Post-Graduation Survey Support for Families
Each June 1-Nov. 1, Washington school districts call the homes of former students to reconnect and see how things are going. The information that families share helps the state make decisions about educational programming for students in special education.
If a school district representative calls, the interview will be about 15 minutes long and will include questions about work, further education and whether the student had support from any agencies while making the transition from high school to whatever came next. The caller might be a teacher, secretary, or other staff member.
By answering the survey questions, families provide valuable information that helps improve transition services for current and future students with special education programs. Families with youth still in high school can prepare to participate in this survey after graduation by making sure to provide a teacher with a reliable way to reach the family after graduation (phone, email, text).
Below are a few tips to help you plan for this interview, in case you get called. For a longer version of this guidance, visit the website of the Center for Change in Transition Services (CCTS), which is operated by Seattle University. CCTS provides the “Post-School Survey Student and Family Guide” as a Power Point and/or a downloadable handout in both English and Spanish.
All information is kept confidential. The data are summarized into reports about the post-school outcomes of students throughout Washington State. A statewide post-school outcome report is published by CCTS every December. School district reports are also published in December, and families can request a copy form the district.
Here’s a summary of questions. Families can prepare by writing down the answers and having them ready to access for the telephone survey, which is not pre-scheduled:
Work:
- Is the young adult working? If so, where? How long?
- How many hours? What are the hourly wages, or how much is being earned?
- Whom does the young person work with?
- If not working, what was the most recent job and its pay?
Schools and Vocational Agencies:
- Is the young adult going to school? If so, where? How long?
- Has the family or young person contacted any service agencies for support?
- What service help is being given or lacking? For example, is the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR) or a supported employment agency such as Trillium, WorkSource, Vadis or another company helping?