Introduction to
Secondary Transition Planning
for Students with Disabilities
This training was developed by the Project 10: Transition Education Network, a special project funded by the Florida Department of Education, Division of Public
Schools, Bureau of Exceptional Education and Student Services, through federal assistance under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Part B.
Objectives
After this training, participants will be able to:
 Define secondary transition
 Identify key components of secondary transition
planning in Florida
 Discuss importance of moving from compliance to
outcomes in secondary transition
 Access evidence-based practices and resources
for secondary transition planning
Defining Secondary Transition
(IDEA, 2004)
Individuals with Disabilities
Education Improvement Act
(IDEA) 2004:
(a) Transition services means a
coordinated set of activities for a
child with a disability that-(1) Is designed to be within a
results-oriented process, that is
focused on improving the academic
and functional achievement of the
child with a disability to facilitate the
student’s movement from school to
post-school activities, including
 Postsecondary education
 Vocational education
 Integrated employment
(including supported
employment)
 Continuing and adult
education
 Adult services
 Independent living, or
community participation
Defining Secondary Transition
(IDEA, 2004)
(2) Is based upon the individual student’s needs, taking into
account the student’s strengths, preferences and interests; and
includes -(i) Instruction;
(ii) Related services;
(iii) Community experiences;
(iv) The development of employment and other postschool
adult living objectives; and
(v) If appropriate, acquisition of daily living skills and
provision of a functional vocational evaluation.
(Section 300.43 of Title 34, Code of Federal Regulations)
Defining Secondary Transition
(IDEA, 2004)
According to IDEA, the IEP must include a statement of
 Appropriate measurable postsecondary goals based upon
age-appropriate transition assessments relating to
training, education, employment, and where appropriate,
independent living skills
 The transition services (including course of study) needed
to assist the (student) in reaching those goals
(34. C.F.R. 300.320[b] and [c]; 2. U.S.C. 1414 [d][1][A][i][VIII])
Secondary Transition Planning: Rule
6A-6.03028 (12) (h),
Florida Administrative Code (F.A.C.)
(h) Contents of the IEP [Individual Educational Plan]. The IEP for
each student with a disability must include:
1. A statement of the student’s present levels of academic
achievement and functional performance
2. A statement of measurable annual goals
3. A description of benchmarks or short-term objectives for:
a.
b.
Students with disabilities who take alternate assessment
Any other student with a disability, at the discretion of the IEP Team.
Secondary Transition Planning: Rule
6A-6.03028 (12) (h), F.A.C.
4. A statement of the special education and related services and
supplementary aids and services
5. A statement of any individual appropriate accommodations in
the administration of state or district assessments
6. The projected date for the beginning of the special education,
services, accommodations and modifications
7. At statement of how the student’s progress toward meeting
the annual goals will be measured
Secondary Transition Planning: Rule
6A-6.03028 (12) (h), F.A.C.
8. In accordance with Commissioner of Education Rule 6A1.09961 F.A.C., during the student’s eighth (8th) grade
year or during the school year of the student’s fourteenth
(14th) birthday, whichever comes first
 A statement of whether the student is pursuing a course of
study leading to a standard or special diploma
Alert – New Legislation
Secondary Transition Planning: Rule
6A-6.03028 (12) (h), F.A.C.
9. In order to ensure more quality transition planning and
services, IEP Teams shall begin the process of identifying
transition services needs of students with disabilities, to
include consideration of the student’s need for instruction or
the provision of information in the area of self-determination to
assist the student to be able to actively and effectively
participate in IEP meetings and self-advocate, beginning no
later than age fourteen (14), so that needed postsecondary
goals may be identified and in place by age sixteen (16).
Secondary Transition Planning: Rule
6A-6.03028 (12) (h), F.A.C.
10. Beginning not later than the first IEP to be in effect when
the student turns sixteen (16), or younger, if determined
appropriate by the IEP Team and updated annually:
a. A statement of 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
course of study) needed to assist the student in reaching those
goals.
Secondary Transition Planning: Rule
6A-6.03028 (12) (h), F.A.C.
b. If a participating agency responsible for transition
services, other than the school district, fails to provide
the transition services described in the IEP, the school
district shall reconvene the IEP Team to identify
alternative strategies to meet the transition objectives
for the student set out in the IEP. However, this does
not relieve any participating agency, including Division
of Vocational Rehabilitation Services, of the
responsibility to provide or pay for any transition
services that agency would otherwise provide to
students with disabilities who meet the eligibility criteria
of that agency.
Secondary Transition Planning:
Florida Rule 6A-6.03028 (h)
11. Beginning at least one (1) year before the student’s
eighteenth (18th) birthday, a statement that the student
has been informed of his or her rights under Part B of the
IDEA, that will transfer from the parent to the student on
reaching the age of majority, which is eighteen (18) years
of age.
New Florida Statute: 1003.5716
Alert – New Legislation
During the 2014 legislative session the following changes were made
relating to secondary transition:
 Section 1003.438, Florida Statues (F.S.), Special high school
graduation requirements for certain exceptional students, will be
repealed on July 1, 2015.
 S. 1003.4282, F.S., Requirements for a standard high school diploma,
was amended.
 S. 1003.5716, F.S, Transition to postsecondary education and career
opportunities, was created.
The Florida Department of Education, Bureau of Exceptional Education
and Student Services, will be providing guidance on all of the above as
soon as possible.
Moving From Compliance
to Outcomes
Secondary Transition
Outcomes:
 Graduate Rate (Federal
Uniform; Indicator 1)
 Dropout Rate (Indicator 2)
 Transition IEP (including
measurable postsecondary
goals; Indicator 13)
 Post-school Outcomes
(including employment,
continuing education;
Indicator 14)
The IDEA requires that the
primary focus of IDEA
monitoring be on improving
educational results and
functional outcomes for
children with disabilities,
and ensuring that states
meet the IDEA program
requirements.
(OSEP, 2012)
Graduation Data
80%
75.85%
74.47%
70%
70.56%
59.20%
60%
59.28%
58.80%
59.80%
62.69%
50%
40.77%
41.64%
39.31%
39.93%
45.17%
65.48%
69.02%
52.72% 54.26%
52.33%
49.83%
47.71%
40%
30%
52.46% 57.90%
44.37%
37.43%
38.10%
38.63%
40.05%
38.96%
35.58%
37.30%
20%
10%
0%
2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13
Federal Uniform-All Students
Federal Uniform-SWD
15
Standard Diploma Rate
Dropout Data
6%
5.5%
5%
5.4%
4.4%
4.6%
4.4%
4%
4.0%
3.7%
3.8%
3.5%
3.4%
3%
3.0%
3.3%
2%
2.3%
2.1%
2.6%
2.0%
1.9%
1.9%
1%
0%
2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13
All Students
16
SWD
IEP Transition Components Data
100%
89.3%
90.9%
90.5%
82.3%
90%
80%
61.2%
70%
60%
50%
40%
23.7%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Year
07-08
08-09
09-10
10-11
11-12
12-13
Post-School Outcomes Data
60%
50%
Higher Education
40%
30%
20%
Higher Education or
Competitively
Employed
10%
Employed or
Continuing Education
0%
08-09
09-10
10-11
11-12
Source: Florida Education and Training Placement Information Program
(FETPIP)
Evidence-Based
Practices for
Secondary
Transition Planning
•
•
•
•
•
Student-Focused Planning
Student Development
Interagency Collaboration
Family Involvement
Program Structure
(Kohler, 1996)
StudentFocused
Planning
IEP Development
Student Participation
Planning Strategies
IEP Development
 Options identified for each outcome area or goal
 Post-secondary education or training goals and objectives
specified in the IEP
 Vocational goals and objectives specified
 Community-related and residential goals and objectives specified
(e.g., voting)
 Recreation and leisure goals and objectives specified
 Educational program corresponds to specific goals
 Goals are measurable
 Personal needs are addressed in planning (e.g., financial,
medical, guardianship)
 Specific goals and objectives result from consumer choices
 Progress or attainment of goals is reviewed annually
 Responsibility of participants or agencies specified
 Evaluation of participant fulfillment of responsibilities
Student Participation
 Planning team includes student, family members, and school
and participating agency personnel
 Assessment information is used as basis for planning
 Transition-focused planning begins no later than age 14
 Meeting time adequate to conduct planning
 Preparation time adequate to conduct planning
 Planning meeting time and place conducive to student and
family participation
 Accommodations made for communication needs (e.g.,
interpreters)
 Referral to adult service provider(s) occurs prior to student’s
exit from school
 Planning team leader identified
Planning Strategies
 Self-determination facilitated within the planning process
 Planning decisions driven by student and family
 Planning process is student-centered
 Student involvement in decision making
 Documentation of student interests and preferences
 IEP involvement training for students
 Career counseling services provided to student
 Student self-evaluation of process
Student-Focused Planning:
Lesson Plan Starters
NSTTAC Lessons:
 IEP Meeting
Involvement
 Self-Advocacy Strategy
 Self-Directed IEP
http://www.nsttac.org/cont
ent/lesson-plan-starters
Student
Development
Life Skills Instruction
Employment Skills Instruction
Career and Vocational Curricula
Support Services
Assessment
Structured Work Experience
Life Skills Instruction
 Leisure skills training
 Social skills training
 Self-determination skills
training, including goal setting
and decision making
 Self-advocacy skills training
 Independent living skills
training
 Learning strategies skills
training
Employment Skills Instruction
 Work-related behaviors
and skills training
 Job seeking skills
training
 Occupational-specific
vocational skills training
Support Services and Assessment
Support Services
 Identification and development
of environmental adaptations
 Identification and development
of accommodations
 Identification and development
of natural supports
 Provision of related services
(e.g., OT, PT, speech therapy,
transportation)
 Use of mentors
Assessment
 Vocational assessment
(including curriculumbased and situational
assessment)
 Academic, cognitive,
and adaptive behavior
assessments
Structured Work Experience
 Apprenticeships
 Paid work experience
 Work study program
 Job placement services
(prior to school exit)
Lesson Plan Starters: Student
Development – Employment
NSTTAC Lessons:
 Job-related social/
communication skills
 Self-management on the job
 Job seeking skills
 Occupation specific
employment skills
http://www.nsttac.org/content/le
sson-plan-starters
Lesson Plan Starters:
Student Development – Life Skills
NSTTAC Lessons:
 Leisure skills
 Social skills
 Self-determination
 Choice making
 Decision making
 Goal setting
 Problem solving
 Self-awareness
 Self-advocacy skills
Lesson Plan Starters:
Student Development – Life Skills
NSTTAC Lessons:
 Independent living skills
 Money skills
 Grocery Shopping skills
 Home maintenance skills
 Meal planning and
preparation skills
 Restaurant skills
 Safety skills
 Functional reading and math
skills
Interagency
Collaboration
Collaborative Service Delivery
Collaborative Framework
Collaborative Service Delivery
 Coordinated requests for information (e.g., to parents, employers)
 Reduction of system barriers to collaboration
 Collaborative funding and staffing of transition services
 Collaborative development and use of assessment data
 Coordinated and shared delivery of transition-related services
 Systems information disseminated among cooperating agencies
 Collaborative program planning and development, including employer
involvement
 Collaborative consultation between special, “regular,” and vocational
educators
 Collaboration between post-secondary education institutions and the
school district
Collaborative Framework
 Interagency coordinating body that includes consumers,
parents, service providers, and employers
 Formal interagency agreement
 Roles of service providers clearly articulated
 Established methods of communication among service
providers
 Student information shared among agencies via established
procedures (with appropriate release of information and
confidentiality)
 Single-case management system
 “Lead” agency identified
 Designated transition contact person for all service providers
Family
Involvement
Family Involvement
Family Empowerment
Family Training
Family Involvement
 Parents/families exercise
decision making
 Parent/family attendance
at IEP meeting
 Parents/family members
as trainers
 Parents/family members
as mentors
 Parents/family role in
natural support network
 Participation in program
policy development
 Participation in service
delivery
 Involvement in student
assessment
 Participation in
evaluation of student’s
program
Family Empowerment
 Pre-IEP planning activities for parents/families
 Parents/families presented with choices
 Transition information provided to parents/families prior to
student’s age 14
 Structured method to identify family needs
 Parent/family support network
 Child care for transition-related planning meetings (e.g., IEP,
ITP)
 Respite care
 Information to parents/families provided in their ordinary
language
Family Training
 Training about promoting selfdetermination
 Training about advocacy
 Training about natural supports
 Training focused on their own
empowerment
 Training on transition-related
planning process (e.g., IEP, ITP)
 Training about agencies and
services
 Training on legal issues
Program
Structure
Program Philosophy
Program Evaluation
Strategic Planning
Program Policy
Human Resource Development
Resource Allocation
Program Philosophy
 Curricula are community-referenced
 Curricula are outcome-based
 Education provided in least restrictive environment
 Education provided in integrated settings
 Student has access to all educational options (secondary and
post-secondary)
 Cultural and ethnic sensitivity in programs and planning
 Flexible programming to meet student needs
 Program planning is outcome-based
 Longitudinal approach to transition (early childhood to adult)
Program Evaluation
 Data-based management system
 Evaluation utilization for program improvement
 Ongoing program evaluation
 Specific evaluation of student outcomes
 Student/family role in program evaluation
 Secondary-level education services needs assessment
 Post-school services or program needs assessment
 Annual evaluation of interdisciplinary policy and
procedures
Strategic Planning
 Community-level strategic planning focused on local issues and
services
 Regional-level strategic planning
 State-level strategic planning
 Community-level transition body focused on local issues and
services
 Regional-level transition body focused on regional/state issues
 State-level transition body focused on regional/state issues
Program Policy
 Adult service systems restructured to include transition-related
planning and services as integral components
 Education system restructured to include transition-related
planning and services as integral components
 Administrative, school board, and community support for the
program
 Program values, principles, and mission are clearly articulated
 Specific and consistent transition-related policies and
procedures between and within agency and education
participants
 Transition planning program structure and process clearly
articulated
Human Resource Development
 Transition practices resource materials available to
personnel, families, and employers
 Assigned staff are qualified
 Preservice training on transition practices
 Sufficient allocation of personnel
 Transition-related technical assistance
 Establishment of transition-related personnel
competencies
 Ongoing transdisciplinary staff development
Resource Allocation
 Creative use of resources
 Sufficient allocation of
resources
 Student/family role in
resource allocation
 Resources transferred
from sheltered and/or
segregated facilities to
community-based and/or
integrated settings
Program Structure:
Lesson Plan Starters
NSTTAC Lessons:
 Community-Based
Instruction (CBI)
http://www.nsttac.org/cont
ent/lesson-plan-starters
Evidence-Based Predictors of
Post-School Success
A predictor of post-school success is an in-school experience,
typically a program (e.g., work-based learning experience)
correlated with improved post-school outcomes. Predictors are
based empirical research and apply to transition planning and
instruction in the following ways:
 Provide practitioners information about secondary transition
program characteristics
 Help develop, expand, and/or evaluate secondary transition
programs
 Help IEP teams develop goals and transition services more likely to
help students achieve their stated post-school goals
(National Post-School Outcomes Center, Appendix G, p. 1)
Predictor Categories
 Career Awareness
 Community Experiences
 Occupational Courses
 Exit Exam Requirements
/ High School Diploma
 Paid Employment / Work
Status
Experience
 Inclusion in General
 Vocational Education
Education
 Work Study
Predictor Categories
 Program of Study
 Self-Determination /
Self-Advocacy
 Self-Care / Independent
Living Skills
 Social Skills
 Interagency
Collaboration
 Parental Involvement
 Student Support
 Transition Program
 Diagnostic Data System
Project 10 Resources and Trainings
1.
2.
3.
4.
Project 10 Overview
An Introduction to Successful Grant Writing
ArtThread Work of Art
Community-Based Instruction (CBI)
 Guide and training – in development
5. Community Resource Mapping
 Training and toolkit – in vetting
6. Graduation Success – in development
7. Discovery Process for Students in Transition
 Part I: Overview of the Discovery Process in Florida
 Part II: Developing Florida Discovery Student Profiles,
Representational Portfolios, and Visual Resumes
 Part III: Customized Employment – in development
Project 10 Resources and Trainings
8. Dropout Prevention
 Part I: Florida’s Current Status
 Part II: Strategies for Improvement
9. Interagency Councils
 Project Expectations for New/Existing Sites
 Developing Interagency Teams
 Conducting Focus Groups
10. Introduction to Secondary Transition Planning
11. Key Essentials in Developing Employability Skills for
Postschool Success
12. On Track to Transition: Parent Involvement
13. Service Learning
Project 10 Resources and Trainings
14. School-Based Micro-Enterprise Development: Planning,
Implementing, and Evaluating
 Manual and training – in revision
15. Standing Up For Me (SUFM): Florida’s Self-Determination
Curriculum
16. The Florida Summary of Performance: Requirements and
Suggested Practice
17. Transition Assessment: Using Data for Transition Planning
18. Transition Basics: A Guide for Families
 Training – in revision
 Train-the-Trainer – in development
19. Utilizing Data to Diagnose then Treat: Program Evaluation and
Improvement
Project 10 Resources and Trainings
20. Scope and Sequences









7821030: 6 – 8 Career Education and Planning
7960010: Transition Planning
7963010: Preparation for Adult Living – in development
7963140: Self-Determination – in development
7980040: Preparation for Entrepreneurship/Self-Employment
7980110: Career Preparation
7980120: Career Experiences
7980130: Career Placement
7980150: Supported Competitive Employment
Project 10 Resources and Trainings
 Online training modules include:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Secondary Transition Compliance (STC)
Transition Assessment
Summary of Performance
Job Development – available later this year
Self-Determination – available later this year
Please Note: All Project 10 trainings and information will be
reviewed and revised, as needed and with FDOE/BEESS
guidance, to reflect the most current legislation.
Additional Training Resources
 Access Points / Access Project
 Project Director, Randy LaRusso
[email protected]; 321-242-6400 ext. 5115
 Developing Quality Individual Educational Plans: A Guide
for Instructional Personnel and Families,
 Manual, http://www.fldoe.org/ese/pdf/QualityIEPs.pdf
 Workshop Materials,
http://www.fdlrs.org/IEPDocs/Developing%20Quality%20IEPs%2
0Training%20Materials%20Section%201.2012.pdf
 Online Course, www.cpalms.org; login to access professional
development
 FDLRS Professional Development Alternatives (PDA)
 Transition Online Module, http://www.pda-ese.org/
State and National Resources
 Attendance Works: Advancing Student Success by Reducing Chronic Absence,
http://www.attendanceworks.org/
 Center for Parent Information and Resources, http://www.parentcenterhub.org/
 Central Florida Parent Center, http://www.cflparents.org/
 Check and Connect Florida,
http://project10.info/DetailPage.php?MainPageID=279
 College and Career Readiness and Success Center, American Institutes for
Research, http://www.ccrscenter.org/
 Family Network on Disabilities (FND) Statewide Parent Center, http://fndusa.org/
 Florida Consortium on Postsecondary Education and Intellectual Disabilities
 Florida Department of Education, Bureau of Exceptional Education and Student
Services, http://www.fldoe.org/ese/
 Florida Department of Education, College and Career Readiness,
http://www.fldoe.org/fcs/collegecareerreadiness.asp
 Florida Developmental Disabilities Council (FDDC), http://www.fddc.org/
State and National Resources










Florida’s Discretionary Projects, http://www.fldoe.org/ese/pdf/ProjectsListing.pdf
Florida Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, http://www.rehabworks.org/
Graduate First, http://www.gaspdg.org/graduate-first
Hughes, C., & Carter, E.W. (2012). The new transition handbook: Strategies that
high school teachers use that work! Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes Publishing
Co., Inc.
National Alliance for Secondary Education and Transition (NASET),
http://www.nasetalliance.org/
National Center on Secondary Education and Transition (NCSET),
http://www.ncset.org/
National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD), http://www.ncld.org/
National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth (NCWD for Youth),
http://www.ncwd-youth.info/
National Consortium on Leadership and Disability for Youth (NCLD Youth),
http://www.ncld-youth.info/index.php?id=01
National Secondary Transition Technical Assistance Center (NSTTAC),
http://www.nsttac.org/
State and National Resources
 National Dropout Prevention Center/Network, http://www.dropoutprevention.org
 National Dropout Prevention Center for Students with Disabilities, http://www.ndpcsd.org
 National Post-School Outcomes Center (NPSO), http://www.psocenter.org/
 Parent to Parent of Miami, http://www.ptopmiami.org/
 Project 10 Transition Education Network, http://project10.info/
 Soft Skills to Pay the Bills: Mastering Soft Skills for Workplace Success,
http://www.dol.gov/odep/topics/youth/softskills/
 Strategic Instruction Model (SIM) Florida, http://www.fdlrs.org/statewidepd/sim.html
 U.S. Department of Education. (2007). Transition of students with disabilities to
postsecondary education: A guide for high school educators. Retrieved from
http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/transitionguide.html
 Wehman, P. (2013). Life beyond the classroom: Transition strategies for young
people with disabilities (5th ed.). Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co.,
Inc
 Youth to Work Coalition, http://www.nsttac.org/ytw/home
References
Florida Administrative Code & Florida Administrative Register. (2014). 6A6.03028 (h). Retrieved from https://www.flrules.org/
Kohler, P. (1996). Taxonomy for transition programming: A model for planning,
organizing, and evaluating transition education, services, and programs.
Retrieved from http://homepages.wmich.edu/~kohlerp/pdf/Taxonomy.pdf
National Post-School Outcomes Center. (n.d.). STEPSS: State toolkit for examining
post-school success. Retrieved from http://psocenter.org/content_pages/59
National Secondary Transition Technical Assistance Center (NSTTAC). (2014).
Lesson Plan Starters. Retrieved from
http://www.nsttac.org/content/lesson-plan-starters
U.S. Department of Education. (2004). Sec. 300.43 Transition services. Retrieved from
http://idea.ed.gov/explore/view/p/,root,regs,300,A,300%252E43
Questions and
Thank You!
Questions, concerns, or
recommendations?
Thank you for your
attendance and input
today!
Presenter
Contact Information
(RTR Name)
Project 10:
Transition Education
Network
Region ( ) Transition
Representative
Email:
Office: