This guide offers information to North Dakota students with disabilities who are entering postsecondary education from high school. It presents a timeline of steps that need to be taken each year of high school to prepare for postsecondary education and lists items to be included in a personal transition file. A self-awareness checklist assesses…

This packet of handouts focuses on the role of the family in easing their child with disabilities from one early childhood educational program to another. Typical items include: reasons for involving families in transition; questions parents ask about "appropriate" placement; planned conversations with parents during the transition process; parent…

A survey of 80 high school teachers in five cities (Los Angeles, California; Miami, Florida; New York, New York; Houston, Texas; Chicago, Illinois) investigated teacher attitudes concerning the preparation of English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) students for entry into the mainstream curriculum. The survey contained 11 questions on teacher…

Classroom observations were conducted with five children, identified as at risk for developmental delay, throughout their first year of preschool, to identify their patterns of adjustment to an integrated preschool program. A video assessment of each child was conducted prior to program entry to help teachers plan a successful transition.…

Supported employment opportunities can help to meet the transition needs of individuals enrolled in special education programs. A review of related literature discusses characteristics of supported employment program participants, the need for individual transition planning, the school's role and responsibility, vocational planning, benefits,…

This review examines the effects of three educational practices on children's readiness for first grade. The practices, kindergarten retention, developmental kindergarten, and transitional first grade, are intended to provide children with an early extra year to give them more time to prepare academically and socially for regular first-grade…

This document contains information about the medical transition of youth with disabilities from child-centered to adult health care. The generic characteristics and needs of young people with long-term illnesses and disabilities are especially emphasized. Guidance is provided for appropriate health care of the adolescent during the transition…

This theme issue on transitions for individuals with disabilities contains nine papers discussing transition programs and issues. "Transition Issues for the 1990s," by Michael J. Ward and William D. Halloran, discusses self-determination, school responsibility for transition, continued educational engagement of at-risk students, and service…

In June 1993, a symposium was held in New York City, Albany, Rochester, and Long Island to introduce the German "dual system" of education and training for youth making the school-to-work transition. Four representatives of the German education and training system and more than 500 representatives of New York's business, labor,…

This case study examines the relationships of three organizations participating in the Northwest Wisconsin School-To-Work Consortium, and analyzes the consortium's development over the past 4 years. Signed into law in May 1994, the federal School-To-Work Opportunities Act marked the beginning of a new educational movement to better prepare…

This study, undertaken from 1983-84 through 1988-89, compared the relative effectiveness of two alternative programs (structured English immersion and late-exit transitional bilingual education) with that of the program typically funded through the Bilingual Education Act, the early-exit transitional bilingual education program. The…

Citing issues of professional qualifications and reward systems that the field of early childhood education must resolve as preschool programs become part of the public schools, this paper argues for adopting a dynamic career ladder model of program staffing. The dynamic model assumes a mix of staffing in early childhood programs wherever they are…

The District of Columbia Board of Education declared the 1990-1991 school year "The Year of the Young Child." During this year, the district encouraged programs that: (1) responded to the learning patterns of children; (2) involved parents in their children's development; (3) provided a range of services such as health and nutrition…

This paper examines transition from school to post-school activities for students with chronic illness and disabilities, with reference to: four legislative acts that impact transition services, seven legislated implementation mechanisms, seven outcomes areas, and a social system for evaluating services to transitioning youth. Transition…

This paper describes a supported transition plan for preschool students with special needs who are entering a kindergarten classroom. The transition plan includes the following phases: (1) make decision regarding kindergarten placement; (2) develop a preplacement plan which includes a visitation to the preschool program by kindergarten staff; and…