Despite extensive transition provisions in the U.S. Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), the post-school outcomes for students with disabilities continue to be disappointing. The IDEA designated those transition provisions as priority targets for federal and state compliance monitoring to assure that schools are attaining the goal…

This guide to planning for transition from school to work for middle school or high school students with disabilities in California is intended to assist parents, teachers, and other service providers in coordinating person-centered transition planning and services. The first section examines requirements of the Individuals with Disabilities…

Adolescence is a time for dreaming--for youth to imagine and set a course for the future. High school students naturally spend time imagining the future--if and where to continue their education, to find a job or pursue a career, to move away from home, or to start a family. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) includes a process…

To address disabled students' troubling outcomes, the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services identified school-to-work transition as a major priority. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act mandates that transition services be part of secondary students' IEPs. Principals' and parents'…

This article presents a comprehensive model for assessment of secondary students with disabilities. The model is intended to comply with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, which requires identifying transition needs of students in their individualized education programs. The model assists in structuring an outcome-oriented transition…

This monograph is intended to provide guidance to state, school district, and building-level personnel, and family organizations as they strive to comply with the transition requirements of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The monograph includes: (1) a description of the importance and intent of transition services for youth…

This brief paper considers planning for the transition of students with disabilities from the school setting to adult life. First, "transition services" are defined according to requirements of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. The relationship of transition services to the student's Individualized Education Program is…

This policy brief examines states' experiences and data regarding implementation of the transition planning mandate of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. It reports on a study which investigated whether implementation of transition planning was associated with decreased dropout rates for youth with disabilities and whether the format…

This document is intended to assist Iowa school districts and area education agencies in planning and recording the transition service needs of students with disabilities. Its purpose is to provide educators responsible for the development of Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) with additional strategies, ways of thinking, and ways to…

This guide addresses provision for transition services in the Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) of students with disabilities. It begins with regulations arising from the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act pertaining to transition services. These regulations focus on definitions, participants in meetings, parent participation,…

The special education systems in school districts, nationwide, are the starting point for preparing many people with disabilities for the adult world, including the world of work. The federal law governing the obligations of school districts is called the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Although the IDEA has been amended…

The comprehensiveness and effectiveness of school-to-work transition activities are limited by staff and time. The unique and complicated counseling needs of students with disabilities require the involvement of other actors, primarily parents. Youth with disabilities and their parents must be knowledgeable about vocational opportunities and…

Work-Based Learning (WBL) is an effective approach in delivering career and technical education and training to youth with disabilities. This handbook provides guidance to schools operating WBL programs and encourages the adoption of WBL programs by schools not presently using this approach. By following the information and examples in this…

This monograph examines issues in the transition of youth with emotional and/or behavioral disorders to adulthood. It describes transition as a process by which youth with disabilities are systematically equipped with skills necessary for realizing valued postsecondary outcomes. The subject of transition is examined within the historical,…

Designed for parents of students, this booklet provides information and strategies for helping students with disabilities make a smooth transition to postsecondary education and training. The first part of the booklet addresses: building blocks for transition, transition services mandated by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act,…