Transition Planning for High School Students with IEPs

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 Transition Planning for High School Students with IEPs

In the state of Washington, students must have a transition plan driving their IEP beginning no later than age 16 (or when determined by the IEP team, or when the student enters high school), through age 21. This is also the federal requirement. In Virginia, where I taught a few years ago, however, the age of transition planning is no later than 14.

The big idea is that transition planning is not a process that only involves the school-based team. There should be family input, student input, and an interagency linkage. Across all of the states where I have lived and worked, there are many different agencies to which schools link families. 

One agency we link families to is the Disability Determination Services (DDS). In Washington, where I am currently, the state DDS website describes their agency as:

The Disability Determination Services - DDS is an agency of the State of Washington. Under Social Security regulations, the DDS disability specialists, staff physicians, and psychologists determine eligibility of Washington applicants for three disability programs:

  • Social Security Disability Insurance - SSDI
  • Supplemental Security Income - SSI
  • Non-Grant Medical Assistance - NGMA
This website also includes a very helpful transition planning timeline and checklist, linked here (and snipped below). Many other states have similar transition timeline checklists on their state (.gov) websites.


Vocational Rehabilitation is another agency to which schools may link families. VR is an agency that helps young adults "prepare for, get, keep, or advance in a job." According to the website, the services received are based on individual needs and unique circumstances. Services may include one or more of the following:

  • Vocational rehabilitation counseling and guidance
  • Assessment services
  • Individualized plans for employment
  • Benefit planning services
  • Independent living services
  • Assistive Technology services
  • Training and education services
  • Job-related services

In Louisiana, Vocational Rehabilitation is called LRS, or Louisiana Rehabilitation Services. In Virginia, we called the linkage DARS, which was the Division of Aging and Rehabilitative Services. Vocational Rehabilitation, or VR, falls under this state agency. Since there are different names by state, it is best to google search state name + vocational rehabilitation services, and often you'll be linked to the referral there.

Inviting VR employees to transition-age students' IEP meetings likely varies by district, but it is important to provide families (or students at age 18) with this information.

It likely goes without saying, but it is SO important for families AND students to be involved in transition planning. 

In order to be sure all voices are heard and incorporated into the Plan, I created a Transition Plan Development bundle on TPT, which includes separate components, including a:

Including each of these components in transition planning ensures stakeholders have a voice, and also that students' interests and areas of need are included and addressed.

These assessments also guide appropriate goal-writing in each of the 5 components of a transition plan:

  • Education
  • Training
  • Employment
  • Independent Living
  • Community Participation

Important caveat:

One year, a colleague jokingly referred to me as a "Dream Crusher." This name came from conducting student interviews and the student telling me he wanted to be a professional athlete. As an 8th grader, he did not at that time play any organized sports.

In fact, the teacher went so far as to print a picture of a dream catcher with a "no"  sign through it. 😂 I wore it as a badge of honor. It is my job for students to set realistic expectations or goals, and then it is my job to plan an IEP that will help them reach those goals.

Using the Transition Plan Career Investigation Worksheet and the MyNextMove.org website, I worked together with the student to identify areas of interest to the student, and further determine a related job or career and appropriate related training.

Each of these components were reflected in goals for education, training, and employment.

In my opinion, there are fewer more important responsibilities of a special education teacher than preparing students for their most rigorous post-secondary outcomes. This starts with transition planning, collaboration, and interagency linkages, and also with writing appropriate transition plan and IEP goals for our students.

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