National Longitudinal Transition Study 2012 (NLTS 2012)¶

Element · All elements
Evidence · 14 claims (14 for) · 4 studies (4 associational), q2–q3 · 0 of 4 report an effect size · 12 claims rest on one study

Description¶

The National Longitudinal Transition Study 2012 is a national research study of youth in special education, conducted under a project with the time frame 2010–2018, prepared for the U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences. The fact sheet draws its decade comparison (2003–2012) of high school youth with an IEP from this study, covering engagement, transition activities, supports, and household economic circumstances.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Prepared for the U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences
• Data collection and comparison groups covering youth with an IEP, youth with a disability under Section 504, and youth without an IEP

Constraints¶

• Findings describe youth in special education in the United States, who account for 12 percent of all youth, as of the 2012 study period

Target Learners¶

• high school youth with an IEP in special education
• secondary school youth with disabilities in the United States

Target Learning Goals¶

• preparation for transition to adult life after high school
• preparation for postsecondary education and employment after high school

Claims¶

• Among students with an IEP, youth with emotional disturbance or an intellectual disability experienced more positive changes over the past decade than youth in other disability groups [+W]
• Youth with an IEP are more likely than a decade ago to live in households facing economic challenges [+W]
• Youth with an IEP became more engaged in school and extracurricular activities over the past decade, with little change in grade retention, suspensions, and expulsions [+W]
• Youth with an IEP are more likely than in the past to receive supports at school but less likely to receive them at home [+W]
• Participation in key transition activities, including discussing transition plans with school staff and student employment during high school, declined over the decade [+W]
• Youth with an IEP lag their peers in planning and taking steps to obtain postsecondary education and jobs [+W]
• Youth with an IEP are more likely than their peers to be socioeconomically disadvantaged and to face problems with health, communication, and completing typical tasks independently [+W]
• Youth with an IEP experience bullying and suspension at higher rates and are less engaged in school and social activities than peers, though most youth with and without an IEP feel positive about school [+W]
• Youth with an IEP are more likely than youth without an IEP to struggle academically, yet less likely to receive some forms of school-based support [+W]
• Youth with a 504 plan face fewer functional, social, and educational challenges than youth with an IEP, but more than other youth without an IEP [+W]
• English learner students with disabilities are more likely to struggle academically and less likely to participate in activities than both other students with disabilities and other English learners [+W]
• English learner students with disabilities are less likely than other students with disabilities to receive extra time on schoolwork but attend transition-planning meetings at a comparable rate, are suspended less, and have parents with higher expectations [+W]
• Most differences between English learner students with disabilities and other students with disabilities diminish when background characteristics are held constant [+W]
• English learner students with disabilities have more socioeconomic disadvantages than other students with disabilities but similar functional performance [+W]

Related Elements¶

• NLTS 2012 dataset and design documentation

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

• Johanna Lacoe, Stephen Lipscomb, Joshua Haimson. (2018). Preparing Youth in Special Education for Life After High School (Fact Sheet). Washington, DC: Mathematica Policy Research. https://www.mathematica.org/publications/preparing-youth-in-special-education-for-life-after-high-school-in-focus-brief
• Stephen Lipscomb, Joshua Haimson, Albert Y. Liu, John Burghardt, David R. Johnson, Martha Thurlow. (2017). Preparing for Life After High School: The Characteristics and Experiences of Youth in Special Education. Findings from the National Longitudinal Transition Study 2012. Volume 1: Comparisons with Other Youth (Full Report). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance. https://www.mathematica.org/publications/national-longitudinal-transition-study-2012-vol-1-comparisons-with-other-youth-full-report