Updated, December 2010
Life is full of transitions, and one of the more remarkable ones occurs when we get ready to leave high school and go out in the world as young adults. When the student has a disability, it’s especially helpful to plan ahead for that transition. In fact, IDEA requires it. The data collected under Indicator 13 targets this turning point in life and the extent to which youth with disabilities have IEPs that establish postsecondary goals and include transition services designed to prepare them to meet those goals.
Indicator 13 reads:
_______________________________
Percent of youth aged 16 and above with an IEP that includes coordinated, measurable, annual IEP goals and transition services that will reasonably enable the child to meet the post-secondary goals. [20 U.S.C. 1416(a)(3)(B)]
_______________________________
Resources to Support Data Gathering for Indicator 13
Guidance documents on Indicator 13.
http://spp-apr-calendar.tadnet.org/byindicator.html#b_indicator_13
And technical assistance.
http://spp-apr-calendar.tadnet.org/explorer/view/id/355
And visit NSTTAC, the expert.
The National Secondary Transition Technical Assistance Center (NSTTAC) offers a number of helpful resources focused on indicator 13, including
___a checklist for Indicator 13 which allows schools, districts and states to determine if students’ IEPs are in compliance with indicator 13 and track data on each postsecondary goal area to help plan professional development and program change;
___training materials including definitions of all the terms used in the indicator 13 checklist.
Find NSTTAC’s materials on Indicator 13 at:
http://www.nsttac.org/content/what-indicator-13
How are we doing?
What’s the current status on preparing youth with disabilities, via their IEPs, for transition to adulthood? What are the data telling us? Read this summary from August 2010. The status of Indicator 13 is described on pages 144-147.
http://uploads.tadnet.org/centers/88/assets/221/download
Resources to Support the Secondary Transition of Youth with Disabilities
What are transition goals in the IEP?
NICHCY explains the type of information that must be included in the IEPs of youth with disabilities of transition age.
http://www.nichcy.org/schoolage/iep/iepcontents/transition/
All about transition goals in the IEP.
NICHCY offers an entire suite on Transition to Adulthood, which includes nine separate webpages. There’s even one called “Transition Goals in the IEP.” Enter the suite at:
http://www.nichcy.org/schoolage/transitionadult/
Want to learn more about postschool outcomes?
Is your state trying to develop strategies for collecting and using data to improve secondary, transition, and postsecondary outcomes for youth with disabilities? Does your state need technical assistance to improve systems for post-school outcome data collection and use? If you answered yes to either question you might want to contact the National Post School Outcomes Center.
www.psocenter.org
Join a community of practice to discuss high-school exiting and postsecondary education.
TAcommunities.org is a forum for exchanging strategies and ideas that will improve outcomes for children with disabilities. One of the communities you can join is the “Exiting – Part B Community,” which discusses issues around transition, graduation, postsecondary education, employment, and post school outcomes.
http://tacommunities.org/community/view/id/1004
Explore (and help youth explore) the options after high school.
The HEATH Resource Center Clearinghouse has information for students with disabilities on utilizing disability support services on college and university campuses, and accessing services at career-technical schools and other postsecondary training entities. HEATH has information on financial assistance, scholarships, and materials to help students with disabilities transition into college, university, career-technical schools, or other postsecondary programs.
www.heath.gwu.edu
Help students who are deaf or hearing impaired navigate secondary and postsecondary education.
http://www.pepnet.org/
What do states report as their transition policies?
A June 2010 policy brief from Project Forum, entitled “Preparation for Postsecondary Life for Students with Disabilities.”
http://www.projectforum.org/docs/PreparationforPostsecondaryLifeforStudentswithDisabilities.pdf
PDF 
