Transition

To be Completed Annually Beginning at Age 14, or Younger if Determined Appropriate.

Student Preferences and Interests

Students are to be actively involved in planning for their secondary program as it relates to postsecondary training and employment, independent living, and community participation. Personal interviews, informal/formal assessment can be used as transition assessments. Summary of the assessments are to be provided in the discussion box. For students who have chosen a postsecondary education goal reference is to be made to the Graduation Information page of the IEP.
 

Document the date of the annual student interview and the student identified preferences and interests for postsecondary school adult life.
 

Postsecondary Goal(s)

Document the student’s desired postsecondary goals in the applicable areas:

• Employment (required)
• Training and/or Education (at least one required)
• Independent Living, as appropriate

Course of Study

The IEP Team must consider the following question when developing the student’s Course of Study – Does the Course of Study align with the student’s post school goals?
The student is to be enrolled in courses that will prepare him/her for a career or postsecondary education in the selected career cluster. For each career within the identified cluster there is a program of study approved by the Maryland Board of Education.
For students working toward a Maryland High School Certificate of Program Completion the appropriate Functional and Skill Development Activities are to be selected as the Course of Study. The “Functional Skill” Course of Study determination must be based on the student’s needs and must be consistent with the goals. Services and activities in IEP. The following are other options that may be considered and identified by the IEP Team based on the students needs and program:

• A student working toward a Certificate of Program Completion has both a Career Cluster and a Functional and Skill Development Activity chosen
• A student working toward a Maryland High School Diploma has both a Career Cluster and a Functional and Skill Development Activity chosen
• A student working toward a Certificate of Program has only a career cluster chosen.

Document Basis of Decision(s) (required)
A required text field for an IEP team to provide additional information to document the basis of the IEP team’s decision. If addressed properly, documentation will meet requirements of prior written notice (PWN), in accordance with 34 C.F.R. §300.503 and COMAR 13A.05.01.12, PWN includes:

• A description of the action proposed or refused;
• An explanation of why the public agency proposes or refuses to take the action;
• A description of the options the public agency considered and the reason the options were rejected;
• A description of each assessment procedure, test, record, or report the public agency uses as a basis for the proposal or refusal;
• A description of any other factors relevant to the proposed or refused action;
• A list of sources a parent may contact to obtain assistance in understanding the provisions of IDEA; and
• If an action proposed by a public agency also requires parental consent, a public agency may provide notice at the same time it requests consent.

[20 U.S.C §1415; 34 C.F.R. §300.503; COMAR 13A.05.01.12]

Projected Category of Exit

Category from which you project a student 14 years or older will exit school. This data is only reported in the annual October Child Count.

Categories:

• Exit with a Maryland High School Diploma
• Exit with a Maryland High School Certificate of Program Completion at the end of the school year the student turns 21
• Exit with a Maryland High School Certificate of Program Completion prior to the end of the school year the student turns 21 (Parent and student choice)

Projected Date of Exit

The date you project that a student 14 years or older will exit school.

Format: Month/Year

NOTE:
Although the IEP team may be projecting a date of exit anywhere from four to seven years into the future of the student’s educational career, this shall be reviewed annually with the review of the student’s progress toward meeting the Maryland high school graduation requirements. Based upon the annual review of the student’s performance the IEP team may change this date, as appropriate. Please refer to graduation plan information.

Transfer of Rights at the Age of Majority,if applicable

IDEA requires that at least one (1) year prior to reaching age 18, the student with a disability be informed of his or her rights under IDEA which will transfer to him/her at age 18, if any, in accordance with State law.
In Maryland, IDEA rights DO NOT do not transfer for students with disabilities, except under limited circumstances. In certain limited circumstances, all rights accorded to the parents under IDEA shall transfer to a student with a disability. This transfer occurs when the student reaches the age of 18 years, if the student has not been adjudged incompetent under State law and there is documentation that:

• The parents are unavailable or unknown, and the student requests that the parental rights be transferred to the student rather than have a parent surrogate appointed;
• The parents have not participated in the special education decision making process for the student after repeated attempts by the public agency to involve the parents over the previous year;
• The parents have affirmatively rejected participation in the special education decision making process;
• The parents cannot participate in the special education decision making process due to prolonged hospitalization, institutionalization, or serious illness or infirmity of one or both of the parents and the parents have consented to the transfer of rights to the student;
• The parents cannot participate in the special education decision making process due to extraordinary circumstances beyond their control, and the parents have consented to the transfer of rights to the student; or
• The student is living outside of the parents' home and is not in the care or custody of another public agency.

If the parents of a student with a disability, with whom the student resides, do not consent to the transfer of rights to the student at the age of 18, and the student has not been adjudged incompetent under State law, either party may file for due process to determine whether the rights should be transferred.

If a parent surrogate in accordance with federal and State laws and regulations has represented a student with a disability, the public agency shall provide any written notice required under federal and State laws and regulations to both the student and parent surrogate. All other rights afforded the parent surrogate under IDEA shall transfer to the student if the student has not been adjudged incompetent under State law and the student requests that the rights transfer to the student.
[Education Article §8-412.1, Annotated Code of Maryland]

Transition Activities

Transition services are coordinated set of activities for a student with a disability that is designed within a results oriented process that is to facilitate the student’s movement from secondary school to postsecondary activities to support the student’s postsecondary goal. This may include ongoing activities. Transition services should be comprehensive and well coordinated. When appropriate, a student's program should include both instruction (school-based activities) and community experiences (community-based activities).

The IEP in effect when the student with a disability turns 14 years of age and all subsequent IEPs, must consider the need and identify transition services/activities to support the student’s postsecondary goal. These services/activities include:

• Academic
• Employment Training
• Activities of Daily Living
• Independent Living
• Transportation
 

Transition Services/Activities

This text field provides the IEP team space to describe any services or linkages that participating agencies have agreed to provide.

All students receiving special education and related services, the IEP in effect when the student turns 14 years of age and all subsequent IEPs must consider the need for transition services.

• Academic
• Employment Training
• Activities of Daily Living
• Independent Living
• Transportation

NOTE:

It is recommended that, at a minimum, at least one measurable annual goal is included in the students IEP to address Academic or Employment skills based upon the student’s desired postsecondary goal. Some students, as appropriate, may require specific skills training in the areas of Activities of Daily Living, Independent Living or Transportation.

Annual date student and parent were provided a copy of the Transition Planning Guide

Agency Linkage

If appropriate, was the student referred to the appropriate agency/agencies for transition and/or postsecondary services? Also was a representative from the agency/agencies invited to the IEP Team meeting, at which post school outcomes were discussed?

Documentation of that referral shall be maintained in the student’s cumulative record.

Agency Linkage section has been redesigned to include radio buttons to indicated whether the student has been:

(1) referred to a particular agency,
(2) an agency representative has been invited to the IEP team meeting, and
(3) whether services from any agency are anticipated for transition.

In the first two areas, an answer of “No”, or “N/A” will prompt the user for further explanation. The further explanation is to be recorded in the “If No or N/A, document basis for decision” narrative box.

The following are examples of further explanations for not referring a student to any participating agency.

• The student is not the eligible age for a referral
• The IEP Team has determined that that the student is not eligible for services based on the referral protocol for that agency.
• The student and parent do not want services
• The student and parent will do a self referral so the IEP team does not have to make the referral
• The student is already a client of the agency
• The student does meet financial eligibility for services

The following are examples of further explanations for not inviting an agency representative to the IEP Team meeting.

• The student and parent do not want services
• The IEP Team has determined that that the student is not eligible for services based on the referral protocol for that agency.

The following are examples of further explanation for selecting “N/A” for Agency Representative invite.

• The student is not the correct age based upon the referral protocol for the agency
• The student is already a client of the agency and there is no need to invite a representative

The third area for consideration is anticipated services for transition. This radio button is where the IEP team is to select the agency that they anticipate providing services during the first year that the student has exited school. The IEP team is to use the eligibility criteria listed in the “Transition Planning Guide” to determine the appropriate agency.

Added discussion field at the bottom of this page to give users a place to include other relevant decisions, discussions, explanations or information that may have contributed to the Transition decisions that have been made.