beginning 8th grade: Transition Checklist & Roadmap
Print the Checklist or Print the Roadmap
This checklist includes important steps along the path to adulthood that youth and parents, teachers and community providers may find useful during transition planning. The student’s skills, interests and needs will help determine which items on the checklist should be considered.
Activities may be addressed in general education, through the IEP, at home or in the community. Find additional information to support each activity with the related resources.
Beginning 8th Grade
Review the Elementary Through High School list as the student gets older. This will help determine activities to continue development of those skills.
Transition planning in Iowa is required to begin by age 14 for students who have IEPs This includes identification of the students plans for living arrangements, education and work after high school. It also includes the assessment of skills related to those plans The IEP team may refer to these assessments as transition assessments.
✅ Postsecondary Expectations (PSE)
The student’s skills are assessed. This assessment will help identify the student’s plans after high school. This includes goals for independent living, education and work. Skills the student needs to learn to reach their goals for after high school are included as goals, services or activities in the IEP or through general education classes.
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✅ Assess Life Skills
The student’s needs in the areas of functional life skills are assessed through the IEP process.
This may include money management, shopping, cooking, housekeeping and self-care. The IEP team determines gaps that need to be addressed by goals, services or activities in the IEP or through general education classes. Skills may also be learned and practiced at home and in the community.
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✅ Job/ Career Possibilities
Student identifies possible careers/ jobs in their area of interest.
This includes student vocational assessments. May include student job site visits to get a better understanding of what the day to day work looks like.
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✅ College Preparation
The student meets with the school counselor to plan the course of study needed to attend college.
Specific classes may be needed for college enrollment.
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✅ 8th Grade Plan
An Individual Career and Academic Plan (ICAP) is developed to outline the student’s course of study for high school.
This identifies the student’s career options and goals, and coursework needed. This should be consistent with the student’s Postsecondary Expectations (PSE) in the IEP, and reviewed annually.
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✅ Graduation Requirements
The student, special education teacher and school counselor meet to review credits needed to meet the student’s needs for graduation and for living, learning and working after high school.
This information is used by the IEP team to plan classes needed for the student to graduate and/or meet their goals after high school.
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✅ College Options
The student identifies options for colleges and requirements for acceptance to determine the best option/ fit, and what steps need to be taken if chosen.
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✅ Pre-Employment Transition Services (PreETS)
The student applies for Pre-ETS services with parent signature to determine student eligibility for Pre-ETS services that may begin the summer after 8th grade.
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