Abstract
Statement of the Problem
Resource programs at the secondary level that are serving students with learning disabilities have improved since the initial passage of the 1990 Amendments of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), but continued progress is necessary (Chadsey-Rusch. Rusch. & O'Reilly. 1991: Wagner. M., Newman, L., D' Amico, R., Jay, E. D., Butler-Nalin, P.,.Marder, C., & Cox, R., 1991 ). Since the passage of the 1990 IDEA and its subsequent mandates (i.e. the 1991 IDEA and 1997 IDEA). students with disabilities are entitled to services that will enhance their high school and postsecondary experiences (Blackmon, 2001 ~ Benz & Halpern. 1997: Karge, Patton, & de la Garza, 1992).
Statement of Purpose
The purpose of this project is to develop a transition guide for resource specialists that provides basic information about the set of five coordinated activities mandated by the 1997 IDEA. California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE), and California Education Code in order to enhance students" successes in the resource program at Ceres High School. It is also. to initiate a process whereby the resource specialists at Ceres High School can continuously address these (three) mandates and improve the transition services delivered to students in the resource program. To help resource
specialists at Ceres High School in this effort. the proposed Transition Guide suggests the following fifteen areas (see Appendix A): ( 1) A letter of introduction. (2) the 1997 IDEA definition of transition services, (2) the 1997 IDEA required transition activities. ( 4) an outline for conducting an IEP/ITP meeting. (5) highlights of the high school exit exam, ( 6) questionnaires for students in the resource program and their parents to provide input prior to an IEP meeting and to evaluate their experience in the resource program at the end of each school year. (7) an ITP form used at Ceres High School. (8) sample letters to notify the students in the resource program and his/her parents of the students' Hage of majority" rights. (9) the program description (10) the program mission statement. (11) benchmarks to measure the success of the resource program. ( 12) a timetable (with transition objectives by grade level) for transition planning based on the (five) set of coordinated activities mandated by the 1997 IDEA. (13) criteria for exiting students in the resource program, ( 14) frequently asked questions on transition by parents, and ( 15) a list of community agencies near Ceres High School that can support students'(in the resource program) postsecondary objectives. Definitions are also provided to help with the understanding of the proposed Transition Guide.
Sources of Data
The information for this project was obtained from several sources. The author conducted interviews with students in the resource program and their parents. The author facilitated department meetings with four resource specialists at Ceres High School (see Appendix B). Recent literature on transition services at the secondary level was gathered through a review of hooks. professional journals, research papers, periodicals. and EBSCO-HOST reports. The author also attended conferences and workshops related to transition. The author's experiences teaching students in the resource program at Ceres High School provided the insight toward the professional and thorough completion of this project.
Conclusion Reached
Secondary students with learning disabilities do not have to perform less than their non-disabled peers if professionals provided the mandated transition services~ these services are crucial for they may mean students' success in resource programs or them dropping out of school (Chadsey-Rusch, Rusch, & O'Reilly, 1991 ). First promising practices found in the literature review in this project suggest that professionals be properly credentialed and knowledgeable of the mandates (e.g., the 1997 IDEA, CAHSEE, and California Education Code) related to transition services (Blackmond. 2001 ). Second, in addition to professionals being knowledgeable of the mandates, students with disabilities and their families should be knowledgeable of the 1997 IDEA and other mandates (Gallivan-Fenlon. 1994: Wehmeyer, Morningstar, and Husted, 1999). Third, perhaps the most important point is that students with learning disabilities need training in self-determination skills in order to benefit from their transition experiences throughout their school years (Kohler, 1998). They should also be taught critical thinking skills, choice and decision-making skills, and their IEP/ITP rights and responsibilities in order to meet their objectives at each grade level (Kohler. 1998). Fourth, professionals must be educated on various strategies to engage families of students with learning disabilities in the IEP/ITP process (Gallivan-Fenlon, 1994: Wehmeyer, Morningstar, and Husted, 1999). The proposed Transition Guide will provide resource specialists at Ceres High School with basic information to implement these promising practices identified in the research on transition services for students with learning disabilities at the secondary level.