Consultation Versus Direct Special Education Services and Postschool Outcomes for Individuals with Disabilities as Assessed by Indicator 14 Data

There is abundant research relating to transition supports and services for students with disabilities as they move out of high school into adulthood; however, relatively little is known about the relationship between the type of special education services they received and their postschool outcomes. Guided by the Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT) and Tennessee’s Indicator 14 survey, I sought to better understand the relationship between the type of special education services received in high school and student further schooling or employability after graduation. Data were drawn from Indicator 14 surveys from 2021 and 2024 conducted by a rural school district in Tennessee. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine if there is a significant difference in postschool outcomes for students with disabilities who received supports through different service delivery methods in the high school setting.Through the Indicator 14 surveys, students and their parents reflected on what the student had done within the year since graduating from high school. Questions gathered information about work history, postsecondary enrollment, and other related topics. To investigate the relationship between postschool outcomes and student services, information was also assessed about the services that students received as well as their manner of exit from high school (general education diploma, special education diploma, alternate academic diploma, or drop out). Data analysis revealed that students who received consultation services in high school were significantly more likely to attend some type of postsecondary education program. There was no significant relationship between type of service and employability. Diploma or exit type also played a role in student outcomes, as well as the disability category under which they were served. Students who earned a general education diploma were more likely to attend some type of postsecondary education program than their peers who earned a special education diploma or dropped out of school. Similarly, students who were served under the specific learning disability category were more likely than their peers served under all other disability categories to attend some type of postsecondary education program and be employed.