Step 6: Think About Life After Graduation with Transition Planning

Third to Fifth Grade

Once students get a little older, if they’ve been practicing expressing their strengths and needs, they might be ready to start sharing in their IEP meetings. 

While they may not be ready to lead their IEP meetings (some kids might be!), students can get exposure to talking with their IEP team by attending a portion of the meeting. Joining for the first part of the meeting and sharing about themselves is a great way to continue becoming a self-advocate. Bonus- students usually LOVE talking about themselves! 

You can help students prepare for sharing with THIS FREE Google slides TEMPLATE. Or, you can have them complete the template ahead of time and share it on their behalf. 

Students can complete this kind of self-reflection work regardless of whether they attend the meeting or not. Be sure to also include the information they share in their present level of performance!

Middle School

As any middle school teacher will tell you, this is a major time for transition. Many students start to assert more independence and seek more control over their lives. 

This is a great time to increase their participation in their IEP team and build their self-advocacy skills! Like in earlier years, students should be directly asked to share about themselves and their preferences and needs for school. 

They may also be interested in learning more about the IEP process and what’s in an IEP. Including them in goal setting around their goals in the near and far term not only builds their self-advocacy skills but can also get their buy-in for participating in their education and staying engaged at school. 

Middle school is also a great time to start thinking about their goals after high school. What careers are they interested in? Colleges? Military? Get them thinking about how their strengths and interests can help them build a happy life.

Ready to get your students more involved? 

Help them learn more about their support with this FREE DOWNLOAD: “What’s an IEP?”

This single page explains in student-friendly terms the important parts of IEP. Use it to introduce students to the IEP process and how their IEP can help them be more successful at school.

Formal Transition Planning in High School

High school represents a major change in a student’s education and IEP participation. During the year that students turn 16, it’s federally mandated that formal transition plans are included in their IEPs. 

The age is lower in many states, like Texas, New York, and Virginia, where the requirement starts at 14 years old. That’s because it’s widely recognized that earlier transition planning leads to better life-long outcomes. 

Formal transition plans might sound like a lot. But, when you have the right tools, they don’t have to be overwhelming.

Kind of like a mini-IEP, transition plans include a description of the student’s current performance with skills related to their goals after high school.

To write a transition plan, you’ll need to:

• Gather information on the student’s goals for the future using transition assessments
  • What are their strengths and interests related to careers and college readiness?
  • What is the student’s plan for living arrangements? At home, with a roommate, by themselves, or in a group home?
  • What about getting around? Will they seek a driver’s license or rely on the bus? 
  • How will the student spend free time and participate in the community?

Check with your local district to see what transition assessments are available and appropriate for your student.

• With the student, determine goals for their lives post-high school.
  Answer the question “What can we do over the next year so they are more likely to be able to ______________.”

Here are a few examples:

Long Term Goal	Transition Planning Goal
I want to go to college.	– Research a variety of colleges, including their admittance requirements, tuition rates, local communities, and majors that might be interesting. – Take an SAT prep course and practice test – Apply for FAFSA and three scholarships
I want to go into the military.	– Research the different branches of the military and determine two that are of the highest interest – Research the enlistment requirements for branches of interest – Take a practice entrance exam for the military
I want to get a job in the community.	– Take a career interest survey – Research three jobs in an area of interest (Here, you could say “Research three jobs in the area of theater.” or “Research three career paths that include working with animals.”) – Fill out three job applications – Join a club related to my career interest  – Create a resume
I want to live in an apartment.	– Take a home economics course – Learn to balance a budget  – Learn independent living skills like cooking and laundry  – Fill out three apartment rental applications
I want to get a driver’s license.	– Enroll in driver education  – Pass the driver’s license test

Keep in mind that each of these goals should be made more specific to the student’s interest. For example, if the student’s goal is to go to a community college and get an associate degree in nursing, then their transition goals should be to not only research colleges but specifically to research community colleges that offer a two-year nursing degree. 

Ready to wrap up your IEP writing? Head to the final step in the process: Completing the Other Considerations.