The Transition Plan: What is it? And why does it matter?
Transition. It’s a simple word that can be applied to so many things. Transition to and from work, from grade school to middle school, from puberty to adulthood. As a special education teacher, I’d like to call attention to something that often gets overlooked or is an afterthought in many IEP meetings - the Post Secondary Transition Plan, or PTP for short. Why am I calling attention to it? Well, honestly, it deals with the hopes and dreams of our loved ones outside of school. And let’s face it, life doesn’t look like school once we’re done with school. We spend a lot of time preparing and training students to be successful in the classroom environment, but rarely for life outside of it. And for most of them, that is where they will spend the rest of their lives.
Glows and Grows
The first question on the PTP asks whether or not the student has been invited to their own IEP meeting. I am shocked at how often students are not only not involved in their IEP meetings but aren’t even aware they have their own educational plan. Students, in my opinion, cannot learn to advocate for themselves if they are not allowed a voice in their own plan, including honest conversations about their strengths and ambitions, as well as their challenges and barriers. I have strongly advocated for students, at any age and ability, to have a voice in their meetings. They should be able to identify their own “glows” and “grows,” if you will. “Glows” to share the learnings and victories they are most proud of, but also articulating their “grows” by identifying what is hard for them and what gets in their way. If we want students to be independent, purposeful adults, we need to start right away with having them understand who they are, how they learn, how their own dreams can be fulfilled with the right support, and when a plan that is specific to them is put in place.
Age Appropriate
The second question on the PTP asks whether there has been an age-appropriate transition assessment. Age appropriate could also be phrased as “communication or ability appropriate.” I have used a range of assessments based on the student, his or her ability to engage in conversation, process language, and understand content. I would urge teachers and parents to become familiar with the range of options available. The important thing is to make sure that we have the best possible picture of who the student is, including their hopes and dreams, to balance against the data we have available regarding not just academic outcomes, but also social-emotional communication, interests, and abilities outside of school, how they navigate their community, and more. All those functional performance issues are key aspects to address. Again, bringing students in as soon as possible - no matter their ability - so that we understand their vision for their future allows the team to put a plan in place that looks at the student not just in the school environment, but also who they are out in the world, and in the neighborhoods they navigate and live in.
Interests and Abilities
The third question focuses on identifying what post-secondary education or training is in that student's future. Let’s face it, a 4-year college may not be for everyone. What additional training, practice or coaching needs to happen so that the student has a real chance to achieve their goals? An understanding of the range of options in training, beyond that provided in the classic campus environment, will be important to find the best plan. I honestly think that on-the-job training and apprenticeships are amazing ways to educate students with unique needs. Learning differently does not mean a lack of capability. Often it means that the way that individual accessed learning was not available or provided in a traditional classroom environment. It could also be a matter of buy-in or interest. In my years of working in this field, I have found that area of interest is the “secret sauce” to engagement and success. If video games are the thing, think of all the possibilities and good-paying jobs there are in creating video games - 2D asset creation, 3D modeling, and coding to name a few. I have also worked with students who can take anything apart and put it back together again without reading a manual. Hmm, electronics repair anyone? We need to start looking, not just at academics and grades, but at interests and abilities. I promise you will get a lot more buy-in if you can somehow tie a passion to a path.
Identifying Opportunities
The fourth and final question I want to address centers around the student’s employment goal. Again, each person’s path and abilities vary. Data shows that students who are more involved and have some type of work experience while in high school have a much higher percentage of success in finding employment after graduation. My first job was as a babysitter, then a fry cook, then waiting on tables. It took a long time before I was paid to do the work I went to school for. Providing students a realistic vision, including the value of stocking shelves, wiping down tables, or tearing tickets, means that you are learning how to show up on time, take directions from a boss and/or co-workers, and know the pride you feel in getting a paycheck. Build in opportunity, learn, refine and grow. Jobs provide a purpose. Having a job is another way to figure out what you do or do not want to do. Ironically, it often provides the motivation students need to work harder and push themselves.
The Plan Matters
The Post-secondary Transition Plan is based on the data we have gathered over the years surrounding that person we love and support. It represents the dreams we share with them, from early childhood and their first school experience to the scary idea of them now leaving school. And it’s built on the desire to do all the hard work, including the goal setting, learning targets and coaching from the entire team, needed to make those dreams come true.
The PTP matters because if we truly want those we love to lead purposeful independent lives, we need to give them a voice in and ownership of their future. I can continue doing my son’s laundry for the rest of his life or I can teach him how to do it on his own. Easy choice, right? But it’s hard work. It’s hard to see our loved ones struggle to perform daily tasks that we often take for granted. I promise you, from personal experience, that asking our loved ones to do the heavy lifting that we might have done (out of love) for years, will ultimately create the opportunity for them to grow and ideally blossom into an independent person driven by their own passions and finding their own purpose.
We need to trust in them—in their voices and choices— the same way they have always trusted in us.
