What are Transition Services?
by Mary Jean Balda
The North Point ESC currently employs five (5) Work Study/Transition Coordinators (see below.) All five of our coordinators are experienced and licensed special educators. All five either have or are supervised by someone who has a special Transition to Work Endorsement on their teaching licenses from the Ohio Department of Education.
A Work Study/Transition Coordinator works in cooperation with the student, the special education teacher and the parents. The goal for all of our students is that they graduate from high school with the vocational skills, work experience and education that will enable them to be self-supporting citizens. In order to help students achieve this goal, a WS/TC may assist students in many ways, including:
| Career Planning | Referrals to Adult Service Agencies such as BVR or MRDD | Career Assessments |
| Employer Contacts | Job Shadowing | Provide Info Re Community Resources |
| Identifying Appropriate Vocational Programs | Job Seeking Skills | Making Post-Secondary Training Decisions |
Do All Students on IEPs Have a Work Study/Transition Coordinator?
The easiest way to determine whether a student has a WS/TC is to look at the last page of his/her IEP form. In the section marked "Summary of Special Education Services," if the words "Work Study" or "Transition" or the initials "WSC" are written in that space, then there is a WS/TC assigned to the student. Typically high school students aged 14-22 are assigned to a Work Study/Transition Coordinator. You may call your child's special education teacher and ask if your child has a WS/TC.
How Can a Student on an IEP Receive Work Study Credit?
A student may receive academic credit toward graduation by working or volunteering in the community. A student may earn up to one credit for each 160 hours she/he works. If their school schedule is accommodating, students are able to be released early from school in order to work. Students may earn credit even if they are only working after school and weekends.
The Work Study credit counts as elective credit, it cannot take the place of required credits such as English, Math, Science and Social Studies. Typically Work Study credit is awarded to Juniors and Seniors, though depending on the needs of the student, Freshmen and Sophomores are able to earn Work Study credit as well. Whether or not a student will be eligible to receive Work Study credit is a team decision made during an IEP meeting.
I Still Have Questions About Transition/Work Study Services, Who Do I contact?
| Transition Coordinator | Phone Number | |
| Mary Jean Balda | 419-684-5385 ext 33 | mbalda@npesc.org |
| Marilyn Charville | 419-694-5385 ext 20 | mcharville@npesc.org |
| Robin Hassellbach | 419-668-1658 | rhasselbach@npesc.org |
| Cheryl Verhovec | 419-668-1658 | cverhovec@npesc.org |
| Drew Surovjak | 419-898-3815 | dsurovjak@npesc.org |
