Transition Planning

What is Transition Planning?

Planning for the future is part of any student’s education. For students with disabilities, this includes transition services.

Transition services help a student move from school to adult life. The services depend on the student’s needs and interests. They help students with everything from work to school to fun. A student can get help to go to college or other school after high school. Transition services also help students get jobs, find a place to live, and be a part of the community.

The IEP team must start planning when the student turns 14 or starts ninth grade. They can start earlier, but never later. They need to evaluate what classes the student is taking. The student’s classes should match with what s/he wants to do after graduation. If the student wants to go on in school, s/he needs classes to prepare for college. If the student wants to learn a skill or a trade, s/he might need a vocational education program.

The IEP team needs to figure out what help the student might need for these programs. This information goes into the transition section of the IEP document. By age 16, the IEP should list all services the student will need to move from school to post-school.

It is around this time when students begin being invited to and attending their IEP meetings. This is important, as they then can learn their rights as students and learn how to advocate for their educational needs.