Using Individualized Learning Plans to Maximize College and Career Readiness
Efforts
V. Scott Solberg, PhD
National Collaborative on Workforce & Disability for Youth
School of Education, Boston University
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National Collaborative on Workforce & Disability for Youth A national technical assistance center Focus on needs of ALL youth, including youth with
disabilities and other disconnected youth to Improve state and local policy Strengthen workforce development service delivery Improve competencies of youth service professionals Engage youth and families
Supported by Office of Disability Employment Policy, U.S. Department of Labor
Who We Are
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Research Partners
Boston University Slideshow Title Goes Here Should ILPs be considered a promising practice for developing college and career readiness?
Are students with disabilities participating in ILPs?
Should ILPs be considered a promising practice for college and career readiness among students with disabilities
Questions Guiding Our ILP Research
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Range of mixed methods strategies to identify college and career readiness pathways
Interviews with students to identify career readiness processes
Established a study group of schools in four states: educators, families and students participated in surveys and focus groups
50-state web review of ILP purposes and implementation strategies
In-depth conversations with select state and district/school officials
Research Strategies
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Individualized Education Plans Personalized learning and school engagement ASCA national model Career and Tech Education Changing graduation requirements College and career readiness initiative
History of ILPs
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What is a Quality ILP?
A document consisting of a student’s: (a) course taking and post-secondary plans aligned to career goals and (b) documentation of the range of college and career readiness skills he/she has developed.
A process that relies on a student’s understanding of the relevance of school courses as well as out-of-school learning opportunities and provides the student access to career development opportunities that incorporate self-exploration, career exploration, and career planning and management activities.
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Individual Learning Plan (ILP) Components1.
2.
3.
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Career Exploration
Active Disengaged
Disabilities 40% 60%
Without Disabilities
40% 60%
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Disengaged Students Reported Lower Social Emotional Learning Skills
Lower academic self-efficacy
Lower career decision-making readiness
Increased psychological/emotional distress
Increased academic stress
Lower motivation to attend school
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Active Career Development Characteristics
Youth who are able to:Identify one or more careers of interestClearly describe plans to pursue the careers of interestConnect career plans to personal interests, skills and valuesIdentify how current courses relate to career planArticulate skill and entry requirements for their careers Engage in additional learning opportunities Describe their needed skills & future development plan
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Final Model General Sample
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Engaging in ILPs
General SampleGPA (std. est. = .027, p < .001).Career decision-making readiness (std. est. = .011, p < .000).Distress (std. est. = -.012, p. < .000)
Misti Ruthven
Postsecondary Education and Success Manager, Colorado Department of Education
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Legislation•CAP4Kids •Accountability Act of 2009 •Educator Effectiveness•School Counselor Corps Grant•ICAP•Concurrent Enrollment (CE) Act •Early High School Grads•Dropout Recovery •Basic Skills Testing
Tracking Results
•School Counselor Corps Evaluation
•Remediation Rates•School and District
Accreditation•ICAP Study•Concurrent Enrollment Reporting
Effective Planning and
Implementation•Resources
•Tools•Monitoring
•Professional Development
•State Guidance
College and Career Preparation
•Concurrent Enrollment (CE)•Career and Technical
Education•Colorado Standards•21st Century Skills
Innovations and Individualized Learning
• ICAP implementation•Expanded Learning
Opportunities•ASCENT
•Academic Guidance•Career Exploration
Partnerships: CDE, CDHE, CIC, CCCS
•ICAP Tutorials•CE Advisory Board•Endorsed Diplomas
•Remediation Taskforce•College Admission
•Data Sharing•Early College Design
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2. Assist parents and students in exploring the postsecondary career and educational opportunities available to the student
3. Align course work and curriculum to the students’ postsecondary goals
4. A way to determine if a student is on-track with the planning and preparation and readiness for postsecondary education and/or the workforce
Individual Career and Academic Plan (ICAP)
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ICAP Data
85% of school counselors list ICAP implementation as a priority
Limiting Factors:• Lack of funding• Turnover in administration• Lack of administrator support.
Source: Colorado School Counselor Corps
Source: Colorado Community College System
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In what grade is your school district implementing ICAP?
17%
18%
18%
18%
11%
9%
7%
0%
1%
N=400
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Who is mainly responsible for implementing ICAPs in your setting?
77%
2%
9%
5%
2%
5%
N=400
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In your district, what is your level of ICAP implementation?
37%
46%
9%
4%
4%
N=400
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How are ICAPs being implemented?ICAPs are embedded into current classroom and counseling curricula and are referred to on a regular basis.
31 7%
ICAPs are being completed through classroom or counseling curricula throughout the school year.
154 35%
Students complete their ICAPs in one or two settings, at a computer or with a few handouts.
138 32%
Elements of ICAP are being completed, but we could be doing more.
74 17%
Students are not completing ICAPs 23 5%
N=400
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In what format is your district implementing ICAP?
20%
67%
25%
4%
N=400
Mindy Larson
Senior Program Associate, Center for Workforce Development
Institute for Educational LeadershipProject Manager, National Collaborative on
Workforce & Disability for Youth (NCWD/Youth)
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Emerging Promising Practices
Begin in middle school and continue through high school graduation
Provide access to online career information systems that use an ePortfolio for the ILP
Emphasize three career development processes: Self-exploration, Career exploration, and Career planning and management skills
Establish whole school buy in by incorporating ILP activities into advisory periods
Adopt student-led parent-teacher conferences
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State Policy Recommendations
Est. mandates that start ILPs no later than 6th grade Est. mandates that all students are to be included Est. clear expectations that ILPs will be own by the
whole school and not be segregated to school counseling alone
Est. Task Force of key stakeholder groups Est. evaluation systems to determine ROI Est. professional development systems
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Resources on ILPs
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Policy Brief: “Using Individualized Learning Plans to Produce College and Career Ready High School Graduates” http://www.ncwd-youth.info/ilp/produce-college-and-career-ready-high-school-graduates
How-to Guide: “Promoting Quality Individualized Learning Plans: A How to Guide Focused on the High School Years” www.ncwd-youth.info/ilp/how-to-guide
ILP Fact Sheet: http://www.ncwd-youth.info/fact-sheet/individualized-learning-plan
ILP Resources Home Page: www.ncwd-youth.info/ilp
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Moving Forward: Three Actions to Support ILPs
• Providing Sustainable Leadership
• Setting Voluntary Standards of Practice and Identifying metrics to Measure Results
• Supporting Capacity Development within Multiple Institutions
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• Key Strategies Include:
Developing benchmarks to meet the needs of all individuals using the “ILP System” based on the specific institutional requirements
Using these benchmarks as building blocks to design specifications for technology platforms and monitoring processes
Setting Voluntary Standards of Practice/Measuring Results
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• Key Strategies Include:
Improving content of career information systems
Improving staff competencies
Providing access to evidence-based resources
Supporting Capacity Development in Multiple Institutions
Boston University Slideshow Title Goes Here• Accessible to all individuals statewide to address:
Overall cost containment
Quality control
Transferability
Student ownership of a portable document
Web-based Career Information Systems
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• Multi-state organizations helped launch ILPs and can help move the effort forward.
• The following areas emerged as the most important to center collaborative action: Improving access to and use of technology Developing common measures to track return on investment
(ROI) Develop materials and tools to be shared with states and
localities to provide professional development opportunities and use web-based resources
Address the development or upgrading of voluntary standards of practice
Moving Forward: How National Collaborations Can Help
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States Repurposing Money • Providing services through content rich internet-
based platforms
• Building platforms to blend information from multiple sources to track people and programs
• Increasing use of evidence-based research to drive program design and services • substantial reliance on a national network of non-
governmental organizations
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Recommendations for Including Family
Develop family- friendly ILP communication materials
Provide ideas for how schools can more effectively engage families in ILPs
Direct web-based career information system vendors to enable family participation in their child’s ILP and to allow for parallel ILP activities at home
Use ILP to establish annual student-led parent-teacher conferences
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Recommendations for Including Students with Disabilities
Establish multidisciplinary task force to design accommodations for ILP activities and work-based learning opportunities to support students with significant disabilities
Ensure that web based career information systems adhere to universal design principles
Create advocacy policy to ensure “all students” have access to ILPs
Design and highlight demonstration projects
V. Scott Solberg, PhD
National Collaborative on Workforce & Disability for Youth
School of Education, Boston [email protected]