Secondary Transition Services
The Rhode Island Department of Elementary
and Secondary Education, Office of Special Populations has actively
worked with students, parents, local school districts, and other
state and local agencies to promote an effective statewide
system of secondary transition services for students with
disabilities. This page provides information on Secondary
Transition, some of the system structures RIDE has employed to
improve transition outcomes for students in Rhode Island and
links to sources of information for students, parents and
professionals. For questions about the statewide system of secondary transition
services in Rhode Island, contact
J. David Sienko, at RIDE.
Rhode Island Regional Transition Centers
The Rhode Island Regional Transition Centers provide direct technical support, training and information on
transition services to school personnel in each region and
assist in the development of statewide training and information
activities. The Regional Transition Centers develop an annual
technical assistance plan with each public school district and
organize a Transition Advisory Committee (TAC) in four regions
and Providence Public Schools. The Transition Advisory Committee meets on a
scheduled basis, includes a representative from each high school
in the region and adult service agency representatives and is
utilized as the primary communication vehicle for sharing
emerging transition practices and news. Contact the Regional
Transition Center in you area:
Northern Rhode Island
Pawtucket, Central Falls, Johnston,
Cumberland, Woonsocket, Lincoln,
Burriville, Smithfield, North
Smithfield, North Providence
West
Bay
Coventry, Cranston, Foster, Glocester, Foster/Glocester
Regional, Scituate, Warwick, West Warwick
East Bay
East Providence, Portsmouth, Warren/Bristol,
Little Compton, Barrington, Middletown, Tiverton, Newport
Southern Rhode Island
North Kingstown, South Kingstown, Narragansett, Westerly, East Greenwich, Exeter/West Greenwich, Chariho, New Shoreham,
Jamestown
Providence
Rhode Island Regional Vocational Assessment Centers
The Rhode Island Regional Vocational Assessment Centers provide vocational
assessment services for students in special education ages 14-21
who are eligible for the services of the Department of Human
Services/Office of Rehabilitation Services (ORS). The Assessment
Centers assist students with their personal career goals through
career counseling, vocational testing and community work
experiences. Information generated from the assessment is
provided to the students Individual Education Plan (IEP) team
and used in establishing transition goals with the student for employment, post-secondary education and
training, community participation and independent living.
To participate in an assessment, students must be eligible for
the services of the Office of Rehabilitation Services
(ORS), receive special education services and are age 14-21. There is no cost to eligible students or their family. For more
information contact the center in your region:
Northern Rhode Island
Pawtucket, Central Falls, Johnston,
Cumberland, Woonsocket, Lincoln, Burriville, Smithfield, North
Smithfield, North Providence
West
Bay
Coventry, Cranston, Foster, Glocester, Foster/Glocester
Regional, Scituate, Warwick, West Warwick
East Bay
East Providence, Portsmouth, Warren/Bristol,
Little Compton, Barrington, Middletown, Tiverton, Newport
Southern Rhode Island
North
Kingstown, South Kingstown, Narragansett, Westerly, East
Greenwich, Exeter/West Greenwich, Chariho, New Shoreham,
Jamestown
Providence
Rhode Island
Transition Academies
The RI Transition Academies are a unique educational program that
offers students with disabilities, 18 to 21 years old, the
opportunity to complete their high school education on a college
campus and/or in various employment and community settings. It is geared toward
the student who has completed or nearly completed the academic
courses necessary for graduation and would benefit from an
additional one or two years to acquire the functional life
skills, vocational skills and social skills necessary to be
better prepared for adult life. Potential student candidates must be in special education with an Individual Education Plan
(IEP), be currently enrolled in school and near completion of
their academic program. Candidates must also be eligible for services through the
Office of
Rehabilitation Services
and must have a
current application with the Office of Rehabilitation
Services.
Application to the Transition Academy must be
recommended by the student’s Individual Education Plan (IEP) team, and must include
an Office of Rehabilitation Services Counselor's recommendation.
Applications are available through the student’s high
school or Special Education Administrator
for the student's school district.
Currently, there are three Transition Academies operating in
Rhode Island, you may contact the academies directly:
Rhode Island Transition Technical Assistance Center
The Sherlock Center on Disability at Rhode Island College assist
the Rhode Island Department of Education in providing statewide capacity building on secondary
transition. The Transition Technical Assistance Center works
with the
Regional Transition Centers, local school districts,
parent organizations and state agencies in developing technical
assistance, training, publications and ongoing communication
among transition constituents. The following is a list of the
services and products available from the Rhode Island Transition
Technical Assistance Center.
TRANSNETRI The Rhode Island Transition List Serve
In order to keep the transition community up to date, we have
created TRANSNETRI a list serve for those involved with
secondary transition. TRANSNETRI allows members to receive
current information on transition via their e-mail. Members may
also post transition related questions or ideas for others
involved in transition to reply to. To join the TRANSNETRI
network, e-mail Mark Gunning, TRANSNETRI Manager at:
mgunning@ric.edu.
Transition Products
| Newsletters |
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College Link |
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The College Link newsletter is a publication for students who
receive special education services (and those who support them), that plan to
pursue higher education and training after high school.
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Rhode Island Transitions |
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Rhode Island Transitions is
focused on the
development and implementation of effective transitions for
students with
disabilities, ages 14-21. It contains stories illustrating
practical transition
strategies, local updates and information about varied
resources.
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| Manuals & Guides |
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College Resources & Planning: A RI Guide for Youth in Transition |
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This directory helps students who receive supports through
Individual Education
Programs (IEPs), or 504 Plans, to learn about post-secondary
education opportunities. This guide will help to:
- Plan and prepare for post-secondary education
- Identify available supports to aid access to post-secondary
education
- Find disability-related information about colleges in Rhode
Island
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Preparing for College Guide |
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This web-based College Guide has extensive
information for students, parents and educators about planning
and choosing a college. The guide includes college
planning information for students who receive special education
services. This guide is the official guide
of the RI Office of Higher Education.
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Employment Resources & Planning: A RI Guide for Youth in
Transition |
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Designed for students in transition, this guide walks them
through the steps of planning a career and conducting an
employment search. The workbook format encourages students to
enter their own information for future use. This guide
complements School to Career training programs and curricula.
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Here’s to Your Student’s Future: A Parent’s Guide to Transition
Planning (English)
¡Al futuro de su
estudiante! (Spanish) |
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Written for parents who are helping their children plan the
transition from school to adult life, this guide provides
resources and recommendations, as well as discussions of
critical legal, financial and educational issues.
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Transition Resource Directory |
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A directory of transition resources and services, for teachers,
parents and students to help students explore options and
resources for their transition from school to adult life.
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Living & Participating in Your Community: A RI Guide for
Students in Transition |
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Similar to the student guide to employment, this guide will help
students plan and access the supports they need to live and
participate in their communities. |
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Transition Folder |
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The Transition Folder is a printed file folder designed to help
students, parents and teachers in planning and organizing transition related materials. The folder is divided into
sections:
- Transition Plan
- Employment
- Post-Secondary Education
- Community Participation
- Independent Living
The folder is designed with suggested transition related activities and is very useful in preparing for transition Individual Education Program
(IEP) meetings.
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| Transition Links |
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National Center on Secondary Education & Transition |
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The NCSET is a national technical assistance center on secondary
transition issues. The NCSET provides helpful materials for
students, parents and professionals, organizes national
conference calls and events and provides a monthly newsletter.
All of the materials and newsletter are available
electronically. |
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National Dropout Prevention Center/Network |
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The mission of the National Dropout Prevention Center/Network is to serve as a research center and resource network for
practitioners, researchers, and policymakers to reshape school and community environments to meet the needs of youth in at-risk
situations so these students receive the quality education and services necessary to succeed academically and graduate from
high school.
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The National Dropout Prevention Center for Students with
Disabilities |
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The National Dropout Prevention Center for Students with
Disabilities supports the national implementation of
provisions of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
(IDEA) to provide successful school outcomes for students with
disabilities. NDPC-SD supports states in assisting local
education agencies to increase school completion rates and
decrease dropout rates among students with disabilities.
The primary business of the Center is:
• To synthesize
research and practice into actionable information that can be
readily used by states to develop and/or enhance dropout
prevention programs
for students with disabilities
• To
provide effective technical assistance and dissemination
activities to "scale
up" the use of research validated programs
and interventions in dropout
prevention.
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National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth |
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NCWD/Youth is your source for information about employment and youth with disabilities. Our partners — experts in disability,
education, employment, and workforce development — strive to ensure you will be provided with the highest quality, most
relevant information available. |