that are needed
for effective change to
68
enough time nor
resources to ensure
accuracy of
transitional IEP goals
for the facilitation of
postsecondary
opportunities.
etc.) needed to do their job, and
that if there are resource
shortages, then resources are
aligned with the organization.
priorities (Clark and Estes,
2008).
facilitate goal
achievement for
secondary special
education teachers’,
aligning resources with
organizational priorities.
Secondary special
education teachers
often develop
transitional goals in
isolation or do not
have many
opportunities to
discuss post-
secondary
opportunities with
peers.
Y Organizational performance
increases when individuals
communicate constantly and
candidly to others about plans
and processes (Clark & Estes,
2008).
Organizational culture is
created through shared
experience, shared learning and
stability of membership. It is
something that has been
learned. It cannot be imposed
(Schein, 2004).
Provide teachers
opportunities to
collaborate with
colleagues specifically
about creating
appropriate transitional
goals for their students,
and assess the impact on
the implementation of
their revised practices.
Secondary special
education teachers
are not provided with
the proper training,
resources, and
support to help
effectively assess and
evaluate appropriate
transition goals
for graduating
students with needs.
Y Organizational performance
increases when processes and
resources are aligned with
goals established
collaboratively (Clark & Estes,
2008).
Provide secondary
special
education teachers with
ongoing professional
development, resources
on effective transitional
goal techniques, and
improved administrative
support in
implementation of
transitional goals.
Increase resources and time for processes. Close to 80% of secondary special
education teachers reported they do not have enough time or resources to ensure the accuracy of
transitional IEP goals for the facilitation of postsecondary opportunities outside of their teaching
duties. A principle rooted in organizational change theory has been selected to close this resource
gap. Clark and Estes (2008) indicate that effective change efforts ensure everyone has the
resources (equipment, personnel, time, etc.) needed to do their job, and that if there are resource
shortages, resources are aligned with organizational priorities. This would suggest the
69
organization must provide the time and resources needed to create appropriate transitional goals
for students with special needs. How time is used creates a social order and connects priorities
and values (Schein, 2010). The recommendation then is to provide secondary special education
teachers the time and resources outside their classroom duties to create appropriate transitional
goals for their graduating students with special needs. As an example, school leadership can
provide time for the secondary special educator to create transitional goals outside their
classroom teaching duties by arranging substitute teacher coverage for their classrooms.
The role of secondary special educators has been documented to include more job
duties than that of special educators at the elementary level (Wasburn-Moses, 2005). Moreover,
additional job duties at the secondary level include teaching more complex content and
developing and implementing post-high school transition plans (Rice & Zigmond, 2000).
Research indicates that secondary special education teachers require more time to develop
effective transitional IEP goals. In fact, Tschantz and Markowitz (2002) found that on average,
special education teachers spent an average of 2 to 4 hours at each IEP meeting and 6 to 10 hours
developing each of those IEPs. As such, the literature would support the necessity for providing
the secondary special education teachers the time and resources necessary for creating
appropriate transitional IEP goals.
Cultural Models. Approximately 75% of secondary special education teachers often
developed transitional goals in isolation or do not have many opportunities to discuss post-
secondary opportunities with peers. A principle rooted in organizational change theory has been
selected to close this cultural model gap. Schein (2004) posits that organizational culture is
created through shared experience, shared learning, and stability of membership. Culture is
something that has been learned and cannot be imposed. This would suggest that professional
70
development programs and opportunities to integrate faculty are key to successful transitional
goal setting. The recommendation then is for school leadership to foster positive faculty
relationships, as well as encourage faculty cohesiveness, by means of formal and informal
gatherings. For example, school leaders can provide teachers with ongoing professional
development opportunities with other secondary special educators, resources on effective
transitional goal techniques, and improved administrative support in implementation.
Cultural models refer to the invisible but important shared mental schema within an
organization. Cultural models are dynamic and are so familiar that they are often unnoticed by
those who hold them (Rueda, 2011). In a school or organization, the cultural model frames the
ways in which the organization is structured, including its values, beliefs, and practices (Rueda,
2011). According to Clark & Estes, 2008, effective organizations ensure that policies and
procedures that govern the work of the organization are aligned with the organization's goals and
values. Research suggests that secondary special education teachers who are involved in
transition planning for their students with special needs are not always prepared to do this
without further training (Browning P. & Dunn, C., 1994). In fact, secondary special education
teachers reported they feel unprepared in transition planning and the delivery of transition
education and services (Knott, L., & Asselin, S. B., 1999). This would indicate that WSD must
create policies and procedures that focus on secondary special educator’s transition
competencies. This would likely be in the form of professional development training that
encompass all paths to postsecondary opportunities for graduating students with special needs.
Rueda (2011) indicates that cultural settings have a significant effect on organizational
performance goals.
Cultural Settings. Over 60% of secondary special education teachers interviewed are
71
not provided with the proper training, resources, and support to help effectively assess and
evaluate appropriate transition goals for their graduating students with special needs. A principle
rooted in organizational change theory has been selected to close this cultural setting gap.
According to Clark & Estes (2008), organizational performance increases when processes and
resources are aligned with goals established collaboratively. This would suggest ongoing
professional development, resources on effective transitional goal techniques, and improved
administrative support in implementation would provide resources necessary for secondary
special educators to facilitate effective transitional goals.
The cultural setting of an organization refers to the visible, concrete, and measurable
aspects of a social context (Schein, 2004). Cultural settings are the who, what, when, where,
why, and how of the routines that constitute everyday life, including plans, policies, procedures,
and resources (Rueda, 2011). Secondary special education teachers’ quality as transition
specialists is a central determinant of postsecondary achievement for students with disabilities.
Research indicates that secondary special education teachers perceived they were dissatisfied
with transition competencies training, and they were not fully prepared to fulfill the obligatory
tasks required for the positions they hold in the facilitation of postsecondary opportunities for
their graduating seniors (Blanchett, 2001; Nance & Calabrese, 2009). As such, it appears that
the literature would support the necessity for “bridging the resource gap” for the benefits of both
secondary special education teachers and their students.
An Implementation and Evaluation Plan can be found in Appendix F. This plan uses the
New World Kirkpatrick Model (Kirkpatrick & Kirkpatrick, 2016) to break down the
recommendations in the solution section and identify outcomes, critical behaviors, and required
drivers that will assist WSD secondary special education teachers in implementing these
72
recommendations
Limitations and Delimitations
This qualitative study will be delimited to one local school district, within WSD, due to
the convenience of the sampling population. Notwithstanding, the study does not include all the
secondary special education teachers within the district, but a random sampling divided
throughout the local district.
A limitation is that the researcher can only assume that the interview responses represent
actual perceptions of the respondents. The results from the interviews may not be generalized
throughout the organization as they represent data collected from a specific population, i.e.
secondary special education teachers within a local district in the organization.
Conclusion
WSD has established a goal of 100% transition competency for secondary special
education teachers. At this time, the organization has partially met this goal; however, research
in this study indicates that the organization does have the assets needed for this valuable goal
attainment. Using the KMO framework (Clark & Estes, 2008), this study identifies
recommendations that increasing secondary special education teacher’s self-efficacy (Bandura,
1999) can positively affect transitioning students to appropriate post-secondary outcomes.
Future research may include a larger sampling size, probability sampling, observation
and document analysis. It may also be useful, in future research, to include special education
administrators and transition personnel in the data collection and compare responses from all
participants. Finally, it is recommended that further research be conducted on topics such as
transition assessment implementation and training.
73
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Appendix A: Participating Stakeholders with Sampling Criteria
Participating Stakeholders
I sought out the experiences of the secondary special education teachers who work with
the secondary population of special education students in the WSD school district. This
evaluation focused on stakeholder gaps in knowledge, motivation and organizational challenges
in transition planning to facilitate post-secondary opportunities for students with special needs. A
qualitative research approach was followed in this study with a descriptive case study with a
qualitative design of conducted interviews that collected knowledge of secondary special
education teachers’ experiences and perspectives on transition planning with facilitation of
postsecondary opportunities (Creswell, 2018).
Federal legislation requires that students with disabilities should receive services to assist
them in the transitioning process from secondary to postsecondary life. Current legislation
requires that the Individualized Education Program (IEP) team establish postsecondary goals and
outcomes for all students with disabilities beginning in the tenth grade. The IEP is authored and
conceived by the special education teacher, with the participation of related service providers,
parents and students. Under IDEA (2004), transition services are described as a “coordinated set
of activities … based upon the student's needs, interests and abilities.” (Hetherington, S. A., et
al., 2010). The special education teacher’s role includes knowledge of the student’s abilities as
well as being cognizant of the various laws that protect their students and afford their access to
post-secondary opportunities (Fiedler, 2000). Therefore, the stakeholders of focus are the special
education teachers at the secondary level who are involved in the special education student IEP
and transition planning process.
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Interview Strategy and Rationale
A systematic purposeful sample was drawn from a list of secondary special education
teachers who have been credentialed in the state of California for five years or more. The sample
was obtained from the local district office. There was a representation of 8 secondary special
educators who are experiential experts on the phenomenon being studied. Phenomenology
involves a range of 3-10 purposefully selected participants (Creswell, J.W., & Creswell, J.D.,
2018). According to Patton, (2005), qualitative research usually focuses on comparatively small
samples that are selected purposely. Moreover, participants in this phenomenological research
are selected through a purposive or theoretical sampling to increase the scope of the data
uncovered (Lincoln & Guba, 1985). This research will be informed through the constructivist
worldview of the special education teacher. Accordingly, this philosophical worldview
addresses the processes amongst individuals (Creswell, 2018). Therefore, the constructivist
worldview informs this evaluation study of post-secondary opportunities for students with
special needs through special education teacher directed transitions.
Explanation for Choices
A qualitative research was chosen to allow for inquiry of the secondary special education
teachers' experiences with developing transition goals for their students with special needs. The
unique nature of the individual learners they serve and legislative mandates they serve under,
allow for unique stories to be told and an ability to find patterns within this stakeholder group.
Had I not followed the path of quantitative research, I would have collected data through
random selection by way of survey and/or questionnaire. Through a survey design/quantitative
research, one can glean trends, attitudes and opinions of a larger population (Creswell, 2018).
95
This methodology would include a larger random sampling (Fowler, 2014) and allow for
generalization and follow a deductive rather than inductive path.
Criterion 1: Participants were selected as a deliberately diverse and representational
sample of secondary special educators within a local district.
Criterion 2: Participants selected are credentialed secondary special educators in the
state of California.
Criterion 3: Participants selected have five or more years of experience in the special
education field.
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Appendix B: Interview Protocol
I conducted a semi-structured interview. According to DiCicco-Bloom & Crabtree
(2006), most semi-structured interviews are usually scheduled in advance, allowing for schedule
changes if needed and usually only conducted once. The interview should take from 30 minutes
to several hours to complete, depending on the participant’s contribution. The setting of the
interviews will be on the participant’s school campus in their classroom or empty office space, if
available.
I had a list of questions or key points to be covered and work through them in a
methodical manner to cover KMO highlights. We will begin with an overview of the research
and discuss the purpose of the study (Patton, 2005). Within the context of the introduction, the
interviewer will collect the informed consent form and ask the interviewee if there are any
questions before the interview begins. The questions were similar for each interviewee, although
supplementary questions were asked as appropriate. The interviewees responded how they liked
and elucidated the subject he/she saw fit to address concerning the problem of practice. The
questions were more open-ended and led down a path of the issue to be explored (Merriam, S. &
Tisdell, E., 2016). The researcher reminded participants that their participation was completely
voluntary and confidential. Confidentiality was outlined in an informed consent document
provided for interview participants (Glesne, 2015).
The questions were stratified into stages (Creswell, 2018). The first stage consisted of
introductory or opening questions that shed light on the research project and put the interviewee
at ease. The second stage of questions consisted of transition questions which moved the
interview to the content questions (Creswell, 2016). These questions essentially parsed the
central phenomenon into different facets to be explored through the interview process. Finally,
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there were questions that probed the interviewee for more information or perhaps for
clarification of their answers through the lens of knowledge, motivation and organization.
Probes were used, when appropriate, to deepen the response of the interviewee and deepen the
richness of the responses (Patton, 2005). The closing question allowed the interviewee to have
the last word. Finally, I allowed the opportunity for the participant to shed light on something
that might not have been covered in the interview questions (Patton, 2005).
Interview Introduction
“Good morning, my name is Nadya Pantoja, and I am a Doctoral student at USC. I
thank you for participating in this interview, the purpose of which is to elucidate what pathways
secondary special education teachers take in transitioning their special education students to
post-secondary opportunities. Most notably I will be asking questions that revolve around the
transitional IEP process and how and if students are prepared and aware of post-secondary
opportunities after high school graduation. This data will be confidential and I will be using
pseudonyms for all participants involved, including the organization. Please feel free to answer
or not answer the questions anyway you like. Remember, you may withdraw from the study at
any time, should you decide. Thank you again for your participation.
Research Questions
1. Please tell me your experience and tenure in the field of Special Education?
2. Please explain your process of transitioning secondary students to post-secondary
opportunities. (Procedural Knowledge)
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3. Please describe your knowledge regarding legislation that mandates transitional services
for post-secondary opportunities for students with special needs. (Factual Knowledge)
4. Please describe your knowledge of self-determination skills for your students and its
relationship with transition planning. (Metacognitive Knowledge)
5. Please describe any procedures you have for transition IEPs that align with your students'
needs and reflect on outcomes. (Procedural Knowledge)
6. Can you reflect on professional developments on implementing and writing cohesive and
strategic transition plans for their students with special needs and reflect on outcome
opportunities through incorporation of self-determination lesson plans (Metacognitive
Knowledge)
7. Do you want to continue to learn about different post-secondary opportunities for my
students with special needs? (Motivation - Goal Orientation)
8. Do you feel confident about your ability to instruct our students with special needs on
their post-secondary opportunities? (Motivation - Attribution)
9. How do you feel about your ability to instruct students with special needs on transitional
opportunities in the post-secondary realm? (Motivation - Attribution)
10. Do you feel confident in your knowledge of transition competencies to facilitate
postsecondary opportunities for your students with special needs? (Self-Efficacy)
11. What expectations do you have for your facilitation of postsecondary goals for your
students with special needs? (Expectancy-value)
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12. Please describe your willingness to change transitional strategies for students with special
needs, to put students on trajectory for post-secondary opportunities. (Cultural Setting)
13. Describe what support you get from administrators at the school site to facilitate
transitional IEPs for student accessibility to the post-secondary realm. (Cultural Setting)
14. Tell me about what professional development opportunities have been offered to you by
the school district to develop better understanding of post-secondary opportunities
available to your student population? (Cultural Setting)
15. Describe how your degree program educated you on the process transitioning your
graduating secondary students into the post-secondary field. (Cultural Model)
16. Do you feel that you are getting enough support from your administration, other SSETs
and/or colleagues in the general education side to help you facilitate proper post-
secondary channels for your students with special needs? (Cultural Setting)
17. Describe to me what logistical constraints that might be holding you back from
effectively formulating transition plans for your students with special needs to progress to
post-secondary educational opportunities. (Cultural Model)
18. Tell me about some opportunities you have had to explore and examine various post-
secondary options for your students with special needs before writing their transition
plans. (Cultural Setting/Time)
19. Can you tell me about some of the salient features that stand out in your effort to
effectively facilitate interagency collaboration for development of transition plans for
secondary students with special needs? (Cultural Setting/Support Systems)
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20. Describe to me what input you receive from the parents and/or caretakers of students with
special needs to progress to secondary opportunities.
21. Please describe to me what input you receive from the students who are transitioning to
post-secondary life?
Closing Question: Is there anything you care to add to this conversation?
Closing Instructions
At the end of the interview, the interviewer thanked the interviewee for their time and
allowed for any last questions or concerns to be raised. At this time, clarification of logistics is
addressed, such as how the participant will learn the results of the data collection. Moreover, the
interviewer assures the participant of the confidentiality of the interview and the option to
withdraw at any time.
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Appendix C: Credibility and Trustworthiness
The trustworthiness of this study was increased by the use of triangulation and member
checking. Accordingly, it is important as a researcher to utilize research methodology that
ensures ethical practices to safeguard reliability and validity. Notwithstanding, the researcher
must use methods that respect the individual they are interviewing and provide an atmosphere of
credibility and trustworthiness. According to Patton (2015), the credibility of the researcher
along with rigorous methodology is the instrument that safeguards a credible study. In effect,
Peshkin (1988) argued that researchers should thoroughly and methodically identify their
subjectivity throughout the development of their research.
As a member of the stakeholder group I am studying, I will identify my positionality
within the organization. As such, I am the researcher in this study, a special education teacher
with over 20 years of experience teaching in an urban public school setting. I have served as a
special day classroom teacher and special education coordinator in a self-contained classroom for
students with a wide array of disabilities. My responsibilities include developing and
implementing Individualized Education Programs (IEP’s) and reviewing existing data for
students with disabilities and monitoring progress. Additionally, I am a former general
education teacher and I assist general education teachers with implementations of instructional
strategies and differentiated instruction to implement the accommodations and modifications
delineated in their student IEPs.
As the researcher, I safeguarded the well-being of participants and protected them from
harm (Greaney, et al., 2010). I acknowledged my own participation in the organization as a
special educator to ensure transparency and trustworthiness. As the researcher, I obtained
informed consent from participants, sent through email, protecting their anonymity and
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confidentiality. This consent included the right to withdraw at any time during the research
(Patton, 2015). This study used qualitative methods to explore key perceptions of secondary
level special education teachers regarding the facilitating factors and barriers in providing
transitional services for post-secondary opportunities to graduating students with special needs.
Safeguarding the identity of the participants, providing informed consent and ensuring that
sensitive documents/field notes are held in a locked cabinet removed ethical barriers. These
measures increased validity and provided transparency, safeguarding the ethical quality of this
research project (Cohen, L., Manion, L., & Morrison, K., 2007).
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Appendix D: Validity and Reliability
Validity is one of the strengths of qualitative research (Creswell, 2018). Notwithstanding,
using multiple validity procedures enhances the researcher’s ability to assess the accuracy of the
findings and convince readers of this accuracy (Creswell, 2018). One method used was
triangulation of different data sources. Triangulation is the collection of information from a
diverse range of individuals and settings using a variety of methods (Maxwell, 2013). Largely
defined, triangulation is the amalgamation of methodologies in study of the same phenomenon
(Denzin, 1978). Perspectives from participants were used to help establish justification for
themes established through data collection (Creswell, 2018). Another determinant of accuracy in
qualitative research was member checking. Member checking is a systematic solicitation of
feedback from the members being studied (Maxwell, 2013). As the researcher solicited feedback
from the secondary special education teachers who were interviewed by conducting follow-up
interviews (Creswell, 2018). These follow up interviews offered the participants an opportunity
to comment on the researcher’s findings. Member checks were performed during and after the
data collection process. Member checking in this study occurred during the data collection
process and through follow-up interviews with participants. This included examining evidence
from various data sources to build coherent validation (Creswell, 2018). When themes were
established based on the converging of the above sources, the process could be claimed as adding
validity to the study.
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Appendix E: Ethics
The stakeholders of focus for this study were secondary special education teachers within
a local district. The stakeholder group of intended study were also experienced secondary special
education teachers with at least 5 years tenure. This evaluation focused on stakeholder gaps in
knowledge, motivation and organizational challenges in transition planning to facilitate post-
secondary opportunities for students with special needs.
A qualitative research approach was followed in this study with a descriptive case study
with a qualitative design of conducting interviews to collect evidence of knowledge of secondary
special education teachers’ experiences and perspectives on transition planning with facilitation
of postsecondary opportunities (Creswell, 2018). Moreover, a convenience sample of
participants was recruited to fit the criteria of said stakeholder group.
It is important as a researcher to utilize research methodology that ensures ethical
practices to safeguard reliability and validity. Notwithstanding, the researcher used methods that
respected the individuals who were interviewed. According to Patton (2015), the credibility of
the researcher along with rigorous methodology is the mechanisms that safeguards a credible
study. The researcher safeguarded the well-being of participants and protected them from harm
(Greaney, et al., 2010). The researcher acknowledged her own participation in the organization
as a special educator to ensure transparency and trustworthiness. The researcher obtained
informed consent from participants, sent through email, protecting their anonymity and
confidentiality. This consent included the right to withdraw at any time during the research
(Patton, 2015). This study used qualitative methods to explore key perceptions of secondary
level special education teachers regarding the facilitating factors and barriers providing
transitional services to post-secondary opportunities. Safeguarding the identity of the
105
participants, providing informed consent and ensuring that sensitive documents/field notes are
held in a locked cabinet will remove ethical barriers. These measures will increase validity and
provide transparency, safeguarding the ethical quality of this research project (Cohen, Manion, &
Morrison, 2007).
106
Appendix F: Integrated Implementation and Evaluation Plan
The framework for establishing and undertaking an implementation and evaluation plan
is based upon the New World Kirkpatrick Model (Kirkpatrick & Kirkpatrick, 2016). In
Kirkpatrick’s model, there are four levels of evaluating the success of any initiative (Kirkpatrick
& Kirkpatrick, 2016). This theoretical construct suggests that evaluation plans begin at the level
of organizational goals, and that by evaluating leading indicators of progress, it becomes easier
to derive recommended solutions to the organization’s goals more effectively. In this reverse
approach to problem solving, once the desired goals or outcomes are clear, it is easier to decide
what critical behaviors are necessary to accomplish those goals. This approach saves time and
money on training and learning initiatives by helping an organization to connect performance
and results, whether formal or informal, with the company’s values, making a larger impact for
the organization (Kirkpatrick & Kirkpatrick, 2016). Kirkpatrick suggests reverse engineering the
project in order to provide for a sequence of three other actions: a) the development of solutions
that focus on assessing work behaviors, b) the identification of key indicators demonstrating that
learning occurred during implementation, and c) the emergence of indicators that organizational
members are supportive of implementation strategies and their overall effectiveness. Concisely,
Kirkpatrick’s Model evaluates the effectiveness of the implementation process and the degree to
which organizational stakeholders have bought into the process.
Organizational Purpose, Need and Expectations
The mission of WSD is a commitment to 100% graduation for all graduating students
with special needs to have prospects of post-secondary opportunities. Through excellence, high
expectations and continuous learning, WSD’s fundamental strategy and the essential elements of
effective learning environments, are the objectives and key initiatives for achievement. This will
107
be accomplished by working together as a staff to improve the collective ability to successfully
prepare all students, including those students with special needs for post-secondary opportunities
such as college, work study programs and future careers. One of the key aspects used in
propelling our students with special needs access to successful post-secondary opportunities is
through the facilitation of transitional goals for graduating secondary students. Our secondary
special education teachers can include a variety of factors in a student’s transitional IEP, which
can lead to wide disparities in the attainment of student post-secondary achievements. This study
evaluated the knowledge, motivational, and organizational influences that contribute to such
disparities in the facilitation of transitional goals that provide opportunities for post-secondary
success.
Level 4: Results and Leading Indicators
The recommendations to address the problem are a comprehensive training program,
increased teacher collaboration through professional learning communities, revised
organizational policies and procedures, and enhanced communication with parents and
stakeholders. These proposed solutions should produce the desired outcome, which is that the
secondary special education teachers’ transitional goal practices that align with organizational
standards and drive instruction.
Table F1 presents the desired Level 4: Results and Leading Indicators as results, metrics
and the assessment methodology. If the given internal results arise from the faculty professional
development training and instructional approaches, then the external results can be realized.
Table F1
Outcomes, Metrics, and Methods for External and Internal Outcomes
Outcome Metric(s) Method(s)
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External Outcomes
Reduction in student
failures in post-school
environments.
Number of students
failing in post-school
attainment each year.
Compare data from current school
year to previous school years
regarding percentage of students
failing postsecondary opportunity
attainment.
Improve overall Parental
outreach in
the implementation of
transitional opportunities
for secondary students with
special needs.
Survey results on
questions about
transitional goals
communicating
understanding of post-
secondary opportunities
for their students.
Survey parents on how facilitation
practices of transitional goals for
post-secondary opportunities are
helping them understand about their
student’s performance.
Students are better
prepared for college and
career.
Student performance on
informal and standardized
tests.
Analyze data from CAASPP, SAT
and ACT scores for students on
Core Curriculum and Alternative
assessments for students on the
Alternate curriculum.
Parents have greater
understanding of student
post-secondary
opportunities.
Positive/negative
feedback about new
transitional
goal practices.
Set aside time for groups of parents
to share feedback about transitional
goal setting practices, potentially at
Parent Teachers School Association
meetings.
Internal Outcomes
Increase the post-
secondary opportunities for
students with special
needs.
An increase in the
percentage of students
achieving positive
postsecondary
opportunities.
Special Education Administrators
will use observational checklists
regarding secondary special
education teacher’s knowledge of
transitional goal setting to post
school opportunities for their
students with special needs.
Teacher transitional
goals are aligned with
organizational standards
and the organizational
mission.
Number of IEP
documents collected
indicating that teacher
goal setting practices
follow district policies,
procedures and
philosophies.
Special education
administrators will review
Transitional IEPs of teachers as
well as discuss alignment in
monthly department meetings.
Secondary special
education teachers feel
more personally and
professionally
accomplished and
efficacious.
Increase of teacher self-
efficacy rating of self as a
facilitator of positive
post-school opportunities
for their students.
Pre/post self-efficacy surveys for
secondary special education
teachers (Beginning/End-of-Year).
109
Improve overall secondary
special education teachers’
transitional goal setting
skills.
Quarterly check-ins with
special education
colleagues and
administrators to work
and refine transition goal
banks.
Quarterly training
sessions/professional development
opportunities to refresh transitional
goal setting.
Level 3: Behavior
Critical Behaviors: Critical behaviors are specific, observable, and measurable actions that
translate learning into desired outcomes (Kirkpatrick & Kirkpatrick, 2016), which provides a
comprehensive, ongoing system for monitoring and improving performance. To achieve the
outcomes of the context-specific recommendations, a set of critical behaviors were identified, as
shown in Table F2. These behaviors are expected to be performed regularly to enable the
achievement of the desired results. Kirkpatrick and Kirkpatrick (2016) propose the necessity of
narrowing down to a few critical behaviors with the most influence on Level 4 results, as too
many identified behaviors can lead to confusion among staff and could be difficult to support
and manage on a larger scale.
The stakeholders primarily responsible for implementing the critical behaviors are
WSD’s secondary special education teachers. The first critical behavior is that the secondary
special education teachers and their corresponding site administrators will undergo training on
appropriate transitional opportunities for their students with special needs. The second critical
behavior is that they must self-identify any of their own personal practices that promote
appropriate postsecondary outcomes. The third critical behavior is that they must accurately
record any specific transitional goals for their students with special needs who are graduating
seniors. The fourth critical behavior is that stakeholders must review all transitional IEP goal
data annually, disaggregated in a manner to allow for the review of goal attainment. The specific
110
metrics, methods, and timing for each of these outcome behaviors appear in Table F2.
Table F2
Critical Behaviors, Metrics, Methods, and Timing for Evaluation
Critical Behavior Metric(s)
Method(s)
Timing
1. Secondary special
education teachers
attend training on
transitional goal setting
for postsecondary
opportunities for their
graduating students
with special needs.
Percentage of teachers who
attend training when
scheduled.
The Assistant
Principal will
track attendance
to determine the
percentage of
attendance.
During the first
30 days and/or
immediately
following
training.
2. Stakeholders self-
identify personal goal
writing behaviors
contributing to
transitional outcomes.
Number of secondary
special education teachers
identifying personal goal
writing behaviors.
Workshop on
reflection and
goal writing
behaviors for all
secondary special
education
teachers.
Quarterly.
3. Stakeholders
accurately facilitate
transitional goals for
post-secondary
opportunities.
Recent WSD graduates
onward advancement
tracked through technology
utilization data by the
Special Ed. Department.
Tracked through
data collection by
the Special
Education
Department.
Monthly entry
4. Stakeholders review
transitional goals,
disaggregated by
student needs and
abilities, in review of
post school outcomes.
Post-school data from each
classroom, disaggregated by
special needs subgroups.
WSD review of
data and
discussion of
secondary special
education
department job
best practices.
Monthly during
designated
professional
development
time.
Required Drivers: Required drivers are the support and accountability measures that
help to monitor the execution of critical behaviors toward achieving the intended results
(Kirkpatrick & Kirkpatrick, 2016). In alignment with the context-specific recommendations
identified to address the knowledge, motivation, and organization influences, a set of reinforcing,
encouraging, and rewarding drivers were identified, as shown in Table F3. These drivers are
targeted at the motivation and organizational influences in particular, addressing the expectancy-
111
value and self-efficacy of secondary special education teachers in facilitating
effective transitional goals, setting clear expectations for post-secondary opportunities, and
having appropriate performance incentives in place to encourage secondary special education
teacher performance.
Secondary special education teachers need the support of the District’s Special Education
Department to generate job aid in support of ensuring that they know how to correctly create and
facilitate appropriate transitional goals for graduating students with special needs. Training
regarding facilitation of transitional goals for appropriate post-secondary opportunities for
students with special needs will take place throughout the district, including the stakeholder
group. The Special Education Department work will center on collaborative efforts with
community outreach to post school opportunities for graduating students with special needs.
From an encouragement and reward mind-frame, required drivers will include: collaboration
with peers in transitional goal setting, feedback and coaching from the Administrative Support
Services staff, recognition for success in introducing appropriate post-secondary opportunities
for students with special needs, and community acknowledgment for the achievement of specific
benchmarks. Finally, self-reflection on implementation of transitional IEP goals will be collected
and shared monthly, along with post-secondary outcome data, provided quarterly. Table F3
shows the recommended drivers to support critical behaviors of stakeholders.
Table F3
Required Drivers to Support Critical Behaviors
Method(s) Timing
Critical
Behaviors
Supported
1, 2, 3,4
Reinforcing
Provide a Job Aid containing a glossary of key transition goals
and references to postsecondary opportunities.
Ongoing 1, 2, 3
112
Encouraging
Collaboration and peer modeling during PD meetings
regarding transitional goal setting.
Monthly 1,2,3,4
Feedback and coaching from the Special Education
Department of Student Support Services.
Annually 2,3,4
Rewarding
Administrators will acknowledge, at department meetings and
through staff newsletter, when the SPED team and /or school
reaches a specific data benchmark for successful post school
opportunities.
Annually 4
Monitoring
Stakeholders self-report behaviors related to facilitation of
transitional goals for post school opportunities at weekly staff
meetings.
Monthly
in department
meetings
1,2,3,4
Organizational Support: The WSD will support the critical behaviors of stakeholders
by providing training on transitional goal setting for post school opportunities through
appropriate teaching practices. The organization can provide effective communication,
evaluation of postsecondary opportunities, and supportive resources to secondary special
education teachers for facilitation of transitional goals to support the critical behaviors.
Additionally, support and training will be provided to stakeholders regarding entering student
transition goals into the WSD student information system. The data collected into this system
will then be utilized to provide quarterly summary data to all stakeholders as well as to the
District as a whole. In turn, this data will be utilized to review best practices for the facilitation of
transition to post school opportunities for students with special needs. Level 2: Learning
Learning Goals: After completing the recommended solutions, secondary special
education teachers will be able to:
1. Define transitional goals for graduating seniors for optimal postsecondary
opportunities (D)
2. Provide concrete examples of how to facilitate transitional goals in IEP meetings (D)
113
3. Implement relevant instructional strategies into their daily lesson plans (P)
4. Reflect on the effectiveness of their transitional goals in meeting the needs of
academically diverse students (M)
5. Demonstrate that secondary special education teachers have the confidence to
implement appropriate transition goals relevant instruction into the classroom (Self-
Efficacy Theory).
6. Value the implementation of appropriate transition goals and its ability to improve
student post-secondary opportunities (Expectancy-value Theory).
Program: The learning goals listed in the previous section will be achieved with a
training program that explores appropriate post-secondary opportunities for students with special
needs and how to write the appropriate transition goals to obtain these opportunities. The
learners, the secondary special education teachers, will study a broad range of topics pertaining
to the implementation of transitional goals instruction in their classrooms that promote onward
post-secondary opportunities. The program will be implemented as a topic in a professional
development series that is delivered in a face-to-face, small group format. The time allotted will
be used in already established professional development time set aside by the organization. This
time has already been dedicated to professional development at the school sites.
The second step in administering this program is to provide opportunities for team
meetings to collaborate and learn from peers. The organization will set aside time during
professional development time to ensure that secondary special education teachers have the
opportunity to collaborate with peers on the development of appropriate transition goals for their
students with special needs.
These professional development opportunities will take diverse learning styles into
114
account and will allow secondary special education teachers multiple learning environments,
activities, and job aids to reinforce learning. Secondary special education teachers will receive
job aids including a glossary of transitional IEP goals in the professional development sessions
and additional job aids from the special education administrator such as a manual of various
postsecondary opportunities available to their graduating seniors. Additionally, they will discuss
data that reflects the positive outcomes that former graduates have experienced through the
organization's facilitation of appropriate IEP transition goals. The secondary special education
teachers will also engage in writing in a reflective journal or recollection of a previous
experienced writing transition IEP goals before the professional development and how this
experience will enhance the effectiveness of their transition goals.
Evaluation of the components of learning: Demonstrating declarative and procedural
knowledge is often critical to applying the knowledge to solve problems. As a result, it is
important to evaluate the learning of both declarative and procedural knowledge being taught.
Therefore, it is important to evaluate if the required learning has occurred as presented for
WSD’s secondary special education teachers during professional development. It is also
important that the secondary special education teachers value the training in order to incorporate
their newly learned knowledge and skills. However, the secondary special education teachers
must also be confident that they can succeed in applying their knowledge and skills and be
committed to using them on the job. The likelihood of WSD teachers using their newly acquired
knowledge on-the-job is incumbent on whether they enjoyed and valued the content and delivery
of the professional development training provided (Kirkpatrick & Kirkpatrick, 2016). Finally,
WSD’s secondary special education teachers should be sufficiently motivated, to the point of
commitment, to test out and refine their newly acquired knowledge and skills (Mayer, 2011). As
115
such, Table F4 lists the evaluation methods and timing for these components of learning.
Table F4
Evaluation of the Components of Learning for the Program.
Method(s) or Activity(ies) Timing
Declarative Knowledge “I know it.”
Knowledge checks using self-administered questionnaires In preparation for the
professional
development
Knowledge checks through small group discussions During professional
development.
Knowledge checks through think-pair-share and large-group serial
testimony
During the professional
development
Knowledge checks using mentoring, counselling and special
education advisor
Ongoing
Procedural Skills “I can do it right now.”
Demonstrate the use of job aids to perform the skill During professional
development
Engagement and quality of the feedback/crosstalk with coworkers
during group sharing
During professional
development
Attitude “I believe this is worthwhile.”
Identification of the value of post-secondary opportunities for
students with special needs using a reflective journal
Before the professional
development
Special education administrator’s observation of the secondary
special educators statements and actions demonstrating that they see
the benefit of what they are being asked to do on the IEP goals
During the professional
development
Confidence “I think I can do it on the job.”
Demonstrating basic principles of post-secondary opportunities
available to students with special needs
During professional
development
Whole group discussions following practice of writing transition
goals and administrator feedback
During professional
development
Commitment “I will do it on the job.”
Creating an individual action plan. During professional
development
Retrospective and pre-and post-summative assessment items During professional
development
Written affirmations in personal journal following professional
development with rationale provided
Post professional
development and
ongoing
Level 1: Reaction
A positive reaction of WSD secondary special education teachers to the knowledge,
116
skills, and frameworks that they are presented with during professional developments is in line
with the fundamental goal of all training programs (Kirkpatrick & Kirkpatrick, 2016). It is
desirable for WSD secondary special education teachers to indicate a high level of interest,
value, engagement, and satisfaction with the training content and its delivery. This promotes
greater likelihood of adoption of practice. It is critical to assess the reactions of WSD secondary
special education teachers to the professional development programs. As such, Table F5 lists the
methods and timing for these components of stakeholder reactions.
Table F5
Components to Measure Reactions to the Program.
Method(s) or Tool(s) Timing
Engagement
Observation by special education administrator/facilitator During professional
development training
Training workshop written evaluation form At end of professional
development training
Attendance During professional
development training
Relevance
Self-reflection and review of implementation following
professional development
Quarterly
Program and professional development evaluation End of professional
development training
Stakeholder Satisfaction
Program and training evaluation End of professional
development
Verbal check in to determine where faculty members are in
the session
During professional
development
Evaluation Tools
Immediately following the program implementation: Immediately after the professional
development is completed, the secondary special education teachers will be asked to complete a
survey. Kirkpatrick & Kirkpatrick (2016), Level 1 and 2 evaluations are to be completed as soon
as training is completed. This allows providers the ability to determine engagement-levels and
participant satisfaction. The administrator will listen for potential comments and/or observe in-
117
training discussions to further assess faculty perspectives on the materials’ relevance,
knowledge/skills acquisition, confidence-levels, and commitment to implementing it in their
respective classrooms. Moreover, using the Kirkpatrick principles together with the stakeholder
needs, a survey will be created. The survey (see Appendix G) will consist of five Likert scale
questions and two open-ended questions. The five-point Likert-scale options range from strongly
disagree to strongly agree. Using this blended evaluation approach; both Level 1 and Level 2
with a learner centered approach will provide a useful evaluation of the professional
development (Kirkpatrick & Kirkpatrick, 2016).
Delayed for a period after the program implementation
One month after the initial training, and then again 2 months later, the special education
administrator will e-mail surveys to all participants containing both open and scaled questions
using the Blended Evaluation Approach (Kirkpatrick & Kirkpatrick, 2016). This will allow
enough time for staff members to put into practice what they learned in the professional
development training and to share their thoughts on its implementation and relevance. Post-
faculty professional development training, a special education administrator will be selected to
manage this evaluation survey as described by Kirkpatrick and Kirkpatrick (2016). The two
surveys will be targeted towards the professional developments’ relevance and overall
participant satisfaction (Level 1). Then faculty understanding of the course content (Level 2) will
be analyzed and, their application/utilization with the content and acquired skills and what
faculty require from the organization to further develop their facilitation and implementation of
transition goals (Level 3) for students with special needs as well as their own perceived levels of
classroom application, and post-training success (Level 4) will be surveyed as referenced in
Appendix H.
118
Data Analysis and Reporting
The Level 4 goal for stakeholders is to produce the desired outcome of raising the
competency of the secondary special education teacher to facilitate transitional goal practices
that align with the organizational standards and drive instruction. Stakeholders’ Level 4 results
will be measured by training administrators and reported after each quarter. Live dashboards can
provide a visual representation of real-time data for monitoring and accountability review.
Providing immediate, aggregate data allows the secondary special education teachers and other
stakeholders to monitor WSD competency benchmarks and student outcomes related to
transition goals for post-secondary opportunities. Data would be drawn from the delayed surveys
administered after the program implementation as well. The dashboard in Figure 2 can be
utilized to report the data on these measures as a monitoring and accountability tool. Congruent
dashboards can be created to monitor the Levels 1, 2 and 3 results. If outcomes indicate a lack of
progress, special education teachers may receive additional training and job-aids to assist in
meeting the goal of facilitating appropriate transitional goals for postsecondary opportunities.
119
Action/Result Target Actual Previous Year
SSETs Transition Competency
Outcomes
100% 86% 62%
Figure 2. Dashboard Monitoring and Accountability Tool
120
Summary
The framework of this evaluation section is the New World Kirkpatrick Model
(Kirkpatrick & Kirkpatrick, 2016). Through this framework, WSD will provide professional
development, accountability, and support with the organizational goal of promoting transitional
goals to postsecondary opportunities for graduating students with special needs. Reviewing
WSD’s progress through the lens of all 4 Kirkpatrick levels allows for clarity regarding the depth
of the implementation process and the overall impact on the system. The Kirkpatrick framework
provides insight into leading indicators of success, stakeholder behaviors, elements of learning,
and reactions to the content taught. It also provides an accountability plan, grounded in discrete
data. The New World Kirkpatrick Model provides WSD with a comprehensive look at the
effectiveness of its professional development of secondary special education teachers and their
responsibility to write and implement clear and cohesive transition goals for graduating students
with special needs.
This process began by defining the targeted Level 4 results and was followed by defining
the Level 3 intended external and internal outcomes, critical behaviors, and required drivers.
Afterwards, the Level 2 learning goals and evaluation methods were evaluated in alignment with
the Level 4 results and Level 3 outcomes and behaviors, which was followed by defining Level 1
checks on training quality through assessing learner engagement, relevance, and satisfaction.
Through this systematic approach, an integrated implementation and evaluation plan was created
that showed alignment to the desired outcomes and critical behaviors targeted at achieving the
higher-level stakeholder goals.
121
Appendix G: Training Survey Immediately Following Program
Training Participant Feedback Form
Name: Date:
1. I am confident I will use what I have learned in this training at work.
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree
2. Today's training held my interest.
Strongly Agree
Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree
3. What I learned today in today's training will help to reinforce my competencies.
Strongly Agree
Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree
4. I am clear as to what is expected of me when I get back to work.
Strongly Agree
Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree
5. I am committed to using what I learned in today’s training at work.
Strongly Agree
Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree
6. This training was a worthwhile use of my time.
Strongly Agree
Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree
7. How can we improve this training?
122
Appendix H: Delayed Training Survey Form
Name: Date:
Reflecting on the professional development you attended 1 month ago, please let us
know the degree you agree or disagree with the following:
1 = Strongly Disagree 2 = Disagree 3 = Agree 4 = Strongly Agree N/A = Not Applicable
1. The purpose of the professional development I
attended was made clear before attendance.
1 2 3 4 5 N/A
2. I was clear about what was expected of me after
attending the professional development.
1 2 3 4 5 N/A
3. I am successfully applying what I learned in
professional development to facilitate Individual
Transition Plan (ITP) competencies and post-
secondary opportunities.
1 2 3 4 5 N/A
4. I am already seeing positive results applying
what I learned in the professional development.
1 2 3 4 5 N/A
5. The professional development was a good use of
my time.
1 2 3 4 5 N/A
6. I would recommend this professional
development opportunity to my colleagues.
1 2 3 4 5 N/A
7. What suggestions do you have that would make you better able to apply what you learned?
Abstract (if available)
Abstract
The transition to post-secondary opportunities for secondary students with special needs can include post-secondary education, vocational training or job attainment and independent living. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA 2004) requires schools to prepare students with disabilities for the transition to adult life. To be prepared for this journey, the school’s secondary special education teacher (SSET) must be informed on how to facilitate effective transition planning for their students with special needs. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the SSET’s competencies in the facilitation and coordinated planning and delivery of services to ensure their students are prepared for the transition from school to adult living. This study evaluated the knowledge and motivation of the secondary special education teachers to meet these competencies. In addition, this study looked at organizational influences that impacted the SSET’s facilitation of transitions by way of professional development, time allotment and implementations. Interviews were used to examine and identify the strengths and weaknesses in the SSET’s knowledge and motivation in facilitating transitions for their students with special needs and to analyze organizational influences. The data indicated that the SSET’s were motivated to provide and facilitate transitions to postsecondary opportunities for their students with special needs, but lacked knowledge in transition resources. The data also indicated that SSET’s needed time to develop effective transition plans as well as appropriate professional development for effective transition planning skills. The findings of the study shows the need for SSET’s transition competencies.
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Asset Metadata
Creator
Pantoja, Nadya Victoria
(author)
Core Title
Facilitation of postsecondary opportunities for secondary students with special needs: an evaluation study
School
Rossier School of Education
Degree
Doctor of Education
Degree Program
Organizational Change and Leadership (On Line)
Publication Date
03/05/2021
Defense Date
01/19/2021
Publisher
University of Southern California
(original),
University of Southern California. Libraries
(digital)
Tag
OAI-PMH Harvest,post-secondary opportunities,secondary special education teachers,transition plan
Language
English
Contributor
Electronically uploaded by the author
(provenance)
Advisor
Freking, Frederick (
committee chair
), Cortez, Nasser (
committee member
), Muraszewski, Alison K. (
committee member
)
Creator Email
nadya.pantoja@yahoo.com,npantoja@usc.edu
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https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-c89-424566
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Tags
post-secondary opportunities
secondary special education teachers
transition plan