The Impact of Professional Development on the Quality of the Transition Components of IEPs

Abstract

Under the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), transition needs and services are to be discussed as part of the Individual Education Program (IEP) planning process, and decisions based on students’ future goals are to be documented in the IEP. These transition requirements were included in IDEA in order to plan with the student, family, school, and agencies; assist students to see the path to the future; and increase their success post high school. In this study, 27 secondary teachers received professional development (PD) on the transition components in the IEP. The impact on the inclusion and quality of these components was evaluated using 302 IEPs collected before and after the PD. Preliminary findings show promise in positively affecting the IEP components.