Transition of Special Education Students from Middle School to High School: Services, Support, and Preparation for Students with Disabilities

Overview & Synopsis

Students with disabilities have the right to free and appropriate education, but there are still challenges for students with disabilities. Transition from one level of education to the next can present challenges to students with disabilities, especially from middle to high school. Although this transition time comes with challenges, there may be minimal transition processes to assist the students in the adaptation to their new setting. The purpose of this study was to examine the support and services offered to special education students at the middle and high school levels, and the practices for transitioning special education students from middle school to high school. Identifying the differences and issues associated with the transition of special education students from middle to high school will begin the effort to strengthen the transition process for these students. Two public school districts located in southeast Louisiana participated in this study. One school district consisted of 24,041 students and the other consisted of 4,348 students, yet the percentage of special education students were similar at 10.3% and 10.6%. Twenty-seven participants completed the survey, "Transition of Special Education Students to High School," which was created by the researcher. Of the 27 participants, 6 were district level special education leaders, 4 were high school administrators, and 17 were high school special education teachers. Qualitative and quantitative data was collected through the survey through open-ended and closed-ended survey for this mixed-method study, multi-strand concurrent study. Findings from this study revealed that the majority of the participants agreed that inclusion/co-teaching for special education students in high general education classes would benefit special education students. Participants also indicated that parents do believe their children in special education face challenges when entering high school, and lack of support was the major concern of parents. Participants expressed that clear communication, more parental involvement, and specific transition processes targeted for each student would improve the transition process. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]