Special education laws require us to begin transition planning when before students turn 16 years old. In many states, it's when they are 14. So middle school and high school teachers, that's you! This is a huge responsibility. We know that the earlier we begin to work on transition planning with our students and their families, the better off they will be when they leave the school system- the more likely they are to gain employment, participate in post-secondary education, live independently, or be able to access the community.
The Zarrow Center:
If you haven’t looked at this website, you need to! It is full of amazing resources and several transition and self-determination curricula that can be downloaded for FREE. It’s a huge wealth of knowledge for both elementary and secondary teachers with topics from self-awareness to student-directed transition planning.
This website has topics from teaching academic standards to family participation. NCSET has a youth-centered interactive website that is designed to get kids involved in their education and IEP planning.
Skills to Pay the Bills:
This is a free curriculum by the US Department of Labor that teaches students the soft skills needed for successful employment. It teaches 6 different soft skills- communication, enthusiasm & attitude, teamwork, networking, problem-solving & critical thinking, and professionalism. Teaching soft skills helps students prepare for and gain employment in any industry.
National Technical Assistance Center on Transition:
This website has a ton of free lessons for Evidence-Based Practices, Research-Based Practices & Promising Practices for Transition Planning, Graduation & Post-School Success. It includes the subcategories- education, employment and independent living for each section. There is also a great toolkit section that includes resources for a variety of topics, like planning and hosting a transition fair or finding age-appropriate transition assessments. You'll have to create a log-in to download files, but it's free and so worth it!
Not only is it an excellent resource to recommend to your parents, but it has a wealth of knowledge for teachers and students as well. They have a huge video library with tons of information and a learning center with lots of handouts, info, and research on everything from middle school transition planning to assistive technology to state and federal benefit programs.
National Alliance for Secondary Education & Transition:
This website has a lot of great information, but I especially like their free Transition Toolkit. It's all about how to help schools identify what students need to participate successfully in the community, post-secondary ed, meaningful employment and adult life, and includes a tools section with a few assessments and action plan templates.