Who do I invite to the Transition IEP?
In addition to the traditional IEP members, for a Transition IEP, you need to invite the STUDENT and Transition Services Agency Representatives.
Student Participation
Provide training and structure for the student to meaningfully participate in their IEP. Students of all levels can produce a simple PowerPoint presentation about themselves and present it at the beginning of their IEP meeting - their strengths, preferences, interests, and goals in the following Transition domains: Education/Training, Employment, and Independent Living Skills. Non-verbal or non-reading students can use assistive technology, communication devices, or text to speech technology to give their presentation.
With parental and student consent, I have made videos of my students doing a presentation about their strengths, preferences, and interests prior to the IEP if they did not want to attend the meeting in person. Videoing the student ahead of time also works well for students with behavior challenges (from severe or violent behaviors to mild behaviors, like having social anxiety when speaking in front of a group).
Transition Services or Adult Agency Representatives
Are there agencies in your community that are likely to provide Transition services in the areas of Employment, Education or Training, and Independent Living?
Some examples include:
Is it appropriate to invite the agency?
It may be too early to invite the agency. For example, Department of Rehabilitation (DOR) will not provide services until the student is close to 18, graduating, or aging-out of school (Check with your local DOR office for eligibility requirements). Therefore, you would invite them according to the student’s upcoming age at the IEP. Regional Center representatives can be invited (if the student is a qualifying client) to the IEP for students regardless of their age. Community Colleges and their Disability Support Student Services representatives rarely attend IEP meetings, however, you can provide documentation of this connection/service.
Here is an example of how the top section and checkboxes should be filled out:
As always, refer to your local State, SELPA, school site, and District’s guidelines on compliant Transition Plan forms. :)
