The team creates annual goals that build the skills your child needs now to make progress toward their future goals.
Adult agencies and community support are one of the key elements to having a successful move from high school to adult life. What had previously been handled by the school (transportation, day services, testing accommodations) now must move to other sources of support. Understanding that agency involvement doesn’t happen overnight and because different systems are involved, you must start early to fully understand and complete the steps needed to get support in place. Adult services are not retroactive. For example, if a student goes to college and does not request accommodations, then fails a class, they do not get a “do over” for the class to erase the failing grade if accommodations are requested after the fact. Employment is the same way. It is important to practice self-advocacy and understand that the burden of self-disclosure switches from the school to the individual.
Make sure you check out the Virtual Agency Fair on the Agency page to learn more
Agency Invitation: Make sure the agencies that you have identified or that the school has identified are invited in plenty of time to make sure they can attend, either in person or virtually.
Questions I can ask the team:
What areas do the agencies we are inviting connect to my child’s PSGs? Have we included community involvement?
Goal: Having others involved as my child moves from one level to another is important to increase quality of life and advocacy.
Discuss Agency supports: Plan to look at the connectivity between agency supports and adult life. If you need support applying for supports, now is a good time to ask for those connections, supports or services.
The most important idea for families
Transition planning is not just a meeting or a form. It is a process.
Prep other Family members or myself: My Checklist for the School
The "Pre-Meeting" Meeting: Did a teacher reach out to me before the official meeting to walk me through the draft plan?
Explain the "Why": Did they explain how my child’s current skills (the "Present Level") match up with the goals we are setting for the future?
Clear up the Jargon: Did they explain terms like "Post-Secondary Goals" or "Agency Consent" in a way that actually makes sense to me?
A Two-Way Street: Did they give me a chance to ask questions or suggest changes to the goals before they were "set in stone"?
Questions I can ask the team:
"Can we schedule 15 (or 30) minutes to go over the draft goals together before the big IEP meeting?"
"I’m looking at these test results—how exactly do these results lead to the goal you've written here?"
"Is there any paperwork or 'teacher-talk' in this draft that you can explain to me in simpler terms?"
Goal: I am an equal member of the team. If I don't understand the process, I can't advocate for my child. When the school preps me, it turns the meeting from a "presentation" into a real conversation where my voice counts.
And, most importantly, your child should have a voice in the process. Families and students are important members of the team and help shape the direction of the plan.