Transition education should be grounded in quality research. To do so, educators need information on which practices are effective for teaching students with disabilities transition-related skills. The purpose of this systematic literature review was to identify evidence-based and research-based practices in secondary special education and transition for students with disabilities. This systematic review resulted in the identification of nine secondary transition evidence-based practices and 22 research-based practices across more than 45 different transition-related skills. The range of effects for each of the secondary transition evidence-based and research-based practices identified are also included. Limitations and implications for future research, policy, and practice are discussed.

For students with high-incidence disabilities, the transition from secondary to postsecondary educational settings poses the additional challenge of acquiring accommodations. Self-advocacy interventions have been identified as important skills for students with disabilities in accessing accommodations. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of Self-Advocacy and Conflict Resolution (SACR) instruction on the ability of four high school seniors with mild disabilities to request and negotiate academic accommodations. Results of this multiple probe across participant study indicated a functional relation between SACR instruction and students’ ability to request and negotiate academic accommodations in a role-play situation and in situ. Implications for practice and suggestions for future research are offered.

Transition professional development (PD) has been identified as a way to improve transition services; however, there is a dearth of literature on transition-focused PD. To learn more about the essential features of effective PD, 73 published articles were evaluated in the area of PD in both secondary transition and special education. Articles were selected that exemplified four essential elements for PD: (a) content focus, (b) active learning, (c) team-based participation, and (d) sustained planning and implementation. We identified specific features of PD that positively influenced teachers including (a) coaching and feedback, (b) collective participation among teachers, (c) consistent "manualized" content and training, and (d) active learning embedded in PD.

Several barriers exist that inhibit the success of students with disabilities in postsecondary education environments, one of which is the lack of self-advocacy skills to effectively request academic modifications and ask for other supports when needed. In this study, we used a single-subject multiple-probe across participants design to examine the effects of a self-advocacy intervention on the abilities of college students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) to request their academic accommodations. We primarily focused the intervention on Black youth with IDD attending an inclusive higher education program. Results indicate moderate to strong evidence of a functional relation between the intervention and the students' abilities to request academic accommodations. Implications for future research, policy, and practice are discussed.