Internship Week 5 (7)

This week, I attended the most beneficial training I have ever attended.  Marion County offers a transition meeting/training at the Board Office to provide ideas to show support for students transitioning from junior high to high school and from high school to post-secondary options.  The meeting was so informative on so many different levels.  I was introduced to accommodations I had never heard of, strategies to use to provide support, and many other helpful ideas to support my students.

First off, I would like to reflect on the way they prepare for their future.  Although the training showed a lot about how to help students currently, they also planned for the next school year, giving tips on how to give students a jump start and how to support them before they even think about falling behind. This really made me stop and think- if we show students how much we truly want them to succeed and do everything we can to get them going in the right direction, that just might be enough initiative for them to take charge of their own lives and create a better future for themselves.

As I stated before, accommodations were also brought up, which made me realize that we truly are living in an ever-changing world.  Now, when writing IEPs, we think of accommodations for students to have while taking online Statewide tests.  I know technology is more prevalent, but to think that we have advanced to the point where there are specific accommodations for technology use really shows this progression.  I was also introduced to many accommodations and their meanings.  I have heard a lot recently, "Do the students want PO1 or PO2?" Needless to say, I was a little bit confused... What in the world did they mean by that? My mentor teacher then explained that one accommodation meant the computer read it to you while the other meant a teacher read the test to you.  This was also further explained in my meeting.

The transition meeting also provided behavior supports and intervention for students with exceptionalities.  Multiple apps were provided (once again, more technology) to use with students with visual impairments at a secondary level.  Discussions were conducted on how to decrease (and eliminate) dropout rates currently and for the future.  Overall, the meeting was so detailed and informative and I am so glad that I was able to experience this as an intern.  I feel that I learned so much and feel better prepared to take on a job in secondary special education if my future leads me to this particular age group.