Day 1 Kick-off

8-8:30 a.m. (On-Demand)

Dr. Charlotte Alverson (she/her), NTACT:C
Dr. Cinda Johnson (she/her), CCTS
Elaine Marcinek (she/her), CCTS
Jay Shepherd (they/she), CCTS
Julia Shoots (she/her), CCTS

Kick off the start of your day with Dr. Cinda Johnson from CCTS and Charlotte Alverson from the National Technical Assistance Center on Transition: The Collaborative (NTACT:C). They’re joined by members of the CCTS team who share some logistical reminders, an overview of today’s sessions, and a question to consider throughout the day.

---

Keynote | Learning from the Stories Behind the Data: Why Students with Disabilities are Dropping out of High School in Washington state

9-9:50 a.m. (Live)

Dr. Cynthia Gale (she/her), Seattle University
Dr. Cinda Johnson (she/her), CCTS

In Washington state, graduation rates indicate that students with disabilities drop out of high school at significantly higher rates than their nondisabled peers. Dr. Cynthia Gale, Seattle University, examined responses from students and families that were gathered from the annual Post-School Survey to better understand the reasons behind students dropping out of high school. Her data analysis revealed eight themes not found through traditional data reporting mechanisms, including environmental barriers to full inclusion. This presentation demonstrates how post-school outcome data can be used to inform problems of practice and provides programmatic recommendations to improve graduation rates for students with disabilities.

Participants will:

• Identify three reasons students with disabilities drop out of high school in Washington state.
• Understand how qualitative data can be used to capture student and family voices and inform problems of practice.
• Identify three programmatic recommendations to improve student retention and increase the likelihood of graduation.

---

Using Post-School Outcome Data to Inform Transition Planning in Schools

10-10:50 a.m. (On-Demand)

Granite Falls

Katie Leppanen (she/her), Granite Falls High School
Beth Mills (she/her), Granite Falls High School

Granite Falls High School uses post-school outcome data to reflect on the transition services they provide and to identify/remove barriers. Staff have consistently tracked the outcome data and identified ways to improve outcomes for current students.

Participants will:

• Understand how to use the data to determine factors for student success.
• Gain ideas for reflection to improve programming.

University Place

Monique Patel (she/her), University Place School District

University Place School District (UPSD) will share how they used post-school outcome data to inform program improvements across the secondary level. The presentation will highlight data-informed transition services, instruction, student and family engagement to support post-school outcomes, and next steps the district is taking based on current data. UPSD will also share how they made systems changes in their continuum of transition services to more equitably support students, build the capacity of teachers across the buildings, and deliver high quality transition instruction.

Participants will:

• Understand the importance of professional development and opportunities for team collaboration and capacity building to support educators who deliver transition services.
• Identify specific strategies for supporting students and families with transition services.
• Understand the importance of community and agency partnerships in supporting students and families with transition and identify specific examples that may apply to their context.