“Begin with the end in mind.” This tenet of good planning is the key to preparing students with disabilities for life after high school. But it is frequently a challenge to meet students’ day-to-day needs while also planning for their futures. Meeting that challenge is the purpose of this 4-day Summer Institute. Focus will be on both legal requirements and best practices for transition planning and services.

The training will explore:

• Individualized transition assessments available to assist in the planning process;
• Development of measurable post-secondary goals;
• Creation of a targeted multi-year plan for transition services;
• Targeted instruction that supports increased student participation and self-determination.

At the end of this Institute, participants will be able to:

1. Select and conduct appropriate transition assessments to inform the planning process;
2. Assist students to articulate their post-school vision in regards to education, employment, and independent living;
3. Develop multi-year courses of study and transition services that facilitate a student’s movement toward reaching their post-secondary goals;
4. Align the annual IEP to support movement toward a student’s post-secondary goals;
5. Engage parents in the transition-planning process;
6. Promote student self-determination across school settings, including supporting students to lead their own meetings.

It is strongly encouraged that districts send teams that include special educators, guidance personnel, vocational personnel, and administrators.