"What do you want to be when you grow up?"

Simple question, isn't it? Not always the case for students with disabilities (SWD). Several things keep them from pursuing their dreams: 1) they have no idea what they want to do, 2) they assume they will never go to college, or 3) they think they can't. What kind of teacher would you be if you did not help that student realize his or her potential, despite their disabilities, and work on them believing in their abilities.

According to Mastropieri & Scruggs (2007), transition is "the process of planning for changes throughout a student's life" (p. 408). If you're working with high school students you know transitions can be hard. With all the natural life changes and shifting gears from middle school to college, it is easy to see how overwhelmed SWD can feel beyond all of the normal stuff. 

I teach freshmen inclusion classes, and BOY, do I see struggles. Throughout the first 3 months of school, I am still hearing excuses, seeing odd behaviors, and setting kids straight with understanding assignments. Not to mention all of the accommodations and modifications their middle schools suggest they have. Sometimes, it's a nightmare! But if I learned anything, it's how crucial transitioning them properly is and keeping a steady routine with the freshmen (especially those with disabilities), so they stay on track. Here are some tips for helping your students with disabilities transition successfully into high school :

• They transition IN to high school usually from 8th to 9th grade, so in many ways these students are still immature, disorganized, and confused. This transition can be hard enough as it is depending on the structure of their middle school. Perhaps this is the first time these students will have serious homework and projects to complete, the expectations are higher, and the consequences are more complex. SWD need to attend freshman orientation with their guidance counselors and/or case managers so they can adjust to the building, the schedules, and the expectations. 
• Throughout their freshman year, it's important to keep modeling your classroom expectations: classroom rules, appropriate behaviors, guidelines for assignments...the list goes on. All students need a little help knowing what they should/should not do their first year in high school, but SWD may need an extra boost of confidence, or piece of sample work to really allow them to know what's happening.
• Another great strategy for understanding your incoming SWD is to have a questionnaire from their middle school teachers or case managers sent with their IEPs. It's a basic checklist to see what works and what doesn't work for that student. Something like the picture below could work!
• Additionally, be consistent with checking up with your SWD throughout the year. Don't wait for their IEP reviews to come up to ask them how the year is going and if there's anything you can do or should stop doing for them. Allowing them to decide what is working and not working for them is helpful in them developing their independence!

A transition checklist to use from middle to high school 






*Source: Jones, B. A. (2011). Fostering collaboration in inclusive settings: The special education students at a glance approach. Intervention in School and Clinic, 47(5), 297-306.