Transition In Public Education

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Prior to legislation requiring public education for children with cognitive or emotional disabilities, deafness, blindness or the need for speech therapy, among others, parents had few options other than to educate their children at home or pay for expensive private education and as a result there was no need for a transition plan for students who were typically not even allowed in public schools. In 1961, President John F. Kennedy created the President’s Panel on Mental Retardation. This panel’s recommendations included federal aid to states. In 1965, Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, which provided funding for primary education, expanded access to public education for children with disabilities.
Despite …show more content…

The 1983 Amendments to EHA (PL 98-199), the 1990 Amendments to EHA (PL 101-476), and the IDEA Amendments of 1997 (PL 105-17) supported initiatives for transition services from high school to adult living. Because of these mandates, each student’s Individualized Education Program (IEP) must include a transition plan for identifying appropriate employment and other post-school adult living objectives for the student. This plan may include referring the student to appropriate community agencies and linking the student to available community resources, including job placement and other follow-up services. The IEP must also specifically designate who is responsible for each transition activity. The 1997 Amendments to IDEA go on to specify that transition planning should begin at age 14. As a result of these acts, high school graduation rates and employment rates among youth with disabilities have increased dramatically. For example, graduation rates increased by 14 percent from 1984 to 1997. Today, post-school employment rates for youth served under IDEA are twice those of older adults with similar disabilities who did not have the benefit of …show more content…

• Where will the student live?
• Will they go to college and if so, where?
• How will the student achieve their goals?
• Who will help them?
Focus in transition planning when the student is in Middle School should include:
• Take a look at the student 's Course of Study.
• What is the student 's area of interest?
• Is the student in an academic course of study toward a standard or advanced studies diploma?
• If there has been no discussion about a diploma, it 's time to study all options.
• In what kinds of self-determination activities has the student been