T/TAC - Training and Technical Assistance Center at the College of William and Mary

Family Partnerships

Helping Families Support Students' Transitions

By Tina Spencer, M.S.
May/June 2006

The transition from one school setting to another can be extremely stressful for families of students with disabilities (Rose & Hallam, 1998). Yet, families are in positions to play key roles in the school lives of their children as they transition from preschool to kindergarten, grade to grade, elementary school to middle school, and finally middle school to high school.

Demchak and Greenfield (2003) suggest that one way to facilitate these transitions is to put together a folder of important information about your child. Begin by recording identifying information such as your child’s nickname, special interests, hobbies, feelings about learning and school, and academic strengths and needs. Write a short paragraph to be kept in the folder that includes a description of family members with whom the child lives, names of other significant family members and their locations, as well as family dreams and concerns for the child. Along with identifying information, a useful portfolio also contains medical information, an up-to-date educational profile, successful reinforcement strategies, and positive behavioral support plans. Descriptions of the qualities of favorite teachers may also provide useful information for the portfolio. As students get older, they may even be able to contribute to the development of their own transition portfolios.

Listed below are additional tips suggested by Demchak and Greenfield (2003) for how to help children transition from one academic setting to another.

• Include transition planning strategies in the IEP.
• Keep a current copy of the IEP.
• Provide the new school adequate notice of and preparation for your child’s first day of school.
• Contact an administrator at the next school to advise him or her of transition activities that must occur during the summer.
• Hand-deliver copies of permanent records to the new school.
• Take your child to school in the summer to familiarize him or her with the new surroundings.
• Call the transportation office to make clear your child’s special transportation needs.
• Meet with new teacher(s) prior to the student’s first day of school.
• Share the transition portfolio with all of your child’s teachers prior to the first day of school.

Advance planning using strategies such as these will increase the likelihood that educational transitions will go smoothly for both students with disabilities and their educational team members.

References
Demchak, M. A., & Greenfield, R. G. (2003). Transition portfolios for students with disabilities. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Rose, B., & Hallam, R. A. (1998). Easing the transition to kindergarten: Assessment of social, behavioral, and functional skills in young children with disabilities. Young Exceptional Children, 1(4), 17-26.

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