Transition Assessment and Planning for Educators

The timing of transition planning can vary from state to state, but it always must happen no later than age 16.

• According to federal law, a transition plan based on a transition assessment must be included in a student's IEP by the time the student is 16.

• In some states, including Massachusetts, transition planning must happen earlier. In Massachusetts, a student must have an active transition plan in their IEP by their 14th birthday.

Transition plans must always be informed by a transition assessment. This means that:

• Across the United States, an initial transition assessment must be completed by age 15 years, 11 months.

• In Massachusetts and certain other states, an initial transition assessment must be completed by age 13 years, 11 months.

The Department of Education notes that earlier transition planning is usually better, and families can request a transition assessment and transition plan before it is legally required.

After the initial transition assessment, the team must meet to discuss a transition plan. This transition plan must be included in the student's IEP by the time they turn 16 (or 14 in Massachusetts).

After the initial assessment, a student's transition needs must be assessed at least once a year, and the transition plan must be updated at least once a year to reflect a student's evolving needs.

Age 15:

• IEP team discusses the need for transition assessment, and selects appropriate measures

• School team conducts initial transition assessments

• Full IEP team meets to discuss assessments, and uses assessment results to write initial transition plan

• Transition plan is added to student's IEP, with a start date no later than the student's 14th birthday

Age 16:

• Services, accommodations, and modifications associated with the transition plan start no later than the student's 14th birthday

• Transition needs are reevaluated and updated based on individual student needs

Each year from age 17- year of graduation (age 18-22, depending on student's needs), every year:

• At annual IEP meeting, transition assessment results are reviewed and interpreted. If preferred, this task can be completed during a separate transition meeting.

• Transition plan is updated according to student's evolving needs and goals

Age 13:

• IEP team discusses the need for transition assessment, and selects appropriate measures

• School team conducts initial transition assessments

• Full IEP team meets to discuss assessments, and uses assessment results to write initial transition plan

• Transition plan is added to student's IEP, with a start date no later than the student's 14th birthday

Age 14:

• Services, accommodations, and modifications associated with the transition plan start no later than the student's 14th birthday

• Transition needs are reevaluated and updated based on individual student needs

Each year from age 15 - year of graduation (age 18-22, depending on student's needs), annually:

• At annual IEP meeting, transition assessment results are reviewed and interpreted. If preferred, this task can be completed during a separate transition meeting.

• Transition plan is updated according to student's evolving needs and goals

Well-designed and ongoing transition assessments are mandated by both federal and state law, and guide an IEP team in designing and providing a transition program that meets the needs of each student.

Transition assessments are used to:

1. identify a student's goals for post-secondary education, employment, independent living, and social/ community engagement, as appropriate to that student's profile

2. describe a student's strengths, needs, and interests

3. measure a student's current skills relative to their future goals

Transition assessments can be composed of multiple elements. Each year, they should be designed based on an individual student's developing profile and needs. Components of a transition assessment can be:

• formal or informal

• summative or formative

• part of general education or Special Education

• administered to all students, some students, few students

When planning a student's transition assessment each year, an IEP team can ask themselves:

1. Who is this student now? What are their current skills, knowledge, and interests? What are their current needs?

2. Who does this student want to be in the future? What do they want to do? How do they want to live?

3. What is the path between who the student is now, and who the student wants to be in the future? What skills, knowledge, and experiences do they need? How can we design a program to move the student down that path towards their future goals?

When assessing a student with a congenital heart defect (CHD), IEP teams should consider the skills they would require to manage their health condition. In order to live with their desired level of independence, students may require skills such as:

• taking medication daily at a particular time

• refilling medication as needed

• calculating the dosage of medication

• calling to schedule a doctor's appointment

• keeping track of the dates and times of upcoming appointments

• traveling to a doctor or hospital, checking in at the desk, and communicating clearly with a doctor

• knowing when and how to go to an emergency room or call an ambulance

• quickly and accurately describing their diagnoses and medical history

• communicating any medical restrictions or precautions

• reading and interpreting medication bottles, medical notes, and/or discharge instructions

• adhering to medical guidance around diet, fluid intake, temperature restrictions, hygiene, infection control, and/or activity restrictions

• understanding the implications of taking non-prescribed medications, and showing the ability to avoid these substances

• understanding any special precautions surrounding pregnancy

• managing any required medical devices or assistive technologies such as supplemental oxygen, feeding tubes, mobility device or hearing aids

Students with congenital heart defects (CHDs) often need to learn functional skills specific to their medical condition in order to live safely and independently. Sometimes, even college-bound, diploma-track students require transition goals related to medical management. IEP teams should carefully consider the demands that will be placed on each student in the future in order to manage their medical condition, and design a program to provide students these skills as thoroughly as possible. For example, a program can include:

Educators, students, and family members need to be very precise with their language when discussing students with disabilities and diplomas.

• When a student "graduates" or "receives a diploma," then they are no longer eligible for Special Education through their school district.

• A student can "earn a diploma" at any age from 17-22 but not receive it yet, and remain eligible for Special Education through their school district.

The IEP team should consider two different sets of criteria in deciding if and when a student will earn a diploma, and when a student will graduate.

• A student should earn a diploma if and when they meet their school district's graduation requirements. In Massachusetts, this means they complete a minimum courseload with passing grades, and they meet their district's "competency determination."

• A student should graduate when they have met all of their annually-updated transition goals and academic goals as defined by their team, or when they turn 22 years old, whichever comes first.

If a student earns a diploma by the end of 12th grade along with their general education class, they should typically be allowed to participate in the graduation ceremony and walk across the stage, but they can NOT receive their diploma until they complete their transition goals and are prepared to graduate.

Just like everyone else, young people with disabilities deserve agency, competence, belonging, and purpose. When done right, transition planning can guide each young person on a path towards self-determination and self-realization, as they gradually refine their goals, and systematically build the skills they need to attain them. Too often, however, transition planning is treated in a cursory manner, students are placed within pre-existing programs without much individualization, and they eventually leave public school without the skills they need to reach their potential as adults. As educators, we can do better. We can commit to doing the extra work to see each student as an individual, to assess their skills thoroughly and repeatedly, and to help them reach their goals for adulthood.

Developmental care is best when it is local. Families local to Boston can receive care from the Cardiac Neurodevelopmental Program (CNP). Families from other regions can use the link below to find their local care team.