Transition Services
The Bottom Line
Include activities that will support the student's postsecondary transition goals. These activities can occur outside of school and be facilitated by the family, VRS staff, etc.
The area of "Instruction" on this page of the IEP must include the services listed on the Services page of the IEP. It can include instruction beyond that.
Do not leave an area blank. Select “The student is not demonstrating a need at this time” from the dropdown if that is the case.
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Explanation
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
The school doesn't need to be the service provider for all transition services. The parent/family and outside agencies (e.g., VRS) are also common service providers.
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 their 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.
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.
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).
Development of Employment & Adult Living Objectives
With a major focus on career planning, these services help the student develop, define, refine and finalize their 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.
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.
✋ Frequently Asked Questions
How should I review the Transition Services page of the IEP and use it to develop transition-focused annual IEP goals?
First, there should always be 100% overlap between the activities listed in the "Instruction" area of the Transition Services page and the direct/indirect services listed on the services grid of the IEP. However, not all transition services will translate into a corresponding annual IEP goal and direct/indirect service.
The key distinction here is “tasks” versus “skills.” Of the transition services identified, annual IEP goals should be developed in areas that will have specific skill development outcomes (e.g., reading comprehension skills, self-advocacy skills, etc.). On the other hand, many transition services involve completing tasks (e.g., signing up for driver’s education, visiting colleges, etc.) and developing annual IEP goals in these areas would not be appropriate.
When the school is a service provider for a transition service, when are all of these transition activities supposed to happen in the school day?
Activities in the area of "Instruction" will be part of the student's direct/indirect services listed on the services grid of the IEP.
If the school has a direct service available that is closely related to transition activities (e.g., an Employability Skills Seminar class, a Life Skills class, etc.) numerous activities from several transition service areas may be incorporated into that class.
General education programming, including school counseling services, is also a key resource for completing transition activities. For example, a case manager might arrange a meeting between a special education student and their school counselor to discuss college options.
If the student has been referred to Vocational Rehabilitation Services (VRS), VRS counselors typically assist with numerous transition activities.
For more information about the specific transition services available in your school building, refer to your building's World's Best Workforce Plan (available on your district website or on the Secondary Transition page on the SCRED website).
Can parents be listed as an “Agency” on the Transition Services page?
Yes! In many cases, transition services occur in the community and the parent/guardian is in an optimal position to support these tasks (e.g., enrolling the student in driver’s education classes, opening a bank account, or applying for county services). Only list a parent/guardian as an Agency on the Transition Services page if they attended the IEP meeting and committed to completing the listed service/activity.
What if the parent doesn’t complete the transition activity listed?
The school district is obligated to convene an IEP meeting to discuss the lack of progress towards completion of the transition activity.
If the transition activity is still an area of need that should be addressed in the IEP, the school may choose to rewrite the transition activity in terms that enable the school district to become the service provider. For example, instead of the transition activity listed being “opening a bank account” the school district may change the transition activity to “learn the steps of opening a bank account in the community including researching local banks and the banking accounts they have available."
Can students be listed as an “Agency” on the Transition Services page?
No. While the student is involved because they are receiving a service (e.g., attending driver's ed. classes), they should not be listed as their own service provider.
When should the IEP Team consider placement in an 18-22-year-old Transition Program?
As a team, it may be beneficial to ask the following questions:
Does the student have sufficient skills, with the supports they have in place, to either participate in a postsecondary education program, enter the military, or obtain immediate competitive employment?
If the answer to the question is yes, the student is likely ready to graduate and accept their diploma.
If the answer to the question is no, are there supports or services (outside of special education) that can adequately assist the student in participating in a postsecondary education program, enter the military, or obtain immediate competitive employment?
If the answer to the second question is yes, the student may be ready to graduate and accept their diploma.
If the answer to both questions is no, what skills does the student need to gain in order to be prepared for participating in a postsecondary education program or obtaining immediate competitive employment?