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State disability official outlines transition push: endorsements, LINC data link and a possible diploma pathway
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Summary
A state disability office representative told the Frederick County CCAC that Maryland is piloting college/career/community readiness endorsements, testing a data link called LINC to connect IEPs to adult services, and is working on recommendations to create a diploma pathway for students with significant disabilities, a change likely to take two to three years.
Jade, a representative of the state Department of Disabilities' Office of Disability Employment Advancement and Policy, told the Frederick County Special Education Citizens Advisory Committee on April 20 that the agency is pressing a new, statewide focus on transitions from school to adult life for students with disabilities.
Jade said the state blueprint envisions "all students will exit school college and and or career ready," and that Maryland has been piloting "endorsements in the area of college, career, and community readiness" to give certificate-track students clearer, measurable post‑school competencies. The endorsements, the presenter said, were developed with parents, self-advocates, providers and educators and are now in pilot and phased rollout.
The presenter described LINC (Leveraging Interagency Networks for Knowledge translation), a federally funded proof-of-concept intended to allow, with parental consent, school IEP data to be pushed to adult systems such as DDA and DORS and for those agencies to return information. "We could pull data out of your IEP and push it over to DORS or DDA," the presenter said, framing LINC as a way to reduce gaps in knowledge about who has applied for adult services.
On the diploma question, the presenter said a work group is developing a "career pathway for a high school diploma, which would mean that all students, even those with the most significant disabilities, could exit with a high school diploma." She cautioned that changing definitions and implementing a diploma pathway will likely take time: "I would think probably 2 or 3 years, at a minimum," she said, because regulations, training and professional development may be required.
Parents at the meeting raised a central concern: that awarding a diploma could inadvertently disqualify a student from DDA eligibility. The presenter said the intention is for a diploma to be diploma-specific with documentation that signals continued need for supports and that partner agencies will discuss how existing school documentation can support adult eligibility decisions.
Why it matters: if adopted and implemented, the endorsements, the diploma pathway and better data connections to adult services could change how families plan for post‑school life and how many students qualify for and receive supports. The committee was urged to participate in focus groups and to use posted resources—presenters said mdtransitions.org includes materials and that the presenter would share direct links to make materials easier for families to find.
The presenter encouraged CCAC members to engage with the ongoing funding study and focus groups and to provide input so the policy changes do not create unintended consequences.
What’s next: the recommendations will go to Dr. Wright and other state leaders; pilot work on endorsements continues and the LINC proof-of-concept is underway. The presenter encouraged families and CCAC members to sign up for focus groups and to watch for the recommended regulatory steps over the next two to three years.
