Shaw 1

Michael Shaw
Instructor: Malcolm Campbell
English 1103
April 12, 2016
Special Education: Challenges transitioning after high school.
According to the National Service for Educational Services, the number of public school
students in special education was 6.4 million in the 2012-2013 school year. That number puts the
special education population at 13 percent of all students in public schools. Many people think
that special education is a small population in the school system, that there are very few students
receive special education. 13 percent of all students in public schools is no small number, but the
services for these kids are still far too limited compared to their numbers. Graduation rates for
students with disabilities have risen to 62 percent in 2012-2013, but 62 percent is still one of the
lowest rates for any category of student (Samuels). With my research I wanted to find the best
ways to improve the systems in place so that students in special education can have a better life
inside and outside of school.
A student gets into special education classes when they need more help than the general
curriculum classes. A student with a psychical, mental, emotional, or behavioral disability will
receive special education. The 13 percent of schools that are made up of special education makes
these students on of the largest subgroups in schools. These students will either go into separate
classes within public schools, integrated classes in public schools, or private schools designed to
help these students. The integrated classrooms are better for the students social skills, while
private schools are the most equipped to handle their individual needs.

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The transition period for a student is when they are leaving high school for some form of
employment or postsecondary education. This time period can be especially stressful to a student
with special needs, as it is the common opinion that there isnt much after high school for them.
This idea can really hinder a students development because it can discourage them and make
them not even want to finish high school. Students with emotional or behavioral disabilities for
example have the highest dropout rate, 44 percent, of any category of student (Beattie). The
transition period, while being the most difficult time for a student with special needs, is also one
of the most important for their entire life paths. If a student drops out of high school instead of
finishing and moving on to either a job or a postsecondary school, then finding a job will become
even harder for someone that is already at a disadvantage because of their disability.
The biggest challenges facing a student with a disability is staying motivated to finish
school. They often get discouraged very easily when the core subject, Math and English, dont
come as easily to them as it does to a typical student. This difficulty makes staying in school,
especially high school, until graduation a major obstacle. It is important to keep these kids
motivated because with the right help, they can become very valuable members of society.
According to an article for the Center of Public Education written by Ulrich Boser, only 10 to 15
percent of students who receive special education services have a severe disability. That means
that the majority of students in special education are high functioning students that dont receive
the same opportunities as typical students. These kids get behind when they dont receive the
same level of coursework as the rest of their school, and once they get behind, their frustrations
in class become even worse.

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To continue to help these students, the current systems in place will have to be
improved. The current system for transition services offered to students focus on the students
IEP, which is an individual plan that is in place for each student to get the proper attention they
need (Beattie). The student gets a plan for their transition based on their needs and their IEP, but
this system has its obstacles. Many IEPs might not fully cover a childs needs because on paper,
the child might not need a lot of special attention when in reality they still struggle more than any
of their peers. This difference between what on paper should happen and the reality of the
situation is what causes the biggest problems for the transition period. The transition period will
always be a difficult period for these students, but if there were more general services offered to
go along with the individual plans, I think that students will be able to better navigate this time
period.
I think that some general services can be really helpful for students who are in special
education. Some of these services could be things like regular consular meetings with the
individual student as well as small groups within the classroom. I think that a consular can help
prepare the student for life after high school much more than a teacher can. If the consular starts
early enough in the students life, they can really have their after school life to look forward to,
rather than have it be another obstacle.
A big problem with transition plans in todays schools is that they do not start until the
student is 16. Many students with even mild debilities that are behind in their classes often will
already be unmotivated by the time they reach 16. Transition plans should start before a child
gets behind the schedule the school has for its students. At 16, the student is already well into
high school and more than likely already decided on wether or not school is something that they
actually want to finish. According to an academic journal written by Mary Wagner and Jose

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Blackorby, 37% of high school graduates with disabilities had attended a postsecondary school,
compared with 78% of high school graduates generally. That is a 41 percent deference in the
amount of students that attend postsecondary school, and with todays job market being as
competitive as it is, a degree from a postsecondary school can go a long way for a students
future.
Experts in the field of special education agree that the transition period is an area where
improvements need to be made. Some experts say that promoting career and technical colleges to
students in special education can help motivate them to finish high school because those colleges
are less intimidating for a student than the 4 year university (Cobb). The idea of mandatory
employment in high school to show the students that they can hold jobs in the real world has also
been discussed. Inclusion into typical classes is another big idea that could have a real positive
impact on a students transition. Inclusion is already becoming one of the fastest growing
initiatives in all of education, so using it to benefit with the transition period is a logical next
step. Seeing other kids motivated to graduate and go on to do bigger things with their lives can
inspire the included students to do the same, as they want to be like the kids in their class.
The most convincing idea that I read was the idea that a student in special education
should have to hold at least one job before graduating high school (Cobb). There have been
studies that have shown a positive relationship between working in some capacity while in
school and greater employment outcomes after leaving school for students with disabilities(qtd.
in Cobb). This positive relationship means that students that have had employment in high school
have a brighter and more successful future than their peers who do not. The experience that
comes with employment at that age can be enough to make a student want more for themselves,

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so it motivates them to do better in school. This motivation is the area that the transition period
needs help the most in, finding a way to get kids to want a bright future for themselves.
I think that providing a job for students in special education for them to see what they are
capable of can be huge for these students. These kids are just as capable as kids in general
classes, they are just not given the same opportunities as their peers. Giving these students equal
opportunity will allow them to prove to themselves and to their peers that they are every bit as
able to be a productive member of society.
The discoveries that I have made researching this topic will have a huge impact on my
life. I am attending school to become a special education teacher so learning about one of the
bigger issues within special education is very important. Knowing about the challenges that face
the students I will be teaching will be valuable knowledge to have to help me relate to, and help
my students more effectively. According to a Huffington Post article, Parents reported having
either too little information or too much, leaving them bewildered. If I as the teacher am
educated on the issues a student is facing then I would be able to better inform the parent of the
child. A better informed parent then becomes another support system for the student that will
help them stay on track in school. This information is also useful to non special education
teachers because the special education population is major portion in public schools and when
these students graduate, they are a part of society like everyone else. Being informed on this
issue will help not only the students in special education, but their future employers and future
college advisors better understand how to support these individuals.
Something that I remain curious about in relation to this topic is why the age transition
services start is 16. That seems way too close to graduation for something that will have the
biggest impact on a students life. Another question that I still have is wether or not transition

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should be covered in a students IEP. As of right now it is, but I think that lumping it in with all of
the other services a child receives can take some attention away from it. I think further research
could dive into possible solutions for making transition services more of a priority in middle
school to start students off with the motivation to finish all 12 grades and hopefully move on to a
job or postsecondary education. Another possible area for further research is how inclusion
impacts the graduation rate in special education. Inclusion is just starting to gain national traction
as the best way to help students with special needs while they are in school, so it would be
interesting to see how it also effects their after high school plans.

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Works Cited
Boser, Ulrich. "Special Education: At a Glance." Special Education: At a Glance. Center for
Public Education. Web. 9 Apr. 2016.
Beattie, John, and Christopher OBrien. Teaching Students with Special Needs: A Guide for
Future Educators. Kendall Hunt Publishing Company, 2012. Print.
Cobb, R. Brian, Stephon Lipscomb, Jennifer Wolgemuth, and Theresa Schulte. "Improving PostHigh School Outcomes for Transition-Age Students with Disabilities: An Evidence
Review." Institute of Education Sciences, Aug. 2013. Web. 9 Apr. 2016.
"The Condition of Education - Participation in Education - Elementary/Secondary Enrollment Children and Youth with Disabilities - Indicator May (2015)." The Condition of
Education - Participation in Education - Elementary/Secondary Enrollment - Children
and Youth with Disabilities - Indicator May (2015). U.S. Department of Education. Web.
10 Apr. 2016.
Resmovits, Joy. "Special Education Services After High School Uncoordinated, Unmonitored,
GAO Finds." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com. Web. 16 Mar. 2016.
Samuels, Christina A. "Students Face Uncertain Paths After Special Education." Education
Week. Web. 8 Apr. 2016.
Wagner, Mary M., and Jose Blackorby. "Transition from High School to Work or College: How
Special Education Students Fare." The Future of Children 6.1 (1996): 103. Web. 15 Mar.
2016.