Wisconsin Teacher Professional Practice Goal (PPG) Planning Template

Name:

Matt McClenaghan

Subject Area/Grade Level: 9/10 Special Education

Date Completed: 11/30/2015
Based on your self-review and after reflecting on possible areas for growth, state your
Professional Practice Goal:
During the 2015-2016 school year, I will increase my knowledge of supporting my students through
the development of transition goals. I will research on-line resources, consult with district, state,
and/or cooperative special education administrators and mentors, and participate in an on-line
webinar on transition planning for students with disabilities. This will be evidenced by notes and
self-reflection, anecdotal notes on my interactions with my caseload students through the transition
process and a completion certificate from the CEC webinar course.
If your PPG and SLO are aligned, how are they related? If they are not aligned, explain:
My PPG concerns my abilities and knowledge in transition planning for my caseload students as I
hold and create/revise IEPs throughout the school year. My SLO is designed with vocabulary
instruction and support that I am giving to students in teaching Reading Workshop and supporting
students use of academic vocabulary in Resource Study Halls, co-taught English classes, and in a
wide range of all of their academic courses this school year.
Identify components from the Danielson Framework for Teaching that align with your PPG:
My PPG involves several items from Domains in the Danielson Framework.
Improving my knowledge and skills with regard to transition planning will involve:

1b - Demonstrating Knowledge of Students;

1d - Demonstrating Knowledge of Resources;
3d - Communicating with Students;
4c - Communicating with Parents

The IEP process, including the PTP - Transition Plan, involves getting to know each student and
their hopes for education, training and employment beyond high school. Communicating effectively
with students and their families is a big component to being successful in helping the transition.
Describe applicable instructional or non-instructional activities:
I will be co-teaching English 10 here at the OHS, as well as lead teaching a Reading Workshop
class. I will also be supporting student learning and progress in supported study halls in the Special

Education Department for 9th and 10th graders in both semesters this school year. I will be working
with students on my caseload in identifying their strengths, hopes and plans for education and
career beyond high school. To that end, I will work with students and instruments such as the TPI Transition Planning Inventory; the CITE Learning Styles Inventory and other informal measures.
Identify resources and support you need to achieve this PPG:
I will access the knowledge and assistance of colleagues, mentors and administrators in my efforts
to provide service and help to my caseload students in their consideration of post-secondary
education and employment. I plan to engage in research and educational opportunities in this
endeavor as well, specifically through the enrollment in a webinar on Transitioning offered through
the Council for Exceptional Children, the Wisconsin Transition Improvement Grant as well as other
resources directly focused on improving transition planning.

Mid-year Review of Progress

Date Mid-year review of progress completed:

03/01/2016

Describe your progress towards achieving the Goal:

I have worked through and completed a majority of annual/triennial meetings for my
caseload students at this int of the school year. Included in each of those was a transition
plan and appurtenant documentation including the updating of WI DPI PTP forms that
reflect the interests and strengths of each student, their desire and plan for future education
and employment, coursework and community experience that will contribute to achieving
their goals. I have collaborated with colleagues and consulted with program support
professionals here at Oregon High School regarding IEP planning and specifically
transition planning.
Summarize the evidence you gathered up to this point:
I have gathered and reviewed student work product and results involving each students strengths,
desires, plans and questions as they involve transitioning to life beyond high school. I have
created/updated PTPs through the WI DPI that have been included in each students Annual
Individual Education Plan.

Articulate strategies/modifications to address ongoing challenges to implementing

your PPG:
I have organized materials for students to complete in their pursuit of and identification of
future goals and plans. These materials are included in folders that students access and
complete as part of their time in Special Education Resource Study Hall. Through working
with each student, I have developed a schedule for working with them to complete the
transition documents. Calendaring dates to preview and plan for completing and discussing
transition plan has become a priority and routine toward the end of the academic year. I
have also focused on including parents in this endeavor. Prompting them to have a
discussion with their child about transitioning and future plans have helped to generate

new ideas and formulate questions in the minds of my students.

Describe key next steps:
During Spring break and beyond, I plan to participate in and complete online webinars and
training opportunities provided by; The Wisconsin Transition Improvement Grant, The
Center for Exceptional Children, the Center for Leadership in Disability and the State of
Illinois Board of education. All of these agencies are providing training and insight into
providing effective transition planning for students with disabilities and strategies for
accomplishing positive and meaningful transition plans for them as they prepare for life
beyond high school.

End of Year Review

Date End of Year Review completed: 5/23/2016
What is the status of your PPG at the end of the year?
In furtherance of my professional development and growth, I have participated in several
online webinars and presentations that focused on transition planning, Indicator 13
requirements and incorporating transition mechanisms and resources into IEP meeting for
students with disabilities. I have participated in the following webinars and/or online training
experiences:
- Wi Transition Improvement Grant - PTP Live at the IEP Meeting
- Center for Exceptional Children - Writing Indicator 13-Compliant Transition Plans
- Center for Leadership in Disability - Writing Effective Transition Plans
- Illinois Board of Education - Secondary Transition and Indicator 13 Requirements
These resources were tremendously valuable and presented great insight into the transition
process and offered real advice on how to incorporate participation of students and
parents in the creation of transition plans. I gained valuable insight and ideas for creating
efficient and effective transition planning as it relates to drafting IEPs and the PTPs that
accompany them. Making the involvement of each student and their families a priority in the
IEP and transition planning process is imperative for a sense of empowerment and
ownership on the behalf of the student. Increasing family engagement and understanding in
the transition process can be accomplished through pre-loading the student and family
opinion and choice as they move forward through a more and more independent handling
of services and supports for their specific needs. Worth noting in this process are a number
of items that can create interest, ownership and involvement:

PTP Parent /Youth Guide

PTP Worksheet
Wisconsin Career Pathways

Pre-Meeting Services Review and Identification

Preparation and Employment of a Student Centered IEP Meeting Agenda
Utilization of the IEP Live Website during IEP Meetings

One of the points stressed in each of the webinars that I attended was the idea that a
driving question should be whether I have done everything I can to create an environment
that makes everyone at the meeting comfortable and empowered to contribute and express
their ideas, hopes and future goals to facilitate the most effective resources and services
available to ensure the successful transition of students from high school to the real world.
Discuss the evidence you gathered throughout the year:
Throughout the school year, I prepared for and participated in Annual and Re-evaluation
IEP Meetings for my caseload students. In the process of preparing for the meetings to
review, revise and draft plans for my students for upcoming school years, I had the
opportunity to work with students about their futures. It was a pleasure to hear their ideas,
discuss options , share experience and direct them to gather information about their
strengths, hopes and dreams regarding post-secondary education and career options.
In that endeavor, I worked to create Post-secondary Transition Plans (PTPs) for all the
students on my caseload as part of creating their IEPs moving forward. To facilitate the
creation of effective PTPs, I worked with my students to complete and review Transition
Planning Inventories, Learning Styles Inventories, Four Year Plans for high school
completion, and assisted in their course selections for upcoming school years. My students
also met with School to Career and Guidance Counselors to review and discuss course
options, graduation requirements and post-secondary educational and career choices.
What did you learn that would inform future PPG processes, plans, or goals?
Throughout the process of learning about transition planning for students with disabilities,
it became apparent to me that the skills and strategies I was learning about would have
been very valuable at the start of the school year. It seems that I wish the process did not
result in having to wait until next year to put the new found knowledge to work. Had I known
last Fall what I now know, I may have approached some things differently in the preparation
process for the IEP meetings that I conducted this year. Being able to apply that knowledge
would have clearly made my meetings and IEP development more student centered and
would have resulted in each student taking more of a lead role in meetings.
In that sense, I feel that it might be beneficial for teachers to do some PPG work in the
summer months after they have had a chance to identify areas that they have specific room
to grow. I believe it is a tremendously valuable experience to reflect on ones own teaching
and professional experience. I feel a bit cheated that now at the end of the school year, I
will have to wait several months to put my new ideas into practice. Given the opportunity to
focus over the summer on the PPG goal and process without having to juggle teaching,
paperwork and other time consuming activities and requirements, I believe that a more
focused inquiry and acquisition of new ideas and growth could be realized.

Additional comments:
Nothing specific, but I am very happy that I delved into the greater importance and focus
on transitioning my students toward leaving high school. In the future, the PTP may not
become the show and centerpiece of IEP meetings, but it will never be an add on or
footnote again. Finding ways for students to be successful beyond high school and into
their adult lives is really the goal anyway. Therefore, I now see the PTP and the underlying
concepts within it as more of a framework for approaching annual IEP development.
I did have some thoughts regarding how the new ACP programs will affect, augment or
interact with the efforts that special education makes in designing transition plans. There
may be some overlap or duplication of effort for students in special education. Perhaps the
Career-Cruising program and its outcomes can be coordinated and included in our PTP
Indicator #13 Transition Plan requirements moving forward.