JAY – The special services teachers at Jay Middle School and Jay High School have participated in a voluntary national program called the Transition Outcomes Project for the past two years.

Maine is one of 16 states to participate in the grant-funded program to assess best practices in transition planning for special needs students.

At a recent formal data report meeting held at LaFleur’s Restaurant, the Jay school staff was informed that they met all goals and exceeded many of the standards to 100 percent compliance.

Baseline data from Jay was collected by the Council on Transition for 22 items relating to transition, including specific questions focused on matching curriculum to employment and life goals and inviting outside agencies to assist the student on their graduation from high school.

Even though the baseline data from Jay in 2003 far exceeded the national average, the Jay special services team opted to raise the bar and identify strategies to obtain an unprecedented target of at least 90 percent compliance for all 22 areas. The team was given one year to implement the strategies before follow-up data collection was conducted in the spring of 2005.

Tina Collins, director of special services for the Jay School Department, said transition planning is a legal requirement outlined under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Schools begin to address transition planning activities for special needs students at age 14 to outline the student’s future goals and aspirations for life after graduation.

The project focuses on the involvement of students, parents, school staff and community resources in developing a comprehensive plan that outlines steps toward meeting transition goals that are tailored to the needs of each student.

Collins said Jay’s participation in the project was a valuable endeavor. “Having the opportunity to collect baseline data, to outline a specific plan of action and then to collect follow-up data really allowed us to focus on aligning all areas of transition planning. Our participation in this project has helped bring us to a whole new level of awareness and effectiveness relating to the development of meaningful transition plans for students.”

Once the Council on Transition collects all of the statewide data at the end of the year, Maine’s data will be shared nationally.