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P407B150002 - University of Massachusetts, Boston

Coordinating Center for Transition and Postsecondary Programs for Students with Intellectual

Disabilities (TPSID)

Think College (TC) at the Institute for Community Inclusion, UMass Boston, proposes to lead the TPSID

National Coordinating Center (CC), in partnership with the Association for University Centers on

Disability, the Association for Higher Education and Disability, PACER Center, and Education

Development Center. Using an iterative Knowledge-To-Action (KTA) Implementation Framework, the

proposed CC will a) build a valid and reliable knowledge base around effective inclusive higher education

components for students with intellectual disability by capturing and synthesizing information regarding

underlying evidence to support program components; b) provide technical assistance and disseminate

findings to existing and new programs; and c) lead and coordinate national activities related to

comprehensive transition and postsecondary programs. To operationalize Knowledge Development and

Evaluation goals, the CC will update existing program standards, and evaluate and update the research

and evaluation protocol for TPSID programs. The revised TPSID Evaluation Protocol will be used to 

collect, analyze, and report annual and longitudinal follow-up quantitative and qualitative data on TPSID

program components and outcomes. The CC will also develop recommendations on funding, memoranda

of understanding, credentials, and accreditation and share these via its website and all relevant events. As

part of its Technical Assistance and Dissemination activities the CC will create and implement a tiered

TA (universal, targeted, and intensive) system, including TPSID Individualized TA Plans (ITAPs), and

administer a mentoring program matching current and new TPSID grantees based on areas of expertise. By

implementing a TA request and response repository the CC will monitor and respond to TPSIDs and K-12

transition personnel needs via assignment of Content Specialist, Mentors, and National Experts. The CC

will increase knowledge across all target audiences about the programmatic components and evidencebased practices needed to develop, implement, and evaluate high quality inclusive higher education that

award meaningful credentials and support access to financial aid for students with ID. The CC’s

Leadership and Coordination activities focus on enhancing the collection and analyses of longitudinal

follow up data from TPSIDs and establishing accessible communication channels including an updated

website, universally accessible topic based portal (Innovation Exchange) and associated Affinity groups,

web meetings and discussion boards for TPSIDs /Non-TPSIDs. By convening an Accreditation

Workgroup, the CC will field-test and revise model accreditation standards and develop an associated

Technical Guidance Manual and generate and submit reports on related findings after 5 years to required

entities. The CC will host group events such as regional Capacity Building Institutes targeting underserved

sections of the country, to increase the quality, quantity, type, and geographic diversity of higher education 

initiatives for students w/ID. The CC will also host Research and Leadership Summits as well as annual

Project Directors meeting to support systems change resulting in increased alignment of policy and

guidance across state and local K-12 and higher education entities and federal and state disability agencies.

An Independent Evaluation will be conducted by Educational Development Center regarding all aspects

and activities of the CC using both formative and summative strategies to provide performance feedback

and progress assessment as well as replication strategies to ensure that the CC is responsive to all target

audiences and engaged in continuous quality improvement. These activities will ultimately support

achievement of the CC’s long term goals of improved outcomes for students with ID in higher education

resulting in increased competitive integrated employment, valued community membership, and

independent living skills AND increased systems change resulting in development and expansion of

quality inclusive higher education options for students with ID.