This article was published in the April 2009 issue of Professional School Counseling and describes a study designed to identify all of the college readiness factors affecting students with learning disabilities. The study identified over sixty factors that affect students' achievement in college (most of which are not unique to students with special needs) and argues the importance of precisely identifying particular students' strengths & weaknesses and the specific interventions necessary to meet student needs. The study also argues the importance of the counselors' role, especially on IEP teams as they develop transition plans for students.
"An informal examination of the final 62 items reveals possible groupings under which the factors could be organized. For example, factors such as confidence, resilience, coping skills, and strong work ethic reflect innate characteristics important to success. Academic skills (e.g., basic math skills, writing skills) and broad study skills (e.g., time management skills, critical thinking and problem-solving skills, note-taking skills) could be grouped together to encompass more traditional college preparation focus areas. Skills to function autonomously is another possible grouping that might include factors such as self-determination skills and accepts responsibility for actions. Another grouping could focus on skills necessary to work effectively with others, including social skills, communication skills, and self-advocacy skills. Finally, knowledge of self and of college might be two final groupings. The former could include factors such as knowledge of personal strengths and weaknesses and knowledge of whether the available college accommodations fit their individual needs, while the latter might include factors such as knowledge that college is different than high school and knowledge of legal rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act."
The Conclusion:
"This study provides justification for school counselors to take a comprehensive approach to postsecondary transition planning with students with learning disabilities. School counselors are encouraged to use the list of factors as a starting point to guide their work during postsecondary transition planning for students with learning disabilities. They might find that all students, not just those with learning disabilities, can benefit from interventions targeting many of the factors. What is lacking, however, is empirical support for interventions that can used by high school counselors and teachers to address the college readiness factors. School counselors are strongly encouraged to collect data that can help to inform their and others' future work with students with learning disabilities."
Gillian,
ReplyDeleteI was not able to open up the actual link to the article, but I find your synopsis very helpful and enough to bring some questions to mind. While reading the summary for the factors that determine college readiness, the teacher in me was becoming somewhat defensive. I would assume that a vast majority of any teacher that works with students with special needs has an appropriate goal in mind that guides the student to achieve that said goal so make him or her be able to function post high school. If college is the goal, then of course educators will be working on these factors. These are learning behaviors that are at the center, hopefully, of the teaching that is occurring in the classroom. It seems that the study is just regurgitating the goals of the already overemphasized state standards. As the conclusion had stated, all students would benefit from these interventions that target the factors mentioned, not just students with learning disabilities. Since I can't read the article, I hope I understand based on what you summarized. Did the article mention any steps that will be taken further to investigate interventions counselors may use as resources to support these students besides just collect the big "D" word (data)?