Transition planning
Transition Planning for Life After High School
Turn the transition section of the IEP into a plan your student can actually use.
Transition planning is the part of the IEP that looks ahead to education, employment, and independent living after high school. Done well, it starts years before graduation and follows the student's own interests.
Access & Bloom offers transition planning support and coaching for students and parents, including how to bring the student's voice into the IEP meeting.
What transition planning covers
- Student strengths, interests, and preferences
- Postsecondary education and training goals
- Career exploration and employment planning
- Independent living and community participation skills
- Transition-focused IEP goals and services
- Student self-advocacy and understanding their own plan
Why transition goals often feel generic
Transition sections are frequently filled in from a template: attend college, get a job, live independently. Those are outcomes, not plans. Useful transition goals name the skill being taught this year and who is teaching it.
Coaching for students
Students who can describe their own strengths, accommodations, and goals do better in the years after high school. Coaching sessions help a student prepare for their IEP meeting and practice asking for what they need.
Parent questions
Questions families ask
When should transition planning start?
Requirements vary by state, but earlier is better — many families start discussing it well before the required age so the goals build over time.
Can my student join the sessions?
Yes. Coaching is often most useful with the student present and leading parts of the conversation.
Do you help with outside agencies?
We discuss which agencies and adult services are worth exploring and how to raise them with the IEP team, but referrals and eligibility are handled by those agencies.
Transition support is educational coaching and advocacy. Access & Bloom does not provide legal advice, vocational rehabilitation services, or guaranteed placement in any program.
Related support
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