Shared Communication Practices Support the Tracking of Student Growth

In order to be able to communicate about individual students partners should obtain a release of information from each student so student, parents and/or guardians can give permission for information to be shared and discussed. Once a release is signed, partners can share information they know about individual students to coordinate services and identify next steps as well as roles and responsibilities in supporting the student in their next steps.

Without taking the time to sit down and discuss individual students and where they are in the transition process it will be difficult to coordinate planning. Many teams feel they don’t have the time to do this, but when organized, teams have found this to be a very effective and efficient process. When this isn’t done lack of coordination, duplication of services and students getting lost in the process often occurs.

Along with regular meetings to review updates on individual students the team should identify a way they will track students’ progress through the appropriate services outlined in your local Sequence of Services. Some teams use simple tracking forms that outline what student have done and possible next steps. Other teams have developed individual student level sequence of services outlining the specific services that a particular student needs as well as identifies the partners that will support the student in achieving their identified post-school goals.