The article presents a cooperative interagency approach for assessing effectiveness of programs and services to facilitate the transition of handicapped students from school to adult community living. Features of the model include cooperative planning at the policy level, implementation level, and direct service level; and collaboration by state…

Two Transition Planners, containing rating scales and open-ended questions, were used to involve parents of preschool handicapped children in the identification of transition-related needs. Parents rated as very important opportunities for them to participate in planning and selecting the next program and receiving descriptions of potential…

The study identified areas of innovative practice in 131 recently funded projects under the Handicapped Children's Early Education Program. Innovations emerged in curricula, mainstreaming, transition services, use of technology, interagency coordination, type of service provider, and technical assistance. Most interventions had a family focus.…

Four exemplary programs that effectively plan and coordinate transitions between early intervention programs and preschool/elementary programs are described. They include Project BEST (Building Effective School Transitions), Projects STEPS (Sequenced Transition to Education in the Public School), Project TEEM (Transitioning into the Elementary…

The availability of trainees, service providers, private employers, and low effective costs attest to the success of the Massachusetts Supported Work model, a state-funded transitional employment program for mentally retarded persons, featuring graduated stress and performance requirements, intensive supervision, supportive services, easy…

Suggestions presented for special education teachers evaluating or preparing mildly or moderately disabled students for integration into mainstreamed classes include: training students to understand the difference between the resource and mainstreamed classes (directions, group activities); meeting with the regular classroom teacher; and teaching…

The article describes an innovative course developed by the Oregon Commission for the Blind to encourage a positive working relationship between agency staff and teachers as they assist students in the transition from school to work. (Author/DB)

This article outlines the types of school programs that will build on the strengths of educationally disadvantaged students, bring them into the mainstream, and prepare them for economic, political, and social participation. (MT)

Transitional service centers are being established nationwide by the Association for Retarded Citizens to increase the employment of mentally retarded and developmentally disabled persons in community-based work settings. These centers will facilitate information collection and dissemination, access to services and resources, interagency…

Presents a model based on person-environment fit that is designed to increase retention of students with unique educational needs in postsecondary vocational education programs. The specific details that surround the development of this model are examined and are related to the nature and extent of the problem. (CT)

The differences in school demands between elementary and junior high settings are identified, and a curriculum is offered to facilitate the transition for exceptional students. The curriculum outlines academic skills, self-management/study skills, and social/adaptive behavior skills. A sample lesson plan is included. (CL)

Becoming a teacher involves a combination of skill, attitude, and knowledge for which a theory of role transition from student to teacher provides a framework. Stages of this process and interventions teacher educators can use to foster movement through the stages are explored. (Author/DF)

The Annual Performance Report (APR) for Grant Year July 1, 2002, through June 30, 2003, was submitted to the U.S. Department of Education in accordance with the requirements of the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP). The OSEP designed the APR to serve as a state?s self-assessment and improvement planning…

The 10 papers in this book attempt to provide some creative approaches to assessment of individuals with disabilities as they transition from the school experience to the adult world. The papers are: (1) "For Whom the Test Is Scored: Assessments, the School Experience, and More" (Douglas Fisher and Caren L. Sax); (2) "Person-Centered Planning:…

This report examines how the development of literacy in the native language plays a role in the acquisition of second language literacy, and how educators may determine when a student is ready to transition into English-only literacy programs by assessing the transfer of skills. In this report, transitional programs refer to instructional programs…