Student Outcomes

The National Coordinating Center developed these resources to help TPSIDs collect data to enter into the National TPSID Data Network. The resources align with both the full data collection tool and the data network interface as much as possible.

The data collection resources can be downloaded using the links on the right.

TPSID programs are welcome to download, save, edit, and use these resources in whatever ways best meet your program's needs.

Through secondary analyses of quantitative data obtained from the Think College National Coordinating Center database from the first cohort (2010-2015) of model demonstration sites in Florida, this study examined components of the postsecondary education programs for students with intellectual disabilities that are correlated with employment upon program exit.

This Fast Fact provides a summary of the findings shared in the Year Four Annual Report of the TPSID Model Demonstration Projects (2018-2019). Findings are shared across multiple categories including employment, vocational rehabilitation, academics, academic and employment supports, residential services, program completion and credential attainment, and one-year outcomes.

This article examines the population of students who are not completing college. Further, it focuses on students with intellectual disabilities (ID) and the progress that has been made in recent years to improve opportunities for students with ID to attend-- and complete-- college. Several strategies are cited that have helped inclusive college teaching such as universal design for learning (UDL), differentiated instruction, accommodations, and the use of mentoring and coaching.

Think College REPORTS present descriptive data in narrative or tabular form to provide timely information to researchers, practitioners, and policymakers for review and use. This report provides program- and student-level data reported by TPSIDs (Transition and Postsecondary Programs for Students with Intellectual Disabilities) during the 2018-2019 academic year. Program data reflect program characteristics, academic access, supports for students, and integration of the program within the institute of higher education during the fourth year of FY 2016–2020 funding.

Given the positive outcomes of postsecondary education (PSE) that are possible for individuals with ID, more states should consider allowing Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) waiver participants the option to use waiver support to participate in PSE. Using HCBS waivers could greatly improve their likelihood of employment, as well as opportunities to experience greater community inclusion, personal satisfaction, and decreased reliance on publicly provided support services.

This Think College Story is about Betsy King, a former student of Transition & Access Program (TAP) at University of Cincinnati. Find out how Betsy selected this college, what her experience was like at TAP, and how she found a job that is perfectly suited for her.

Interesting to note: one of Betsy's peers from TAP, Samuel, wrote this story.

Students with intellectual disability have had poor outcomes after high school compared to their peers without ID . Individuals with ID may rely on government benefits, have extremely high unemployment rates, and experience difficulty becoming part of their local community. Opportunities for students with ID to access postsecondary education are growing. Research indicates that postsecondary education improves employment outcomes for people with ID, but a better understanding of the extent of its effectiveness is needed.

This guide can be used by staff and administrators at institutions of higher education to develop procedures for collecting data on the outcomes of students with intellectual disability after they graduate from higher education programs. It explains why it is important to collect data, methods to use, and what to do with the data once its collected. Samples are shared throughout this publication.

The Transition and Postsecondary Program for Students with Intellectual Disabilities (TPSID) model demonstration program, funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Postsecondary Education was implemented initially from 2010 to 2015. During this time, 27 institutions of higher education were awarded grants to develop programs for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) to access higher education. TPSID programs were charged with developing model demonstration programs that would lead to gainful employment.