Professional learning opportunities for secondary transition in Pennsylvania provide educators with the tools and knowledge to support students with disabilities as they move from school to adulthood. These opportunities include workshops, online courses, and conferences that cover topics like transition planning, career readiness, and community partnerships. Educators learn best practices and strategies to help students achieve their goals. By participating in these professional learning opportunities, educators can better prepare students for successful futures.
From Questions to Confidence: Connecting Students and Families to Benefits Counseling (4/28/2026)
As students with disabilities plan for life after high school, questions about how employment impacts public benefits can create uncertainty and hesitation for students and their families. Benefits counseling plays a critical role in helping individuals understand how work, earnings, and career advancement interact with benefits such as SSI, SSDI, Medicaid, and related programs—supporting informed decision-making and reducing fear around employment.
This session combined a brief foundational presentation with a panel discussion featuring educators and partners who have implemented strategies to connect students and families to benefits counseling in their schools and communities. Participants will gain a clear understanding of what benefits counseling is (and is not), why it is an essential component of secondary transition planning, and the appropriate role participants play in sharing information and making referrals. Through real-world examples, panelists will share practical approaches, lessons learned, and strategies for helping students and families access benefits counseling while maintaining professional boundaries.
This session supported ethical, informed transition practice by increasing professionals’ understanding of benefits systems, appropriate referral processes, and strategies to promote employment outcomes while protecting client autonomy and informed choice.
Handouts/Resources (https://padlet.com/pattan/from-questions-to-confidence-connecting-students-and-familie-7xbxnap96xecc1ar) (Padlet.com)
The Nuts and Bolts of Job Coaching (opens in new tab)
- This self-paced five module online course provides participants with relevant information regarding the role of a Job Coach to support students in community-based work settings.
- You may register online by clicking on the name of the event
July 13, 2026 - September 4, 2026
October 12, 2026 - December 18, 2026
March 8, 2027 - April 23, 2027
15 Ways for Job Coaches to Presume Competence in Students (opens in new tab)
Job Coaching Essentials: Supporting Students for Career Success
This online course provides evidence-based practices/strategies needed to support transition-aged students building work-related skills in community-based settings in relation to: executive functioning skills, task analysis and behavior management.
Fall 2026: August 17 - October 30, 2026
Winter 2027: January 11 - March 26, 2027
Work Based Learning: A Guide for Program Implementation
This course is designed to equip teachers with the skills and knowledge needed to effectively implement work-based learning experiences for students with disabilities. Participants will explore the importance of work-based learning as a critical component of secondary transition planning and learn basic guidelines for creating sound,legal, and meaningful programs.
The activities are designed to empower participants to develop a work-based learning toolkit that supports the implementation of course outcomes.
Fall 2026 8/13/2026-10/24/2026
Winter 2027 2/3/2027-4/3/2025