The availability of professionals trained to design and deliver transition services is important to implementing the federal mandate for transition services. Yet, there is limited information available on the state of the nation with regard to personnel preparation in transition. To address this lack of information, a national survey of colleges and universities was conducted to determine (a) which transition-related competencies are considered to be most important and (b) how much instructional time is devoted to transition content. Responses received from a total of 573 institutions of higher education across the United States and Puerto Rico indicated that administrators and faculty appear to be attending to transition issues.

Almost two decades since the last study of how educator preparation programs (EPPs) offer transition-related content to preservice teachers, this study sought to understand if the educator preparation landscape has changed. Given the impact of well-prepared secondary educators on student transition outcomes, reexamining the status of transition-related content within teacher education was warranted. Thus, the primary purpose of this study was to query a national sample of EPPs regarding the specific transition content provided and methods for conveying transition content to preservice teacher education students. Results indicated that small changes have occurred over time, with most programs reporting positive perspectives regarding the level of preparation among program graduates. However, the capacity of EPPs to offer high quality and evidence-based transition content appears to be inconsistent. This study emphasizes the need for future research, as well as improved practice within EPPs. Keywords educator preparation programs, transition content and coursework, postschool outcomes Research Question 1: Do programmatic characteristics and demographic factors (location of program [rural, suburban, urban], number of faculty and students, faculty specializations, courses offered) influence perceptions among EPPs of student preparedness across critical transition domains? Research Question 2: How do EPP faculty perceive the degree of preparation of their program graduates with regard to transition content? Research Question 3: How do faculty perceptions of importance of transition content affect the prevalence of transition content within teacher education coursework? Research Question 4: Do faculty provide instruction in key transition content areas, and if so, how is this content conveyed to students?

This article provides a state-by-state analysis of state certification/licensure policies regarding transition. Twelve states were found to have licensure, certification, or endorsement options for Transition Specialists, Vocational Special Needs, Vocational Education, or Rehabilitation Counselors focusing on special education transition. Twenty-four states have transition-relevant standards for one or more of the areas in which special education credentials are available, and 14 states specify coursework requirements in transition for one or more of the areas in which special education credentials are available. Some states require teachers of students with disabilities to meet transition-relevant standards for some special education areas (e.g., high incidence disabilities) but not for others (e.g., low incidence or sensory disabilities).

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A B S T R A C T There is a growing recognition of the importance and effectiveness of instruction not only in academics but also in social and character development. This new understanding has provided the impetus for reforming how schools address behavior and discipline to foster an environment that facilitates learning. Attention to standards-based education, though currently focused exclusively on academic learning, provides a tried and tested conceptual approach to student achievement that can be used to adopt a social and behavioral standard for holding schools accountable for providing an environment that facilitates learning. Efforts to align special and general education systems provide a context in which a social—behavioral standard and its indicators can be addressed. Instruction and assessments that encompass the individualized approach of special education as well as the school improvement and accountability approach of standards-based education can then be referenced against new social— behavioral standards and indicators. This article analyzes current policy and recommends schoolwide positive behavior support (SWPBS) as a specific strategy to form the basis for such standards. SWPBS provides an empirically validated means for integrating essential social—behavioral development pedagogy into current curricular and instructional efforts to produce higher academic achievement for all students.