Jennifer Cease-Cook

Methodological Trends in Secondary Education and Transition Research Looking Backward and Moving Forward

Prevailing policy and practice in the field of transition emphasizes the importance of designing services and supports based on research-based practices. We reviewed every article published across the 35-year history of Career Development and Transition for Exceptional Individuals (CDTEI) to document methodological trends in research focused on equipping youth and young adults with disabilities for adulthood. Although experimental research articles have assumed increasing prominence within the journal since the late 1980s, the vast majority of published studies could be characterized as primarily descriptive in focus. While almost one quarter of research articles involved some type of intervention evaluation, only 25 studies reported using research designs that could allow causal claims to be made. The data collection approaches used in these studies were quite diverse, with self-report surveys and questionnaires representing the dominant approach. We summarize the current methodological legacy of CDTEI and offer some modest recommendations for where the field might go next in its efforts to conduct rigorous research that enables youth with disabilities to flourish.

Policy Implications of High School Reform on College and Career Readiness of Youth With Disabilities

High school redesign (HSR) efforts currently focus on helping schools prepare all students to be college and career ready. As these initiatives are provided within the context of high schools, students with Individualized Education Programs are impacted by any effort to reform high schools. As a result, policies designed to improve the college and a career readiness (CCR) of all students should simultaneously improve the CCR of students with disabilities. The purpose of this article is to briefly describe current broad initiatives in high school reform and discuss implications for federal, state, and local policy to enable students with disabilities to fully participate in high school reforms designed to ensure that all students graduate college and are career ready.

Embedding Secondary Transition in the Common Core State Standards

T EA C H IN G E xc ep ti on al C hi ld re n , V ol . 47 , N o. 6 , pp . 32 9 – 33 5. C op yr ig ht 2 01 5 T he A ut ho r( s) . D O I: 1 0. 11 77 /0 04 00 59 91 55 80 03 4 Although standards-based reform has been evolving over a period of 40 years, it is relatively new to the field of special education (Browder et al., 2012). The purpose of standards-based reform is to better align special education programs and policies with larger national school improvement efforts (Nolet & McLaughlin, 2000). For only the last decade, special educators have been feeling the impact of this reform. The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 and, more recently, the proposed reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) have reinforced the standards-based reform for students with disabilities. Included in the Obama Adminstration’s recommendations for reauthorizing the ESEA are incentives for states to adopt academic standards that prepare students to succeed in postsecondary education and the workplace. The document asserts that “every student should graduate from high school ready for college and a career. Every student should have meaningful opportunities to choose from upon graduation from high school” (U.S. Department of Education, 2010a, p. 7). This standards-based reform has become known as the college and career readiness movement. The focus on college and career readiness has been a result of (a) four out of every 10 college students, including those at 2-year institutions, needing to take remedial courses in college and (b) many employers commenting on the inadequate preparation of high school graduates (U.S. Department of Education, 2010b). To help achieve the stated goal of college and career readiness, the proposed reauthorization of ESEA calls for raising standards for all students in English language arts (ELA) and mathematics, developing better assessments aligned with college and career-ready standards, and implementing a complete education through improved professional development and evidence-based instructional models and supports. To address these issues, in June 2010, the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGACBP) and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) released final versions of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) for ELA and mathematics. The CCSS describe the knowledge and skills in ELA and mathematics that students will need when they graduate, whatever their choice of college or career. These sets of standards define the knowledge and skills that students need to succeed in entry-level, credit-bearing academic college courses, as well as in workforce training programs. Together, the CCSS initiative and the proposed ESEA reauthorization recommendations have implications for curricula, instruction, and assessment that are relevant for all students, including students with disabilities at the secondary level. Although academic standards define learning targets for all students, teachers use a variety of curriculum materials and instructional strategies to help students reach those targets. For students with disabilities, teachers tailor the curriculum and use instructional strategies to meet individual learning needs (Hess, 2012). According to the NGACBP and the CCSSO (2010), these standards provide a “historic opportunity to improve access to rigorous academic content standards for students with disabilities” (“Application to Students With Disabilities,” p. 1). To be successful in the general curriculum, students with disabilities should be provided additional supports and services, such as (a) instructional supports for learning based on the principles of universal design for learning, (b) instructional accommodations that include changes in materials or procedures but not changes to the standards, and (c) assistive technology and services. The CCSS provide educators with standards for academic knowledge and skills in both ELA and mathematics. Conley (2012) suggested that there are four keys to college and career readiness: (a) key cognitive strategies, such as interpretation; (b) key content knowledge; (c) key learning skills and 580034 TCXXXX10.1177/0040059915580034Council for Exceptional ChildrenTeaching Exceptional Children research-article2015

Effects of Simulation Training on Making Purchases with a Debit Card and Tracking Expenses.

This study used a multiple probe design across participants to examine the effects of classroom simulation using static picture prompts on students’ ability to acquire, maintain, and generalize skills necessary to use a debit card to make a purchase and track their expenses. Results demonstrated a functional relationship between simulated instruction and students’ ability to use a debit card to make a purchase and track their expenses in a check register. In addition, all three students maintained their newly acquired skills for 4 weeks and were able to generalize skills to three different community sites. Implications for practice and recommendations for future research are described.

Strategies for Creating Work-Based Learning Experiences in Schools for Secondary Students with Disabilities.

Ms. Hinson is a high school special education teacher. She provides learning strategies instruction for 9th and 10th graders to support their success in English and social studies courses. Ms. Hinson is frustrated that her students do not have scheduled time to work on skills related to their specific careers, much less work experiences, during the school day. Students may have already had opportunities for self-exploration in elementary school through interest activities; now she wants to help them explore career options specific to their abilities and interests. She is concerned that her students do not have access to experiences that will enhance their planning for and success in the future: This is a challenge for many secondary special education teachers. During two recent individualized education program (IEP) meetings, Ms. Hinson was unable to identify how to incorporate any workbased learning activity into the general curriculum for either student. She decided that day that she needed help to make changes to her program.

Evidence-Based Secondary Transition Practices for Students with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders and Learning Disabilities

Abstract Research has documented post-school outcomes for students with emotional and behavioral disabilities and learning disabilities continue to be poor. To improve student outcomes for these populations, research has recommended implementing evidence-based practices and predictors in the classroom. The purpose of this chapter is to identify evidence-based practices and predictors targeted for students with emotional and behavioral disorders and learning disabilities in the area of secondary transition. We identify and briefly describe 12 evidence-based practices and 14 evidence-based predictors for students with emotional and behavioral disorders and learning disabilities. Implications for practice and suggestions for future research are also discussed.