About CIRCLES

Current Implementation and History

Although post-school outcomes for students with disabilities have improved in the past 10 years, students with disabilities still consistently experience poor outcomes in the areas of education, employment, and independent living when compared to their peers without disabilities. CIRCLES is a transition-planning service delivery model designed to guide schools in implementing interagency collaboration at three teams, including Community-Level Team (CLT), School-Level Team (SLT), and the IEP team, with a focus on student involvement and leadership throughout the process. Based on previous research with the model (Aspel, Bettis, Quinn, Test, & Wood, 1999; Povenmire-Kirk et al., 2015). In 2017, Dr. David Test received a grant from the Institute for Education Sciences (IES) to explore CIRCLES as a large-scale implementation in multiple school districts and see what the effects were on students' self-determination and IEP goals (R324AQ110018).

We have recently received a grant from the Institute for Educational Sciences (IES) to evaluate the CIRCLES intervention to generate evidence that CIRCLES improves proximal student, teacher, and community agency personnel outcomes and subsequent distal student outcomes (R324A220161). This efficacy study will address limitations of the original efficacy using a rigorous design that meets the IES What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) design standards, and addressing issues related to implementation fidelity and outcome measures. The CIRCLES intervention aims to improve transition outcomes for students with disabilities by improving interagency collaboration among teachers and community agency personnel to increase (a) student self-determination, (b) knowledge and perspectives of the transition planning process, and (c) secondary and postsecondary engagement.

Understanding the Circles Project

Graphic showing the implementation process for CIRCLES

Graphic Showing how CIRCLES Project Works, A Individual Student surrounded by three wrap-around graphics Agency Administrators, Educators and Related Service Providers, and Direct Service Providers, There are three blocks to the right representing Community Level Team, School Level Team, and IEP Team

CIRCLES is a three-team model of interagency collaboration to support positive in-school and postschool outcomes for students with disabilities. CIRCLES is the only research-based model for interagency collaboration.  

  • The CIRCLES three teams are the Community Team (CLT), School Team (SLT), and IEP Team.
    • The CLT is comprised of school and community members. This team may include school leadership, community businesses, community agencies, and other school and community partners. We refer to this team as the connectors, linking the community and their resources to students, families, and schools. 
    • The SLT is comprised of school and community partners specifically focused on student strengths, areas for growth, and postschool goals. The SLT includes students, family members, special education teachers, and community partners such as local business owners and vocational rehabilitation counselors. It might also include general education teachers, friends, school counselors, career technical education teachers, and others that can provide specific input into students’ interests and goals. 
    • The IEP team includes students, parents, general education teachers, special education teachers, local education designees, such as school administrators, and service providers. We refer to the IEP team as the core because students and their families are at the heart of what CIRCLES does with ultimate decisions made by the IEP team. 
  • CIRCLES helps improve transition outcomes for students with disabilities by strengthening collaboration between schools and community partners. The goal is to help students build self-determination skills, better understand the transition planning process, and increase engagement in school, work, and postsecondary opportunities.
  • CIRCLES, while facilitated by school personnel, involves collaboration and input from school and community partners. A CIRCLES facilitator could be a lead special education teacher, a transition coordinator, local education agency representative, or other school personnel such as a school counselor or general education teacher.