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Spring 2025 | Updates and resources to support inclusive education and post-school success for students with disabilities.
Spring Newsletter
April 15, 2025
At CCTS, we know that meaningful transition planning is built on collaboration, data, and — most importantly — student voice.
Our Spring newsletter focuses on self-advocacy, the skill that empowers students to express their needs, set goals, and take ownership of their futures. We’re excited to share practical resources and research that can help you foster self-advocacy in the classroom and beyond.
In addition, we highlight our newly adapted Representativeness Calculator, a tool designed to help ESDs and districts assess how well their post-school outcome data reflects their student populations. High-quality, representative data is critical for informed program improvement and equity-focused decision-making.
Please take a few moments to explore the resources in this newsletter, reflect on how they might enhance your work, and share them with colleagues. We hope these updates inspire continued collaboration and progress toward equitable outcomes for all students.
Centering Student Voice: Self-Advocacy in Transition Planning
Self-Advocacy in Transition Planning
In transition planning, it is essential that students with disabilities are at the center of the conversation. Self-advocacy, the ability to effectively communicate one’s wants and needs, is a skill that not only prepares students for adulthood but also improves their confidence, self-determination, and long-term outcomes.
As described by Dr. Valerie Paradiz and colleagues in Essential Self-Advocacy and Transition, self-advocacy skills are linked to positive adult outcomes, including employment and financial independence. More importantly, when students understand their strengths, needs, and rights, they are better equipped to make decisions, ask for accommodations, and build meaningful connections.
At CCTS, we encourage educators and families to help students develop these skills early and often. Two of our resources to support this work:
- The Student-Led IEPs Canvas Training, available on the CCTS website, provides educators with practical strategies to help students lead their own meetings and take ownership of their goals.
- Unit 5 of the T-Folio online curriculum focuses on self-advocacy, guiding students through the process of identifying their needs, understanding their rights, and practicing self-advocacy strategies.
By making space for students to practice self-advocacy now, we are giving them the tools to navigate education, employment, healthcare, and community life in the future. This is more than a best practice — it’s a key component of equitable and meaningful transition planning. As Dr. Paradiz’s team so aptly states, “Ensuring that students...have the liberty and power to act on their needs and rights is one of the most essential lessons we can impart before they transition to adulthood.”
Source: Paradiz, V., Kelso, S., Nelson, A., & Earl, A. (2018). Essential self-advocacy and transition. Pediatrics, 141(Supplement_4). https://www.researchgate.net/publication/324158104_Essential_Self-Advocacy_and_Transition
Representativeness Calculator for Post-School Outcome Data
New resource from CCTS
As part of our annual post-school outcome (PSO) data reporting and analysis for Washington state, CCTS examines how representative the PSO data are of populations that are often underrepresented.
Representativeness is reviewed by different demographic categories, including exit status, disability, gender, race/ethnicity, and language proficiency. Since 2022, Washington state has achieved representative data for all populations.
Reviewing representativeness is important because it determines how well the PSO data reflect the larger population of special education leavers. When using PSO data for program improvement, representative data lead to more accurate insights and better decision-making.
For ESDs and districts who want to review the representativeness of their data, CCTS adapted a Representativeness Calculator Excel spreadsheet, originally developed by the National Technical Assistance Center on Transition: The Collaborative (NTACT:C).
Representativeness Calculator spreadsheets are available by ESD. Spreadsheet workbooks include:
- Representative calculations for Washington state
- Representative calculations for the ESD
- A blank template for districts
To download a Representativeness Calculator and view instructions for completing the district calculations, visit our Post-School Survey Guide on Reviewing Data for Representativeness.
If you have questions about your PSO data, please reach out to our team at ccts@seattleu.edu.
Washington state Teachers of the Year on Maintaining Strong and Welcoming Public Schools
Webinar from the League of Education Voters (March 2025)
An encouraging and uplifting watch!
“Executive orders at the federal level are targeting students who are undocumented, students who identify as LBGTQ+, students who come from low-income backgrounds, and students with disabilities. Now more than ever, it is crucial to maintain strong and welcoming public schools.
“In this webinar, Washington state Teachers of the Year share what they are hearing from students, families, and colleagues in their community about how the current school year is going and what students need now, especially as we face massive changes at the federal level. Students from across Washington state offer their feedback.”
King County Resource Fair
For people with intellectual and developmental disabilities
“This is a FREE community event that welcomes people with intellectual and developmental disabilities or delays, their families, caregivers, service providers, teachers, employers, and other interested community members. Enjoy a variety of workshops and over 50 information tables to connect you with the people and tools to support your goals.”
- When: Thursday, May 29, 2025, 9 a.m.–3 p.m.
- Where: Microsoft Mixer Commons Building, 15255 NE 40th St, Redmond, WA 98052
- Registration: Registration is required for all attendees, regardless of age. Register today at Eventbrite.
- Assistance: For group registration or registration assistance, email Jenna Wolfstone at wolfstone@kingcounty.gov.
Workshops on high school transition (tentatively) include:
- Discover Inclusive Postsecondary Education Opportunities in Washington!
- Collaboration Best Practices for Success in High School Transition
- My Hopes and Dreams for My Job, Home and Life After School
More sessions will be announced soon.
For details, including informational flyers in multiple languages, visit the King County Resource Fair webpage.
CCTS Presentations and Training
Presentation Library
Slide decks, summaries, and recordings are available for selected CCTS presentations on our Presentation Library page. Topics center on secondary transition planning strategies and tools for students with IEPs.
Free Transition Training Materials
Each of CCTS’s self-paced training courses can be accessed free of charge from the CCTS website. Courses include modules and activity workbooks that can be completed individually or with a group.
- Writing Effective Transition Plans (10 modules)
- Student-Led IEPs (7 modules)
- Developing Job Shadow Experiences (4 modules)
- Partnerships for Inclusion: Special Education and Career Technical Education (6 modules)
Visit CCTS’s Secondary Transition Training page for details.
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