Much has been written about the challenges of effective transition planning (e.g., Cavendish & Connor, 2018; Landmark etal., 2007; Luft, 2015). In this article, ways to mitigate some of these common challenges are provided, including low or passive student and family involvement, unresponsiveness to family culture, poor communication between…

There is a process within the special education program that directly links a child's educational program with their plans for the future. It is called a Transition Plan and is part of the Individualized Education Plan (IEP). Transition services are a coordinated set of activities for a child with a disability designed to be used within a…

This resource outlines case studies for providing specially designed instruction (SDI) and related services across school reopening models, including considerations for identifying settings and least restrictive environment (LRE). The case studies examples include elementary, middle school and behavior, secondary transition, and preschool. There…

Career and technical education (CTE) provides students of all ability levels the opportunity to develop skills for a post-secondary career. When students with disabilities are included in CTE, educators are legally required to provide an appropriate program that meets each student's unique needs. There are, however, few discussions in the…

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA 2004) requires that each local education agency provide a transition summary document, commonly called a Summary of Performance (SOP), to all special education students who are graduating with a regular diploma or reach the maximum age for services. Although state compliance with this…

Parental involvement and parent-school-community partnerships receive wide acclaim for making a positive difference in the educational and transition outcomes for youth with and without disabilities. Although the impact of parental involvement in education remains undisputed, secondary education traditionally emphasizes the emerging adult…

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act 2004 (IDEA) requires public schools to assure that parents of students with disabilities have the opportunity to participate in Individualized Education Program (IEP) meetings. Strengths-based IEPs focus on student strengths and abilities, rather than weaknesses and disabilities, in…

The overall goal of the Building State Capacity Summit series was to enhance successful outcomes for students leaving high school, whether it is matriculation in a postsecondary education or training program, or employment. Young adults who are deaf or hard or hearing face barriers that inhibit these successful outcomes. One way to mitigate these…

Brief profiles of 51 exemplary innovative schools are presented in this document. Many of the schools belong to the Associated Network of Individually Guided Education (IGE) Middle, Junior, and Senior High Schools. A 1978 conference of IGE schools identified successful practices for individualizing schooling related to one or more of the following…

Transition services for secondary students with disabilities are defined by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA) as a coordinated set of activities contained in a results-oriented process to improve educational and functional outcomes. The most popular strategy used to prepare secondary students with high-incidence…

A combined discipline counseling approach treats both symptoms and causes of discipline problems, while also providing accountability for behavior. Over the five-year period that this approach has been in operation at the Bridge Street Junior High in Wheeling (West Virginia), the number of repeat offenders has declined. (WD)

Describes a California high school program called Students Exploring, Analyzing, Researching, Caring, and Hoping (SEARCH) that uses teacher-counselors and an individual curriculum. (JM)

The paper discusses the appropriateness for handicapped students of Experience-Based Career Education (EBCE), a flexible high school program of highly individualized learning that utilizes direct experience in work and community settings to promote growth in basic academic skills, self-reliance, and career awareness. The need for expanded career…

In Elizabethton (Tennessee) a separate program with one teacher keeps some high school students from dropping out and helps improve their attendance. (Author/MLF)

Introduces the Supervised Study Program, a support program for average ability nonachievers that guarantees success in return for commitment and performance. (Author/WD)