An Investigation of Transition Practices for Middle School Youth

Abstract

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEIA 2004) shifted the requirement to initiate transition services from age 14 back to age 16, a change with significant implications for middle school students with disabilities transitioning into high school. This study, based on practices under the Amendments to IDEA 1997 regulations, employed a survey and open-ended interviews to investigate transition practices of special education teachers who instructed eighth- and ninth-grade adolescents with learning disabilities (LD). The study focused on (a) student participation at Individualized Education Program (IEP) meetings, (b) strengths considered in IEP development, and (c) transition service needs focusing on a course of study. Findings demonstrated the significance of self-determination training and its application in the IEP process by the age of 14; reliance on assessments of students' strengths and needs, which include informal measures and information from family members; and teachers' support for long-range, coordinated transition planning for students beginning no later than middle school.