Know Your Students! It’s the core of a quality Transition IEP

Does it go without saying?  Let’s say it anyway: Know Your Students!

There is a very good reason that Page B: Consider and Assessment comes before Goals and 

Services in the IEP.  The first part of any quality transition IEP is to get to know your students 

well!  Take time early on to discover their educational strengths, interests, and preferences.  

This starts with educationally relevant information.  How can each student’s unique strengths, 

interests, and preferences be used to facilitate a successful transition to life after high school?  

Ask those questions!  What can she do well?  What really interests him?  How does she prefer 

to learn?    Strengths, interests, and preferences can (probably will) change from the student’s 

first transition IEP through graduation.  Keep asking about these and use them to help your 

students shape post­secondary expectations.

Ask Parents Concerns well before the meeting.  If a parent has a serious concern that is 

inconsistent with the student’s post­secondary expectations, you will certainly want to have 

some plans for how to address this later in the IEP.

Spend time early on to get to know your student.  You’ll make Page B much easier to write!