IEP Transition and Post-Secondary Goals

Every example goal here is written to be measurable and observable, the way the goal-writing guides we cite define it, then worded with respect for how your child is described. Read against IDEA, 34 CFR 300.320(b) on July 19, 2026. Jump to sources

What are IEP transition and post-secondary goals?

IEP transition goals plan for life after high school. Beginning with the first IEP in effect when your child turns 16 (some states or teams start earlier), the IEP adds measurable postsecondary goals in education or training, employment and, where appropriate, independent living, plus the transition services and courses of study needed to reach them (34 CFR 300.320(b)). Those big-picture goals are built from age-appropriate transition assessment and from your child's own strengths, preferences and interests. Underneath them sit annual goals, measured during the year, that build the skills step by step. The examples below are starting points to shape with your child's team, not goals to copy.

How to use these examples. Example goals only. These are sample IEP transition goals to discuss and adapt with your child's IEP team, written in person-first language. They are not prescriptions, not a script to hand the school, not legal or educational advice and not a substitute for the team's individualized decision.

Bring your child's strengths too. IDEA has the team consider your child's strengths, not only areas of need, when it develops the IEP (34 CFR 300.324(a)(1)(i)). Naming what your child is good at and enjoys helps the team write goals that build on it, so the plan is not only a list of what is hard.

What a measurable transition and post-secondary goal looks like

IDEA asks for two connected things once transition planning begins. First, measurable postsecondary goals: short statements of what your child will do after high school in education or training, in employment and, where the team finds it appropriate, in independent living. These are based on age-appropriate transition assessment (34 CFR 300.320(b)). A measurable postsecondary goal names an observable outcome, for example 'after high school, [student] will enroll in a welding certificate program' or 'after high school, [student] will work part-time with support from a job coach'. Second, measurable annual goals: what your child works on and the team measures during the year to move toward that outcome, each naming a criterion and how it is measured, the same bar IDEA sets for every annual goal (34 CFR 300.320(a)(2)). The examples below are annual transition goals, written as starting points to shape with your team.

Example goals by grade band

Each goal below is an example to discuss and adapt with your team, never a target your child must meet. The specific rates and percentages are illustrations of what a measurable goal looks like. To see how the parts fit together, try the goal practice builder.

When transition planning begins (by age 16, or earlier if your state or team decides)

Example · Self-advocacy and self-determination

Given a mock IEP or transition meeting, [student] will describe their disability in their own words, name two personal strengths and state two accommodations that help them, in 4 of 5 practice meetings by the annual review date, as measured by a teacher-recorded self-advocacy checklist.

How progress is measured: Teacher-recorded self-advocacy checklist across practice meetings

What to ask your team: Ask how your child will get chances to practice speaking up for themselves before they help lead part of their own meeting.

Example · Career exploration (employment)

Given a completed interest inventory and access to career-research tools, [student] will identify three careers that match their interests and list the education or training each one needs, on 2 of 2 attempts by the annual review date, as measured by a teacher-scored career-exploration rubric.

How progress is measured: Teacher-scored career-exploration rubric

What to ask your team: Ask what age-appropriate transition assessment the team used and how its results shaped this goal.

Building skills through high school (around ages 16-17)

Example · Postsecondary education and training readiness

Given the admission checklist for a chosen college or training program, [student] will list each application step and its deadline, with 100 percent accuracy on 2 of 2 attempts by the annual review date, as measured by a transition counselor's application-readiness checklist.

How progress is measured: Transition counselor application-readiness checklist

What to ask your team: Ask how this annual goal connects to the measurable postsecondary goal for education or training.

Example · Independent living and daily living skills

Given a sample monthly income and a list of fixed expenses, [student] will calculate the money left after expenses and identify one expense they could adjust, with 90 percent accuracy on 4 of 5 trials by the annual review date, as measured by teacher-recorded budgeting probes.

How progress is measured: Teacher-recorded budgeting probes

What to ask your team: Ask whether independent living skills belong in your child's plan, since IDEA includes them where the team finds them appropriate.

Approaching graduation and the transfer of rights (around ages 17-18 and up)

Example · Employment and work-based learning

During a supervised work-based learning placement, [student] will arrive on time and complete assigned tasks with no more than one prompt per shift, on 8 of 10 shifts by the annual review date, as measured by a job coach's weekly performance log.

How progress is measured: Job coach weekly performance log

What to ask your team: Ask what community or work experiences the transition services include, since IDEA lists these as part of a coordinated set of activities.

Example · Self-advocacy for the age-of-majority handoff

Given a plain-language summary of the rights that transfer at the age of majority, [student] will explain in their own words two decisions that will become theirs and name one adult who can support them, on 2 of 2 attempts by the annual review date, as measured by a teacher-recorded discussion rubric.

How progress is measured: Teacher-recorded discussion rubric

What to ask your team: Ask when the team will inform your child, one year before the age of majority in your state, that these rights will transfer to them.

What makes a goal measurable

Names a measurable criterion (a percentage, a count or a rate), not just 'will explore' or 'will improve'
States how progress is measured and how often
Connects the annual goal to a measurable postsecondary goal for education or training, employment or independent living
Is built on the student's own strengths, preferences and interests, drawn from age-appropriate transition assessment
Is written in person-first language and is a starting point for the team, never a fixed prescription

Common mistakes to watch for

A postsecondary goal written as a vague hope, like 'wants a good job', with no observable outcome the team can see after school
Transition planning that starts after age 16 has already passed, instead of by the first IEP in effect when the child turns 16
Annual goals set without the student's own preferences and interests, so the plan is done to them rather than with them
Deficit-first wording that describes the young person by what they cannot do rather than the skill they are building

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Questions parents ask

When does transition planning have to start?

Under IDEA, the transition parts of the IEP must be in place by the first IEP that is in effect when your child turns 16, then updated every year after that (34 CFR 300.320(b)). Some states or teams start earlier, so it is worth asking your team when planning begins where you live. The examples here help you picture what a measurable transition goal looks like before that meeting.

What is the difference between a postsecondary goal and an annual goal?

A postsecondary goal describes what your child will do after they leave high school, in education or training, in employment and, where the team finds it appropriate, in independent living. An annual goal is what they work on and the team measures during the year to move toward that outcome. IDEA asks for measurable postsecondary goals based on age-appropriate transition assessment, plus the transition services and courses of study needed to reach them (34 CFR 300.320(b)).

What are transition services?

IDEA defines transition services as a coordinated set of activities built around your child's strengths, preferences and interests, designed to help them move from school to life after school. It can include instruction, related services, community experiences, help developing employment and adult-living goals and, where appropriate, daily living skills and a functional vocational evaluation (34 CFR 300.43). Which of these fit your child is the team's decision.

What happens to my rights when my child turns 18?

In most states the rights parents hold under IDEA transfer to the student at the age of majority (34 CFR 300.520). The law asks that the IEP include a statement, at least one year before that age, that your child has been told these rights will transfer to them (34 CFR 300.320(c)). Many families keep making decisions together. Some look at options such as a signed authorization or supported decision-making. This is information to raise with your team, not legal advice.

Will my child get a document when they leave school?

When a student leaves school because they graduate with a regular diploma or age out of eligibility, the school provides a Summary of Performance: a summary of the student's academic and functional performance with recommendations to help them meet their postsecondary goals (34 CFR 300.305(e)(3)). It can be a useful record to bring to a college disability office or an employer.

Sources

What the facts on this page come from

IDEA, 34 CFR 300.320(b) (measurable postsecondary goals and transition services beginning at age 16) sites.ed.gov/idea/regs/b/d/300.320
IDEA, 34 CFR 300.320(a)(2) (measurable annual goals) sites.ed.gov/idea/regs/b/d/300.320
IDEA, 34 CFR 300.320(c) (statement that rights transfer at the age of majority) sites.ed.gov/idea/regs/b/d/300.320
IDEA, 34 CFR 300.43 (definition of transition services) sites.ed.gov/idea/regs/b/a/300.43
IDEA, 34 CFR 300.305(e)(3) (Summary of Performance at exit) sites.ed.gov/idea/regs/b/d/300.305
IDEA, 34 CFR 300.520 (transfer of parental rights at age of majority) sites.ed.gov/idea/regs/b/e/300.520

This page is general educational information for parents, not legal or educational advice. It does not tell any family what to do. Every example here is a starting point to discuss and adapt with your child's IEP or 504 team, which decides what fits your child from the evaluation. Confirm anything time-sensitive with your school or district. For a genuinely contested situation, a special education advocate or an attorney who works in your state is the right person to ask.