In a nutshell, transition planning helps students with individualized education plans (IEPs) prepare for life after secondary school. Many times this service is overlooked. This can be due to a lack of information sharing between the schools and parents, a lack of school or community resources, and/or a general misunderstanding that a student who is on “track to graduate” does not need transition services.
What is Transition Planning?
Transition services are defined as a coordinated set of activities designed to help students with disabilities prepare for their post-school lives, focusing on transitioning to post-school activities like post-secondary education, vocational education, integrated employment, and independent living. Transition planning is not limited to college preparation. It includes a variety of services, such as teaching a student to participate in an interview, working in a job setting, navigating public transportation, learning social skills, or any other skill that that the student will need to become independent after high school. In Pennsylvania, IEP transition planning must start by the time a student turns fourteen (14), although it can start earlier if deemed appropriate by the IEP team. Note that the law requires that a student aged 14 or older must be invited to attend their IEP meeting, but it does not require such attendance. This means your child can choose to attend the IEP meeting and you can decide this as a family.
How do schools provide transition services through the IEP?
Create Transition Goals
All IEPs in Pennsylvania reference transition services and planning and must include a transition plan for a qualified student. The law requires that a transition plan be reasonably calculated to provide a free appropriate public education (FAPE) when it reflects the student’s skills and interests, including practical goals and objectives based on multiple individual assessments that will help the student transition to preferred life trajectories after high school.
The IEP must first outline the student’s post-secondary goals, such as attending college, finding a job, or living independently. Transition goals can include post-secondary IEP goals (applying to programs or colleges, self-disclosing disability, self-advocacy skills, etc.), vocational IEP goals (time management skills, technology skills, career exploration, employment skills), or independent functioning and independent living goals (advocacy skills, transportation skills, stress management skills, community safety skills, activity and daily living goals, cleaning and housekeeping skills, personal hygiene and/or health skills).
Provide Specific Transition Services Listed in the IEP
The IEP must list the transition services which are needed for the student to meet their post-secondary goal(s). The IEP must also list the courses of study needed to assist the student in reaching their postsecondary goals. Examples of transition services can include building vocabulary, teaching appropriate speaking volume and personal space, listening skills, practicing proper eye contact, facial gestures, expressions, teaching workpace etiquette, job shadowing, registering for a job fair or the SAT, learning self-advocacy and time management skills, managing a budget, exploring community travel training possibilities, exploring assistive technology devices that promote inclusion, and connecting with community agency service providers.
What questions can you ask at the IEP meeting?
- How will my child’s IEP reflect appropriate transition assessment/data?
- Are my child’s transition goals achievable and measurable?
- Is there documentation that my child has been invited to attend the IEP meeting?
- Does the course of study reflect my child’s postschool goals?
- Does my child require assistance regarding personal safety, protection from abuse, self-advocacy, and or self-awareness?
- How will the school connect with and utilize community resources for my child’s transition services, such as the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation (OVR) services?
- Who has been designated as being responsible to coordinate transition activities for my child? (Note – you or your child should not be deemed the person responsible – it can be a school employee, a special education teacher, a guidance counselor, school nurse, an OVR employee, etc.)
How can we help?
Navigating transition services and determining what types of goals and services to add to your child’s IEP can feel overwhelming. Cherkas Metcalfe Law is experienced in transition planning and recently presented at the Arc of Lehigh & Northampton County on this very topic. Our dependable team of attorneys, advocates, and staff will provide experienced and compassionate representation for your case. If you would like to reach out to us, please contact us here. We look forward to working with you.
The information within this article is not, nor is it intended to be, legal advice. Please consult an attorney for individual advice regarding your personal situation.