A twelfth-grade student with a specific learning disability in mathematics is preparing to graduate and pursue a four-year college. In preparation for graduation, what step should the educational diagnostician take at the ARD committee meeting?

• A. Special education services continue after graduation.
• B. IEP end at age 22.
• C. Special education services end at graduation.
• D. Student must enroll in a four-year college to receive services.

Answer: (C)

When a student earns a regular high school diploma, the IEP ends at graduation. At the ARD meeting, the diagnostician should finalize that special education services conclude when graduation occurs and prepare a Summary of Performance to document the student’s strengths, areas for improvement, and recommendations to support postsecondary life. Even though the student plans to attend a four-year college, services under the IEP do not continue in college; postsecondary accommodations are arranged through the college’s disability services, while the IEP exit is documented. Transition planning remains important, but the formal IEP ends at graduation.