 Executive
Summary/Overview
- In New York State, the rate of
successful transitions increased over the six years between 1995
and 20011.
- For the class of 2001 at one
year out of high school, 83 percent of former special
education graduates transitioned to post-school employment,
postsecondary education or day program alternatives while 96
percent of former general education graduates successfully
transitioned. The transition gap for students with
disabilities decreased from 16 percent to 13 percent during
these six years, with changes occurring in the rates of
transition to postsecondary education and employment.
- Student participation in
career preparation in high school increased from 37 percent
for special education graduates in the class of 1995 to 80
percent in the class of 2001.
- The rate of two and four year
college transitions by special education graduates at one year
beyond high school graduation increased from 17 percent (class
of 1995) to 38 percent (class of 2001). The comparative rate
of college transitions for general education students from the
class of 2001 one year out of school was 81 percent.
- Initiatives funded through
federal IDEA discretionary dollars enhanced the development
of new transition capacity and quality. The Career Link
Projects (CLPs), for example, benefited the vocational
rehabilitation (VR) system by increasing VR referrals, decreasing processing time and
increasing successful outcomes for youth. Independent
Living/School partnerships and Postsecondary
Education/School partnership models also demonstrated
benefits in enhancing the transition process. The most
successful efforts occur where VESID District Offices,
Special Education Quality Assurance (SEQA) Regional Offices
and seven regional Transition Coordination Sites TCS) work
collaboratively to lead systems changes in districts and
communities.
- Continuing needs for
improvement include extending transition planning and
services to all geographic locations; assisting the field to
improve the Individualized Education Program (IEP) planning
process related to transition needs assessments and assuring
that the IEP transition conversation begins no later than
age 14; and documenting and sharing effective practices to
improve the sustainability of the transition system
______________________
1The LPSI follows a
randomly selected sample of former general and special education
graduates. The one-year out sample from the class of 2001 represents
141 school districts, 2,062 special and 956 general education
students. The three-year out sample from the Class of 2001
represents 141 school districts, 1,528 special and 1,023 general
education students. |
