Date of Award

2013

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Committee Chair

Ken Jenkins

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to determine whether or not the implementation of special education graduates' secondary transition plans by a team of supporters such as teachers, parents, administrators, and postsecondary mentors were well-constructed and in alignment with the graduates' high school curriculum and intended postsecondary goals, as well as whether the supporters followed through with helping the graduates achieve those postsecondary goals. The study also examined whether a loop existed between linking the secondary transition plans (indicator 13) to the postsecondary outcomes (indicator 14) and the feedback from the postsecondary outcomes back to the transition plans.

Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, there are 20 indicators under the state performance plan that school districts are required to adhere to if receiving federal funding. Indicators 13 and 14 make up the transition requirements that school districts are required to implement and report on. Indicator 13 is defined as the percentage of high school students age 16 and above with an Individual Education Plan (IEP) in which appropriate measurable postsecondary goals are updated every year based upon students' transition service needs, age appropriate transition assessments, transition services, and curriculum and instruction that will enable the students to meet postsecondary goals. Indicator 14 is defined as the percentage of students who had high school IEPs and are competitively employed, enrolled at a postsecondary institution, or both within a year of leaving high school. The results of the study indicated that the loop linking Indicators 13 and 14 was virtually nonexistent and the secondary transition plans were inadequate.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

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