Metodologia

This volume uses data from the three studies in the NLTS series to assess how the characteristics and experiences of youth with an IEP have changed over time. The most recent NLTS, the NLTS 2012, is a national study of nearly 13,000 youth with and without an IEP. These students were chosen to represent all students with and without an IEP in the United States who were enrolled in public school districts, charter schools, and special schools in grades 7 through 12 (or ungraded secondary classes). The study surveyed youth and their parents in 2012 or 2013, when the vast majority (97 percent) were 13 to 21 years old.2,3 It spans multiple ages and grades to provide a broad view of students’ school experiences at a point in time. The prior study in the series was the NLTS2, a nationally representative study of 13- to 16-year-old students in special education at public school districts and special schools in 2001.