New York State Education Department
|
NYSED Navigation •
NYSED
HOME • SEARCH • TOPICS, A-Z •
CONTACT NYSED
VESID
Navigation • VESID Home •
News •
Publications
Vocational and
Educational Services for Individuals with Disabilities (VESID)
Special Education and Vocational
Rehabilitation Services
Page 5 - Go to: Index | Page 1 | Page 2 | Page 3 | Page 4 | Page 5
The Post School Status of Former Special Education Students
In The Big Five Cities
Attachment I. Comparisons Between 1996 and 1997 Data
The first Post School Indicators (PSI) survey was conducted in New York State in 1996. It reported the transition experiences of 720 former special education students and a reference group of 289 former general education students from all regions of New York State. Results were documented in several reports published and disseminated by the New York State Education Department
The 1997 Big Five City findings are similar to the 1996 statewide results, suggesting that, systemwide, students with disabilities do not transition successfully as often as do their general education peers. Data also suggest that transition planning and services are not available to all students in all locations, especially in the five largest school districts in the State. The following table (Table A) summarizes specific points of comparison:
Table A Comparisons Between 1996 and 1997 Data by Transition Factor |
|||||
1996 Students with Disabilities in PSI Survey (Statewide) |
1996 Gap Compared with General Education Reference Group |
1997 Students with Disabilities in PSI Survey (Big Five) |
1997 Gap Compared with General Education Reference Group |
||
Transition to Successful Status One Year After School Exit (Postsecondary Education, Work or Day Program Alternative) |
|||||
70% |
21% |
71% |
22% |
||
Students with Disabilities Looking for Work One Year after School Exit |
|||||
19% |
14% |
18% |
13% |
||
Living Independently of Family One Year After School Exit |
|||||
21% |
11% |
17% |
7% |
||
Transition to 2- or 4-Year College Full-time |
|||||
16% |
43% |
15% |
39% |
||
Transition Planning Helped |
|||||
75% |
n.a. |
59% |
n.a. |
||
Transition Planning Not Helpful |
|||||
13% |
n.a. |
12% |
n.a. |
||
Transition Planning Not Received |
|||||
12% |
n.a. |
24% |
n.a. |
||
Preparation of All Students to Find a Job |
|||||
60% |
0% |
52% |
8% |
||
Preparation of All Students to Keep a Job |
|||||
68% |
5% |
52% |
13% |
||
Preparation of All Students to Get Along with Others |
|||||
85% |
2% |
77% |
12% |
||
Preparation of Postsecondary Students (college and other) for postsecondary Reading assignments |
|||||
63% |
5% |
75% |
10% |
||
Preparation of Postsecondary Students (college and other) for postsecondary Math assignments |
|||||
54% |
10% |
71% |
13% |
||
Preparation of Postsecondary Students (college and other) for postsecondary Writing assignments |
|||||
57% |
13% |
72% |
12% |
||
Specific comparisons of the findings indicate that:
Statewide and in the Big Five Cities, students with disabilities had similar rates of successful outcomes and a similar gap of 20 percent in comparison to the reference groups of general education students who also were interviewed.
Former special education students statewide and in the Big Five Cities had similar needs for assistance in looking for work.
Former special education students in the Big Five Cities less often lived independently of their families, and were similar to the reference group in this regard.
Former special education students statewide and in the Big Five Cities transitioned at a similar rate to college programs full-time, which was much less often than the reference groups.
Planning for transition was more frequently helpful to former special education students in the 1996 statewide sample than it was to former students in the Big Five Cities sample.
Compared with the statewide sample of former special education students, help in planning for transition was available much less often to former special education students from the Big Five Cities.
A greater number of former special education students from the Big Five Cities reported that they were less prepared to find a job, keep a job and get along with others in comparison to the reference group.
Former special education students from the Big Five Cities who participated in postsecondary education reported being better prepared on reading, math and writing assignments than did former special education students from the statewide sample.
The gaps in preparation for postsecondary tasks were similar for both samples of statewide and Big Five City former special education students.
Attachment II. Preparation for Full-Time College Participation
Former special education students from the Big Five Cities were interviewed in 1997, a year after exiting school, to determine their post school status. Students with disabilities who had attempted postsecondary education were asked if they felt their high school experiences had prepared them with the skills to perform five academic tasks and six study tasks that are typically demanded of postsecondary education students. Table B focuses on how well prepared former special education students attending college full-time felt in comparison to the reference group of general education peers.
Table B Preparation for Postsecondary Study Among Full-Time College Attendees: Big Five Cities Former Special Education and Reference Group Students One Year After High School Exit |
|||
Postsecondary Skill |
Former Special Education Students |
Reference Group Students |
1997 |
| Academic Skills | |||
| Read and Understand Material | 82% |
88% |
6% |
| Read Amount Required | 75% |
78% |
3% |
| Give Oral Presentations | 70% |
80% |
10% |
| Write Reports | 82% |
85% |
3% |
| Learn and Use Math | 75% |
85% |
10% |
| Study Skills | |||
| Take Class Notes | 74% |
82% |
12% |
| Study for Tests | 80% |
83% |
3% |
| Use Library and Internet for Research | 73% |
74% |
1% |
| Answer Questions in Class | 84% |
90% |
6% |
| Write Essays on Exams | 82% |
90% |
8% |
| Use Computers and Technology | 62% |
77% |
15% |
Specific comparisons of the data indicate that:
Neither special education students nor the reference group felt fully prepared for college assignments.
Big Five City former special education students attending college programs full-time felt least well-prepared for giving oral presentations and learning and using math.
Big Five City former special education students attending college programs full-time felt least well-prepared to use computers and technology as part of their courses of study and to take class notes.
Page 5 - Go to: Index | Page 1 | Page 2 | Page 3 | Page 4 | Page 5
New York State Education Department
|