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Transition IEP goals link a student’s plans for adult life to the work of each school year: measurable postsecondary goals in education or training, employment and, where appropriate, independent living, and the annual IEP goals that build toward them. IDEA requires them beginning not later than the first IEP in effect when the student turns 16. This guide gives transition IEP goals examples by domain, with the federal rules, transition activities, goals for students with significant disabilities, the role of vocational rehabilitation, and the Indicator 13 checklist.
Table of contents
Executive Summary
States report on transition planning through federal Indicator 13: does each IEP for a youth aged 16 or older have measurable postsecondary goals, transition services, courses of study and annual goals tied to transition needs, and was the student invited? Some states start earlier: Texas requires postsecondary goals from the first IEP in effect at 14.
Schools do not carry this alone: state vocational rehabilitation agencies must reserve at least 15% of their federal allotment for pre-employment transition services. The harder part is practice. Interviewing, budgeting or riding the bus take repeated real-world rehearsal, and adult time limits it.
Key Takeaways
- Start by 16, or earlier if the team or state law says so (34 CFR 300.320(b)).
- Two kinds of goals: postsecondary goals describe life after school; annual goals, this year’s steps toward it.
- Base goals on age-appropriate transition assessments.
- Invite the student, and, with consent, any agency likely to provide or pay for transition services (34 CFR 300.321(b)).
- Use vocational rehabilitation: pre-employment transition services do not require a VR application.
- Check against Indicator 13: all eight items must be met or not applicable.
What Are Transition IEP Goals?
Transition IEP goals are the measurable postsecondary goals and supporting annual goals in a student’s IEP that prepare the student for education or training, employment and, where appropriate, independent living after high school.
Under 34 CFR 300.320(b), the IEP must include “appropriate measurable postsecondary goals based upon age appropriate transition assessments related to training, education, employment, and, where appropriate, independent living skills” and “the transition services (including courses of study) needed to assist the child in reaching those goals.” For goal writing in general, see the complete guide to IEP goals.
| Requirement | What the rule says | Citation |
|---|---|---|
| Start date | First IEP in effect at 16, or younger; updated annually | 34 CFR 300.320(b) |
| Postsecondary goals | Measurable, based on transition assessments | 34 CFR 300.320(b)(1) |
| Transition services | Including courses of study | 34 CFR 300.320(b)(2) |
| Student invitation | Required when postsecondary goals are discussed | 34 CFR 300.321(b)(1) |
| Agency invitation | With consent of the parent or adult student | 34 CFR 300.321(b)(3) |
| Transfer of rights | Statement at least one year before the age of majority | 34 CFR 300.320(c) |
What Are Transition Services Under IDEA?
IDEA defines transition services as “a coordinated set of activities” in “a results-oriented process” that moves the student toward post-school activities such as postsecondary education, “integrated employment (including supported employment),” independent living or community participation, based on the student’s “strengths, preferences, and interests” (34 CFR 300.43).
The full definition adds three points. The process is “focused on improving the academic and functional achievement” of the student. The post-school activities also include vocational education, continuing and adult education, and adult services. And the services rest on the individual student’s needs, through five components listed with examples in the transition activities table below: instruction, related services, community experiences, employment and adult living objectives, and, if appropriate, daily living skills and a functional vocational evaluation (300.43(a)(2)).
In the IEP. IDEA does not require a separate transition plan document. From the first IEP in effect at 16, or earlier, the IEP itself states the services, including courses of study, that the student needs to reach each postsecondary goal, and the team updates them every year (34 CFR 300.320(b)(2)). Some sources give this part a name of its own. The IRIS Center at Vanderbilt University calls it an Individualized Transition Plan (ITP), “a written plan included in a student’s individualized education program (IEP)”; Wisconsin’s Department of Public Instruction offers a web-based IEP: Postsecondary Transition Plan (PTP), and Wisconsin requires transition planning from the first IEP in effect when the student is 14.
Transition services are the school district’s IDEA duty, written into the IEP. Pre-employment transition services are different: five required activities that the state vocational rehabilitation agency provides or arranges under the Rehabilitation Act, in collaboration with schools.
When Transition Planning Starts
Federal law sets 16 as the latest start; some states set an earlier age. The Texas Education Agency’s secondary transition guidance states that the IEP must include measurable postsecondary goals “beginning not later than the first IEP to be in effect when the child turns 14,” and notes that the age “differs under federal and state law.” Check your state’s rule.
Postsecondary Goals vs Annual IEP Goals
A postsecondary goal names an outcome after high school (enrolling, working, living) and is measurable because it either happens or not. An annual IEP goal names a skill to build this year, with a criterion and a measurement method. Indicator 13 asks for both, linked: annual goals “related to the student’s transition services needs.” A quick test: if a goal could be met before graduation, it is not a postsecondary goal. “Will explore careers” is an activity; “will work part-time in retail” is a postsecondary goal.
Transition IEP Goals Examples by Domain
The pairs below are original examples written for this guide. Adapt each from the student’s own transition assessments and baseline. Postsecondary goals begin “After high school,”; annual goals begin with the timeline “By [date of the next annual IEP review],” which is left out below for readability.
Education and Training Goals
| Postsecondary goal | Annual IEP goal that supports it |
|---|---|
| After high school, [Student] will enroll in a two-year associate degree program in early childhood education. | Given a college course syllabus, [Student] will identify all assignment due dates and enter them in a planner with 90% accuracy across 3 syllabi, as measured by case manager review. |
| After high school, [Student] will complete a certified nursing assistant training program. | When reading technical texts at grade level, [Student] will answer comprehension questions with 80% accuracy on 4 of 5 probes, as measured by curriculum-based assessment. |
Employment Goals
| Postsecondary goal | Annual IEP goal that supports it |
|---|---|
| After high school, [Student] will work part-time in retail. | In mock interviews, [Student] will answer 5 common interview questions with a complete, relevant answer in 4 of 5 interviews, as measured by a rubric. |
| After high school, [Student] will work full-time as an automotive technician apprentice. | During a work-based learning placement, [Student] will arrive on time and complete assigned tasks on 9 of 10 shifts, as measured by supervisor checklists. |
Independent Living Goals
IDEA requires these “where appropriate,” so the team decides from assessment data. More daily living goals are in functional IEP goals.
| Postsecondary goal | Annual IEP goal that supports it |
|---|---|
| After high school, [Student] will live in an apartment with a roommate and manage a monthly budget. | Given a monthly income and a list of bills, [Student] will build a balanced budget in 4 of 5 practice scenarios, as measured by work samples. |
| After high school, [Student] will use public transportation to get to work and community activities. | [Student] will plan and ride a bus route to a new destination with no more than one prompt on 4 of 5 trips, as measured by community-based instruction data. |
Transition Activities Examples
Transition services are the activities that move the student toward the postsecondary goals. IDEA lists their components (34 CFR 300.43(a)(2)):
| Component | Example activity |
|---|---|
| Instruction | Enroll in a personal finance course; instruction in self-advocacy |
| Related services | Counseling on career decisions |
| Community experiences | Job shadowing at two local employers; touring a community college |
| Employment and adult living objectives | Complete a work-based learning placement; open a bank account |
| Daily living skills and functional vocational evaluation, if appropriate | Practice meal preparation; situational assessment at a work site |
Courses of study count too: the Indicator 13 checklist looks for a multi-year course plan to the expected exit year, aligned with the goals.
Transition Goals for High School Students
Annual goals can build from year to year, from exploring to doing:
- Career interests (grade 9): After two interest inventories, [Student] will name three matching careers and one requirement for each, as measured by a career portfolio.
- Self-advocacy (grade 10): [Student] will explain their disability, one strength and one accommodation to a teacher in 3 of 3 planned meetings, as measured by teacher checklist.
- Leading the IEP meeting (grade 10-11): Using a prepared outline, [Student] will present their postsecondary goals and progress, covering 4 of 5 sections, as measured by a meeting rubric.
- Applications (grade 11): [Student] will complete a job or college application with all required fields correct in 2 of 2 applications, as measured by case manager review.
- Workplace communication (grade 12): At a work placement, [Student] will ask the supervisor for clarification when instructions are unclear in 4 of 5 opportunities, as measured by job coach records.
More vocational goals are in IEP goals for autism; planning skills overlap with executive function IEP goals.
Transition Goals for Students With Significant Disabilities
These goals are still measurable outcomes, often in supported or integrated employment, which IDEA names in its definition of transition services. NTACT:C’s 2024 Collaborative Assessment Guide notes that students with more complex disabilities are best served by a person-centered planning approach. For students who take alternate assessments, the IEP must also include benchmarks or short-term objectives (34 CFR 300.320(a)(2)(ii)).
| Postsecondary goal | Annual IEP goal that supports it |
|---|---|
| After high school, [Student] will work in a supported employment position at a grocery store. | Using a picture task list, [Student] will complete 80% of a 5-step stocking task independently across 4 sessions, as measured by task analysis data. |
| After high school, [Student] will take part in two community activities of their choice each week. | Offered two activities, [Student] will indicate a choice with their communication system in 4 of 5 opportunities, as measured by event recording. |
| After high school, [Student] will live with family and prepare simple meals with support. | Using a visual recipe, [Student] will prepare a snack with no more than two prompts in 4 of 5 trials, as measured by task analysis data. |
Age-Appropriate Transition Assessment
NTACT:C’s Collaborative Assessment Guide for Transition Planning (2024), which replaces its earlier Age Appropriate Transition Assessment Toolkit, lists informal assessments (situational assessments, work-based learning experiences, interviews, direct observation, curriculum-based assessment) and formal ones (achievement and aptitude tests, adaptive behavior scales, self-determination scales, interest inventories). Tools by area are in our guide to transition assessment. Record results in the present levels; see PLAAFP examples.
Inviting the Student and Transfer of Rights at the Age of Majority
The school “must invite a child with a disability to attend the child’s IEP Team meeting” when postsecondary goals will be considered, and take other steps to consider the student’s preferences if they do not attend (34 CFR 300.321(b)). With consent, it must invite any agency likely to provide or pay for transition services; if that agency fails to deliver, the team reconvenes (34 CFR 300.324(c)).
At least one year before the age of majority under state law, the IEP must state that the student has been informed of the rights that will transfer (34 CFR 300.320(c)); where a state provides for it, Part B rights then pass to the student (34 CFR 300.520).
The transfer happens at the age of majority under state law, unless the student has been determined incompetent under state law. From that point, under 300.520(a):
- The student holds the rights: all rights IDEA gives parents, from consent to due process, pass to the student.
- Both still get notices: the district sends every required notice to the student and to the parents.
- Both are told of the transfer: the district notifies the student and the parents of the transfer itself.
- Incarceration: rights also transfer to a student in an adult or juvenile correctional institution.
If state law allows an adult who has not been found incompetent to be judged unable to give informed consent about the educational program, the state must have a procedure to appoint the parent, or another appropriate person, to represent the student’s educational interests (300.520(b)). States can add steps: Texas requires districts, at least one year before the 18th birthday, to give the student and parents written notice of the transfer with information on guardianship and its alternatives, including supported decision-making agreements, and to state in the IEP that they did (Texas Education Code 29.017).
Supported Decision-Making as an Alternative to Guardianship
Supported decision-making (SDM) lets an adult with a disability keep the right to make their own decisions, with supporters they choose helping them understand options and communicate choices, instead of relying on a court-appointed guardian to decide for them (Florida Senate bill analysis, January 8, 2024). Texas, which enacted its law in 2015, shows how an agreement works (Texas Estates Code chapter 1357):
- Purpose: “a less restrictive substitute for guardianship” for adults who need help with decisions about daily living but are not incapacitated.
- What a supporter does: helps the adult understand options and consequences, obtain and understand information, including educational records, and communicate decisions, without making the decisions.
- Signing: voluntary, before two witnesses at least 14 years old or a notary; the agreement ends if a guardian is appointed.
- In the ARD meeting: parents of a student 18 or older can take part in transition planning with the student’s consent under an SDM agreement, and the committee considers supports for decision-making skills (Texas Education Code 29.011).
Laws vary by state: New Mexico’s Administrative Office of the Courts counted 20 states and the District of Columbia with a supported decision-making statute, as quoted in a fiscal impact report last updated March 21, 2025. Schools explain the options and teach decision-making, for example through self-advocacy IEP goals; the student and family choose, with legal advice where needed.
Vocational Rehabilitation and Pre-Employment Transition Services
Under the 2016 regulations implementing WIOA’s amendments to the Rehabilitation Act, state vocational rehabilitation (VR) agencies, “in collaboration with the local educational agencies involved,” must provide or arrange pre-employment transition services (Pre-ETS), available “regardless of whether the student has applied or been determined eligible for vocational rehabilitation services” (34 CFR 361.48(a)). The five required activities:
- Job exploration counseling.
- Work-based learning experiences, including internships.
- Counseling on enrollment in comprehensive transition or postsecondary education programs.
- Workplace readiness training to develop social skills and independent living.
- Instruction in self-advocacy, including person-centered planning.
Eligible students include those receiving IDEA services and those with a disability under Section 504, within the state’s age range (34 CFR 361.5(c)(51)). VR local offices must attend IEP meetings when invited.
The Indicator 13 Checklist
Indicator 13 measures the “percent of youth with IEPs aged 16 and above with an IEP that includes appropriate measurable postsecondary goals” and the related elements (NTACT:C). The NTACT:C checklist asks eight questions per goal area:
| # | What the checklist asks |
|---|---|
| 1 | Is there an appropriate measurable postsecondary goal in this area? |
| 2 | Is it updated annually? |
| 3 | Is there evidence it was based on age-appropriate transition assessment? |
| 4 | Are there transition services that will reasonably enable the student to meet it? |
| 5 | Do the transition services include courses of study (a multi-year plan)? |
| 6 | Is there an annual IEP goal related to the student’s transition services needs? |
| 7 | Is there evidence the student was invited to the meeting? |
| 8 | If appropriate, was a participating agency invited, with consent? |
The IEP meets Indicator 13 only if every item is yes or not applicable. Employment needs its own goal; training and education can share one.
Funding and Staffing
| Source | What it can support | Note |
|---|---|---|
| IDEA Part B | Transition services in the IEP, as special education or related services | Transition services can be either (34 CFR 300.43(b)) |
| State VR (Rehabilitation Act) | The five Pre-ETS activities | At least 15% of the state’s federal VR allotment is reserved for Pre-ETS |
| Local and state funds | Transition staff, job coaches, transportation, curricula | Cooperatives such as TIPS can simplify purchasing |
The VR reservation is in 34 CFR 361.65(a)(3), and those funds cannot pay administrative costs. Staffing is the real limit: work-based learning needs adults on site.
Common Mistakes District Leaders Make
- Writing activities as postsecondary goals. “Will explore careers” can be met before graduation.
- Copying goals across students. Without transition assessment data, the goal fails item 3.
- No annual goal linked to the transition need. The plan has a destination but no route.
- Missing the student invitation. The checklist looks for an invitation dated before the meeting.
- Inviting agencies without consent, or not at all when they will likely pay for services.
- Forgetting the age-of-majority statement one year ahead.
- Starting at 16 in a state that requires 14.
Recommended Actions
- Run the NTACT:C checklist on a sample of IEPs for students 16 and older (or your state’s age) and fix every “no.”
- Confirm your state’s start age and align district forms and timelines to it.
- Standardize transition assessments by grade, with results recorded in the present levels.
- Sign a coordination agreement with the state VR agency for Pre-ETS delivery and IEP meeting attendance.
- Teach students to lead their IEP meeting starting in grade 9 or 10.
- Track post-school outcomes and compare them with the postsecondary goals written.
Questions District Leaders Should Ask
- What share of our transition IEPs pass all eight Indicator 13 items?
- Which transition assessments do we use at each grade?
- How many students received Pre-ETS from VR last year?
- How many students attended, or led, their own IEP meeting?
- Do annual goals for 16-year-olds connect to their postsecondary goals?
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you provide an example of an IEP transition plan?
For a 16-year-old: transition assessments (two interest inventories, an interview); postsecondary goals (“After high school, the student will enroll in a culinary certificate program and work part-time in a restaurant”); a course plan including culinary arts; transition services (job shadowing, VR job exploration counseling); and an annual goal such as following a multi-step recipe independently. The student and, with consent, VR are invited.
Can you give me an example of a transition activity?
Job shadowing at a local employer is a common one. Others include touring a community college, completing a work-based learning placement, practicing a bus route, opening a bank account, or taking a personal finance course. IDEA groups these as instruction, related services, community experiences, employment and adult living objectives, and daily living skills.
What are transition goals?
Transition goals are the measurable postsecondary goals in an IEP: what the student will do after high school in training, education, employment and, where appropriate, independent living. IDEA requires them beginning not later than the first IEP in effect at 16, based on age-appropriate transition assessments, with annual goals and transition services that support them.
What are some examples of transition goals for high school students?
Postsecondary goals such as “After high school, the student will enroll in a two-year degree program” or “will work part-time in retail,” paired with annual goals such as answering interview questions in mock interviews, entering syllabus deadlines in a planner, explaining their disability and accommodations to a teacher, or completing a job application correctly.
What is the difference between supported decision-making and guardianship?
In supported decision-making, the adult keeps the right to make their own decisions and chooses supporters who help them gather information, weigh options and communicate choices. In guardianship, a court-appointed guardian makes decisions for the adult. Texas law calls a supported decision-making agreement “a less restrictive substitute for guardianship” for adults who need help with daily decisions but are not incapacitated. Laws differ by state, so check yours.
Can AI help draft transition IEP goals?
It can help turn assessment notes into measurable postsecondary and annual goal wording, or suggest transition activities for a career interest. Keep names and identifying details out of any tool, follow district policy, and let the student and the IEP team make the decisions. See the ChatGPT for teachers guide for safe practices.
Related Resources
- IEP Goals: How to Write Measurable Goals
- Functional IEP Goals
- IEP Goals for Autism
- Executive Function IEP Goals
- IEP Meeting
- PLAAFP Examples
Conclusion
Strong transition IEP goals start with what the student wants after high school, rest on assessment data, and connect each year’s annual goals to that destination. The compliance test is eight Indicator 13 items. The harder test is whether students rehearse interviews, routes and budgets often enough to use them alone after they leave.
Sources: 34 CFR 300.320, Definition of individualized education program; 34 CFR 300.43, Transition services; 34 CFR 300.321, IEP Team; 34 CFR 300.324, Development, review, and revision of IEP; 34 CFR 300.520, Transfer of parental rights at age of majority; U.S. Department of Education, State Vocational Rehabilitation Services Program final regulations, 81 FR 55630, August 19, 2016; 34 CFR 361.48, Scope of vocational rehabilitation services; 34 CFR 361.5, Applicable definitions; 34 CFR 361.65, Allotment and payment of Federal funds; NTACT:C, Indicator 13 Checklists; NTACT:C, Indicator 13 Checklist: Form B (Enhanced for Professional Development), 2023; NTACT:C, Collaborative Assessment Guide for Transition Planning (2024); TEA, Secondary Transition Guidance; U.S. Department of Education, OSEP, 2024-25 Static Tables (Part B Child Count & Educational Environments).
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