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Research on the transition of students with disabilities and their post-school outcomes continues to move the field of special education in the direction of evidence-based practices. As special education professionals work to better recognize the impact of instructional and environmental characteristics to prepare youth for their transition, so must postsecondary education professionals. There is a need for a unified research agenda in the field of higher education and disability to conduct rigorous studies on evidence-based practices in the college environment that support self-determination and to identify evidence-based predicators that correlate with improved outcomes in retention, graduation, and further education or employment.

Increasingly across the United States, institutions of higher education (IHE) are offering a wide array of postsecondary educational (PSE) opportunities for students with intellectual disabilities (ID). As more students with ID aspire to college, it is incumbent upon IHEs to engage in rigorous program evaluation to assess student outcomes and identify factors that foster student success. The Think College (TC) Standards, Quality Indicators, and Benchmarks provide a unifying conceptual framework that helps to focus research and program evaluation efforts. In this article we describe use of the TC Standards to evaluate an inclusive PSE program for students with ID at a large, urban university. We report preliminary outcome data and discuss how Standards-based evaluation can both guide local program improvement and contribute to the evidence base of best practices in the field. Using this accumulated knowledge, students and families will be able to make more informed educational choices.

This chapter examines the changes in supports and services from secondary to postsecondary for students with disabilities. It recommends ways organizations, practitioners, and students must coordinate and collaborate to affect the environment and increase student success in postsecondary education.

This article describes the responses to an on-line survey that was sent to 21 universities and colleges funded during 1999-2002 by the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE) to develop and implement faculty and administrator professional development activities. The projects were asked to respond to a series of open-ended questions concerning their experiences over the three-year period working with faculty, administrators, students with disabilities, and other professionals on their campuses. Their responses were analyzed qualitatively by identifying recurring issues and themes. Implications of the findings for future research and evaluation efforts on the effectiveness of professional development strategies and their long-term impact on the education of students with disabilities in higher education are explored. (Contains 8 tables.)

This article explores the key characteristics of postsecondary education programs that help youth and young adults with disabilities persist and remain in college. Student support factors include services that develop stronger self-determination skills, teach and support young adults' self-management skills, expose students to assistive technology, and promote career development by providing internships or other career-related experiences. In conjunction with student support services there are two professional development emphases for instructional faculty that contribute to the institutional support needed by college students with disabilities. Students benefit when faculty have an increased awareness and knowledge of the characteristics and needs of students with disabilities and when faculty incorporate concepts of universal design into their instruction and curriculum. (Contains 1 table and 1 figure.)

Although the literature is clear that self-determination is an important component of the transition planning process for students with disabilities preparing for postsecondary education, further studies are needed to explore what self-determination strategies these students use to remain in college and successfully meet the challenges in postsecondary education settings. This article describes a study conducted with postsecondary education students in 2- and 4-year college settings to (a) identify skills that effective self-advocates use to ensure they stay in college and obtain needed supports and (b) identify the essential self-determination skills needed to remain and persist in college. Findings from the study and implications for postsecondary education and secondary education are discussed. (Contains 1 table.)

As the number of students with disabilities who are entering postsecondary education continues to rise, the need for their adequate preparation to successfully complete programs of study is a critical concern. A common characteristic of students who successfully enter and complete programs of study in postsecondary settings is that of having self-determination skills. This article discusses the results of a pilot study that implemented the self-determined learning model of instruction, modified for use in postsecondary education settings. Evaluation results are discussed with implications for further research. (Contains 1 table.)

This article describes the results of a series of focus group interviews conducted with postsecondary students with disabilities about the importance of self-determination in their success in those settings. Approximately 40% of the student participants identified a learning disability or attention deficit disorder as their primary disability. The results discussed in the article are the thoughts and comments of these students that were extracted from the focus group results. Participants attended community college and/or state universities in Virginia and indicated that self-determination skills were important to their success in taking courses, finding the supports they needed, and advocating for their rights. Implications for supports for students with disabilities in postsecondary settings, as well as those K-12 students who are planning to transition to postsecondary educational settings, are discussed.principles considered nonnegotiable in NCLB.

This article describes results of a series of focus group interviews conducted with post-secondary students with disabilities about the importance of self-determination in their success in those settings. Participants attended community college and/or state universities in Virginia and were between the ages of 18 and 48. They indicated that self-determination skills were important to their success in taking courses, finding the supports they needed, and advocating for their rights. Implications for supports for students with disabilities in post-secondary settings, as well as those K-12 students who are planning to transition to post-secondary educational settings are discussed. (Contains 3 tables.)

Virginia Commonwealth University's model for comprehensive disability services was developed following a survey of students and key informants on existing services and staff. It includes a professional development academy that provides first-line staff training, graduate teaching assistant training, instructional technology training, and a center for teaching excellence. (Contains 19 references.) (SK)

Principles of planning for the transition of students with special needs into postsecondary educational programs include incorporation of postsecondary objectives into the secondary school individualized education program, use of the team approach, comprehensive program planning, interagency collaboration, and identification of resources and services of the postsecondary program. (DB)

Meaningful program evaluation is essential to interagency collaboration for handicapped persons. A team approach to developing an evaluation strategy must take into account factors within four stages of the evaluation process: 1) focusing, 2) planning, 3) implementing the evaluation, and 4) disseminating results and assessing the evaluation project itself. (CL)

The author reviews two studies relating to the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) and its service to disabled individuals. Results showed that high school dropouts and welfare recipients are targeted often by the Service Delivery Areas and that 92 percent of the participants are economically disadvantaged. (CH)