So, once again, welcome the new 2025/2026 school year. If your student is a junior or senior you are most likely wondering about next steps. One question that will need to be addressed for some is “Should I stay or should I go?” What is the best course of action come June? Should my student accept the diploma and go out into the big bad adult world or should my student walk through graduation but forego the piece of paper and continue to remain a special education student for at least another year?
All graduating seniors need to essentially be “career or college ready.” Parents, teachers, and students alike may all have different interpretations of what the term means. Well, if you think of it in terms of “the Chevy or the Cadillac” analogy, it leans in favor of the Chevy. “Carreer ready” does not mean that the student is ready to go out and land that dream job of being director of animation at Pixar. Rather, it means that the student has the skills and abilities needed for entry -level employment, which is usually a job that starts you off with the minimum wage payscale.
Similarly, “college ready” does not mean having the skills to live away from home on the campus while taking a full academic course load. Rather, this means that you have the basic skills necessary to successfully take a college level course either at a local school or online. Basic skills would include the ability to attend class, participate as expected, take notes if necessary, complete all expected class work, advocate for yourself, know how/when to seek help, manage time and set personal goals and priorities.
Being succeessful on either or both of these roads, however, depends on the student’s adaptive skills. These are skills that allow you to recongize a situation for what it is, and use and apply background knowledge to pose a plausible strategy or remedy to function successfully in the situation. If the lights are going off and the bells are ringing out in your head “that’s what my kid struggles with” don’t despair. There is still time ahead to develop or enhance the utilization of these skills in the time remaining in school. The key is to identify which ones absolutely need to be addressed, and to focus on developing those “must have” skills for those “will need” situations. Remember, less is more. If you are a parent who believes that everything needs to be addressed, then most likely nothing will change. A key to success will be to have the student identify what he/she feels is preventing success; without everyone on the same page, the book will never be read. Good luck class of 2026!