Community-Based Instruction (CBI)
Schools provide Community-Based Instruction opportunities to promote the transferring of functional skills into the community. Functional skills refer to those skills that a student needs to increase independence and to enhance quality of life.
Career-Based Vocational Education (CBVE)
CBVE is vocational education and training provided by high school instructors to students with disabilities in community work settings. This training is non-paid vocational exploration and assessment. The goal of the CBVE program is to help students identify career interests and develop the skills and attitudes necessary for paid employment.
Post-High School Transition Program
The Post-High School Transition Program provides students with disabilities employment opportunities on and off campus through private businesses, technical centers and college campuses.
Polk County Public Schools’ Transition Services teachers and job coaches provide this post-high school instruction to promote employability and independence through work experience. Students develop marketable and transferable job skills as well as confidence in their own abilities.
This program serves students with disabilities who are 18 through 22 years of age with an IEP and have met high school graduation requirements yet deferred receipt of their diploma. PCPS currently has post-high school sites at locations throughout the county.
Criteria for Post-High School Transition Program
- Students must be between the ages of 18-21, have an IEP, meet all of the requirements for graduation, and defer receipt of their diploma.
- Students must have some successful Community-Based Instruction (CBI), Career-Based Vocational Education (CBVE), and/or volunteer experience.
- Student/parent/guardian must have a goal for employment or independence that is reflected in the Transition IEP.
- Student attendance and behavior records are considered a factor for eligibility and placement.
- Student must have sufficient emotional and behavioral stability to participate in all aspects of the program.
- Student must accept and follow reasonable rules and behave respectfully towards others.
- Parents/guardians are requested to visit the Post-High School Transition site before a student is selected.
- Student should be in the process of becoming a client of Vocational Rehabilitation or related agency.
*Polk County Public School Post-High School Transition Services reserve the right to dismiss the student from a transition program based on factors that may not have been predicted or observed in the normal school setting, at which point the student may either re-register at the student’s zoned school or exit Polk County Public Schools.
Internships
PCPS offers both full-time and part-time internship programs for students with disabilities ages 18-22 who graduated from high school with an IEP.
Project SEARCH is a collaborative job training program between PCPS, Center For Independent Living, Vocational Rehabilitation and Lakeland Regional Health.
School Nutrition is an on-the-job training program at one of PCPS school cafeterias. Students work and rotate through the different stations of food service in a cafeteria setting. This is a five-month, part-time paid internship for students.
Current Locations
On-Campus
Auburndale High School
Bartow High School
George Jenkins High School
Haines City High School
Kathleen High School
Lakeland High School
Lake Gibson High School
Lake Region High School
Tenoroc High School
Ridge Community High School
Roosevelt Academy
Winter Haven High School
Off-Campus
Bartow
Polk County Public Schools
Lakeland
Central Florida Aerospace Academy at Sun ‘n Fun
Lakeland Regional Health (Project SEARCH)
RP Funding Center
Lake Wales
McLaughlin Annex
Lake Alfred
Polk Training Center
Winter Haven
Ridge Technical College
Agency Collaboration
