To determine teacher working knowledge of transition best practices, the Transition Programs and Services (T-PAS) survey was administered to 2,000 middle and high school teachers and 70 school district transition contacts. Three questions were asked: (a) What barriers exist that hinder the transition process? (b) What effective practices facilitate the transition process? and (c) What suggestions do you have for improvement of the transition process? Analysis of information from each of the questions resulted in the identification of the same categories, themes, and subthemes across documents. Results show a need to (a) investigate the role of preservice and inservice preparation of teachers, (b) identify structures that enhance a teacher's ability to facilitate transition processes, and (c) examine participation of students and other transition stakeholders in the activities crucial to transition planning.

In this article, the authors present the results of a survey of interagency transition council members that assessed familiarity with health care transition (HCT) and the inclusion of HCT-related goals in individualized educational plans (IEP). School personnel, agency representatives, and family members completed a total of 187 surveys. Respondents reported limited knowledge of HCT, and HCT-related issues were often not addressed through school-based transition activities. Respondents, however, reported a high level of interest in learning more about the issue of HCT. Implications of this research include the need to provide additional training to schools, agency representatives, and family members regarding the importance of expanding current educational transition practices to include HCT.

The increase in the number of students with disabilities and special health care needs and their need for health care transition (HCT) creates opportunity for education and health services professionals to work together. In response to this opportunity, the authors developed an HCT teaching module for 6th to 12th graders. A concern that surfaced during the project was the sharing of personal health information by students during health-related instructional activities. The authors' concern evolved into a review of the confidentiality guidelines found in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004, Family Education Rights and Privacy Acts of 1974, and Health Information Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 and their relationship to educational activities. This article describes what the authors discovered and its application to HCT instruction.

Results of the Florida High School Exit Survey collected in 2006-2007 and 2007-2008 are presented. Participants include 2,520 students with and without disabilities across 40 school districts. Survey items cover questions relating to employment, postsecondary education and training, daily living, quality of life, agency connections, in-school experiences, and school-based work experiences. Findings suggest that students with disabilities feel better about knowing what they want to do after high school and how to achieve their goals but have few interactions with friends in social activities. Conversely, students without disabilities feel better prepared academically and participate more with friends in social activities. Identifying these trends can assist districts in improving school programs and student outcomes.