FTCE ESE Transition Planning for Post-Secondary Success 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the purpose of a 'Summary of Performance' (SOP) in special education?
- To summarize the student's behavioral incidents during the school year
- To provide a summary of the student's academic achievement and functional performance when they exit special education services (Correct answer)
- To document the student's progress toward IEP goals each quarter
- To replace the student's final IEP document upon graduation
Correct answer: To provide a summary of the student's academic achievement and functional performance when they exit special education services
The Summary of Performance summarizes the student's academic and functional performance and provides recommendations for post-secondary supports when the student exits special education.
Under IDEA, when a student's eligibility for special education ends (upon graduation with a standard diploma or aging out at 22), the school must provide a Summary of Performance (SOP). The SOP includes: a summary of academic achievement and functional performance, recommendations for post-secondary supports (accommodations, assistive technology, strategies), and relevant assessment information. The SOP is valuable for college disability services offices, vocational rehabilitation, and employers who need to understand the student's support needs.
Question 2: A student with a learning disability is planning to attend a 2-year community college after high school. Which of the following BEST prepares the student for the transition?
- Ensuring the student has an IEP that automatically transfers to the college
- Teaching the student to self-advocate and request accommodations from the college's disability services office using their SOP and documentation (Correct answer)
- Notifying the college of the student's disability on their behalf
- Ensuring the student receives the same accommodations they had in high school automatically
Correct answer: Teaching the student to self-advocate and request accommodations from the college's disability services office using their SOP and documentation
In post-secondary settings, students must self-identify as having a disability and request accommodations independently. Teaching self-advocacy is the critical transition preparation.
A major change at the post-secondary level is the shift from IDEA (which guarantees services) to Section 504 and ADA (which require self-advocacy). Colleges are not required to develop IEPs — students must register with the disability services office, provide documentation of their disability, and request accommodations themselves. The school's responsibility ends at graduation. High school ESE teachers should prepare students by teaching self-advocacy skills and helping them understand how to navigate disability services in post-secondary settings.
Question 3: At a transition IEP meeting, a student sits silently while parents and teachers make all the decisions. The ESE teacher wants to improve student involvement. Which strategy is MOST effective?
- Continue current practice — student presence is sufficient
- Use a student-led IEP format where the student is taught to present their own goals, strengths, and needs (Correct answer)
- Have the parent speak on the student's behalf to keep the meeting efficient
- Limit the IEP meeting length to minimize student discomfort
Correct answer: Use a student-led IEP format where the student is taught to present their own goals, strengths, and needs
Student-led IEPs train students to present their own strengths, needs, and goals — developing self-advocacy and ownership of the transition planning process.
IDEA requires that students with disabilities be invited to and participate in their IEP meeting when transition planning is being discussed. Beyond attendance, best practice involves training students to actively lead or co-lead their IEP meetings. Student-led IEP programs (such as the MAPS, PATH, or ChoiceMaker curriculum) teach students to discuss their learning profile, present their post-secondary goals, advocate for needed accommodations, and take ownership of their futures. Research shows student-led IEPs increase self-determination outcomes.
Question 4: Which federal legislation, in addition to IDEA, most directly impacts post-secondary employment outcomes for people with disabilities?
- No Child Left Behind (NCLB)
- Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) (Correct answer)
- Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)
- Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)
Correct answer: Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA)
WIOA (Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act) mandates coordination between schools and vocational rehabilitation to improve post-secondary employment outcomes, emphasizing competitive integrated employment.
WIOA (2014) reauthorized and strengthened the Rehabilitation Act. Key provisions include: requiring pre-employment transition services (Pre-ETS) for students with disabilities ages 14-21, prioritizing competitive integrated employment over sheltered workshops, mandating coordination between vocational rehabilitation and schools, and establishing set-aside funding for pre-ETS. ESE teachers should be familiar with WIOA because it shapes the services available through VR and the expectations for transition planning quality.
Question 5: Which of the following is an example of 'pre-employment transition services' (Pre-ETS) under WIOA?
- A job placement service for adults with disabilities after age 25
- Job exploration counseling, work-based learning experiences, and self-advocacy instruction for students ages 14-21 with disabilities (Correct answer)
- Career counseling available to all high school students regardless of disability
- Adult education programs for individuals with GED goals
Correct answer: Job exploration counseling, work-based learning experiences, and self-advocacy instruction for students ages 14-21 with disabilities
Pre-employment transition services under WIOA include job exploration, work-based learning, workplace readiness, self-advocacy training, and counseling on post-secondary education for students ages 14-21 with disabilities.
WIOA's Section 113 established five required Pre-ETS activities: (1) job exploration counseling, (2) work-based learning experiences (including in-school and after-school), (3) counseling on opportunities for enrollment in post-secondary education, (4) workplace readiness training (interpersonal skills, independent living), and (5) instruction in self-advocacy. State vocational rehabilitation agencies must use 15% of their federal allotment for Pre-ETS, making these services widely available to students with disabilities during their school years.
Question 6: A student with autism who has strong academic skills is transitioning to independent living. Which transition domain should be addressed in his IEP?
- Focused exclusively on post-secondary academic enrollment
- Independent living skills including managing finances, cooking, transportation, and social relationships (Correct answer)
- Only vocational training in a supported employment setting
- Residential facility placement as the primary outcome
Correct answer: Independent living skills including managing finances, cooking, transportation, and social relationships
For a student targeting independent living, the IEP must address practical daily living skills across multiple domains including finances, cooking, transportation, and social relationships.
Many students with autism — even those with strong academic skills — require explicit instruction in daily living skills to achieve independence. Independent living transition goals may include: banking and budgeting, meal planning and preparation, public transportation use, apartment search and lease signing, medical self-management, and social relationship development. These skills do not develop incidentally for many students with autism and must be intentionally taught and practiced in real-world settings during the school years.
FTCE ESE Transition Planning for Post-Secondary Success 2
What is the purpose of a 'Summary of Performance' (SOP) in special education?