Time to Start Planning for What Comes After School? Legal Issues and Practical Guidance for Effective Transition under IDEA

Toward the end of IDEA students’ school experience schools must effectively plan their transition to post-school life. This session reviews the various legal issues in this process, including transition assessments, selecting the overall transition goal, individualizing IEP services to meet year-to-year transition-related IEP goals, matching services to desired outcomes, involving outside agencies, options if outside agencies fail to meet their obligations, and establishing relationships with local employers. In addition, the session will cover related issues such as transfer of IDEA rights, student participation in transition-related IEP meetings, and graduation vis-à-vis transition, among others. The various issues will be illustrated with caselaw examples that will provide practical lessons on the do’s and don’ts of transition planning and services for IDEA students.