EDCI 5055 – Vocation and Transitional Services

COURSE OVERVIEW:

This graduate course prepares special education teachers to design and coordinate transition services for students with disabilities ages 14-21. Teachers will learn to develop individualized transition plans addressing post-secondary education, employment, and independent living goals as required by IDEA. Course content includes transition assessment, vocational training curriculum, job coaching strategies, self-determination instruction, and collaboration with families, employers, and community agencies. Teachers will examine evidence-based practices for teaching work readiness skills, facilitating workplace accommodations, and supporting students' post-secondary goals. Practical application through case study analysis, transition plan development, and field-based experiences. Emphasizes person-centered planning, inter-agency coordination, and preparing students for successful adult outcomes in employment and community living.  This course will provide the student with a comprehensive understanding of how to use assessment information to develop transition plans. I have taught the course 7 times: (Summer- 2019, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, and 25).

SAMPLE SYLLABUS:

• Summer 2025

Sample Course Assignment:

• Final Project

• Sample Exemplar Below 

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GRADE DISTRIBUTION

COURSE REVISION STATEMENT

Since first teaching EDCI 5055: Vocation and Transitional Services in Summer 2019, I have continually revised the course to ensure candidates are prepared to design and coordinate effective transition services for students with disabilities ages 14–21. Initially centered on IDEA requirements for transition planning, the course has evolved into a practice-based, person-centered experience that emphasizes self-determination, inter-agency collaboration, and equitable post-secondary outcomes.

Early versions focused on IDEA mandates and procedural knowledge. Over time, I enriched the applied elements by embedding transition assessments, vocational readiness curriculum, job coaching strategies, and family-centered planning models. Each summer prior to the pandemic, I took the class to community agencies and service providers so candidates could observe first-hand how schools and organizations collaborate to support students’ transition needs. These field visits anchored the coursework in authentic practice and highlighted the importance of inter-agency coordination.

The course’s signature experience became its Final Project, in which candidates interview a transition agency or school-based resource and then synthesize their findings with professional literature. This assignment requires candidates to integrate practical knowledge of services with research-informed strategies, and final projects consistently demonstrate growth in their ability to design realistic, student-centered transition plans.

The course also adapted significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic (Summers 2020–21). With site visits suspended, students conducted virtual interviews and explored digital agency resources, reflecting on how services were disrupted and reimagined. These adaptations deepened candidates’ understanding of flexibility, creativity, and equity in transition planning, while also preparing them to use digital tools for vocational readiness and inter-agency collaboration.

Revisions align closely with the CEC Advanced Preparation Standards, requiring candidates to use assessment data to guide planning (Standard 1), apply evidence-based practices to improve transition services (Standard 3), and analyze IDEA’s mandates to advocate for systemic improvement (Standard 5). The course also reflects the 2024 LADOE Teacher Preparation Competencies, particularly in transition-focused IEP planning (Competency G) and special education competencies in community participation, ensuring graduates can design individualized, equitable transition supports.

Across the seven times I have taught this course, I have refined pacing to allow deeper case study analysis, scaffolded transition plan projects for practical application, and expanded engagement with community agencies. Candidate reflections and projects demonstrate stronger integration of cultural responsiveness, student voice, and family engagement in transition planning.

Looking ahead, I plan to expand community-based partnerships with local employers and agencies, integrate student-led person-centered planning tools, and incorporate action research projects where candidates assess the effectiveness of transition supports over time. These enhancements will ensure EDCI 5055 continues to prepare educators not only to meet compliance requirements but also to lead in advancing equitable, student-centered transition services.