Supports and Procedures Teachers Use to Develop Transition IEPS: A Qualitative Study

This basic qualitative study sought to understand the supports and procedures special education teachers were using to write transition Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) for students with disabilities ranging from 16-21 years of age. The focus of the study was to explore the supports and procedures used by the special educators for writing transition IEPs that are compliant with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and the federal compliance indicator, Indicator 13. Data were collected using purposive nonprobability and network sampling methods to recruit the 14 special educators who teach in a K-12 school district, case manage students with disabilities ages 16-21, write compliant transition IEPs, and have taught for three or more years. The participants from a Midwestern state in the United States were asked interview questions in face-to-face, semistructured, and individualized interviews. Data from the interviews indicated that special educators are including information from transition assessments, gaining insights from training opportunities, collaborating with colleagues, retrieving information from websites, using examples, accessing special education unit or district supports to write compliant transition IEPs for students with disabilities. Although special educators indicated a variety of different supports and procedures, there were clear barriers to continually writing compliant transition IEPs, with the greatest barriers being the need for better training and resources. The results of the study provide an opportunity for further exploration and understanding of supports and procedures special educators are using to write compliant transition IEPs. Future research is recommended to determine if the results of this study correspond to the supports and procedures special educators are using in other states to write compliant transition IEPs and to analyze why particular age-appropriate transition assessments are being used to support the transition planning for students with disabilities