Outcomes of Approved Special Education
Programs in the Private Sector
Plans for Exiting Students: 2008-2009
Report Number 8
NAPSEC Outcomes Project
May, 2010
Executive Summary - Study Period 2008-2009
During the 2008-2009 school year, 2,575 transfer students and 900 graduates/aged-out students with available plans exited from 95 NAPSEC schools (38% of the membership) operating 203 educational programs in 13 states and 5 federal educational regions. In total, about 63% of students with emotional/behavioral disabilities, 13% with pervasive developmental disabilities, 11% with preschool disabilities, 8% with learning disabilities, and 6% with medical disabilities were enrolled in the schools that participated in the study.
Highlights for Transfer Students include:
95% of the transfer students attended a NAPSEC-member school for 5 years or less.
63% (1,624 students) of these students left a NAPSEC-member school with plans to attend an educational program in their home district. Of these, 24% (616 students) had plans to attend a regular education classroom within district.
Highlights for Graduates/Aged-Out Students include:
About 70% of the graduates/aged-out students were enrolled in a NAPSEC school for 5 years or less.
Almost 58% of the graduates/aged-out students planned to enter the mainstream
(2-year/4-year college or trade/technical training, competitive employment, or military)
22% planned to enter a vocational rehabilitation activity (vocational rehabilitation training, supported or sheltered employment).
10% had plans to enter an adult program in the community (adult partial care or nonvocational day program).
At 74%, graduates/aged-out students from Learning Disorders programs and Emotional/Behavioral Disorders programs were the most likely to have plans to enter the mainstream.
Introduction
For over a decade, the National Association of Private Special Education Centers (NAPSEC) has been collecting and analyzing data about the postschool outcomes of students with severe disabilities who attend the approved private special education programs of its members. Little attention has been paid to the postschool outcomes of these students with severe disabilities who comprise about 1% of all students in our country who receive special education services.
From 2000-2001 through 2003-2004, NAPSEC, an association of about 250 approved private special education schools and agencies, conducted an annual exit study of the students who exited from its member schools. During the 2007-2008 academic year, this effort began again. The present report for the 2008-09 academic year documents the postschool plans of these students by reporting the educational settings to which the transfer students planned to move and the adult settings to which the graduates/aged-out students planned to enter.
Each NAPSEC-member school was asked to supply information on every student who exited from a program over the course of the previous academic year. Exiting students were defined as transfer students, students who left the NAPSEC-member program to move on to another educational program, and graduates/aged-out students, those who left a NAPSEC-member school because he/she received a high school diploma, a certificate of completion, or aged out. Demographic and program information was collected on the students who dropped out of school during the course of the study. Dropouts, however, could not be included because their plans were not available.
The exiting students were further identified as attending 1 of 5 specific special educational programs. The schools were given a definition for each program category and were asked to classify the program from which each student exited by using one predominant program category. The programs were defined as follows: 1) Preschool Disorders Programs – for students with any disorder identified at the preschool stage; 2) Pervasive Developmental Disorders Programs – for students with speech/language impairments, mental retardation, autism, developmental delays; 3) Emotional/Behavioral Disorders Programs – for students with emotional and behavioral disturbances; 4) Medical Disorders Programs – for students with other health impairments, hearing impairments, visual impairments, orthopedic impairments, deaf-blindness, and traumatic brain injury; and 5) Learning Disorders Programs – for students with specific learning disabilities.
During the 2008-2009 academic year, 95 NAPSEC schools (38% of the membership), which operated 203 education programs (172 day, 31 residential students), volunteered to participate. The participating schools reported that 13,891 students were enrolled in these programs. Of those enrolled, 11,775 (85%) were day students and 2,116 (15%) were residential students. Of the day students, 8,642 (73%) were male and 3,133 (27%) were female. Of the residential students, 1,577 were male (74%) and 539 (26%) were female. One hundred sixteen students (2.8% of all exiting students) dropped out of school in the 2008-2009 academic year. Of these, 75 were male and 41 were female; 51 were White, 57 Black, 8 Hispanic.
Participating schools were located
in 5 of the federal education regions and 13 states. As Table 1 shows, about
77% of the schools were located in the Mid-Atlantic region (Maryland, New
Jersey, Pennsylvania) and about 11% were in the Northeast region (Connecticut,
Massachusetts, Maine, New York, and Rhode Island). While 4% were in the
Appalachia region (Virginia), the remaining 8% were in the North Central (about
3% from Illinois) and the Western region (about 5% from Arizona, California, and
Utah).
Table 1 Participating NAPSEC-Member Schools by Federal Educational Region
n=95
|
Region/Participating State |
# |
% |
|
|
|
|
|
Northeast: 1 |
|
|
|
Connecticut, Massachusetts, |
10 |
10.5 |
|
New York, Rhode Island, Maine |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
MidAtlantic: 2 |
|
|
|
Maryland, New Jersey, |
73 |
76.8 |
|
Pennsylvania |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Appalachia: 3 |
|
|
|
Virginia |
4 |
4.2 |
|
|
|
|
|
North Central: 4,5 |
|
|
|
Illinois |
3 |
3.2 |
|
|
|
|
|
Western: 6,7,8 |
|
|
|
Arizona, California, Utah |
5 |
5.3 |
|
|
|
|
|
Total |
95 |
100.0 |
2 No participants from the Delaware or Washington, D.C.
3 No participants from Kentucky, Tennessee or West Virginia
4 No participants from Southeast Region
5 No participants from Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio or Wisconsin
6 No participants from Southwest or MidContinent Regions
7 No participants from Nevada
8 No participants from Northwest Region
9 No participants from Pacific Region
As Table 2 shows, during the study period, 4,119 students exited from a NAPSEC-member program. The exiting students tended to be male (74%), White (48%) or Black (38%), High School students (62%), between the ages of 12 and 17 years (52%), from Emotional/Behavioral Disorders programs (63%). These students tended to be in a NAPSEC-member program from 1-5 years (58%) and the majority (67%) did not receive subsidized lunch. Transfer students accounted for almost 74% of the exiting students; graduates/aged-out students were about 23%; and dropouts were almost 3%. According to NAPSEC-member school staff, close to 71% of the exiters experienced a “planned” exit. In short, student, family/guardian, NAPSEC-member program staff, and local school district staff concurred with plans for the student to move to a new educational program. NAPSEC-member school staff rated the exits as “positive” in 78% of the cases. Again, program staff from the NAPSEC-member school agreed with local school district staff that the student was ready to move to another appropriate educational program.
The demographic and other relevant characteristics of these students are presented in Table 2.
Table 2 Demographic and Other Relevant Information of Exiting NAPSEC Students
n=4,119
Characteristic |
n |
% |
|
Program Classification |
|
|
|
Emotional/Behavioral Disorders |
2,589 |
62.9 |
|
Pervasive Developmental Disorders |
521 |
12.6 |
|
Preschool Disorders |
447 |
10.9 |
|
Learning Disorders |
305 |
7.4 |
|
Medical Disorders |
257 |
6.2 |
Program Type |
|
|
Day |
3,471 |
84.3 |
Residential |
648 |
15.7 |
Reason for Exit |
|
|
|
Transfer |
3,043 |
73.9 |
|
Graduate/Aged-Out |
960 |
23.3 |
|
Dropouts |
116 |
2.8 |
Grade Level |
|
|
|
Preschool |
438 |
10.6 |
|
Elementary School |
466 |
11.3 |
|
Middle School |
658 |
16.0 |
|
High School |
2,557 |
62.1 |
|
Race/Ethnicity |
|
|
|
White |
1,976 |
47.9 |
|
Black |
1,551 |
37.7 |
|
Hispanic |
506 |
12.3 |
|
Asian |
70 |
1.7 |
|
American Indian/Alaskan Native |
11 |
.3 |
|
Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander |
5 |
.1 |
|
Gender |
|
|
|
Male |
3,062 |
74.3 |
|
Female |
1,057 |
25.7 |
|
Ages at Exit |
|
|
|
3-5 years |
437 |
10.6 |
|
6-11 years |
461 |
11.2 |
|
12-17 years |
2,160 |
52.4 |
|
18-21+ years |
1,061 |
25.8 |
|
Length of Stay |
|
|
|
< 1 year |
677 |
16.4 |
|
1-5 years |
2,399 |
58.2 |
|
6-10 years |
302 |
7.3 |
|
11+ years |
97 |
2.4 |
|
Not Available |
644 |
15.6 |
|
Subsidized Lunch |
|
|
|
Yes |
1,365 |
33.1 |
|
No |
2,754 |
66.9 |
|
Status of Planning Information |
|
|
|
Available in Records |
3,475 |
84.4 |
|
Not Available |
644 |
15.6 |
|
Staff Assessment of Exit |
|
|
|
Planned |
|
|
|
Yes |
2,913 |
70.7 |
|
No |
1,206 |
29.3 |
|
Positive |
|
|
|
Yes |
3,229 |
78.4 |
|
No |
890 |
21.6 |
Planning information was available for 3,475 students (84% of the exiting students). Of these students with known plans, 2,575 were transfer students and 900 were graduates/aged-out students.
There were 2,575 transfer students with known plans. Of these, 1,961 students (76%) were male, while 614 (24%) were female. Approximately 47% were White, 39% were Black, 12% were Hispanic, 1% were Asian, .3% were American Indian/Alaskan Native, and the remaining .1% were of Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander origin. While 2,191 (85%) of the transfer students attended day programs, 384 students (15%) attended residential programs.
More than 46% attended High School, nearly 23% Middle School, almost 16% Elementary School, and close to 15% Preschool. See Table 3.
n= 2,575
|
|
# |
% |
|
Preschool |
381 |
14.8 |
|
Elementary School |
402 |
15.6 |
|
Middle School |
598 |
23.2 |
|
High School |
1,194 |
46.4 |
|
|
2,575 |
100.0 |
By Length of Stay
Table 4 presents the length of stay for the transfer students for the duration of their enrollment in a NAPSEC-member program. As this table shows, more than 71% of the transfer students attended a NAPSEC-member program for between 1 and 5 years. Almost 24% were in attendance for less than1 year. Taken together, about 95% of these students were in a NAPSEC-member program for less than 1 year up to 5 years.
n= 2,575
|
|
# |
% |
|
< 1 year |
613 |
23.8 |
|
1-5 years |
1,836 |
71.3 |
|
6-10 years |
123 |
4.8 |
|
11+ years |
3 |
.1 |
|
Total |
2,575 |
100.0 |
The Educational Plans By Program
The transfer students were examined according to the programs in which they were enrolled. More than 63% (1,635 students) attended Emotional/Behavioral Disorders programs; about 15% (390 students) were enrolled in Preschool Disorders programs; 11% (282 students) went to Pervasive Developmental Disorders programs; slightly more than 5% (137 students) attended Learning Disorders programs; and another 5% (131 students) were in Medical Disorders programs. See Table 5 displays the distribution of these student plans.
Table 5 Educational Plans for Transfer Students
|
Preschool n=390 |
E/BD n=1,635 |
PDD n=282 |
Learning n=137 |
Medical n=131 |
Total n=2,575 |
|||||||
|
|
# |
% |
# |
% |
# |
% |
# |
% |
# |
% |
# |
% |
|
Regular Education, Not Special Education
|
58 |
14.9 |
84 |
5.1 |
17 |
6.0 |
12 |
8.8 |
13 |
9.9 |
184 |
7.1 |
|
Regular Education, Vocational
|
0 |
0 |
9 |
.6 |
3 |
1.1 |
1 |
.7 |
0 |
0 |
13 |
.5 |
|
Regular Education, Supported Inclusion
|
86 |
22.0 |
263 |
16.1 |
19 |
6.7 |
31 |
22.6 |
20 |
15.3 |
419 |
16.3 |
|
Subtotal: Returns to Regular Education
|
144 |
36.9 |
356 |
21.8 |
39 |
13.8 |
44 |
32.1 |
33 |
25.2 |
616 |
23.9 |
|
Resource Room
|
0 |
0 |
8 |
.5 |
3 |
1.1 |
4 |
2.9 |
0 |
0 |
15 |
.6 |
|
Alternate School
|
0 |
0 |
130 |
7.9 |
12 |
4.3 |
5 |
3.6 |
6 |
4.6 |
153 |
5.9 |
|
Special Education, Self -Contained LEA
|
196 |
50.3 |
513 |
31.4 |
73 |
25.9 |
30 |
21.9 |
28 |
21.4 |
840 |
32.6 |
|
Subtotal: All Returns to In-district Programs
|
340 |
87.2 |
1,007 |
61.6 |
127 |
45.1 |
83 |
60.5 |
67 |
51.2 |
1,624 |
63.0 |
|
Out of District Special Education
|
45 |
11.5 |
273 |
16.7 |
115 |
40.8 |
47 |
34.3 |
37 |
28.2 |
517 |
20.1 |
|
Residential
|
0
|
0 |
188 |
11.5 |
28 |
9.9 |
5 |
3.6 |
11 |
8.4 |
232 |
9.1 |
|
Home Instruction
|
4 |
1.0 |
64 |
3.9 |
8 |
2.8 |
2 |
1.5 |
7 |
5.3 |
85 |
3.3 |
|
Other
|
1 |
.3 |
103 |
6.3 |
4 |
1.4 |
0 |
0 |
9 |
6.9 |
117 |
4.5 |
|
Total
|
390 |
100 |
1,635 |
100 |
282 |
100 |
137 |
100 |
131 |
100 |
2,575 |
100 |
Results for Transfer Students
As Table 5 indicates, 63% of the transfer students left a NAPSEC-member school with plans to return to an educational program within the local district. Moreover, 24% of the students planned to return to regular education classes (Regular Education, Not Special Education, 7.1%; Regular Education, Vocational, .5%; Regular Education, Supported Inclusion, 16.3%), while 39% planned to return to other programs within the district (Resource Room, .6%; Alternate School, 5.9%; or Self-contained Classroom, 32.6%). When the plans to return to regular education are examined by disability, the following emerges. Students from Preschool Disorders programs (36.9%) and Learning Disorders Programs (32.1%) were the most likely to plan to return to regular education classrooms. Students from the other categories made plans to return as follows: from Medical Disorders programs, 25.2%; from Emotional/Behavioral Disorders programs, 21.8%; from Pervasive Development Disorders programs, 13.8%. Altogether, 87% of the students who transferred from Preschool Disorders programs, almost 62% from Emotional/Behavioral Disorders programs, 60% from Learning Disorders programs, 51% from Medical Disorders programs, and 45% from Pervasive Developmental Disorders programs had plans to enter educational programs within their local school districts.
Table 6 summarizes the degree to which the plans of the transfer students reflect a return to an in-district program, including a regular education setting, for 2007-2008 as well as 2008-2009.
Table 6 Transfer Student Return to In-District Education
|
|
Regular Educationa |
Other In-Districtb |
Total In-District
|
|||
|
|
# |
% |
# |
% |
# |
%
|
|
2007-2008 (37% participation) n= 2,881 |
554 |
19 |
1,311 |
46 |
1,865 |
65
|
|
2008-2009 (38% participation) n=2,575 |
616 |
24 |
1,008 |
39 |
1,624 |
63
|
|
a Regular education, including supported inclusion b Resource room, alternate school, self-contained LEA |
||||||
|
|
||||||
Taken together, 1,624 students (63%) planned to return to in-district programs. Of these 616 students (24%) planned to return to regular education classrooms, while 1,008 students (39%) planned to enter “other” in-district programming, such as, resource room, alternate school, or self-contained LEA.
Conclusions for Transfer Students
Almost 24% of the transfer students remained in a NAPSEC-member program for less than 1 year, while 71% were enrolled from 1 to 5 years. Taken together, more than 95% of these students remained in a NAPSEC-member program from less than 1 year up until 5 years. Moreover, 63% of the students who transfer out of a NAPSEC-member program have plans to return to educational programs within their local school districts. The plans of 24% of these students call for a return to regular education classrooms. Of those who planned to return to regular education classrooms, students from Preschool Disorder programs (36%) and Learning Disorders programs (32%) were the most likely to plan to return to their district. When all plans to return to in-district programs are examined, students from NAPSEC-member schools make such plans at the following rates: 87% from Preschool Disorders programs; 62% from Emotional/Behavioral Disorders programs, 60% from Learning Disorders programs; 51% from Medical Disorders programs; and 45% from Pervasive Developmental Disorders programs.
There were 900 graduates/aged-out students with known plans. Of these, 68% (608) were male, while 32% (292) were female. Approximately 58% were White, 27% were Black, 12% were Hispanic, 2% were Asian, and .4% were American Indian/Alaskan Native, and .2% were of Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander origin. About 52% (472 students) came from Emotional/Behavioral Disorders programs, approximately 21% (191 students) from Pervasive Developmental Disorders programs, 15% (137 students) from Learning Disorders programs, and 11% (100 students) from Medical Disorders programs. Finally, 86% (777 graduates/aged-out students) came from day programs, while 14% (123 graduates/aged-out students) came from residential programs.
Length of Stay
Table 7 shows the length of stay in a NAPSEC-member program for the graduates/aged-out students who exited.
n= 900
|
|
# |
% |
|
Graduates/aged-out students/Aged-out Students |
|
|
|
< 1 year |
64 |
7.1 |
|
1-5 years |
563 |
62.6 |
|
6-10 years |
179 |
19.9 |
|
11+ years |
94 |
10.4 |
|
Total |
900 |
100.0 |
As Table 7 demonstrates, about 7% of the graduates/aged-out students were in NAPSEC-member programs for less than 1 year; 63% for 1-5 years; close to 20% for 6-10 years; more than 10% for 11 or more years. The majority of the graduates/aged-out students (70%) were in NAPSEC-member programs from less than 1 year up until 1 to 5 years.
The Postschool Plans by Program
Table 8 presents an analysis of the postschool plans made by these students.
Table 8 Postschool Plans of Graduates/Aged-Out Students by Program
|
|
E/BD n=472 |
PDD n=191 |
Learning n=137 |
Medical n=100 |
Total n=900 |
|||||
|
Postschool Setting |
# |
% |
# |
% |
# |
% |
# |
% |
# |
% |
|
Four Year College |
71 |
15.1 |
3 |
1.6 |
28 |
20.5 |
9 |
9.0 |
111 |
12.3 |
|
Two Year College |
126 |
26.7 |
11 |
5.8 |
28 |
20.5 |
8 |
8.0 |
173 |
19.2 |
|
Trade/Technical School |
57 |
12.1 |
6 |
3.1 |
14 |
10.2 |
6 |
6.0 |
83 |
9.2 |
|
Competitive Employment |
85 |
18.0 |
21 |
11.0 |
31 |
22.6 |
3 |
3.0 |
140 |
15.5 |
|
Military |
11 |
2.3 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
.7 |
2 |
2.0 |
14 |
1.6 |
|
Mainstream Activitya |
350 |
74.2 |
41 |
21.5 |
102 |
74.5 |
28 |
28.0 |
520 |
57.8 |
|
Vocational Rehabilitation Training Program |
31 |
6.6 |
26 |
13.6 |
6 |
4.4 |
9 |
9.0 |
72 |
8.0 |
|
Supported Employment |
16 |
3.4 |
45 |
23.6 |
4 |
2.9 |
11 |
11.0 |
76 |
8.4 |
|
Sheltered Employment |
3 |
.6 |
27 |
14.1 |
12 |
8.8 |
5 |
5.0 |
47 |
5.2 |
|
Vocational Rehabilitation Activityb |
50 |
10.6 |
98 |
51.3 |
22 |
16.1 |
25 |
25.0 |
195 |
21.6 |
|
Adult Partial Care |
7 |
1.5 |
9 |
4.7 |
0 |
0 |
16 |
16.0 |
32 |
3.6 |
|
Nonvocational Day Program |
4 |
.8 |
24 |
12.6 |
6 |
4.4 |
21 |
21.0 |
55 |
6.1 |
|
Community-Based Program Activityc |
11 |
2.3 |
33 |
17.3 |
6 |
4.4 |
37 |
37.0 |
87 |
9.7 |
|
Other |
18 |
3.8 |
1 |
.5 |
5 |
3.6 |
3 |
3.0 |
27 |
3.0 |
|
No Education/Training, Job or Program |
43 |
9.1 |
18 |
9.4 |
2 |
1.4 |
7 |
7.0 |
70 |
7.7 |
|
Total |
472 |
100 |
191 |
100 |
137 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
900 |
100 |
a Mainstream Activity – 4-Yr./2-Yr. College, Trade/Technical School, Competitive Employment or Military
b Vocational Rehabilitation Activity – Vocational Rehabilitation Training Programs, Supported or Sheltered Employment
c Community-Based Programs Activity – Partial Care and Nonvocational Day Programs
As Table 8 shows, nearly 41% (367) of the graduates/aged-out students planned to go on to a 4-year/2-year College or a Trade/Technical School. About 17% (154 graduates/aged-out students) had plans to enter Competitive Employment or the Military. Taken together, 58% of the graduates/aged-out students planned to enter a Mainstream Activity by participating in postschool education or technical training, seeking employment, or enlisting in the military. About 22% (195 graduates/aged-out students) planned to enter a Vocational Rehabilitation Activity by participating in a vocational rehabilitation training program (8%) or in supported (8.4%) or sheltered (5.2%) employment, while close to 10% (87 graduates/aged-out students) planned to enter Community-Based Program Activity by enrolling in an adult partial care (3.6%) or nonvocational day program (6.1%). Finally, 3% (28 graduates/aged-out students) planned to become a homemaker or to enter another setting, such as a psychiatric, drug rehabilitation, or correctional facility.
Finally, over 7% of the graduates/aged-out students made no plans to enter an educational, vocational, rehabilitative, or supportive program or to obtain a job after completing their secondary program. Moreover, at 74% graduates/aged-out students from Learning Disorders programs and Emotional/Behavioral Disorders programs were the most likely to make plans to enter Mainstream Activity; those from Pervasive Developmental Disorders programs (51%) were the most likely to plan to enter Vocational Rehabilitation Activity; and those from Medical Disorders programs (37%) were the most likely to plan to enter Community-Based Program Activity.
Table 9 shows the postschool plans for graduates/aged-out students for 2007-2008 and 2008-2009.
Table 9 Postschool Plans of Graduates/Aged-Out Students by Activity
|
|
Mainstreama |
Voc.Rehabb |
Comm.-Basedc |
Total |
||||
|
|
# |
% |
# |
% |
# |
% |
# |
% |
|
2007-2008 (37% participation) n=930 |
563 |
61 |
227 |
24 |
75 |
8 |
865 |
93 |
|
2008-2009 (38% participation) n=900 |
520 |
58 |
195 |
22 |
87 |
10 |
802 |
90 |
|
a Mainstream Activity – 4-Yr./2-Yr. College, Trade/Technical School, Competitive Employment or Military b Vocational Rehabilitation Activity – Vocational Rehab Training, Supported or Sheltered Employment c Community-Based Programs Activity – Partial Care and Nonvocational Day Programs |
||||||||
Living Arrangements
Close to 77% of the graduates/aged-out students planned to live with a parent, other relative, or guardian. Nearly 14% made plans to live independently (11%) or semi-independently (3%). Finally, 9% had plans to live in a skill development home, foster home, developmental center, group home, residential treatment center, an “other” living arrangement, such as, a medical or psychiatric facility.
NAPSEC programs appear to help the vast majority of the graduates/aged-out students make transitional plans to enter productive adult roles. While the majority of the graduates/aged-out students plannred to live in the community, primarily with a parent, other relative, or guardian, close to 14% had plans to live independently (11%) or semi-independently (3%). About 58% of the graduates/aged-out students planned to enter a 4-Year/2-Year College, Trade/Technical School, or Competitive Employment/Military. Overall, 90% of these students planned to enter Mainstream Activity (4-Year/2-Year College, Trade/Technical School, Competitive Employment or Military), Vocational Rehabilitation (Vocational Rehabilitation Training Program or Supported/Sheltered Employment), or Community-Based Program Activity (Partial Care or Nonvocational Day Program). A high percentage of those from Learning Disorders (74%) and Emotional/Behavioral Disorders (74%) programs had plans to enter Mainstream Activity; those from Pervasive Developmental Disorders (51%) planned to enter Vocational Rehabilitation Activity; and those from Medical Disorders programs made plans to enter Community-Based Activity (37%) after leaving a NAPSEC-member secondary school.
Among the exiting transfer students, 95% were enrolled in a NAPSEC-member program for 5 years or less during the 2008-2009 school year. (As Table 4 indicates, 23% stayed for less than 1 year; 71% stayed from 1 to 5 years. About 63% of the transfer students left a NAPSEC-member program with plans to return to their home districts; 24% of these students planned to enter the less restrictive educational environment of a regular classroom. This demonstrates that NAPSEC-member schools actively participate in supporting the continuum of special education. Most of the special education students who attend these highly specialized educational programs do so temporarily. Once they remediate or strengthen their skills in a NAPSEC-member program, they are able to transfer into and take part in programming within their local district. Other studies, such as Gagnon & McLaughlin’s (2004), have reached a similar conclusion.
When the findings for the graduates/aged-out students are examined, there are several national studies available for comparison (SRI International, 1993; Blackorby & Wagner, 1996; Wagner & Blackorby, 1996; U.S. Department of Education, 1999; U.S. Department of Education, 2000; U.S. Department of Education, 2001; Wagner & Cameto, 2004; Newman, Wagner, Cameto and Knokey, 2009). These studies, however, fail to include the students with severe disabilities who attend NAPSEC-member schools or to comprehend the justification for the enrollment of such students in these highly specialized, therapeutic facilities (Lange & Sletten, 2002).
Students in NAPSEC-member programs represent a different population of individuals with disabilities than those who attend public school special education programs. In short, these students present with more severe cases of educational, medical, and psychiatric disorders, are more likely to have multiple and complex disorders, and have manifested these disorders for longer periods of time. Furthermore, few studies focus on the postschooloutcomes for adults with disabilities who must shift from entitlement programs to eligibility programs.
Finally, studies also indicate that special education students in public school settings, whose disabilities are not as severe as those students who attend NAPSEC-member programs, are, when compared to their peers in general educations, less likely to complete high school or receive further education or vocational training (Blackorby & Wagner, 1996; Wagner & Blackorby, 1996).
It is, therefore, very promising that such a high proportion of the graduates/aged-out students who exited from a NAPSEC-member program made transitional plans to pursue adult careers in Mainstream Activity (58%), Vocational Rehabilitation Activity (22%), or Community-Based Program Activity (10%). Taken together 90% of the graduates/aged-out students had plans to be productive adults.
Because of their well-documented low graduation rates, poor work histories, criminal justice involvement, and problematic transition into stable adult roles, the outcomes for public school-based special education students with serious emotional and behavioral difficulties have been intensely investigated (Reddy, 2001; Malmgren, Edgar, & Neel, 1998; Mattison & Spitznagel, 1998; Sample, 1998; SRI International, 1993; Tobin & Sugai, 1999; U.S. Department of Education, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2001; Wagner, 1995; Wagner & Cameto, 2004; Gagnon & McLaughlin, 2004). It is, therefore, reassuring that 74% of the graduates/aged-out students from Emotional/Behavioral Disorders programs left a NAPSEC-member program in 2008-2009 with plans for pursuing adult roles in the mainstream. In fact, about 42% of these students graduated/aged out with plans to pursue 4 year/2 year college, 12% trade or technical school, and over 20% competitive employment or military service. Moreover, the vast majority of graduates/aged-out students from all programs (90%) left a NAPSEC-member school during the 2007-2008 school year with plans to engage in productive postschool activities.
NAPSEC-member schools continue to offer an array of individualized, highly intensive therapeutic programs that are not available within the local school districts to assist special education students with a broad and diverse range of severe disabilities. The plans made by the transfer students demonstrate that these students successfully make use of the services offered by the NAPSEC-affiliated programs to develop, remediate, and strengthen skills so that a return to in-district educational programs becomes feasible. The plans of the graduates/aged-out students demonstrate that they benefit from the intensive, specialized services available in NAPSEC-member schools, including transitional planning services, by developing plans to enter productive adult roles after graduation. NAPSEC-member programs remain focused on assuring success along the continuum of special education for students with severe disabilities and special needs.