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Study Overview
NLTS2 is a 10-year-long study of the characteristics, experiences, and outcomes of a nationally representative sample of youth with disabilities who were ages 13 through 16 and receiving special education services in grade 7 or above on December 1, 2000. The study is designed to collect data on sample members from multiple sources in five waves, beginning in 2001 and ending in 2009.4
The NLTS2 sample was constructed in two stages.5 A stratified random sample of school districts was selected from the universe of approximately 12,000 that served students receiving special education in at least one grade from 7th through 12th grades. These districts and 77 state-supported special schools that served primarily students with hearing and vision impairments and multiple disabilities were invited to participate in the study, with the intention of recruiting approximately 500 districts and as many special schools as possible from which to select a target sample of about 12,000 students. Recruitment efforts resulted in 501 school districts and 38 special schools agreeing to participate and providing rosters of students receiving special education services in the designated age range, from which the student sample was selected.
The roster of all students in the NLTS2 age range who were receiving special education services from each district and special school was stratified by primary disability category, as reported by the districts. Students then were selected randomly from each disability category. Sampling fractions were calculated that would produce enough students in each category so that, in the final study year, findings will generalize to most categories individually with an acceptable level of precision, accounting for attrition and for response rates to the parent/youth interview. A total of 11,276 students were selected and eligible to participate in NLTS2.
4 Wave 1 included parent interviews (2001) surveys of school staff (2002) and assessments of the academic abilities of students who were ages 16 through 18 in 2002. Wave 2 involved interviews with both parents and youth (2003), a mail survey of youth whose parents reported they were able to respond to questions, but not by phone (2003), school staff surveys for youth still in high school (2004) and assessments of the academic abilities of youth who were ages 16 through 18 in 2004. Wave 3 (2005) repeated the telephone interviews and mail survey of youth, as will Waves 4 and 5 (2007 and 2009). High school transcripts are collected annually for youth leaving school that year.
5 Appendix A provides additional details on the sample, data sources, and other methodological aspects of the study described here.