title: Secondary students with moderate/severe intellectual disability: considerations of curriculum and post-school outcomes from the National Longitudinal Transition Study-2.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  A conversation currently exists regarding secondary curriculum (e.g. academics, functional) for students with moderate/severe intellectual disability (ID) without a large research base connecting curriculum to outcomes.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study represented a secondary analysis of the National Longitudinal Transition Study-2 (NLTS2) data to understand in-school curriculum and educational programming for secondary students with moderate/severe ID as well as the relationship between curriculum and students' post-school outcomes. Statistical procedures such as frequency distributions, a significance test and logistic regression were utilised to analyse secondary data from the NLTS2.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The results suggest the majority of students with moderate/severe ID received a functional curriculum as well as instruction in core content areas; however, their instruction primarily occurred in pull-out educational settings. The students also reported low rates for the post-school outcomes examined (i.e. independent living, employment and post-secondary attendance). Finally, curriculum (functional vs. academics) was not related to any post-school outcome examined (e.g. independent living, employment).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The data suggest additional research is needed to understand what factors impact post-school outcomes for students with moderate/severe ID. Yet - and regardless of the lack of impact - additional work is needed to help students achieve better post-school outcomes, including further examination of curriculum and instructional environments.
authors.affiliation: Department of Educational Studies, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA. bouck@purdue.edu
authors.forename: E C
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Bouck
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D003479:Curriculum; D004495:Education of Persons with Intellectual Disabilities / Q000379:methods* / Q000458:organization & administration*; D004651:Employment; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D057187:Independent Living; D008607:Intellectual Disability / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D016015:Logistic Models; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D014481:United States; D014829:Vocational Education / Q000379:methods* / Q000458:organization & administration*; D055815:Young Adult