Job performance of disabled students can be monitored through: (1) student job reports (which emphasize self-analysis of on-the-job performance) and (2) job support groups (which focus on problem solving for employment situations). Both activities help students perceive the connection between work experience and school and help teachers intervene…

To coordinate the planning and delivery of transition services for disabled students in Montgomery County (Maryland) Public Schools (MCPS), TransCen, Inc., a private not-for-profit corporation, was developed. TransCen's efforts concentrate on four areas: coordination with MCPS, liaison with the business community, program enhancement and technical…

This book represents the second of two volumes that is designed to update readers on some of the more recent developments in the field of dual diagnosis, as applied to those with intellectual disabilities. While the last few decades have boasted newer and better advances in the field, particularly in terms of assessment devices and treatment…

ACT's Educational Planning and Assessment System (EPAS[R]) is designed to guide and support schools, districts, and states in their efforts to improve students' readiness for life after high school. EPAS provides a longitudinal approach to educational and career planning, assessment, instructional support, and evaluation. EPAS components are…

This volume in NCSET's Essential Tools series summarizes current research about transition issues and Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CLD) youth with disabilities. It offers information on how transition personnel can effectively support these youth by building on their strengths and enhancing natural supports available within their…

In 2005, the National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD) helped more children, more parents and more educators than ever before. Through their programs, information services, and policy initiatives, they raised awareness, mobilized advocates, and took action to help ensure that learning disabilities are identified and addressed early and…

Maryland Career Clusters are a resource for high schools as they reorganize into smaller learning communities. Instruction is organized around career themes, providing more students the opportunity to explore career choices while still in high school and enroll in pathway programs that enable them to successfully transition from high school to…

Transition planning for young people with special educational needs is a crucial but often overlooked element of social inclusion. While there is now considerable official guidance on how to manage the school leaving process for young people with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, little is known about how to make effective transitions…

The Committee on Education and the Workforce, to whom was referred the bill (H.R. 27) to enhance the workforce investment system of the Nation by strengthening one-stop career centers, providing for more effective governance arrangements, promoting access to a more comprehensive array of employment, training, and related services, establishing a…

In preparation for the reauthorization of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (WIA), this policy update presents key aspects of the statutory language of Title I of the WIA and describes its potential implications for youth with disabilities as they prepare for the transition to employment and adult life as described in Sections 126-129 of…

Eleven papers address issues in the alignment of standards-based education and individualized transition planning and service development for students with disabilities including differences in assumptions and principles, the transition planning model as a framework for achieving this alignment, and educational practices resulting from this…

This analysis of secondary-postsecondary alignment issues suggests some clear directions that campus, system, and state policy leaders must take to improve the success of students in the educational pipeline. These efforts will be more successful if they take place as part of broader K-16 initiatives--efforts that include early outreach to high…

This technical assistance bulletin explains extended school year (ESY) services for students with disabilities. It begins by discussing federal regulations that require schools to ensure that ESY services are available as necessary to provide free, appropriate public education to students with disabilities, that require ESY services to be provided…

This paper reports on a study of the factors influencing the educational placement choices of 25 rural parents of children who are deaf. Specifically, the study: (1) traced the placement decisions from the time their child's hearing loss was first documented to the transition periods into elementary and middle school; (2) identified the resources…

This study evaluated two developmental learning communities, named the Integrated Studies Communities ISC, at Parkland College in Illinois. The primary purpose of the study was to compare the students in the ISC with similar underprepared students in the regular curriculum. The ISC offers four linked courses, and participating students take them…