SPECIAL EDUCATION RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Chapter 10

Information on Transition Services,
Including Vocational Education

From a 13-Chapter Manual

Available by Chapter and in Manual Form

Written by:

Community Alliance for Special Education (CASE)

and

Protection and Advocacy, Inc. (PAI)

Copyright © 1992 by CASE and PAI

Ninth Edition

Revised December 2005

Written permission of the Community Alliance for Special Education (CASE) and Protection and Advocacy, Inc. (PAI) must be obtained for duplication of the materials contained in Special Education Rights and Responsibilities.

These materials are based on special education laws and court decisions in effect at the time of publication. Federal and state special education law can change at any time. If there is any question about the continued validity of any information in the handbook, contact CASE, PAI or a legal authority in your community.

 

Federal special education law was significantly amended by Congress in 2004 and will be further clarified by regulations from the U.S. Department of Education in 2006. The California Education Code has been amended to reflect some of the federal law changes but not all.  In certain circumstances where it provides greater protections or entitlements, California law will continue to control special education pupils’ rights unless it is amended to completely conform to federal law.

CASE and PAI will monitor the development of conforming state law and regulations, so that revised state laws and regulations can be incorporated into later supplements and editions of SERR.

For further information on the development of federal and state law and regulation, or clarification about IDEA implementation, please contact CASE or PAI.

 

Community Alliance for Special Education (CASE) provides legal support, representation, technical assistance consultations, and training to parents throughout the greater San Francisco Bay Area whose children need appropriate special education services. Trained advocates and attorneys assist parents at IEP meetings, Mediation Conferences and Due Process Hearings. CASE also provides free consultations about special education rights and services to parents and professionals by telephone or face-to-face. CASE is a nonprofit organization serving all children with disabilities who need or may need special education services. For more information, contact:

CASE

 

Protection and Advocacy, Inc. (PAI), is a private, nonprofit organi­zation that protects the legal, civil and service rights of Californians who have develop­mental or mental disabilities. PAI provides a variety of advocacy services, including information and referral, technical assistance, and direct representation. For information or assistance with an immediate problem, call:

PAI

Toll Free: (800) 776-5746

9:00 AM to 5:00 PM - Monday through Friday

 

 

PAI receives funding under the Developmentally Disabled Assistance and Bill of Rights Act and the Protection and Advocacy for Mentally Ill Individuals Act. Any opinions, findings, recommendations or conclusions expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the organizations which fund PAI.

SPECIAL EDUCATION RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Chapter 1             Information on Basic Rights and Responsibilities

Chapter 2             Information on Evaluations/Assessments

Chapter 3             Information on Eligibility Criteria

Chapter 4             Information on IEP Process

Chapter 5             Information on Related Services

Chapter 6             Information on Due Process Hearings/Compliance Complaints

Chapter 7             Information on Least Restrictive Environment

Chapter 8             Information on Discipline of Students with Disabilities

Chapter 9             Information on Interagency Responsibility for Related Services (AB 3632/882)

Chapter 10        Information on Vocational Education

Chapter 11        Information on Preschool Education Services

Chapter 12        Information on Early Intervention Services

NOTE:              The text in each chapter refers to specific Questions in other chapters by using the titles shown above.

 

(Blank page)

 

SPECIAL EDUCATION RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Chapter 10

Information on Transition Services,
Including Vocational Education

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Question                                                                                    Page

1.      SEE ALSO CHAPTER 1, QUESTION AND ANSWER 18, ITEM (11). Does the school district have to help students with disabilities make the transition from school to work?. 1

2.      What are transition services for students in special education?. 2

3.      What is an individual transition plan (ITP)?. 5

4.      When should transition planning occur?. 5

5.      How do I initiate a transition-planning meeting?. 6

6.      How do I know if the school district will hold a transition IEP meeting?. 6

7.      How should the IEP include transition services?. 6

8.      When should a special education student begin receiving transition services?. 7

9.      What should a transition program for younger students (14-18 years old) contain?. 7

10.   What should a transition program for older students (18-21 years old) contain?. 8

11.   How can students be involved in developing their own transition plans?. 9

12.   Who should participate in a transition-planning meeting?. 10

13.   What if the school district, parents, and student cannot agree on the statement of transition services in the student’s IEP?. 10

14.   What if a participating agency fails to provide agreed upon transition services that are listed in the IEP?. 10

15.   What if the school district fails to provide transition services that are listed in the IEP or ITP?. 10

16.   What is the relationship between transition services and vocational education?. 11

17.   What is vocational education?. 11

18.   Who is eligible for vocational education. 12

19.   When should vocational services start?. 13

20.   What is a student enrolled in a vocational education program entitled to receive?. 13

21.   When should a vocational assessment occur and what should it include?. 13

22.   How can I work with my child’s teacher to promote the skills necessary for my child to enter a vocational education program?. 14

23.   When I develop my child’s IEP, how can I include vocational education services?. 15

24.   How can I decide in which vocational education program my child should participate?. 15

25.   Can my child enroll in a regular vocational program?. 16

26.   What if my child needs an accommodation to be in a regular vocational program?. 17

27.   How will the Standardized Testing and Reporting Program (the “STAR” program) affect my child’s ability to transition from grade to grade beginning as early as the second grade?. 18

28.   What can I do as a parent of a pupil in special education to ensure that my child is able to go on to the next grade if I do not want her retained?. 18

29.   Will the school resist exempting my child from the STAR test and base his promotion/retention on other factors?. 19

30.   What kinds of accommodations or modifications can my child receive in order to appropriately take the SAT-9 under the STAR program?. 19

31.   How will the state requirement for an exit examination from high school affect my child’s entitlement to receive a diploma?. 20

32.   What were the rules for graduating from high school with a diploma for students with disabilities before the requirement that all students pass the California High School Exit Examination (CAHSEE)?. 21

33.   SUPERSEDED. DIFFERENTIAL PROFICIENCY STANDARDS HAVE BEEN REMOVED FROM THE LAW. What are regular and differential proficiency standards?. 22

34.   SUPERSEDED. DIFFERENTIAL PROFICIENCY STANDARDS HAVE BEEN REMOVED FROM THE LAW. Are differential proficiency standards still in effect during the 2002-03 school year?. 22

35.   SUPERSEDED. DIFFERENTIAL PROFICIENCY STANDARDS HAVE BEEN REMOVED FROM THE LAW. Of what relevance will differential proficiency standards be to students who are anticipating graduating in the 2003-04 school year or beyond?.