Area 1: Goals:

The Student Transition Employment Program (STEP) is an award winning comprehensive program designed to provide students with disabilities lifelong employment skills. This transition program encompasses both school based training and community based instruction through Structured Learning Experiences (SLE). The goal of the program is to provide students with career awareness and exploration in a structured setting. STEP is comprised of three phases. Upon entering high school, students are enrolled in a Career Awareness and Vocational Exploration class. The students progress from this phase to Vocational Assessment in the community. By graduation the goal is for students to achieve placement in competitive employment.

The units of study developed for the STEP Curriculum address the Career Education and Consumer Family Life Skills Standards (9.1 and 9.2) directly. Other standards, specifically Language Arts and Literacy (3.1- 3.5) and Math (4.1 - 4.5), are addressed through classroom instruction, as well as being incorporated into individualized student training plans developed as an instructional support for the student in the work place.

Unit 1: Life Choices - career, relationships, living situations
Unit 2: Self-management - time management, social skills, hygiene, personal responsibility
Unit 3: Safety and Sanitation - home, school, community - procedures and devices
Unit 4: Character Development - ethics/Citizenship, accountability
Unit 5: Communication - listening skills, social skills
Unit 6: Employability Skills - application of self-management skills and awareness, safety, character development and communication to the work place
Unit 7: Career Awareness and Planning - strengths, weakness, likes, dislike, resume, application, interview skills
Unit 8: Consumer and Personal Finance - money management, income and expenses

Area 2: Activities:

Currently, there are fifty-four students participating in STEP. The students are classified with a variety of disabilities involving a wide range of cognitive functioning. The students range in age from sixteen to twenty-one.

Phase 1 is comprised of the Career Awareness and Vocational Exploration class with vocational task instruction. Phase 1 is conducted on the school's campus. Classroom teachers and paraprofessionals supervise the vocational task instruction. Students complete a variety of tasks in food services, office skills, and building and grounds maintenance. Some examples of the tasks are sorting mail, filing, sweeping floors, cleaning tables, and laminating.

The students then move into the community as they enter Phase 2 of the program. Phase 2 consists of both Vocational Exploration in the classroom and community based Vocational Assessment. Vocational Assessment has students, under the supervision of a SLE Case Manager, participating in Structured Learning Experiences at one of our 31 established community-based work sites for one-to-two week intervals.

In phase 3, students continue school based Vocational Exploration and move toward placement in employment at his/her highest competitive level. The SLE Case Manager, the student and the parents work together to secure the most appropriate job placement. This takes the student through the entire process from application to independence in the work place.

Area 3: Outside Resources:

As demonstrated above, STEP is connected with, and supported by, a variety of Federal, State and local agencies. In Addition, the staffing and transportation for STEP is wholly funded by the Freehold Regional High School Board of Education. The fact that our transportation is available on a daily as needed basis sets STEP apart from other programs within the State of New Jersey. Our community based job sites offer us natural supports in the form of a designated work site mentor.

Area 4: Evaluation:

Students enter the high school setting usually at age fifteen and remain until twenty-one years of age. During this time, they interact with their non-disabled peers on a daily basis, as well as receive ongoing career exploration and general job-skill training. To further encourage the integration of the students who are cognitively impaired within the school and work place setting the teachers meet formally with the non-disabled population defining the goals and process of the program. The students from the mainstream population become natural supports for the students of STEP in the school and in the work place/community.

This ongoing collaboration is extremely important because in the future these peers will continue to be their coworkers and in some instances their employers. Involving them is key to the success of the program. In addition, the program strongly believes a partnership between the school and the parents is paramount in ensuring the success of our students. Parents are actively involved in vocational assessment, job training, as well as job development and placement.

Area 5: Stability:

Freehold Regional High School District is the largest High School District in New Jersey, having six high schools and an enrollment of over 12,000 students. STEP began at Freehold Township High School as a school based Employment Orientation Program funded by a grant from the Division of Vocational Education in 1987. Through the vision of the administrators of this district and the dedicated teachers and job coaches of STEP, it has evolved into a multifaceted program fostering the development of entry level employment skills and providing supported employment opportunities.

The program expanded from Freehold Township High School to providing the same opportunities for students at Freehold High School in 1996, Marlboro High School in 2000, and Howell High School in 2004. During the 2004-05 school year SLE Case Managers and paraprofessionals completed all relevant training as mandated by the State Department of Education. This vital transition program continues to expand in size and commitment. During the 2005-2006 school year, the district began to utilize paraprofessionals as job coaches at the worksite, under the supervision of the SLE Case Managers.

Since 1990 STEP has graduated 104 students and at the present time 75% of these students are employed in either competitive employment or sheltered workshop. Our ongoing articulation with outside agencies, such as ARC, DDD and DVRS, has assured the successful transition of our students. Recruiting of participants occurs during district wide parent meetings, Child Study Team (CST) meetings as well as parental requests or recommendations.

We hold an annual Employer/Employee Appreciation Breakfast at which time our partners in the community are recognized by the Board of Education and the Central Administration of the district for their support and efforts in helping to prepare our students as they look to transition from high school to the world of work. In acknowledgment of our efforts and growth, STEP was recently presented with the Civic Star Award at the state level which in turn nominated us at the national level.

The overall responsibility for the program has remained with the Assistant Superintendent for Student Services. However, the building administrators, principal and department supervisors, provide the daily support allowing the teachers and paraprofessionals the time and flexibility to carry out their responsibilities as job developers and job coaches. Ultimately the success of STEP can be attributed to a shift in philosophy from a seat time requirement in a traditional classroom setting to a student centered focus that allows for flexible movement in a diverse setting including the home, school, and community of the student.

Area 6: Endorsements:

This is a great program, said Michael Federici, manager of Federici's restaurant, East Main Street, Freehold. It gives the kids an opportunity to test their interests and abilities while learning job skills.

Board member Terry Kraft of Howell said, This program gives (the students) the opportunity to go through different choices to see what they like and what they're good at. At the same time it gives the employers the opportunity to become amenable to the services offered and realize that these students can do and that they are value added to their companies. You make a match where there is a comfort level and these young adults become productive members. This is a good thing and it works.

Vivienne Werden, Jeremiah's mother said she was excited to see her son securing a job on his own. For him to build confidence and to be able to support himself, she said when asked what thrills her most about the program. And he always looks forward to going to work.

DVRS case manager, Cathy Space, states, I love working with students trained through STEP. They are always very prepared to enter the work force. It makes my job much easier when assigning support services as they leave high school.