What Do Transition Assessments Look Like for Students With a Significant Cognitive Disability? A Multistate Survey of Educational Stakeholders

Despite challenges educators face when assessing needs of students with significant cognitive disabilities, providing a fair and accurate assessment of skills is crucial to a student's future success. Dismal outcomes for these students indicate the current transition planning process is weak and not appropriate. Research suggests meaningful transition planning is facilitated by appropriate transition assessment to ensure students with significant cognitive disabilities make progress, meet annual transition goals, have individualized supports and services, and receive effective instruction. The purpose of this study was to investigate the nationwide transition assessment process for students with significant cognitive disabilities. Results indicated transition assessments are not fully assessing the needs of this population, thereby denying equal participation and access to inclusive environments.

Ecobehavioral Characteristics of Self-Contained High School Classrooms for Students With Severe Cognitive Disability

This study investigated educational experiences for students with significant cognitive disability (SCD) taught in self-contained high school classrooms. Nineteen students and nine teachers across five high schools and four school districts participated. A time-sampling method was used to describe the ecological, teacher, and student behaviors of these classrooms. Field notes were collected and analyzed as well. Results revealed that students in these classrooms were often passively engaged and had few opportunities to learn from rigorous curriculum. Instructors engaged in few practices known to be effective in supporting the learning of students with SCD. Finally, the classrooms themselves were often distracting and demonstrated little evidence of specialized or effective instruction. Implications for teaching and research are included.