Annual Transition Goals

An Annual Transition IEP goal is designed to facilitate movement toward the postsecondary goals.

ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS OF A TRANSITION-RELATED IEP GOAL

• An annual goal should clearly state the need the goal addresses as identified by formal or informal transition assessment.

• At least one annual goal must relate to the student's transition service needs.

• Annual goals address transition needs when they state the present level of academic or functional skill or knowledge that needs to be improved in order for the student to achieve their postsecondary goals.

• The annual goal must contain a timeline for goal mastery, the behavior or skill to be measured, the conditions under which the skill or behavior will be measured, the criterion or level of performance expected, and short-term objectives or benchmarks if the student is working on pre-requisite or alternative curriculum.  

• Consider the student's postsecondary goal areas (education/training, employment, and independent living) when developing the IEP, and identify the specific knowledge and skills the student needs to gain/improve to achieve their postsecondary goals.  

ANNUAL GOALS MIGHT HELP A STUDENT ADDRESS A NEED RELATED TO:

• Setting and achieving goals

• Understanding pros and cons of a particular path

• Increasing self-awareness

• Becoming actively involved in their IEP meetings

• Leading their IEP meetings

• Describing their strengths and challenges

Teams can help a student see the relevance of annual goals by having related service providers (speech, OT, PT, counseling) focus activities on transition needs like interview scripts, functional communication, disclosure, etc...

EXAMPLES - MEASURABLE ANNUAL IEP GOALS LINKING TO TRANSITION

Measurable Transition Annual IEP Goals

IEP Goal Ideas to Support College Readiness

Measurable Annual Goal Components Chart

IEP Goals to Help the Student Achieve Postsecondary Goals