Please click on this link and print out this figure so that you will have it available as you review the information in the following table.
| STEPS | |
| Initial Identification of Needs | The first step in the transitional planning process is to identify strengths and needs. During this phase educators should conduct a global assessment using instrumentation designed to assess transition. Transition areas to be assessed include: Employment, Recreation & Leisure, Home Living, Community Participation, and Postsecondary Education. The comprehensive assessment we conduct of these areas should be summarized in an assessment report. The assessment summary should be descriptive of the student in each area and should provide all team members a good overview of the student's performance and planning. Transition assessment instruments that provide valid assessment are described in this module. Because transition is an "outcome oriented" process, we must also assess the learner's goals for their future. With this information, IEP teams can provide transitional services that facilitate students reaching their dreams. |
| In-Depth Assessment of Select Areas | Once we have identified the strengths and needs of the learner through comprehensive transition assessment, we may need to conduct further in-depth assessment of specific skill areas prior to addressing the prioritized needs in the IEP. If, for example, the transition assessment identified that Jo has needs in the area of money management we may need to conduct further assessment to know exactly what she does or does not know. We can identify specific strengths and needs if we conduct performance-based measurement of money management skills (e.g., counting money, using checking and savings accounts, understanding credit). These skills can be assessed via assessment tasks found in a variety of criterion-referenced assessments. A description of these assessments are included in this training module. |
Transition Planning
Course of Study Sample Course of Study Form Completed Course of Study Form
Statement of Transition Service Needs
Sample form for "Statement of Transition Service Needs" Completed example of "Statement of Transition Service Needs" IEP Goals & Objectives |
Once we have a comprehensive description of students' performance and we know the status of planning issues, the team needs to develop a transition plan. There are a variety of means for addressing transition needs. IDEA '97 placed a greater emphasis on including students with disabilities in general education. Therefore, our first step is to look to the general education curriculum to determine if students' needs can be addressed by enrolling in coursework. We document this in the IEP process by developing a "course of study" for the student's remaining high school years.
The course of study becomes our first point of discussion to be sure educational services are provided in the "least restrictive environment". The links to the left provide sample forms (in both Word and PDF formats) for completing the "course of study". An example of a completed "course of study is also provided.
Secondly, the transition team should discuss other avenues for addressing identified transition needs. Some needs may be addressed most effectively through community-based experiences or in nonschool environments, outside of the school day. For example, an identified transition need for Patrick is career exploration. Patrick has an interest in working in the grain market but he is not very familiar with the types of jobs available in this field. There is a large employer in the city that is an international marketer, processor and distributor of agricultural, food, financial and industrial products. The best means of addressing Patrick's transition needs may be for Patrick to explore the employer's website, visit the employer, or job shadow at the business. This transition need is being addressed with activities that should be documented in the IEP. IDEA '97 describes the "statement of needed transition services" as a IEP component to document these activities. In some cases parents may communicate the desire to address a transition need in the home environment. For example, transitional needs that have been identified for Erin are laundry, household cleaning, and maintenance skills. Rather than the school addressing these issues instructionally, the parents indicate they will be sure she develops these skills at home. In this case, the IEP should reflect that activities within the home will address these needs and that the student and parents are responsible. This can be documented in the "statement of needed transition services". In some cases, nonschool agencies will assume responsibility for transition-related activities. For example, Jason is a senior in high school. He would like to attend some type of postsecondary educational institution upon graduation but is not sure where he should go. A vocational rehabilitation counselor has attended his IEP meetings for the last two years. She would like to support Jason's goal, but feels there needs to be a vocational evaluation completed. Because she believes that Jason will be served by Vocational Rehabilitation upon finishing school, she agrees to financially support the vocational evaluation while he is in school to assure a seamless transition to services. This transition activity should be documented in the IEP with the Vocational Rehabilitation counselor as the responsible person. The "statement of needed transition services" provides a means for this documentation. Forms for developing the "statement of needed transition services" can be found in the column to the left. These are provided to you in Word and PDF formats. Example completed forms can also be found in the column to the left.
Finally, the needs that cannot be addressed instructionally in the general education classroom or with activities, should be targeted for instruction with goals and objectives in the IEP. Examples of transition-related goals and objectives are provided below. |
| Sample Transition Goals and Objectives | |
| A transition need that has been identified for Katti is managing personal finances. Following is a sample goal and objectives to address this need. | |
| Goal | Katti will improve her abilities to manage personal finances from not understanding cost savings techniques to being able to make responsible expenditures. |
| Objectives |
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| At age 14, the IEP becomes the transition IEP. IDEA indicates that the student must always be invited to the IEP meeting if one of the purposes of the meeting is to discuss transition. The student should feel empowered in the development of their transition IEP. For this reason, it might be appropriate to word the transition IEP in first person. Below are two transition goals for Katti written in first person. | |
| Goal | I need to improve my understanding of attendance and punctuality from not understanding their importance, as reflected in my behaviors, to be able to identify and communicate important issues related to punctuality and attendance. |
| Objectives |
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