Difference between K12 & College

What Are the Differences?

The transition from high school to college is exciting, but it can also be a challenging time for any student. For students with disabilities, this process may require more navigation due key differences in disability services and legal protections. While there are many differences between the K-12 and the post-secondary (college) environment, the following four underlying changes provide many of the challenges experienced by all students:

Legal Rights and Responsibilities for College Students
Summary of Legal Differences Between Secondary and Postsecondary Education
Student Advocacy and Life Skills
Increase in Complexity and Unpredictability

Rights & Responsibilities for College Students

The laws governing disability services change significantly as students transition from high school to college. In the K-12 setting, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) focuses on ensuring student success. However, IDEA no longer applies in postsecondary education. Instead, college accommodations are governed by Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and the ADA Amendments Act (ADAAA) of 2008. Rather than focusing on guaranteed success, these higher education laws protect civil rights and ensure equal access to education. Understanding these differences is essential, as students will navigate an entirely new set of rights and responsibilities. Additionally it will be important to understand the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and how that applies to student records, including disability documentation records.

Section 504 and ADA

The postsecondary education system is not covered by IDEA, but instead by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990, the ADA Amendments Act of 2008, and Subpart E of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (P.L. 93-112). These laws establish what colleges need to do to support equal opportunity for students with disabilities to participate in a college or postsecondary program or activity. These laws prohibit discrimination on the basis of disability. They Postsecondary programs or colleges are not required to lower academic standards to accommodate a student with a disability.

Accommodations must be reasonable and provide access without waiving essential academic standards or fundamentally altering the nature of the course, program, or service.
Students are eligible for academic adjustments, program modifications and auxiliary aids/services, but are not eligible for specially designed instruction offered under IDEA.
Students must self-identify. The college has no obligation to identify students with disabilities, but only to inform applicants of the availability of services, program modifications, and academic adjustments.
Self-identifying means that students must provide documentation of their disability and the need for the academic adjustments, program modifications and auxiliary aids, and services they request. The categories of disability, the type of documentation required and who is qualified to conduct the assessment(s) may be different than K-12.
Students receive the necessary supports (e.g., academic adjustments, program modifications, and auxiliary aids/services) that provide equal opportunity for them to access education.
Any alteration in course or program requirements (i.e., extended time to complete program, substitution or waiver of program requirements) usually requires the approval from the college and must be directly related to needs identified in a student’s documentation of disability.

Summary of Differences Between Secondary & Post-secondary Education

Description	Secondary Education	Postsecondary Education
Federal Laws	Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA); Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973; the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA)	Section 504 (particularly subpart E) of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973; the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA)
Purpose of Legislation	To ensure that all eligible students with disabilities have available a free appropriate public education (FAPE), including special education and related services that meets their unique needs (IDEA). IDEA aims to serve the function of providing supports for students with disabilities to succeed. To ensure that no otherwise qualified person with a disability be denied access to, or the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination by any program or activity provided by any public institution or entity (504/ADA)	To ensure that no otherwise qualified person with a disability be denied access to, or the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination by any program or activity provided by any public institution or entity (504/ADA). While the ADA and ADAAA address access, they do not promise success.
Eligibility	For special education services All infants, children, and youth (birth through 21 years) with disabilities (as defined by the state Administrative Rules for Special Education, and/or the ADA)	For disability services Anyone who meets the college criteria for being considered a qualified student and and who can document the existence of a disability as defined by Section 504 and ADA/ADAAA
Documentation	School districts are responsible for providing trained personnel to assess eligibility and plan educational services	Students are responsible for obtaining documentation from a professional who is qualified to assess their particular condition/symptoms/diagnosis
Receiving Services	School districts are responsible for identifying students with disabilities, designing special instruction, and/or providing accommodations	Students are responsible for informing the university disability officce that they are requesting accommodations on the basis of disability. Reasonable accommodations (not special education) are provided so students with disabilities can access the educational programs or courses used by other students
Self-Advocacy	Students with disabilities learn about their disability, the importance of self-advocacy, the accommodations they need, and how to be a competent self-advocate	Students must be able to describe the impact of their condition/diagnosis, identify strengths and weaknesses, and identify any accommodations needed and how to be a competent self-advocate

Student Self-Advocacy & Life Skills

The role of the student changes upon entering college. Self-advocacy is one of the most important skills for college students with disabilities. Self-advocacy is the ability to understand your disability, communicate your needs effectively, and actively seek support. If you received accommodations in high school, it’s helpful to understand that universities do not necessarily provide the same accommodations set forth in an IEP or 504 Plan. To request accommodations in college, the first step is to self-identify to the disability services office and provide the appropriate documentation.

Self-Awareness is Key

When requesting accommodations, understand your disability and be able to explain to the Disability Services office:

Where you’ve had difficulty in the past
What accommodations have helped address your needs
Your current needs and goals and what accommodations might work now in specific situations

Life skills

Students who begin college after high school may not only be adjusting to a new learning environment and routine, but very possibly, even a new city and friends.
It may be the first time they are living on their own. They may need to learn to budget their money, manage their time, maintain a living environment, and learn how to live with a roommate.
Support systems are available in college (e.g., academic advising, supplemental instruction, academic learning centers, resident assistant, disability services staff), but the student must seek those out, ask for the help, and follow through.

Increase in Complexity and Unpredictability

The typical college environment is more complex and unpredictable than the high school environment in terms of daily schedules, course selection, course expectations, and access to resources.

Daily Schedule

Classes vary in length and number of days. e.g., 2 days for 90 minutes or 3 days a week for an hour.
There are no bells. Students must know when they need to be at class and monitor the time.
One class might be right after the other as in high school, or students may have a block of time between classes.
Students choose when they stop for coffee, use the restrooms, go to class, or study.
Classes may be in multiple buildings.

Course selection and expectations

College course format, instructional strategies and expectations may be different than in high school courses.
There are more choices of instructors, courses and course requirements.
Students need to know how they learn best, what type of instructional formats and styles work best for them, and how to use this information in selecting courses.
There is no one person who ensures students complete the necessary courses and are on the path for earning credits toward graduation; students need to do this themselves or seek advice from academic or department advisers.
Instructors rarely teach directly from the text and often lecture for the entire class period.
Instructors often plan their courses so that students do a lot of their learning outside of class including acquiring knowledge and facts from outside reading and library research.
Most successful students expect to spend 2-3 hours of studying for each hour they are in class, and students with disabilities may need to plan on a few more hours.

Resources

Students should to identify and access any necessary support services.
Services on a college campus are often more expansive than in K-12 system (e.g., health center, bookstores, counseling center, and academic resources such as tutoring).
Students should identify what supports they need and in what office they might find them.
- Need help identifying resources? Ask your Accommodation Coordinator about campus resources!
Services are located in different buildings and often have different names than in high school.