#43 STAR Person-Centered Planning Process with Self-Directed IEPs

The STAR Person-Centered Planning process is a specially designed process engaging students with disabilities to actively and intentionally plan their future goals with regards to employment, campus and community engagement, academics, independent living, and self-determination.  Once students complete the STAR model, that information can then be easily transferred into Self-Directed IEPs that align with IDEA expectations for transitioning high school students. You will get a good look at the STAR Person-Centered Planning process as well as one teacher's story about using the STAR to make big differences in her students' lives and future plans.

http://project10.info/star.php
STAR pictures 

Transcript

Annie  0:00  

We always had excellent IEPs because they were the ultimate in Person-Centered Planning, and it created an environment where you could see the student buy into their goals and the structure developed to support them in achieving those goals. So you had the specialized instruction built in to the achievement of the goals and that was developed in the STAR meeting. 

Mickie  0:24  

That was Annie Johnson describing the self directed IPs that are developed based on the STAR Person-Centered Planning model that my colleague, Mike Muldoon, and I created as part of one of the resources we developed when I was the director of the Florida Consortium on Post-Secondary Education and Intellectual Disabilities, and Mike was the regional facilitator for the Florida inclusion network, the West region. Today I'm going to share with you information about the STAR person-centered planning process. I'm going to give you a brief overview of what the STAR is and how it works. And then Annie is going to share with you how she used the STAR to develop a self-directed IEPs that the students embraced and used throughout their experiences as part of their college program. And I will share how you can get your own free copy of the STAR to use with your students or to share with one of your child's teachers. So welcome to college disabilities and success episode 43: STAR Person-Centered Planning and self directed IEPs by Mickie Hayes. The opinions in this podcast are my own, so please reach out to your college physician or legal services for additional information.

Students Transitioning to Adult Roles, or the STAR, is a Person-Centered Planning model and transition support resource that was designed to ensure that students with disabilities who are transitioning into post secondary programs have the opportunity to plan their own futures and to gain the support and encouragement of friends and family members. The STAR (Students Transitioning to Adult Roles) person-centered planning process makes it possible to combine the students course of study, Person-Centered Planning goals, and IEP goals into one coherent student plan. It is not required to do a self-directed IEP, but it enables someone who wants to do a self-directed IEP to have a really clear, coherent outline and process to follow. The STAR (Students Transitioning to Adult Roles) focuses on the following five areas or domains: career development and employment, academic enrichment, campus and community engagement, independent living, and self-determination. Each of those domains becomes a point of the STAR. When Mike and I designed the STAR, we intentionally kept it low-tech because we wanted to make the STAR accessible to anyone whether or not they had computer technology available or not. So the STAR chart, which is the image that is used to record everything during the STAR meeting is such that you can project it to a board, you can project it to a large piece of paper, or if you're doing a lot of the STAR persons that are planning self-directed IEPs with several different students, you could do what we did, and we simply went to FedEx or Kinkos, someplace like that, and we had the STAR put onto an erasable whiteboard about four feet by four feet that then stood up and could be written on during the STAR meeting. But you can just as easily project it onto a whiteboard in your classroom and then take pictures of the STAR once it's finished. So it's very easy to use. I will have pictures on my website of students using the STAR so you can get a visual image of what it looks like. And that is that mickieteaches.com, MICKIEteaches.com. But in the meantime, for the purposes of this podcast, it is a five pointed STAR. There are five arrows in the STAR, and they come together to form a STAR in the center of the image. The center STAR is where the students share all of their hopes and dreams and plans for the future. To have a proper STAR (Students Transitioning to Adult Roles) meeting with a student and build out their STAR chart. You need to have a facilitator and a recorder. So the facilitator runs the STAR meeting and the recorder records the answers that everybody gives onto the STAR chart. The student plans their STAR like an event, invites their friends and family, bring snacks if they want to. We encourage them to make it their own event. Just a brief FYI, this cannot be conducted by a parent, simply because the parent is one of the invited guests to the STAR meeting. So you need to have somebody other than the parent planning the STAR meeting with the student. Could be a teacher if you are a homeschool parent, it could be someone in your community who handles the STAR meeting for any student who needs to use it. The idea is that in order to have a proper STAR person-centered planning event, you need to have someone other than the family member handle the logistics and handle the details of the STAR. So if you are a parent listening to this, I strongly urge you to share this with those teachers in your child's life that you know might be interested in learning about Person-Centered Planning and the STAR model. So once a STAR date is established, and everybody gets together, you need to have a room, classroom, just a place with a lot of seats, that would include any visitors to the STAR meeting that the student invites, and they could be friends, family, relatives, neighbors, people from church, boyfriends, girlfriends, whatever the whoever the person that is doing the STAR wants to include, and these are all people that would have a vested interest in that student's future. The STAR (Students Transitioning to Adult Roles) process itself is relatively straightforward. There is a pre-STAR section of the process with some pre interview questions for both the student and the parents. And once the pre work is done, then you can hold the STAR meeting with the student after the STAR meeting is finished, the teacher or STAR facilitator will then sit with the student and go over the star results and make an action plan for the future goals that the student has prepared. And at this point, then in that action plan phase of the STAR meeting the teacher or facilitator, and the student can plan out what they're going to include in their self directed IEP. If you're interested in this, all of that information in very complete detail is in the manual that we prepared with all of the forms and all of the steps that you can follow to do the start process. So if you're interested, for more further details, check out the links in my show notes. And I will link to the Start information on the Florida project 10 website. And now I'd like to introduce Danny Johnson in any Johnson was the former college coordinator for the specialized Sting Ray program that we had on the campus at the University of South Florida, St. Pete And Annie has used the STAR (Students Transitioning to Adult Roles) process with students with intellectual disabilities. And that's how the STAR was originally designed. And it's ideal for students with intellectual disabilities. But what we discovered after we created the STAR was how versatile it is and how it actually can be used with any student who is transitioning from high school to college who really doesn't have a plan and isn't sure of the direction they want to go. And this is the perfect resource to help any student with a disability form a plan about their future and it not only includes their future academically at college, but their future as a member of the community, their future as an employee, their social future, their living future, their housing future. We try to take in every aspect that an individual needs to pull together when planning their life. So without further ado, let me introduce you to Annie Johnson. This is my friend and colleague Annie Johnson, who is currently an extended transition teacher, but when I knew her at work, she was Curriculum Coordinator for the STINGRAY program at USF St. Pete College in St. Pete, Florida. And it was a tip said program specifically designed for students with intellectual disabilities. Annie, would you give us some insight into your class? How many kids were in your class? 

Annie  9:48  

Our maximum level of students was 12. We had about 10 to 12 on any given semester and it was a good size. It was small enough that they got to know each other and large enough that students brought in different backgrounds and interests. And it made for a pretty exciting year. 

Mickie  10:09  

Yes, it did. And I knew many of those students, and they were really great kids, every single one of them. So yeah, they're You did a wonderful job with them and helping them transition and learn the things that they needed to learn to have a successful future.  

Annie  10:23  

Yeah, it's been fun keeping in touch with them, too, all these years and see where they are.

Mickie  10:27  

 That is good. That is good. Not every teacher does that. So that's a special gift you're giving them and they're very lucky to have had you. Thank you. When you were at USF St. Pete, in the TPSID program, you use the STAR person-centered planning program that Mike and I had put together as part of our TPSID grant. And you were very helpful when we were putting that program together because one of the things that you advised me to do was to plan the five areas of the STAR that we covered according to the kids IEPs and what they would have to do as part of their high school transition program in their IEP program. I really appreciated that insight that you gave us, because that helped us to design the STAR in a much more useful way for the classroom facilitator for those kids transitioning. Well, I knew you had embraced the STAR, I knew that you really, really felt that it had value in merit and made a difference in their lives. Could you talk a little bit about the STAR itself in the STAR meetings with the kids? 

Annie  11:32  

Oh, absolutely. I was in love with the program, because finally, you could develop an IEP, a good solid transition IEP, that addressed the whole child, their interests, their strengths, their needs, their skills, and it was all about them. There were no more cookie cutter IEPs for my students, because I could take everything that the STAR revealed for our students and roll them into our transition service activity areas. And they aligned perfectly, and it was much more wholesome, solid transition plan for students.

Mickie  12:10  

Could you give us just a brief look at not only doing the STAR with you, but then taking it further into that self directed IEP? 

Annie  12:20  

Well, it was easy because the students owned that STAR. They saw their strengths. It was clear what they were interested in doing with the feedback of their parents, and the people closest to them, which is part of the STAR process. Their interests and skills and dreams were revealed and connected so that when the goals were developed they knew exactly what they wanted to do, they it gave them the clear path. And from that, we could roll that into the IEP. And since the student owned it, they wanted to present it. And so we would present their IEP in a PowerPoint and use the STAR as the outline for their IEP. And so they knew it, and they bought into it. And it was all them. And they wanted to present it. It was it was a perfect vehicle for them to buy into their goal from that moment forward. 

Mickie  13:17  

And just to refresh everybody's memory from the first part of this podcast, the STAR really covers five components. It covers career development in employment, academic enrichment, independent living, self-determination, and campus and community engagement. And those five areas all tied into their IEP. And part of the process of the STAR was to look at those five areas to figure out what the students already had in those areas, and what parts of those areas they wanted to continue to work on. Correct? 

Annie  13:52  

Yes, that's exactly it. And what was revealing to me as a teacher is that I could take that information from all the students and create opportunities within the community to make sure that they achieve their goals in community experience. We can direct their employment goals where it's tailor made to each student, a plan for post school living tailored to each student. It really made my job easier because I had a framework based on the results of their STARs to create the curriculum. 

Mickie  14:25  

And when did you hold the STAR meetings, usually?

Annie  14:28  

We would align it with their IEP meeting so that we could try to get the STAR meetings completed at the beginning of the year, so we could work on developing their IEP and preparing for their IEP meeting that they presented to their parents, the professors in their college at USF St. Pete, as well as any friends that they decided to invite to their meeting. There was usually a full classroom of people attending their IEPs, and the student was so proud to present their life to their friends, and the people closest to them. It made their IEPs a joyous event. 

Mickie  15:05  

And that isn't easy to do. 

Annie  15:06  

It's not easy to do. I've noticed in public school.

Mickie  15:11  

So, the self directed IEPs that the students were doing, the people at the meeting, were college professors, family members, and somebody from the public school system? 

Annie  15:22  

Yes, we would have a VE specialist or a said compliance diagnostician, oh, okay, someone that made sure that everything ran according to the rules that were put forth from the FLDOE, to align our IEPs with what was required under IDEA. We always had excellent IEPs because they were the ultimate in person-centered planning. And it created an environment where you could see the student buy into their goals, and the structure developed to support them in achieving those goals. So you had the specialized instruction built in to the achievement of the goals, and that was developed in the STAR meeting. So a lot of the work is done in the STAR meeting. And then you just roll that into the IEP. And it made the IEP writing itself. Not laborious at all, it just rolled right into five domains. 

Mickie  16:19  

Because it fit right into those five domains that I had mentioned earlier. Right? Yeah. Excellent. Students who did their self-directed IEPs, then they did that using a PowerPoint? Is that how it worked? 

Annie  16:30  

Yes, we took pictures of their STAR, and a student going through the process of the meeting developing these goals through the STAR process. The picture of the student in front of the completed STAR, which was a beautiful, colorful poster that I'm sure they'll have forever. And then they would go through the each goal and show pictures of them working on those particular goals and pictures of their participation in college and employments in the community. We did a lot of community service work for the city. And it just showed everyone that they knew that they were part of our community. They were functional members in the community. There were pictures of students voting for election, students taking public transportation to go to a job off campus. It just showed that our students had the ability to transition from a probably a classroom that was specific to them, and the participatory in our community in every way imaginable. So the STAR opened up five different areas that the student could be very self-fulfilled. 

Mickie  17:40  

Absolutely, because it really gives them a clear understanding about their life and their realities and their futures. 

Annie  17:49  

And it gave them a voice. I think they had an idea of what they wanted, but there have been so many doors that have been shut to them that they couldn't really picture themselves doing the things that they wanted to do. And the STAR just really kind of reconfirmed the fact that yeah, you can do that you've always been interested in playing the guitar. In fact, you know, you lean towards country music. And so why don't we take that interest and develop it into a goal where you take where you audit a class in college, you know, on the guitar, or we'll find someone to help you, you know, go through the fingering of some country music song. So it's a self-fulfilling area where they get to find a way to achieve the dreams that they've had, that, you know, is fulfilling for them. 

Mickie  18:37  

How about with regards to employment and future employment? What kinds of things did they do there? 

Annie  18:42  

With employments, what I found out with the STAR is they would have a goal, for example, they'd want to be a chef. And so we would find them opportunities to develop their cooking skills, and maybe work in collaboration with an outside agency to get them experience in a like a two week cooking program. And from that experience, they could decide, well, is it really something that I want to do? Or maybe I don't want to be a chef anymore, but I love the experience in the kitchen. And I'm really rock solid on cutting vegetables. And we've had students hired by kitchens where they just sat there cutting vegetables all day, and it served the purpose of the kitchen. They realize that being a chef wasn't what exactly what they wanted, you know, because they looked at how far they could go. And what they really loved was cutting vegetables. They were hired by a kitchen to cut vegetables. They were a valued part of the workforce. 

Mickie  19:42  

Absolutely. And so all of these developments that occurred aligned with the goals and objectives and information that was gleaned out of the STAR meeting. 

Annie  19:53  

Yes, exactly. It made it very easy and very clear for everybody where to go with that child. 

Mickie  19:58  

Nice. You mentioned any that you have a formula when they do the self directed IEPs?

Annie  20:05  

 Well, yes, and I took it right out of the STAR, because you would develop the five goals in the STAR. And we went to develop their PowerPoint to present for their IEP meeting. And they would take the goals, they would take their present levels of performance, and they would plot the chart that they've developed to get from the present level of performance to achieve their goal. And so that reinforced the information that we developed in the STAR meeting. And so when the student developed their PowerPoint, and then presented it to their closest friends and teachers, they would own it. And it would be so much easier to have that student achieve the goal because they knew exactly what they had to do. 

Mickie  20:55  

When Abby did her STAR IEP, wasn't she the one who said one of the professors was just moved emotionally? 

Annie  21:02  

Yes, her Spanish teacher came. And she just couldn't get over how composed Abby was and how well she had presented her meeting with the goals and the plans. And the EDA, it was so comprehensive to include employments and community work and what she had planned to complete in her Spanish class. And it was just, it was just beautiful. And yeah, I remember the professor telling me after the meeting with tears in her eyes that she had never experienced anything like that before. So it was it was pretty profound. I mean, to us, it was just like this is what we do every day. But she just thought it was pretty spectacular. 

Mickie  21:43  

Yeah, I think that's a big part of it. Because the value that our students bring to others and to society is pretty incredible. But not everybody notes it or realizes it at the time. And so it's nice to see that this is one way to get that word out. 

Annie  22:00  

Well, that was the beauty of having the STINGRAY program on that campus. I can't tell you how many of the mentors that Christian brought into the program would say, I had no idea how this would change my life. Or, you know, these students are so amazing and pure, and I just feel like I have another outlook on life that I didn't think I could have at this age in my life. But it was almost finding the purity of life and the happiness, the way that can be achieved and just getting through the day and doing what you need to do. 

Mickie  22:35  

Do you have any other comments or thoughts that we should add to this? 

Annie  22:39  

Yes, I do. I know that when STAR first rolled out, I was a little overwhelmed at the meetings and preparation we had to do, but working through it, it all fell into place. So that when we actually came to the IEP, the IEP, which I used to sweat, to make sure it was appropriate for the student, it was guaranteed to be appropriate for the student. It made writing IEP so much easier. And I knew that the job was going to get done because there were so many people that had to buy into that student's IEP, and we knew where to go. here was no gray area, there was no, "Well, you know, maybe this would work for the child", some of these goals that would be developed based on you know, previous experience, not person-centered, like the the focus of the STARs, Person-Centered Planning, and the individual's reward. You would see the development of each child who went through the STAR go through the year with those goals in mind. They were self-fulfilled, and it was very productive. So my advice would be, do not hesitate to put the time in in the front because it will save you time in the end and produce a better plan for each student. 

Mickie  23:58  

Oh, absolutely. Absolutely. And I think too, because we were in the process of developing the STAR, you know, like every other new program, there's a lot of smoothing out that it has to do. And I think probably in the beginning, we were just like anybody else trying to smooth out those rough edges. But honestly, once you start doing one or two of the STAR meetings with the kids, you get a groove and you get a feel for it. 

Annie  24:24  

Yeah, and I wish they would roll the STAR into the initial transitional IEP when a student turns 16. Because that way they will go through high school, and instead of not knowing what high school can do for them. A lot of kids really don't get it when they're in high school that, for example, a student at 16 will say well, I really want to be a plumber when I get out of high school. Okay, well now make the plan because plumbing entails measurement, it entails fraction. It entails a little bit of algebra, the Pythagorean Theorem, you'd have to be had knowledge of that. So these are the area. This is why you're taking math in high school. And this makes sense because you have to go through this to achieve your goal of getting into plumbing. And it just clarifies the reason why we have academics, it's a preparation for the goal of becoming a plumber. If the student wants to look into independent living, okay, well, this is the time you need to start looking at how do you get an apartment? What do you need first month rent, last month's rent, deposits. All of this will become clear. I just really would like to see this happen when these kids turn 16. 

Mickie  25:43  

That makes perfect sense.

Annie  25:45  

 Yeah, they have a better plan for their life. They have a roadmap through high school, and they'll be more successful as they connect to their post-secondary options. 

Mickie  25:56  

Well, I really, really appreciate all you did. You helped Mike and I take that product that we produced and make it real, you gave it wings. And I appreciate that. You really, really did was fun for us. Thank you, Annie. Thank you. I am so grateful that Annie came in and shared her story with you. Because I think that Annie's use of the STAR model to develop a self-directed IEPs made all the difference in the world. The STAR, Person-Centered Planning model is an excellent resource, regardless, if you are in a situation where you have a student or a child who just doesn't know their plans. They're floundering for a future. And just trying to figure it all out. The STAR will help that person solidify the ideas, solidify their thoughts, solidify their plans for the future. So I think the STAR makes a really, really big difference for so many students. And we've seen it used over and over again so successfully with different students in transition programs, planning their futures. I know it works. And I know it will work if you want to take it to that next level, and create a self-directed IEP out of it.

So regardless of how you use it, if you want the resources that are available to you, free of charge. Everything is out there. I have the links in my show notes for the STAR model, you will get all of the materials that you need to complete the process. There's a training manual, there are resources, and we even developed an exit STAR. So if you have a student who is in a post-secondary program, and they're planning to graduate and move into life, in general, there's a STAR exit that you can do as well to help that child have a solid footing once they leave college. If you want any of these resources, the links are in the show notes. And they're also on my website, mickieteaches.com. Look for the page on the STAR model. And you will have images and pictures and the transcript of this podcast. Everything will be there for you to check out. That's mickieteaches, MICKIEteaches.com. If you have any questions at all about the STAR, don't hesitate to ask me at mickieteaches@gmail.com. Have a great rest of the day. And thank you for being here. Bye. 

Information contained throughout this podcast has been gleaned from my own personal experiences, but to ensure accuracy, please contact the Disability Services at the college of your choice to have firsthand information and the most up to date policies and procedures followed for your particular institution of higher education. The content in any of these podcasts is not intended as a substitute for information from legal, educational, or medical professionals. Always seek the advice of your attorney or qualified health care provider with any questions you may have with regards to legal, educational, or medical concerns.

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