Our Resources
Our thoughtfully curated resources go beyond theory, delivering immediately actionable strategies that you can implement the next day. They are designed around the real challenges education communities are facing right now.
Our Selection
Building a Stronger Middle to High School Transition for Students with Disabilities
From Pilot to Blueprint:
A Model Built for Reporting and Scale
This case study explores how we partnered with one state agency to build a clearer, coordinated picture of the Middle to High School transition and a model other states can adapt.
A Model Built for Reporting and Scale
Framework: Dimensions and Indicators of Effective Middle to High School Transition
This framework outlines the key dimensions and indicators of an effective middle to high school transition for students with disabilities.
Tool: Initial Middle to High School Transition Meeting Agenda
This agenda helps teams kick off the transition process during a student's 8th-grade year. Use this tool to bring the student, family, and staff together to review their IEP, set short-term goals, and build a shared plan for the year ahead.
Case Study
From Pilot to Blueprint: A Model Built for Reporting and Scale
Most states can point to data on the transition into preschool and the transition out of high school, because those are the only transition points states are required to report. The years in between are largely a blind spot, not for lack of care, but for lack of a reporting requirement. We partnered with a state agency to close that gap for students with disabilities, piloting a Transition Toolkit across five districts alongside a coordinated set of supports and professional learning. The result was real visibility into how students ages 10 to 13 were experiencing this important transition, and the tools needed to strengthen that experience.
How to use this resource:
This case study is designed for state and district leaders facing a similar challenge with the middle to high school transition. Use this case study to see what a coordinated approach can look like in practice: how to structure a pilot, build a coordination process that keeps leadership and implementation teams connected, and pair it with a dashboard that turns student experience into something leaders can act on.
As a school leader, I watched paraprofessionals show up every single day for our most vulnerable students, then saw them sent to make copies during professional development. That disconnect became impossible to ignore. I kept thinking: what would happen if we invested in them the way we invest in teachers?
Framework
Framework: Dimensions and Indicators of Effective Middle to High School Transition
Every student deserves a transition into high school that sets them up to succeed, not just to survive the first few weeks. This resource provides a framework outlining the key dimensions and indicators of an effective transition for students with disabilities. Including:
Student Readiness
Family Preparation & Partnership
Middle & High School Connection
Structures & Ownership
Data for Improvement
How to use this resource:
Use this framework to build a shared understanding of what an effective transition looks like for your school community. Then reflect on what’s already in place and what isn’t, to identify which dimensions matter most for your students right now.
Note: This framework is the foundation for a full self-assessment and action planning process we offer to our partners, aligned to these same dimensions and indicators, along with support to turn results into a plan. Connect with our team to learn more.
archive
Explore Our Archived Resources
Tool: Family Focus Group Protocol
A practical inventory teams can use to gather input from families in the compliance review process that can be used right away.
Framework: Engaging Families During a Compliance Systems Review
This framework outlines our approach to intentional, meaningful family engagement during compliance systems reviews.
Building Systems to Last: How a large urban district used our Compliance Systems Review series to strengthen its service delivery model
This case study is for district leaders who are ready to take an honest look at their programs and build something that lasts.
From Overlooked to Essential: The Power of Investing in Paraprofessionals
This case study offers a roadmap for transforming how schools develop their most underutilized educators.
The Role of a Paraprofessional
This flexible guide outlines paraprofessional roles in schools, focusing on instructional, communication, executive-functioning, social-emotional, and medical supports. It includes strategies and planning prompts for teaming with teachers, using assistive tech, and tracking goals/behavior.
High Leverage Practices for Paraprofessionals
Teachers and paraeducators can collaboratively utilize high-leverage practices (HLPs) for planning and implementing SDI in their classrooms. This guide serves to illustrate the HLPs that can be used when delivering SDI.
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