Collaboration practices facilitate the involvement of school personnel (e.g., counselors, general educators, special educators, administrators, coaches, nurses), community businesses, organizations, and agencies in all aspects of transition-focused education. (Kohler and Field, 2003)
Critical components of interagency collaboration practices:
School practices for students at-risk and students with IEPs ensure that:
- There are connections to community resources, supports, and services.
- The school partners with employers, employment-related agencies, community agencies, and/or postsecondary institutions, using defined processes and agreed upon outcomes that clearly articulate the roles and responsibilities to ensure the following occurs in culturally appropriate ways: a) methods of communication for all parties, b) information-sharing protocols, c) referral protocols, d) service and task responsibilities, e) funding responsibilities, and f) points of contact.
- Educators, community services providers, students, families, and employers work together to identify and address transition education and service needs of individual students in ways that are responsive to their cultural and linguistic backgrounds.
- Educators, community services providers, students, families, and employers work together to identify and address school and community-level transition education and service issues, including program development and evaluation, based upon the community context.
The Next Steps NH Transition Focused Education Framework is for students with IEPs and students at risk. It is based on the five practices of the Kohler Taxonomy:
- Student-Focused Planning Practices
- Student Development Practices
- Interagency Collaboration Practices
- Family Involvement Practices
- Program Structures Practices
Kohler, P. D., & Field, S. (2003). Transition-focused education: foundation for the future. Journal of Special Education, 37(3), 174-183.