Dual Enrollment

This Insight Brief #37 outlines the kind of information and suggested activities that can help parents during four stages of an inclusive college-based transition experience. The stages include introducing college-based transition services, supporting parents as students prepare for college, maintaining parent engagement through the transition to college, and engage and inform parents of adult services available once students age out of transition services.

This is a sample schedule for a student who is dually enrolled in high school and college. It features his interest in graphic design and includes academics, employment, travel time, and some social activities, as well. The goal for students in dual enrollment programs is to move the student’s transition services away from a high school-based setting to a college-based setting that is more natural for peers of this age and is more inclusive of peers without disabilities. This is reflective of the Think College Transition model.

The IDE Student Evaluation Tool is focused on seven skill areas that inclusive dually enrolled students are engaged in and which can show growth. These include campus navigation and travel, time management and organization, classroom and campus, self-advocacy and self-awareness, social skills and communication, vocational skills and internships, and life skills. This Tool goes with Grab and Go Practices #5, Documenting Student Growth in Inclusive Dual Enrollment Programs.

This Grab and Go Practices #5 explains why and how to document student skill acquisition and development in the transition process. When transition-age students participate in an inclusive dual enrollment college program, they have built-in opportunities to increase and improve numerous foundation skills. These changes in personal growth are often noted by family, friends, and support personnel, but they are rarely quantified.

In this Grab and Go Practices, we offer suggestions for instructing students to use apps, software applications, smartphones, and other technology tools in typical college experiences. We discuss how these tools can help with mobility, following schedules, academic support, communication, social connections, and personal management. A checklist for educational coaches is included.

This Grab and Go fact sheet summarizes best practices for coaches and mentors who support dually enrolled students with intellectual disabilities and autism on college campuses. A list of related items for an educational coach professional portfolio is included. We offer suggestions on promoting independence and gradually fading prompts to maximize a student’s potential for independence. These suggestions are provided in a naturally occurring order, but not all steps are necessary, and the student's abilities and needs should guide the process.

This Grab and Go Fact Sheet summarizes best practices for coaches and mentors who support dually enrolled students with intellectual disabilities and autism on college campuses. Students who receive transition services and attend college have many opportunities throughout the day to develop and use life skills. In fact, the more students stay on campus, the more opportunities they have to use these skills in natural contexts and with natural cues. Sometimes, IEP teams are tempted to address learning goals in high school settings where these skills were traditionally taught.

Think College Insight Brief #34 features information about the Think College Transition (TCT) Project. This project focuses on the dual enrollment for students with intellectual disabilities (ID) or autism. Typically this model is used for students seeking to take advanced placement courses so they can seek college credit and high school credit at the same time. TCT has found that dual enrollment is a promising practice for students with ID and autism.