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Transition Services
Transition Services
Transition services must meet the definition of “a results-oriented process that facilitates the child’s movement from school to post-school activities, including: postsecondary education, vocational education, integrated employment (including supported employment), continuing and adult education, adult services, and independent living or community participation.”
Annual IEP goals should be developed after transition services have been determined. There must be a clear link between the student’s postsecondary goals, transition services, and their annual IEP goals.
Consider these questions when determining transition services:
What experiences must the student participate in this academic year that are necessary for achieving the identified postsecondary goals?
What services and specific instruction are essential this year for the student to develop skills and knowledge to attain their postsecondary goals?
Do we know enough about this student’s vocational skills to identify an appropriate postsecondary employment goal or design activities to support the identified goal?
If the team has considered the questions above and determined that services in a particular area are not necessary to support achievement of the student's postsecondary goals, record “The student is not demonstrating a need at this time” in that area.
Service Areas
Service Areas
Instruction
Instruction as a transition service is a broad range of activities that promotes access to school curriculum, help students gain needed skills and move toward his/her postsecondary goals. Instruction around the acquisition of daily living skills may be needed for some students who need preparation of specific life skills (e.g., self-care, money management, transportation).
This section is for specialized instruction, regular instruction, and career and technical education. If the student has relevant direct services linked to annual IEP goals or relevant classes in school they can be listed here.
Examples of Activities for Instruction:
Improve reading comprehension skills
Increase reading fluency
Improve math problem solving skills
Improve written composition skills
Learn and practice social skills
Learn and practice communication skills
Learn and practice self-determination skills
Learn and practice self-advocacy
Learn and practice employability skills
Learn budgeting/money management skills
Practice negotiation skills for job raises, car purchases, job hiring, etc.
Participate in community-based instruction
Learn and practice self-management skills
Learn and practice stress management skills
Learn and demonstrate time management skills
Learn and demonstrate study skills
Learn recreation and leisure skills
Learn and practice responsible decision-making skills
Learn and practice problem-solving skills
Related Services
These are the supports (e.g., psychology, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, assistive technology) needed for students to access more integrated work, education, and living environments. Related services within the context of transition services is to help students (and families) determine if related services are needed beyond high school, help identify who or what agency might provide those services, help identify how the student (parent) can access those services and make the connections to needed services prior to the student leaving school.
Examples of Activities for Related Services:
Complete an assistive technology evaluation
Connect with adult services who provide assistive technology
Participate in orientation and mobility services
Work with school health nurse on medication management
Learn about audiological services for after high school
Learn how to access interpreter services for college and/or employment settings
Explore options for a service animal
Use augmentative communication devices in community settings
Visit potential post-school providers of physical therapy (or other therapies)
Participate in social work services
Community Participation
Community experiences involve a variety of activities and experiences that are provided outside the school building.
A range of career and job domain activities (e.g., job shadowing, internship, work experiences) are used to learn knowledge and skills to meet the requirements of specific occupations or career pathways. For students going onto post-secondary education, activities often involve touring colleges and/or programs offered by various colleges and universities (e.g., summer programs).
Examples of Activities for Community Experiences:
Practice budgeting and shopping skills
Use public transportation to get to and from work site
Access local community resources such as health care facilities, mental health facilities, library, postal services, grocery store, bank, Laundromat)
Demonstrate appropriate social skills in community settings (being quiet in relevant settings, work settings, standing in line, asking for help)
Locate items in a grocery store
Explore new ways to use leisure time
Plan and participate in community activities (e.g., transportation, leisure, work)
Recognize and pay for small purchases in community settings
Participate in work experiences
Participate in job shadowing
Tour colleges
Participate in internships or apprenticeship programs
Tour employment or other community settings
Obtain a state identification and/or driver’s license
Register with Selective Services
Understand and participate in voting process
Explore and tour living and housing options
Learn about and participate in volunteer opportunities (e.g., Habitat for Humanity, Hospital, Animal shelter, library)
Learn about and visit potential places for shopping for food, clothes, etc.
Learn and practice the dangers of accepting assistance/goods from strangers
Select and order his/her food in restaurant
Learn and practice problem-solving skills in community settings
Able to identify the locations of and get to social service agencies (e.g., employment agencies, social services, rehabilitation agencies, etc.)
Development of Employment & Adult Living Objectives
With a major focus on career planning, these services help the student develop, define, refine and finalize his/her post-secondary goals. Assessments, experiences, and planning activities are key to helping students finalize their goals.
This area focuses on the development of work-related behaviors, job seeking and keeping skills, career exploration, skill training and actual employment. Volunteer work also provides important skills and experiences that could lead to integrated employment or supported employment.
Adult living objectives are those services that include support activities done occasionally such as accessing employment support agencies, registering to vote, filing taxes, renting a home, accessing medical services, filing for insurance, or accessing adult services, college information, Social Security Income (SSI).
Remember: The focus for post-secondary employment goals for all students with disabilities is integrated competitive employment, which is defined as employment at a competitive wage or at least minimum wage.
Examples of Activities for Employment & Adult Living Objectives:
Participate in community-based employment program/work-study program
Participate in an apprenticeship or internship program
Complete application to Vocational Rehabilitation Services
Interview various workers in interested field
Obtain specific information about an occupation
Meet with employment agencies or supported employment providers to identify services
Participate in in-school jobs
Participate in community work experiences
Practice completing job applications and interviewing skills with work study coordinator
Interview military branch officers
Attend transition fair/career fair at school
Meet with armed forces recruiter
Learn about voting and where to register to vote
Participate in job shadowing
Go on interviews with employers
Develop resume, cover letters and thank you notes for after interviews
Explore college grants, loans and scholarships
Complete financial aid information
Research interested careers through O’Net
Learn and practice skills needed to access job search services
Open a bank account
Visit adult service providers
Explore guardianship issues and financial planning
Apply to colleges
Acquisition of Daily Living Skills, Including a Functional Vocational Evaluation
Daily living skills are included, “if appropriate” to support student ability to do those activities that most adults do every day (e.g., grooming, preparing meals, budgeting, maintaining a home, paying bills, caring for clothes).
A functional vocational evaluation is an assessment process through situational assessments or a community-based assessment in the settings where the actual skills and/or job are performed. This practical process includes observations, data from task analysis, and other formal or informal measures.
Examples of Activities for Acquisition of Daily Living Skills and Functional Evaluation, if appropriate:
Take cooking classes
Learn to operate washing/dryer
Learn to use an ATM card
Learn meal preparation
Learn grocery skills
Learn how to purchase and care for clothes
Learn and practices basic self-care
Learn and practices grooming and hygiene skills
Care for personal toileting needs
Communicate personal information (e.g., name, address, gender, telephone number, etc.) in appropriate situations
Manage daily time schedule
Open checking/savings account
Learn emergency procedures
Take courses in health, family planning, child development
Learn medication self-management
Listen to the weather forecast to plan daily/weekly outings/clothes choices
Demonstrate safety skills in various settings (e.g., home, kitchen, work)
Learn and practices seeking medical and/or emergency assistance
Learn basic laundry skills
NOTE: The example activities above were adapted from: Helping educators, parents and other stakeholders understand: Post-school outcomes, course of study and coordinated set of activities by Ed O’Leary and Wendy Collision (2002).
Writing Measurable Post-Seondary Goals
Writing Measurable Post-Seondary Goals
Postsecondary goals are different than annual IEP goals. Postsecondary goals are statements about what a student will do after high school, and annual IEP goals are the yearly "steps" designed to enable the student to achieve their postsecondary goals. Appropriate measurable postsecondary goals must be:
Future orientated (Refer to after graduation)
Measurable (After you read the statement you can answer yes or no to it happening)
Based on age-appropriate transition assessments)
Updated annually (The goal may not change, but it must match updates to the transition PLAAFP. Goals should increase in specificity as the student approaches graduation.)
All students must have goals in Post Secondary Education & Training and Employment. An Independent Living goal must be included if a student has adaptive/functional needs (i.e., "routine activities of everyday living") identified within their most recent evaluation and/or if they have IEP goals in the area of adaptive/functional skills. If neither apply, you can write "There are no identified needs in this area at this time" or a similar statement under the Independent Living heading in the IEP.
Goal Writing Formula
"Formula" for Writing Appropriate Measurable Postsecondary Goals:
After high school… | After graduation… | Upon completion of high school…
XXX will... | XXX is going to…
What
Where and how
Per federal regulations, phrases such as "XXX hopes to," "XXX wants to," or "XXX dreams of" are non-compliant. Postsecondary goals must be phrased as "XXX will."
Goal Examples
Post-Secondary Education & Training:
After high school, George will enroll at Pine Technical and Community College and participate in the Welding Technology program with support from the Disability Service Center.
Upon graduation from high school, Travis will participate in integrated on-the-job retail training in order to work at a local business.
After graduation, Bella will successfully complete the Job Corps Center’s culinary arts program to obtain a Culinary Arts Certificate.
Employment:
After high school, Sally will work part-time as a shop helper in her uncle’s clothing shop.
After high school, Dana will obtain a part-time position at a restaurant.
Upon graduation, Charlie will volunteer for 10 hours per week at the local hospital with support from a job coach with county employment services.
Independent Living:
Following graduation, Raymond will live at home with his parents while he receives vocational training.
After graduation, Ben will use his augmentative communication device at home and in the community to communicate his wants and needs.
Upon graduation, Christina will live at a group home receiving total care services.
Course of Study
Course of Study
Explanation
Per MDE, at a minimum, courses of study listed in the IEP include the student's current academic year through the following academic year. Course titles listed should be as specific as possible (i.e., what is listed in the course catalog), but if you choose to project out and add more than two years, titles can be general in nature.
Courses of study are not just a list of classes needed to graduate. They should be directly linked to the student’s postsecondary goals. For example, if a student is planning to be a farmer, they should be taking any agricultural classes available. Remember, these courses of study are for planning purposes and can be changed if needed. They are a "best guess" and if the student registers for different classes before the next school year, for example, the IEP does not need to be amended.
Also, be sure to fill in the anticipated month and year of graduation. As a team, briefly discuss the student’s progress towards graduation. Are they on track to graduate? If not, what is the team’s plan to get the student back on track?
Notice of Transfer of Rights at Age of Majority
Notice of Transfer of Rights at Age of Majority
Explanation
The notice must be given by the student’s 17th birthday, and this typically occurs during the annual IEP meeting prior to the student's 17th birthday. Both the student and the parent(s) must be informed. If the student is 18, unless the district has documentation to indicate otherwise, the student provides consent but the parent can still be involved in the team.
If notice is given during an IEP meeting:
Provide a copy of the Notice of Transfer of Parent Rights letter from SpEd Forms.
Verbally explain the changes that occur at age 18.
If notice is given outside an IEP meeting:
Send home a copy of the Notice of Transfer of Parent Rights letter from SpEd Forms.
Verbally explain the notice to the student and to their parent/guardian. Document these conversations using the Communication Log in SpEd Forms.
After notice has been given:
Click the checkbox in SpEd Forms next to: "The Student was informed on ____ of the rights that will transfer on: [auto-fills with student's 18th birthday date]."
Make sure the Notice of Transfer of Parent Rights letter is finalized in SpEd Forms history and filed with the student's special education records.
Summary of Performance & Aging Out of Services
Summary of Performance & Aging Out of Services
Resource Documents
Additional Resources
Additional Resources
MN Career Services for People with Disabilities
MN Career Services for People with Disabilities
Minnesota's resources and programs helping people with disabilities prepare for the workforce and live as independently as possible.
Transition Skills Mobile Apps for Student With Disabilities.pdfApps for Building Transition Skills
Apps for Building Transition Skills
Compilation of Mobile Apps to support transition-age youth.
MN State Student Employment Resource Guide.pdfMinnesota Student Employment Resource Guide
Minnesota Student Employment Resource Guide
Activities and resources to help prepare students with disabilities for the workforce.
Voc Rehab Services student-families flyer.pdfVocational Rehabilitation Services Flyer
Vocational Rehabilitation Services Flyer
Voc Rehab Services available to people with disabilities.
CareerForce MN
CareerForce MN
Offices and resources to help Minnesotans find employment that is the right fit and meets their needs.
Disability Hub MN
Disability Hub MN
Disability Hub MN is a free statewide resource network that helps people with disabilities solve problems, navigate their options, and plan for their future. Discover tools for managing your health, your benefits, work, housing, and more.
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