Transition – this is a word we hear a lot with our upper grades students in special education.
Let’s start by going back to what the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) says about transition IEPs: IDEA 2004 tells us that transition goals must be included in a student’s IEP no later than when they turn 16 years of age. (It’s important to note that many school districts, and individual IEP teams, determine ages younger than 16 to start transition planning!)
IDEA also tells us that the transition IEP must include post secondary goals that are based on age-appropriate transition assessments that are related to training, education, employment, and independent living skills.
When we hear this, it’s easy to think that academics no longer have a role in these IEPs. It’s crucial that we don’t see transition IEPs as an end to academics, but rather a way to integrate academics into functional IEPs.
How does adding academic goals into a Transition IEP work?
To boil it down, one of the main reasons school even exists is to grow our knowledge so we can leave school and enter the workforce in some way, at some point, down the road. We all use the knowledge we have learned through our education towards the careers we have now.
This is the same for our students and their IEPs – we want the skills we teach them now to propel them into a successful future, potentially in the workforce.
For example:
If Charlie completed a transition survey and showed that he would like to work in a childcare setting someday, creating some goals that incorporate the skills he will need to be successful in this setting is exactly the route we should take. For example, this may look like creating time management goals, elapsed time goals, and functional reading goals using words he will need to know. These examples of potential academic goals for Charlie would still fit into the transition requirements.
There are tons of resources out there for writing transition IEPs, too. Don’t start from scratch or reinvent the wheel; use the resources, transition assessments, and websites out there already to help you and your students succeed.
Why is adding academic goals into a Transition IEP important?
The focus of a transition IEP should be just that: transitioning a student into independent adulthood, and per IDEA – get them ready for post-secondary education, employment, and independent living. For some students this requires a lot of preparation, while other students just need a bit of additional guidance. As the caseload manager, you and your students need to ensure that the academic skills that they have learned that will assist them in their independence are generalized.
Adding academic goals into a transition IEP is crucial because it ensures that students with disabilities develop the necessary skills to achieve their post-secondary goals. Here are three reasons why it matters (aside from compliance):
Aligns with Post-Secondary Goals to Ensures Readiness for Future Opportunities
- Academic goals help bridge the gap between current skills and the requirements of the student’s chosen path. We can connect grade level content standards to transition plans through prerequisite skills.
- If a student plans to attend college or a trade school, they need strong reading, writing, math, and problem-solving skills.
- If employment is the goal, academic skills like time management, financial literacy, and communication are necessary.
Supports Independence and Self-Advocacy
Math and functional life skills help students with budgeting, paying bills, saving money, and being financially independent.
Academic skills like reading comprehension help students navigate job applications, contracts, and everyday tasks.
Writing and communication skills help students advocate for accommodations in college or the workplace.
Promotes Higher Success Rates
- Research shows that students with strong academic skills have better employment outcomes and higher rates of post-secondary education enrollment.
- Academic goals prevent skill regression and ensure students continue growing in areas critical to their future success.
Many of these academic goals will be very specific to student transition plans and goals, that’s okay! That is what we want to see. Some students may need functional academics (e.g., budgeting, following a schedule), while others may require advanced coursework (e.g., Algebra for STEM careers). Tailoring academic goals to a student’s transition plan ensures relevance and practical application.
Either way, independence includes academic skills, which is why ensuring academics play a role in the transition IEP is so crucial.
If you’re a middle or high school special education teacher, having transition plans as a part of your paperwork may just feel like one more thing you have to get done. If we can view transition plans as an extension and an enhancement of academics, it can and will be a less daunting task.
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