Transition Guidelines
As a student approaches the time to leave high school, it is important that preparations for adult life are well underway. For early transition planning and active participation in decision-making to occur for students with disabilities, members of the planning team need to be well-informed about the student’s abilities, needs, and available services. This page highlights important considerations and resources available to educators helping to prepare students with a disability with a meaningful postsecondary education and thriving careers.
- Purpose of the Guide
The Individualized Transition Planning Guide serves as a comprehensive resource to support students, families, and educators in planning for life after high school. This resource outlines key steps, legal requirements, and best practices for developing effective transition plans within the IEP process. It provides guidance on postsecondary education, employment, independent living, and community participation, ensuring that students with disabilities receive the necessary support to achieve their long-term goals and successfully transition into adulthood. - Importance of Transition Planning
Transition planning is a critical component of a student’s IEP, helping to bridge the gap between school and adulthood by preparing them for postsecondary education, employment, and independent living. For students with disabilities, early and thoughtful transition planning ensures they receive the necessary skills, resources, and support to achieve their goals and lead fulfilling lives. By focusing on individualized strengths and needs, transition planning empowers students to navigate their futures with confidence and greater independence.
Table of Contents
Involving students in their IEP planning is crucial for fostering self-determination. Empowering students with a voice in their IEP provide autonomy and choice in their future. Through self-directed goals and dreams, they not only shape their education but also cultivate the courage, confidence, and determination needed to navigate life with purpose and resilience.
Table of Contents
1. Federal and State Guidance
This section outlines key transition guidance to help navigate the legal requirements in providing Individualized Transition Plans.
2. State Performance Plan and Indicators
3. Age Considerations
4. Graduation Options for Students with Disabilities
For students with disabilities, graduation planning is a critical component of the transition process and must be aligned with the student's Individualized Education Program (IEP), postsecondary goals, and educational trajectory. California offers multiple pathways to graduation, including the traditional high school diploma, the Certificate of Completion, and, under recent policy changes, alternative diploma options aligned with modified curriculum standards. This section outlines the eligibility criteria, procedural requirements, and implications of each option to support IEP teams in making informed, compliant, and individualized determinations that promote successful post-school outcomes.
- Graducation Options for Students with Disabilities Word Document
- Alt Pathways
- Alt Path Padlet
- COC Guidelines
- Course of Study Examples - LACOE
- Graduation Process Flowchart Update 2025 PDF
5. New 8th Grade Guidance
As students prepare to transition from middle to high school, 8th grade becomes a critical period for planning and support. This phase of matriculation plays a key role in ensuring students—particularly those with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs)—are equipped for success in the next stage. With the recent passage of AB 438 in California, there are important updates to how transition planning must be approached. This legislation strengthens the requirements for early and meaningful transition services, ensuring that students begin high school with a clear, individualized pathway toward postsecondary goals. The following section outlines how these changes impact transition planning at the 8th grade level and provides guidance on best practices to meet the updated legal and educational expectations.
6. Transition Assessment
A high-quality, age-appropriate transition assessment is a foundational component of effective transition planning for students with disabilities. In accordance with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), transition services must be based on assessment data that accurately reflect the student’s strengths, preferences, interests, and needs. To achieve this, it is essential that IEP teams utilize a wide range of both formal and informal assessment tools, including interviews, observations, standardized instruments, questionnaires, and performance-based measures. Collecting data from multiple sources over time ensures a comprehensive understanding of the student’s current levels of functioning and postsecondary aspirations. This evidence-based approach not only supports the development of meaningful and measurable postsecondary goals, but also informs the coordinated set of transition services and activities that are legally required to facilitate the student’s movement toward further education, employment, and independent living. This section outlines best practices for implementing robust transition assessments and integrating their results into the individualized transition planning process.
- Start here with the Transition Assessment Checklist
- Transition Assessment Cross Walk
- Resources
7. Person Driven Planning
Person Driven Planning
Person-driven planning is a holistic and individualized approach aimed at empowering individuals to design a life they value. It goes beyond addressing a person's challenges or focusing on available services; instead, it emphasizes understanding and supporting their unique goals, aspirations, and preferences.
This process involves actively engaging the individual as the primary decision-maker, encouraging them to articulate their vision for the future. It starts by exploring their personal strengths, talents, and abilities, identifying the resources they already possess and the potential they have to achieve their desired outcomes. Simultaneously, it considers the barriers they may face and the types of support—emotional, physical, social, or financial—that can help them overcome those obstacles.
By prioritizing the individual’s choices and ensuring their voice is at the center of every decision, person-centered planning fosters self-determination and autonomy. This approach also encourages collaboration among family members, caregivers, and professionals to build a supportive network that respects the individual’s preferences and enhances their quality of life.
The ultimate goal of person-centered planning is to create a tailored action plan that aligns with the person’s vision for their life. This plan is flexible and evolves as the person’s circumstances, goals, and needs change, ensuring that the focus remains on enabling them to lead a fulfilling and meaningful life.
Student-Led IEP Planning
Involving students in their IEP planning is crucial for fostering self-determination. Empowering students with a voice in their IEP provide autonomy and choice in their future. Through self-directed goals and dreams, they not only shape their education but also cultivate the courage, confidence, and determination needed to navigate life with purpose and resilience.
Skills and Tips for Student Led IEP Planning: Before the IEP
By involving students in their IEP planning, educators can create a more personalized and empowering educational experience. This approach not only supports the student's current educational goals but also prepares them for a successful and self-determined future
- Identify Strengths and Interests: With the student, describe or choose pictures of them doing activities they enjoy during a typical school day to show at the IEP meeting.
- Showcase Schoolwork: Help the student select samples of their schoolwork to demonstrate their strengths and areas of need to IEP Team Members.
- Help students build confidence to present/lead an IEP by practicing the skills 1-1 and in small groups of peers first, for instance.
- Presentation Tools: The student might use pictures, drawings, storyboards, portfolios, a school diary, or narrated PowerPoint slide presentations to portray their school day, activities, and preferences. AI-generated or assisted video creation tools can allow students to create a video about themselves and their interests, with minimal skills. This could be especially great for nonverbal or very shy students to be able to creatively express themselves in an IEP meeting
- Create Invitations: Students can create an invitation to their IEP meeting.
Adapting Student-Led IEPs
Teachers can adapt student-led IEPs to meet the unique circumstances of their school, classroom setting, and students. Some approaches include:
- Special Classes:
- Create a special class on student-led IEPs, self-determination, and/or self-advocacy.
- Instruction Integration:
- Include instruction in existing special education courses, teaching about student-led IEP topics through group instruction and individualized assistance during class time.
- Incorporate instruction in the general curriculum, such as language arts classes, using group and/or individualized instruction.
Help students understand their IEPs by teaching the following:
- Purpose and Rationale: Explain the purpose of the IEP and why it is important.
- Parts of the IEP:
- Present Levels of Performance: Where are you now?
- Annual Goals: Where do you need to be a year from now?
- Services, Modifications, supports: How are we going to help you get there?
- Relevant Vocabulary:
- Identification – exceptionality – disability
- Present Level of Performance
- Transition Planning
- Annual goal, objectives, benchmarks
- Special Factors
- Positive Behavior Intervention
- Accommodation/Modification
- State and District Testing
- Specially Designed Instruction
- Related Services
- Supplementary Aids and Services
- Placement
- Least Restrictive Environment
- Confidentiality
Additional Strategies in Student-Led IEPs
- After-School Clubs: Develop clubs focused on self-advocacy.
- Individual Planning Meetings: Have students come in for individual planning meetings before school, during lunch, during a study skills class, or at the end of the school day to prepare for the IEP meeting.
- Involve Stakeholders: To create buy-in and support, involve and inform school administrators and parents about the student-led IEP process.
- Prepare Staff for the IEP Meeting:
- Look at the student when they are talking.
- Use the student’s name.
- Do not refer to the student in the third person; refer all comments about the student directly to them.
- Ask the student questions first.
- Always allow the student to finish speaking.
- Restate what you heard the student say to ensure understanding.
Resources
8. Writing the Individual Transition Plan
Creating an Individualized Transition Plan (ITP) for your students is a vital step in helping them prepare for life after high school. The ITP is part of the student's Individualized Education Program (IEP) and focuses on setting realistic and meaningful goals to guide the student’s transition into adulthood. It is your role to ensure the plan is customized to the student’s strengths, needs, and aspirations, with a clear focus on supporting their postsecondary goals. The ITP addresses three core areas: Postsecondary Education/Training, Employment, and Independent Living. Planning these areas requires careful thought and collaboration to ensure the student receives the right supports and opportunities.
- Postsecondary Education/Training: This area outlines the student’s goals for further education or specialized training after high school. It includes identifying the types of programs or courses the student needs to attend based on their desired career or personal goals. Whether it’s enrolling in a college, vocational training program, or another educational pathway, this section provides the foundation for the student’s academic development and sets the stage for lifelong learning.
- Employment: The employment section focuses on helping the student acquire the skills and experiences needed for successful employment. This includes identifying potential career paths, developing job-specific skills, securing internships or work experience, and learning about the workplace. The goal is to ensure that the student has the skills and supports to navigate the working world, whether in a part-time, full-time, or supported employment position.
- Independent Living: Independent living planning involves preparing the student for day-to-day life after high school, including managing finances, self-care, communication, and household responsibilities. This section focuses on teaching essential life skills like budgeting, cooking, and transportation, as well as fostering independence in decision-making. It also considers the student's living situation post-graduation, whether in a dorm, apartment, or shared housing with friends or family.
By addressing these three key areas, the ITP creates a comprehensive roadmap for the student's transition to adulthood, ensuring that they are equipped with the skills, knowledge, and resources they need to lead a successful and fulfilling life.
9. Collaboration with Key Stakeholders
IEP Team Stakeholders
Effective transition planning requires collaboration among several key stakeholders to ensure students with disabilities receive the support they need for life after high school.
Consider involving the following stakeholders:
- Student:
The most important participant, as transition planning should be centered around their strengths, interests, goals, and aspirations. - Parents/Guardians:
Provide insight into the student’s needs, advocate for services, and help with long-term planning. - Special Education Providers:
Develop and implement transition-related goals within the IEP, ensuring alignment with academic and vocational plans. - General Education Teachers:
Support skill development in academic settings and provide insight into the student’s progress in general education courses. - School Counselors:
Help explore postsecondary education options, career pathways, and coordinate necessary supports. - Transition Specialists or Coordinators:
Facilitate transition services, connect students to community resources, and ensure compliance with legal requirements. - Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors (e.g., Department of Rehabilitation Representatives):
Assist with employment training, job placement, and access to vocational rehabilitation services. - Community Agencies (e.g., Regional Centers, Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) programs):
Provide additional support in areas like independent living, employment, and adult services. - Postsecondary Representatives (e.g., Disability Services from colleges or training programs):
Ensure students understand and access accommodations and supports in higher education settings. - Employers and Career/Job Training Program Representatives:
Offer job training, work experience, and employment opportunities for students exploring career options.
By involving a comprehensive team of stakeholders, transition planning becomes more effective in preparing students with disabilities for successful futures in education, employment, and independent living.
10. Adult Transition Planning
Adult Transition Programs
Adult transition programs, specifically designed for 18-22-year-olds with extensive support needs, serve as a crucial bridge between the familiar environment of school and the new, exciting opportunities of adulthood. These programs, offered by school districts, charter schools, and sometimes community agencies, equip young adults with the development of life and employment skills to support a successful transition from school to adult life. By focusing on equipping young adults with the development of independent or supported life and employment skills, these programs ensure a smooth transition into adulthood. Through individualized support and real-world applications, these programs empower students to develop the skills and confidence necessary to achieve their goals and thrive as adults. An effective adult transition program incorporates a comprehensive plan that focuses on key domains essential for student success:
- Functional Academics: Unlike traditional academics, functional academics emphasize practical skills directly applicable to daily living, vocational success, and community integration. For example, students may learn to budget for groceries by practicing with mock transactions at a local store, calculate monthly expenses using a simple budgeting app, or follow a recipe by measuring ingredients and safely using kitchen appliances. Additionally, they might learn to navigate a bus schedule by practicing routes in the community, including using maps and apps to plan trips and identify landmarks.
- Independent Living: Developing essential life skills is a cornerstone of adult transition programs. Students may work on mastering self-care routines such as dressing, grooming, and meal preparation. They might also learn to appliances like washers and dryers, or managing simple home repairs. For transportation, students may practice using public transit, such as purchasing tickets, reading route maps, and safely boarding and exiting buses or trains. Personal finance lessons could include managing a checking account, using debit cards, and setting savings goals.
- Career and Vocational Skills: Preparing for meaningful employment is a central focus of adult transition programs. Students explore career interests through activities like completing career interest surveys, shadowing professionals in their chosen fields, and attending job fairs. They may acquire job skills through internships at local businesses, work-based learning opportunities in retail, hospitality, or office settings, or participating in specialized training programs such as vocational certifications in fields like culinary arts, automotive repair, or healthcare. Emphasis is placed on soft skills like punctuality, communication, and teamwork to ensure workplace readiness.
- Recreation and Leisure/Social and Interpersonal Skills: Transition programs foster participation in recreational activities and provide a safe, inclusive environment for building social skills. Students might join recreational sports leagues adapted to their needs, participate in art or music therapy groups, or explore hobbies like gardening or photography. They may also learn to organize group activities, such as planning a picnic or movie night, to foster teamwork and friendships. These experiences help students establish a balance between work and leisure, reduce stress, and create meaningful social connections.
- Community Living Skills: Integration into the community is an essential component of adult transition programs. Students may participate in volunteer work at food banks, libraries, or animal shelters to develop a sense of purpose and civic responsibility. Joining social clubs or attending local events, such as fairs or festivals, helps students build social networks and a sense of belonging. Peer mentoring programs can further promote social skills development and leadership opportunities. For example, students might practice initiating conversations, introducing themselves, and participating in group decision-making activities.
- By focusing on these domains, adult transition programs take a holistic, person-centered approach to preparing students for the realities of adult life. A well-designed program considers a comprehensive multi-year plan, providing structured opportunities for skill development, hands-on learning, and meaningful experiences.
Through collaboration with families, educators, and community partners, these programs ensure that students with extensive support needs are equipped to transition confidently into adulthood. By prioritizing their unique abilities and aspirations, adult transition programs open doors to lifelong opportunities for growth, independence, and fulfillment.
11. Transition Planning for ESN Students
Transitioning from school to adult life is a critical phase for all students, but it holds particular significance for those with extensive support needs. Transition planning is vital in preparing students with disabilities for successful adult life by promoting self-determination, individualized support, collaboration, and equity. Transition planning empowers students to envision and pursue their goals, advocate for their needs, and navigate the transition process confidently and resiliently.
This section provides comprehensive guidance and resources to support educators in navigating this journey. From planning for graduation options, person-centered IEPs, and transition goals within the IEP to exploring post-secondary education, vocational training, employment opportunities, independent living options, and/or adult transition programming, transition planning addresses the unique challenges and opportunities students face with extensive support needs that can have lifetime ramifications.
- ESN Doc: Salesforce Creator
- Padlet
- Think College