Think College Transition: Developing an Evidenced-Based Model of Inclusive Dual Enrollment Transition Services for Students with Intellectual Disabilities and Autism. Evaluation Final Report
Parker, Caroline E.; Schillaci, Rebecca (2018). Education Development Center, Inc. Retrieved from: https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED606357
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examining67Students, grades12-PS
Practice Guide
Review Details
Reviewed: August 2023
- Practice Guide (findings for Think College Transition (TCT))
- Quasi-Experimental Design
- Meets WWC standards with reservations because it uses a quasi-experimental design in which the analytic intervention and comparison groups satisfy the baseline equivalence requirement.
This review may not reflect the full body of research evidence for this intervention.
Evidence Tier rating based solely on this study. This intervention may achieve a higher tier when combined with the full body of evidence.
Findings
|
Outcome measure |
Comparison | Period | Sample |
Intervention mean |
Comparison mean |
Significant? |
Improvement index |
Evidence tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Self-Determination Inventory: Student Report - Psychological empowerment subscale |
Think College Transition (TCT) vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Cohorts 2 and 3;
|
80.99 |
73.17 |
No |
-- | |
|
Self-Determination Inventory: Student Report - Pathways thinking subscale |
Think College Transition (TCT) vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Cohorts 2 and 3;
|
78.88 |
73.65 |
No |
-- |
Evidence Tier rating based solely on this study. This intervention may achieve a higher tier when combined with the full body of evidence.
Sample Characteristics
Characteristics of study sample as reported by study author.
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Other or unknown: 100% -
Suburban, Urban
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- B
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- M
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- S
- V
- U
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- W
- X
- Z
- Y
- a
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- i
- b
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- f
- c
- g
- j
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Massachusetts
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Race Other or unknown 100% -
Ethnicity Other or unknown 100% -
Eligible for Free and Reduced Price Lunch Other or unknown 100%
Study Details
Setting
This study took place in 21 school districts in Western Massachusetts’ Pioneer Valley and in the South Shore of Massachusetts. Three higher education institutions participated in the evaluation: Holyoke Community College, Westfield State University, and Bridgewater State University. Each higher education institution partnered with multiple school districts and most participating districts had students in both the treatment and comparison groups; however, two districts contributed students to the comparison group only.
Study sample
The analytic sample of the evaluation was comprised of 67 students (36 students in the intervention group, 31 students in the comparison group) that had an intellectual disability or a dual diagnosis of an intellectual disability and autism. All students who participated in the evaluation had an intellectual disability or a dual diagnosis of an intellectual disability and autism. The percentage of students with a dual diagnosis was not provided. All students were 18-22 years old. The manuscript does not report students' race/ethnicity, gender, or other demographic information.
Intervention Group
The intervention, Think College Transition (TCT), was a college-based dual enrollment transition services program designed explicitly for students with intellectual disabilities or a dual diagnosis of an intellectual disability and autism. TCT was designed to improve these students’ school achievement and post-school outcomes. The model is one that focuses on partnerships between higher education institutions and local school districts with an emphasis on fully including these students in the academic and social aspects of college life. The TCT model focuses on connecting with same-age peers and includes supports like connecting with coaching or a peer mentor to help students take college courses, working in integrated competitive employment, participating in career development activities, and attending social events. The program was provided to individuals, with students participating in TCT for one to two years.
Comparison Group
Students in the comparison group received business-as-usual transition services offered by their school district. This included sheltered work in the school store, café, or business office as well as classes focused on cooking, banking, and increasing safety and independence. The transition services did not include a higher education component. The authors mentioned that intervention and comparison students were supported by some of the same staff members at their local districts, and some of those staff received training on the intervention: therefore, it was possible the comparison group students may have received some of the benefits of the intervention.
Support for implementation
Staff at intervention sites (districts and higher education institutions) were offered an unspecified number of technical assistance workshops on topics like employment, student supports, and advising for the three years of the study. Transition coordinators, job coaches, teachers, and others were asked to participate in the workshops, and 88 staff from intervention districts plus nine staff from higher education institutions did so.
Department-funded evaluation
Review Details
Reviewed: December 2021
- Department-funded evaluation (findings for Think College Transition (TCT))
- Quasi-Experimental Design
- The study does not meet WWC group design standards because it uses a quasi-experimental design in which the analytic intervention and comparison groups do not satisfy the baseline equivalence requirement.
This review may not reflect the full body of research evidence for this intervention.
Evidence Tier rating based solely on this study. This intervention may achieve a higher tier when combined with the full body of evidence.
Findings
Evidence Tier rating based solely on this study. This intervention may achieve a higher tier when combined with the full body of evidence.
Sample Characteristics
Study sample characteristics were not reported.An indicator of the effect of the intervention, the improvement index can be interpreted as the expected change in percentile rank for an average comparison group student if that student had received the intervention.
For more, please see the WWC Glossary entry for improvement index.
An outcome is the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that are attained as a result of an activity. An outcome measures is an instrument, device, or method that provides data on the outcome.
A finding that is included in the effectiveness rating. Excluded findings may include subgroups and subscales.
The sample on which the analysis was conducted.
The group to which the intervention group is compared, which may include a different intervention, business as usual, or no services.
The timing of the post-intervention outcome measure.
The number of students included in the analysis.
The mean score of students in the intervention group.
The mean score of students in the comparison group.
The WWC considers a finding to be statistically significant if the likelihood that the finding is due to chance alone, rather than a real difference, is less than five percent.
The WWC reviews studies for WWC products, Department of Education grant competitions, and IES performance measures.
The name and version of the document used to guide the review of the study.
The version of the WWC design standards used to guide the review of the study.
The result of the WWC assessment of the study. The rating is based on the strength of evidence of the effectiveness of the intervention. Studies are given a rating of Meets WWC Design Standards without Reservations, Meets WWC Design Standards with Reservations, or >Does Not Meet WWC Design Standards.
A related publication that was reviewed alongside the main study of interest.
Study findings for this report.
Based on the direction, magnitude, and statistical significance of the findings within a domain, the WWC characterizes the findings from a study as one of the following: statistically significant positive effects, substantively important positive effects, indeterminate effects, substantively important negative effects, and statistically significant negative effects. For more, please see the WWC Handbook.
The WWC may review studies for multiple purposes, including different reports and re-reviews using updated standards. Each WWC review of this study is listed in the dropdown. Details on any review may be accessed by making a selection from the drop down list.
Tier 1 Strong indicates strong evidence of effectiveness,
Tier 2 Moderate indicates moderate evidence of effectiveness, and
Tier 3 Promising indicates promising evidence of effectiveness,
as defined in the
non-regulatory guidance for ESSA
and the regulations for ED discretionary grants (EDGAR Part 77).