Title page
Contents
Acknowledgment 4
Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest 5
Executive summary 6
Study design and research questions 9
Detailed findings 11
Additional publications and data collection 26
Chapter 1. Why and how is this study being conducted? 31
Overview of the National Longitudinal Transition Study 2012 and its predecessors 35
Key questions of interest and the organization of the volume 38
Chapter 2. How have the background characteristics of youth and the schools they attend changed? 40
The proportion of youth with an IEP whose families face economic challenges has grown over the past decade, with larger increases among some disability groups 41
The gender, racial, and ethnic makeup of youth with an IEP has mostly been stable 45
Over the past decade, 4 percent of youth with an IEP have attended schools only for students with disabilities 50
Chapter 3. Are the challenges youth face with health, functional abilities, and independent living different than in the past? 52
Most youth with an IEP continue to be healthy, but the use of prescription behavioral medicines has climbed over the past decade 53
Youth with an IEP are more likely than in the previous decade to have trouble understanding others 55
Youth with an IEP are just as likely as those in the previous decade to perform typical teenage tasks independently, but less likely to be gaining personal finance experience 58
Chapter 4. Are youth engaging in school in different ways or to different degrees? 62
Youth with an IEP increasingly feel connected to school, but there is little change in teasing 63
Participation in extracurricular activities is growing among youth with an IEP, primarily in clubs rather than sports 66
The incidence of grade retention, suspension, and expulsion among youth with an IEP has remained stable during the past decade 69
Chapter 5. Have the academic and special education supports that youth receive changed? 73
Receipt of school-provided support services has grown among youth with an IEP, particularly tutoring and psychological services 74
Parents of youth with an IEP are more likely now than in the past decade to attend parent-teacher conferences, but less likely to help with homework 78
Chapter 6. How have youth changed the way they prepare for life after high school? 81
Youth and parents are less likely to have discussed transition plans with school staff than in the previous decade 82
Paid employment during high school among youth with an IEP has declined, but participation in school-sponsored work activities has remained stable 86
References 89
Appendix A. Technical notes and methodology for volume 3: Comparisons over time 98
A.1. Purpose of the NLTS series 99
A.2. District and youth sample design 100
A.3. Content of parent and youth survey instruments 101
A.4. Data collection methods, procedures, and response rates 102
A.5. The population of interest and analytic sample used for this volume 104
A.6. Development of weights and weight adjustments for this volume 105
A.7. Unit nonresponse bias analysis 108
A.8. Imputation and the handling of missing data 108
A.9. Statistical procedures and variance estimation 109
A.10. Analytic variables 110
Appendix B. Detailed tables for chapter 2 of volume 3: Comparisons over time 120
Appendix C. Detailed tables for chapter 3 of volume 3: Comparisons over time 135
Appendix D. Detailed tables for chapter 4 of volume 3: Comparisons over time 148
Appendix E. Detailed tables for chapter 5 of volume 3: Comparisons over time 170
Appendix F. Detailed tables for chapter 6 of volume 3: Comparisons over time 186
Table ES1. Disability groups that are more (+) or less (-) likely in 2012 than in 2003 to have key experiences that are linked with post-high school outcomes 8
Table ES2. Percentages of youth with an IEP ages 15 to 18 living in households facing economic challenges, by disability group and year 12
Table ES3. Percentages of youth with an IEP ages 15 to 18 in households that received benefits through two federal assistance programs for low-income households in the past two years, by disability group and year 13
Table ES4. Percentages of youth with an IEP ages 15 to 18 based on their demographic characteristics, by disability group and year 14
Table ES5. Percentages of youth with an IEP ages 15 to 18 who attend a school that serves only students with disabilities, by disability group and year 15
Table ES6. Percentages of youth with an IEP ages 15 to 18 with very good or excellent health and who use prescription behavioral medicine, by disability group and year 16
Table ES7. Percentages of youth with an IEP ages 15 to 18 who have communication needs, by disability group and year 17
Table ES8. Percentages of youth with an IEP ages 15 to 18 who demonstrate capabilities to function independently and manage money, by disability group and year 18
Table ES9. Percentages of youth with an IEP ages 15 to 18 who have positive attitudes about school and who were teased at school, by disability group and year 19
Table ES10. Percentages of youth with an IEP ages 15 to 18 who participated in a school or out-of-school sport or club in the past year, by disability group and year 20
Table ES11. Percentages of youth with an IEP ages 15 to 18 who have repeated a grade, been suspended, or been expelled from school, by disability group and year 21
Table ES12. Percentages of youth with an IEP ages 15 to 18 who received support services at school, by disability group and year 22
Table ES13. Percentages of youth with an IEP ages 15 to 18 whose parent attended a parent-teacher conference and whose parent helped with homework at least once a week, by disability group and year 23
Table ES14. Percentages of youth with an IEP ages 15 to 18 whose parent talks with them regularly about school experiences and whose parent attended a general school meeting, by disability group and year 24
Table ES15. Percentages of youth with an IEP ages 17 to 18 and parents who attended a transition-planning meeting, by disability group and year 25
Table ES16. Percentages of youth with an IEP ages 15 to 18 who have a paid job and who had a school-sponsored job, by disability group and year 26
Table 1. Percentage growth in the number of youth with an IEP ages 15 to 21, by disability group 32
Table 2. Percentages of youth with an IEP ages 15 to 18 living in households facing economic challenges, by disability group and year 42
Table 3. Percentages of youth with an IEP ages 15 to 18 in households that received benefits through three federal assistance programs for low-income households in the past two years, by disability group and year 43
Table 4. Percentages of youth with an IEP ages 15 to 18 whose parent is not married or in a marriage-like relationship, by disability group and year 44
Table 5. Percentages of youth with an IEP ages 15 to 17 who have private health insurance and who do not have any health insurance, by disability group and year 45
Table 6. Percentages of youth with an IEP ages 15 to 18 who are male, by disability group and year 47
Table 7. Percentages of youth with an IEP ages 15 to 18 who are Black or Hispanic, by disability group and year 50
Table 8. Percentages of youth with an IEP ages 15 to 18 who attend a school that serves only students with disabilities, by disability group and year 51
Table 9. Percentages of youth with an IEP ages 15 to 18 who have very good or excellent health, by disability group and year 53
Table 10. Percentages of youth with an IEP ages 15 to 18 who use prescription behavioral medicine, by disability group and year 55
Table 11. Percentages of youth with an IEP ages 15 to 18 who have trouble communicating, by disability group and year 56
Table 12. Percentages of youth with an IEP ages 15 to 18 who have trouble understanding what other people say to them, by disability group and year 57
Table 13. Percentages of youth with an IEP ages 15 to 16 who complete activities of daily living without help at least pretty well or usually, by disability group and year 58
Table 14. Percentages of youth with an IEP ages 15 to 16 who perform all five activities of daily living pretty well or usually, by disability group and year 59
Table 15. Percentages of youth with an IEP ages 15 to 18 who are gaining experience managing money, by disability group and year 60
Table 16. Percentages of youth with an IEP ages 15 to 18 with positive views about their school experience, by disability group and year 64
Table 17. Percentages of youth with an IEP ages 15 to 18 with positive views about school safety, by disability group and year 65
Table 18. Percentages of youth with an IEP ages 15 to 18 who were teased or called names at school, by disability group and year 66
Table 19. Percentages of youth with an IEP ages 15 to 18 who participated in a school or out-of-school sport or club in the past year, by disability group and year 67
Table 20. Percentages of youth with an IEP ages 15 to 18 who participated in a sport or club, by disability group and year 68
Table 21. Percentages of youth with an IEP ages 15 to 18 who participated in a volunteer, arts, academic, or vocational activity, by year 69
Table 22. Percentages of youth with an IEP ages 15 to 18 who have repeated a grade, by disability group and year 70
Table 23. Percentages of youth with an IEP ages 15 to 18 who have received an out-of-school suspension and who have been expelled from school, by disability group and year 71
Table 24. Percentages of youth with an IEP ages 15 to 18 who have been arrested in the past two years, by disability group and year 72
Table 25. Percentages of youth with an IEP ages 15 to 18 who received any support services at school, by disability group and year 76
Table 26. Percentages of youth with an IEP ages 15 to 18 who received selected support services at school, by year 77
Table 27. Percentages of youth with an IEP ages 15 to 18 who received services from a tutor at school and who received psychological counseling services at school, by disability group and year 77
Table 28. Percentages of youth with an IEP ages 15 to 18 whose parent attended a parent-teacher conference, by disability group and year 78
Table 29. Percentages of youth with an IEP ages 15 to 18 whose parent or another adult in the household helped them with homework at least once a week during the school year, by disability group and year 79
Table 30. Percentages of youth with an IEP ages 15 to 18 whose parent talks with them regularly about school experiences, whose parent attended a general school meeting, and whose parent volunteered at school, by disability group and year 80
Table 31. Percentages of youth with an IEP ages 15 to 18 and parents who met with school staff to discuss transition plans, by disability group and year 83
Table 32. Percentages of youth with an IEP ages 17 to 18 and parents who attended an IEP meeting in the past two years, by disability group and year 84
Table 33. Percentages of youth with an IEP ages 15 to 18 who provided at least some input in IEP and transition planning, by disability group and year 85
Table 34. Percentages of youth with an IEP ages 15 to 18 who currently have a paid job not sponsored by school, by disability group and year 87
Table 35. Percentages of youth with an IEP ages 15 to 18 who have school-sponsored work activities, paid school-sponsored work activities, or unpaid sponsored-work activities in the past year, by disability group and year 88
Figure 1. Percentages of youth with an IEP who are male, by year and age group 46
Figure 2. Percentages of youth with an IEP who are Black, by year and age group 48
Figure 3. Percentages of youth with an IEP who are Hispanic, by year and age group 49
Figure 4. Percentages of youth with an IEP ages 15 to 18 who use prescription behavioral medicine, by year 54
Figure 5. Percentages of youth with an IEP ages 15 to 18 who have trouble understanding what other people say to them, by year 57
Figure 6. Percentages of youth with an IEP ages 15 to 18 who agree that they feel safe at school, by year 65
Figure 7. Percentages of youth with an IEP ages 15 to 18 who have received an out-of-school suspension, by year 71
Figure 8. Percentages of youth with an IEP who any received support services at school, by year and age group 75
Boxes
Box 1. Three volumes reporting findings from the National Longitudinal Transition Study 2012 31
Box 2. Definitions of 12 disability groups recognized by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act for adolescent youth 33
Box 3. Major changes to IDEA in 1990, 1997, and 2004 for youth with an IEP 34
Box 4. The NLTS series at a glance 36
Table A-1. District recruitment and youth sample sizes, by study 100
Table A-2. Youth survey proxy responses for NLTS 2012 and NLTS2 Wave 2 103
Table A-3. Parent and youth survey respondent samples and response rates for NLTS 2012, NLTS2 Wave 2, and NLTS Wave 1 104
Table A-4. Age and survey completion year of youth in this report 104
Table A-5. Sample sizes and adjustment factors for the parent survey, by study and age of youth 107
Table A-6. Sample sizes and adjustment factors for the youth survey, by study and age of youth 108
Table A-7. NLTS 2012 variables used in Volume 3 112
Table A-8. Key indicators linked to post-high school success 118
Table B-1. Percentages of youth with an IEP who live in households in which no parent has a paid job, by age, disability group, and year 121
Table B-2. Percentages of youth with an IEP who live in low-income households, by age, disability group, and year 122
Table B-3. Percentages of youth with an IEP who live in households that received SNAP benefits in the past two years, by age, disability group, and year 123
Table B-4. Percentages of youth with an IEP who live in households that received TANF or state welfare benefits in the past two years, by age, disability group, and year 124
Table B-5. Percentages of youth with an IEP who received SSI benefits in the past two years, by age, disability group, and year 125
Table B-6. Percentages of youth with an IEP whose parent is not married or in a marriage-like relationship, by age, disability group, and year 126
Table B-7. Percentages of youth with an IEP who have private health insurance, by age, disability group, and year 127
Table B-8. Percentages of youth with an IEP who have government-assisted or public health plans, by age, disability group, and year 128
Table B-9. Percentages of youth with an IEP who have neither private nor public health insurance, by age, disability group, and year 129
Table B-10. Percentages of youth with an IEP who are male, by age, disability group, and year 130
Table B-11. Percentages of youth with an IEP who are Black, not Hispanic or Latino, by age, disability group, and year 131
Table B-12. Percentages of youth with an IEP who are Hispanic or Latino, of any race, by age, disability group, and year 132
Table B-13. Percentages of youth with an IEP who are white, Asian, or other race, not Hispanic or Latino, by age, disability group, and year 133
Table B-14. Percentages of youth with an IEP attending a school that serves only students with disabilities, by age, disability group, and year 134
Table C-1. Percentages of youth with an IEP who have very good or excellent general health, by age, disability group, and year 136
Table C-2. Percentages of youth with an IEP who use prescription behavioral medicines, by age, disability group, and year 137
Table C-3. Percentages of youth with an IEP who have any trouble communicating by any means, by age, disability group, and year 138
Table C-4. Percentages of youth with an IEP who have any trouble understanding what other people say to them, by age, disability group, and year 139
Table C-5. Percentages of youth with an IEP who fix their own breakfast or lunch, by age, disability group, and year 140
Table C-6. Percentages of youth with an IEP who do laundry, by age, disability group, and year 141
Table C-7. Percentages of youth with an IEP who straighten up their own room or living area, by age, disability group, and year 142
Table C-8. Percentages of youth with an IEP who buy a few things they need at the store, by age, disability group, and year 143
Table C-9. Percentages of youth with an IEP who get to places outside the home, by age, disability group, and year 144
Table C-10. Percentages of youth with an IEP who perform all five activities of daily living well, by age, disability group, and year 145
Table C-11. Percentages of youth with an IEP who have an allowance or other money they can decide how to spend, by age, disability group, and year 146
Table C-12. Percentages of youth with an IEP who have a savings or checking account, by age, disability group, and year 147
Table D-1. Percentages of youth with an IEP who agree a lot that they feel part of the school, by age, disability group, and year 149
Table D-2. Percentages of youth with an IEP who agree that a school adult cares about them, by age, disability group, and year 150
Table D-3. Percentages of youth with an IEP who agree that they feel safe in school, by age, disability group, and year 151
Table D-4. Percentages of youth with an IEP who had items stolen from their locker, desk, or other place at school, by age, disability group, and year 152
Table D-5. Percentages of youth with an IEP who were teased or called names at school, by age, disability group, and year 153
Table D-6. Percentages of youth with an IEP who participated in a school or non-school club or sports team in the past year, by age, disability group, and year 154
Table D-7. Percentages of youth with an IEP who participated in a school sport or club in the past year, by age, disability group, and year 155
Table D-8. Percentages of youth with an IEP who participated in a non-school club or sports team in the past year, by age, disability group, and year 156
Table D-9. Percentages of youth with an IEP who participated in a sports team in the past year, by age, disability group, and year 157
Table D-10. Percentages of youth with an IEP who participated in a club in the past year, by age, disability group, and year 158
Table D-11. Percentages of youth with an IEP who participated in a fine arts club or lesson in the past year, by age, disability group, and year 159
Table D-12. Percentages of youth with an IEP who participated in student government in the past year, by age, disability group, and year 160
Table D-13. Percentages of youth with an IEP who participated in an academic club or lesson in the past year, by age, disability group, and year 161
Table D-14. Percentages of youth with an IEP who participated in a volunteer group in the past year, by age, disability group, and year 162
Table D-15. Percentages of youth with an IEP who participated in a vocational or career club in the past year, by age, disability group, and year 163
Table D-16. Percentages of youth with an IEP who participated in a religious youth group in the past year, by age, disability group, and year 164
Table D-17. Percentages of youth with an IEP who participated in another club or activity in the past year, by age, disability group, and year 165
Table D-18. Percentages of youth with an IEP who have repeated a grade, by age, disability group, and year 166
Table D-19. Percentages of youth with an IEP who have received an out-of-school suspension, by age, disability group, and year 167
Table D-20. Percentages of youth with an IEP who have been expelled from school, by age, disability group, and year 168
Table D-21. Percentages of youth with an IEP who have been arrested in the past two years, by age, disability group, and year 169
Table E-1. Percentages of youth with an IEP who received support services at school, by age, disability group, and year 171
Table E-2. Percentages of youth with an IEP who received tutoring services at school in the past year, by age, disability group, and year 172
Table E-3. Percentages of youth with an IEP who received psychological or mental health counseling services at school in the past year, by age, disability group, and year 173
Table E-4. Percentages of youth with an IEP who received audiology services in the past year, by age, disability group, and year 174
Table E-5. Percentages of youth with an IEP who received speech or language therapy in the past year, by age, disability group, and year 175
Table E-6. Percentages of youth with an IEP who received physical or occupational therapy at school in the past year, by age, disability group, and year 176
Table E-7. Percentages of youth with an IEP received special transportation assistance at school in the past year, by age, disability group, and year 177
Table E-8. Percentages of youth with an IEP whose parent or another adult in the household attended a parent-teacher conference, by age, disability group, and year 178
Table E-9. Percentages of youth with an IEP whose parent or another adult in the household helped with homework at least once a week, by age, disability group, and year 179
Table E-10. Percentages of youth with an IEP whose parent or another adult in the household helped with homework at least once a week, by household income and year 180
Table E-11. Percentages of youth with an IEP whose parent or another adult in the household helped with homework and who received tutoring, by age, disability group, and year 181
Table E-12. Percentages of youth with an IEP whose parent or another adult in the household helped with homework or who received tutoring, by age, disability group, and year 182
Table E-13. Percentages of youth with an IEP whose parents or another adult in the household talked with them about school experiences, by age, disability group, and year 183
Table E-14. Percentages of youth with an IEP whose parent or another adult in the household attended a general school meeting, by age, disability group, and year 184
Table E-15. Percentages of youth with an IEP whose parent or another adult in the household volunteered at school, by age, disability group, and year 185
Table F-1. Percentages of youth with an IEP who have met with school staff to develop a transition plan, by age, disability group, and year 187
Table F-2. Percentages of youth with an IEP whose parent or another adult in the household has met with school staff to develop a transition plan, by age, disability group, and year 188
Table F-3. Percentages of youth with an IEP (ages 17 or older) who attended an IEP meeting in the past two years, by age, disability group, and year 189
Table F-4. Percentages of youth with an IEP (ages 17 or older) whose parent or another adult in the household attended an IEP meeting in the past two years, by age, disability group, and year 190
Table F-5. Percentages of youth with an IEP (ages 17 or older) whose parent reported that they provided at least some input in IEP and transition planning, by age, disability group, and year 191
Table F-6. Percentages of youth with an IEP who have a paid job, by age, disability group, and year 192
Table F-7. Percentages of youth with an IEP who had a paid or unpaid school-sponsored work activity in the past year, by age, disability group, and year 193
Table F-8. Percentages of youth with an IEP who had a paid school-sponsored work activity in the past year, by age, disability group, and year 194
Table F-9. Percentages of youth with an IEP who had an unpaid school-sponsored work activity in the past year, by age, disability group, and year 195