ESTABLISHING PREDICTIVE VALIDITY: PREDICTING POSTECONDARY EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT OUTCOMES

Abstract

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEA) mandates students with disabilities have a transition plan in place beginning with their first Individualized Education Plan (IEP) when he or she is 16 years old. The transition plan should use transition assessments to identify interests, strengths, and needs. Results of these assessments are then used to create annual education, employment, and if necessary, independent living transition goals. However, no transition assessment developed for students with disabilities has evidence of predictive validity. This study sought to establish predictive validity and thus add to the validity evidence of the Transition Assessment and Goal Generator (TAGG). Relations between Transition Assessment and Goal Generator (TAGG) constructs and postsecondary education and employment outcomes for 297 high school leavers who had completed the TAGG during their high school years were examined. Logistic regression modeling indicated non-academic behaviors related to the constructs Interacting with Others, Student Involvement in the IEP, Support Community, and Goal Setting and Attainment predict postsecondary education outcomes. Non-academic behaviors within the constructs Employment, Student Involvement in the IEP, Support Community, and Interacting with Others predicted postsecondary employment outcomes. The addition of student Grade Point Average (GPA) strengthened some of the models. The constructs of Persistence, Disability Awareness, and Strengths and Limitations did not yield any significant predictors, possibly because the importance of these non-academic behaviors will not be seen until students have had more time to realize their goals.