Adolescent and Adult Services Development Program

Philip Wilson, Ph. D., Program Director

High School to Adult Transition

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The importance of a successful transition from school to adult life for students with disabilities has been recognized by federal legislation which mandates the formalization of this passage through the Individualized Education Program (IEP) process.

Transition services were first mandated as a part of the IEP with the 1992 amendments to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). These services were mandated in an effort to ensure that educational programs were preparing students with disabilities for successful outcomes after completing high school. In 1997, transition services were expanded.

During the summer of 1997, IDEA was reauthorized by Congress and signed into law by President Clinton. The reauthorization of IDEA, or P.L 105-17, reaffirmed the laws regarding service provision for school-aged individuals with disabilities, as well as added several new requirements. IDEA still requires local education agencies (LEAs) to provide a free, appropriate, public education in the least restrictive environment to all students. It also requires that the LEA include provisions for transitioning students with disabilities from school to post-school activities. In Louisiana, these services are documented on the "Transition Services" page of the IEP.

Transition services is defined in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Amendments of 1997 (IDEA, Part B, Sections 602(30) and 614(d)(2), Public Law 101-517) as: a coordinated set of activities for a student, designed within an outcome-oriented process, which promotes movement from school to post-school activities, including post-secondary education, vocational training, integrated employment (including supported employment), continuing and adult education, adult services, independent living, or community participation. The coordinated set of activities must ... be based upon the individual student’s needs, taking into account the student’s preferences and interests, and include instruction, related services, community experiences, the development of employment and other post-school adult living objectives, and, when appropriate, acquisition of daily living skills and functional vocational evaluation.

The following mandates were effective July 1, 1998:

• For each student beginning at age 14, and updated annually, a statement of transition service needs of the student under the applicable components of the student’s IEP that focuses on the student’s courses of study (such as participation in advanced-placement courses or a vocational education program);

• For each student beginning at age 16 (or younger, if determined appropriate by the IEP team), a statement of needed transition services for the student, including, when appropriate, a statement of the interagency responsibilities or any needed linkages;

• Beginning at least one year before a student reaches the age of majority under State law, a statement that the student has been informed of his or her rights under this title, if any, that will transfer to the student on reaching the age of majority under section 615(m); and

• If a participating agency, other than the local educational agency (LEA), fails to provide the transition services described in the IEP in accordance with §300.347(b)(1)(ii), the local educational agency shall reconvene the IEP team to identify alternative strategies to meet the transition objectives for the student set out in the IEP.

The IDEA Amendments of 1997 maintain 16 as the age when students’ IEPs must contain statements of needed transition services. These two requirements - one for students aged 14 and older and one for students aged 16 and older - seem confusingly similar. However, according to the Committee on Labor and Human Resources’ Report to Accompany S. 717 (the report that accompanied the proposed IDEA to Congress to explain the intent behind the proposed changes), the purpose of including the statements for students beginning at age 14, "is to focus attention on how the student’s educational program can be planned to help the student make a successful transition to his or her goals for life after secondary school. This provision is designed to augment, and not replace, the separate transition services requirement for students beginning no later than age 16 ..." Including transition service needs beginning at age 14 promotes the concept that the student’s high school program must now focus on desired post-school outcomes.

For those students who warrant that needed transition services be addressed, the transition component of the IEP (the "Transition Services" page(s)) should be completed as the first step in the development of the IEP. Long-range, comprehensive, thoughtful, and systematic planning that is person-centered marks the foundation of effective transition planning. The student’s preferences and interests should form the basis of the development of the transition component of the IEP. Documentation of such is required at all phases in the transition planning process. These preferences and interests should be firmly grounded in the development of a future vision statement that accurately captures and properly portrays the student’s and his or her family’s dreams, aspirations, and hopes. The end results of the development of a future vision statement should be reflected in the post-school outcomes desired by the student and his or her family. Action steps for the school system, student, family, and adult agencies must be identified, implemented, and evaluated in order to support the attainment of these adult outcomes.

This approach recognizes that education alone cannot provide nor do everything needed to prepare every student for adult life. Rather, this approach requires the full participation, commitment, and acceptance of responsibilities by parties or agencies beyond the educational system. Given the complexity and long-term nature of transition, it is clear that neither families, school systems, adult agencies, state agencies, nor post-secondary education institutions can nor should individually carry the entire planning, fiscal, or programmatic responsibilities for transitioning adolescents and young adults with disabilities from school to adult life. It is imperative to identify the full range of services, programs, and supports, both formal and informal, that must be put in place before the student exits the school system and/or that the student will need to remain in place after exiting the school system. Likewise, it is critical to identify the agencies, organizations, and institutions that need to become involved in the student’s life before the student exits the school system and/or that the student will need to remain involved after exiting the school system. Transition planning requires a cooperative, coordinated, and collaborative effort between and among the various parties and agencies involved in the delivery and receipt of transition services.

The transition component of the IEP serves as a blueprint for the development of the remainder of the IEP. The General Student Information section captures the student’s transition program needs, including transition service needs beginning no later than age 14. In addition, those school system action steps that are instructional in nature must be reflected on the "Instructional Plan Page(s)" in the student’s IEP objectives. Thus, many of the IEP objectives should be derived from, directly related to, and indicative of the various outcomes and action steps listed on the "Transition Services" page(s) of the IEP. With the transition component of the IEP serving as a road map, a "T" is to be placed by each transition-related objective.

However, the relationship between the transition component of the IEP and the remainder of the IEP is much more than the identification of action steps and corresponding objectives. It constitutes a formal plan to identify, link, and secure the full range of needed post-school services, programs, and supports to ensure a greater likelihood that all students will attain, in a timely manner, their desired adult outcomes. The critical recognition that school systems alone cannot guarantee students with disabilities a successful transition to needed post-school programs, services, and/or supports both acknowledges and underscores that transition is a multi-faceted concern and heightens the necessity for school systems, families, adult agencies, and other public and private entities to align and coordinate their efforts to meet the needs of transition-age adolescents and young adults with disabilities.

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Page last updated: 03/31/03 02:29 PM

Maintained by: mmiller@hdc.lsumc.edu
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