Tips

All Tuesday Tips

Various transition assessments, Person-Centered Planning models, and other frameworks can help educators support students during their transition to adulthood. One helpful resource in this area is the LifeCourse Framework.

The LifeCourse Framework can help people of all ages think about what they want their life to look like and identify the supports, skills, and experiences needed to get there. It emphasizes that every person, regardless of disability, background, or circumstance, has skills and abilities shaped by daily experiences, environments, and opportunities. For educators, this perspective encourages a shift from focusing solely on academic performance to understanding the broader context of a student’s life.

A key element of the LifeCourse approach is the idea of trajectories or the paths students are currently on and the paths they want to be on. When educators intentionally design learning experiences that nudge students toward positive trajectories, they help students build the confidence, skills, and networks needed for long-term success. This might involve exposing students to early career exploration, integrating real-world problem-solving into lessons, or helping students reflect on how their choices today influence their future options.

Another powerful component is the use of LifeCourse tools such as the Trajectory Worksheets and the Integrated Supports Star. These tools help students articulate their goals, identify what is working or not working in their lives, and map out the supports they need. When educators use these tools in classrooms or transition planning meetings, they empower students to take ownership of their futures. This builds self-determination, one of the strongest predictors of positive postsecondary outcomes.

For educators ready to explore the framework more deeply, the LifeCourse Nexus offers free tools, examples, and training materials that can be used in classrooms and transition programs. You can explore these resources on the LifeCourse Tools website.

Bonus Tips:

In the new year, we remain committed to providing robust support through professional development and technical assistance, including:

  • Explore the new and improved Transition Miniseries. This 7-course miniseries is a free online training from INSTRC. Each course is designed to help you become more familiar with the components of the cyclical planning process and support you as you create quality Transition IEPs and Portfolios with your students. Register today.
  • Enroll in the Transition Educators Facilitating Employment course. A 10-week, comprehensive online training that gives educators, specialists, Pre-ETS providers, transition coordinators, and other professionals the foundation, techniques, and effective strategies necessary for successful adult vocational transition. Register today.
  • Join Virtual Open Office Hours every Thursday from 2:30 to 4:30 PM Eastern Time. During these sessions, you can speak with subject matter experts in dedicated breakout rooms. Our staff can address inquiries concerning transition portfolios, Individualized Education Programs (IEPs), Social Security Work Incentives, Vocational Rehabilitation, and other transition-related topics. To join, use the Zoom link.

CTE programs are an important bridge between high school, postsecondary education, industry, and workforce development. These programs can open doors to hands-on learning, industry-recognized skills, and meaningful employment opportunities. For students with disabilities, CTE can build confidence in specific skills, foster independence, enhance career exploration, and connect classroom learning to real work experiences and future careers.

Why it matters for students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs):

  • A multi-state study conducted in Indiana and Minnesota found that special education students who participated in CTE programs were more likely to become “concentrators,” those who complete multiple courses in a single career-oriented track. Those students also achieved higher employment rates within the first five years of graduation compared to their non-participating peers.
  • Research across Massachusetts, Tennessee, and Washington indicates that CTE concentration is linked to improved graduation rates. Furthermore, in most of these states, students who focused on CTE experienced higher employment rates one year after high school.
  • Another study confirms that students with IEPs who engage in CTE programs achieve better graduation, college enrollment, and employment outcomes than their peers who earn fewer CTE credits.

To ensure students find programs that support their long-term goals, educators should introduce CTE options early during transition planning. CTE programs are specifically designed to help students with disabilities achieve their IEP goals through tailored instruction. By earning microcredentials, students can formally demonstrate their proficiency, giving employers greater confidence in their technical skills.

CTE Pathways Microcredential Pilot Project

We invite you to pilot CTE microcredentials in Automotive Technology and Early Childhood Education. Additional programs in Culinary Arts and Hospitality will be available soon. These microcredentials validate skills students acquire through practical experience. They offer a portable, competency-based method for students to demonstrate their talents to future employers. This collaboration between special education and CTE programs ensures that all stakeholders succeed.

Interested in joining our pilot project or learning more? Email us today at instrc@iu.edu!

Supporting students with disabilities during the transition to adulthood is most effective when educators stay connected to high-quality resources and supports. National organizations offer tools that help teachers understand best practices in transition planning, from employment preparation to independent living skills. Explore the websites listed below for strategies, materials, and training opportunities that will strengthen your transition programming.

The resources below will also help you stay informed on evolving policies, supports, and inclusive postsecondary opportunities. Whether you are developing transition IEP goals, coordinating work-based learning, or helping students explore postsecondary options, these national agencies offer reliable guidance. Integrating these tools ensures that students with disabilities receive the support they need to thrive in adulthood.

The list below includes key agencies and online supports. Use it as a starting point to build your own teaching toolkit.

What happens when a student’s potential is primed to soar, but their home life lacks the support to achieve it? For students with disabilities, the lack of affordable technology and reliable internet creates more than just an inconvenience; it creates the special education homework gap. This is digital inequity in its rawest form. True digital equity means every student has the technology, high-speed access, and digital literacy required to participate fully in the classroom and beyond.

Since the end of the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) in 2024, this divide has only deepened, leaving our most vulnerable learners further behind.

The Digital Divide

The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Educational Technology identifies barriers, or divides, to equitable information and communication technologies (ICT). These barriers include:

  • Digital Use: refers to the disparity between students actively or passively using technology throughout the learning process.
  • Digital Design: refers to the often-inadequate ability of educators to design effective instruction and learning for students through the use of technology.
  • Digital Access: refers to reliable, affordable physical access, including knowledge use, to ICT.

There is no "quick fix" for systemic inequity, but the first step toward closing the gap is understanding its depth. We invite you to dive deeper into these digital barriers. By engaging in self-directed learning, we can begin to design new remedies that ensure no student is left offline and unheard.

Resources:

Bonus Tip:

Registration is now open for the 10-week Transition Educators Facilitating Employment course! This $250 online, self-paced training covers essential strategies for successful vocational transitions, including customized employment, marketing, and assistive technology. Ideal for educators, specialists, Pre-ETS providers, and transition coordinators, it provides the foundation needed for effective adult vocational support. Enroll today!

Celebrate 2026 by making transition fun for you and your students! One effective way to achieve this is by helping students set goals using LifeCourse Tools! The LifeCourse Framework provides a structured, person-centered way to help students and families plan for the future.

Why use LifeCourse Tools in your classroom or transition program?

  • They empower students to express their preferences and priorities, ensuring that goals align with what is most important to them.
  • They help students identify short-term goals and a plan to reach their long-term postsecondary goals across life domains like education, employment, and community living.
  • They provide visual tools. Reference the Exploring Life Domains, Person-Centered Portfolio, and the Integrated Supports Star to make planning interactive, easy to understand, and fun.

5 Tips for Effective LifeCourse Tool Implementation

  1. Pair the LifeCourse Tools with creative activities contributing to students’ transition portfolios, digital planners, or vision boards. This will keep students and their families motivated and engaged.
  2. Explore the Life Domains to get students thinking, families exploring, and educators bonding and connecting to activities with meaningful outcomes.
  3. Facilitate discussions to encourage students to share what’s important to and for them with their transition team.
  4. Break goals into actionable steps to help students choose one or two priorities for the next few months.
  5. Review progress regularly for transition check-ins, not just in IEP meetings.

As the year comes to a close, the Indiana Secondary Transition Resource Center sends warm wishes for a festive holiday season and a prosperous year.

Thank you for being a dedicated subscriber to Tuesday’s Transition Tips. We especially want to recognize the invaluable, hard work you perform every day to serve youth, students with disabilities, and their families. Your commitment is the foundation for the successful future of those you serve.

We look forward to connecting with you again in 2026!

Bonus Tips:

In the new year, we remain committed to providing robust support through professional development and technical assistance, including:

  • Explore the new and improved Transition Miniseries. This 7-course miniseries is a free online training from INSTRC. Each course is designed to help you become more familiar with the components of the cyclical planning process and support you as you create quality Transition IEPs and Portfolios with your students. Register today.
  • Enroll in the Transition Educators Facilitating Employment course. A 10-week, comprehensive online training that gives educators, specialists, Pre-ETS providers, transition coordinators, and other professionals the foundation, techniques, and effective strategies necessary for successful adult vocational transition. Register today.
  • Join Virtual Open Office Hours every Thursday from 2:30 to 4:30 PM Eastern Time. During these sessions, you can speak with subject matter experts in dedicated breakout rooms. Our staff can address inquiries concerning transition portfolios, Individualized Education Programs (IEPs), Social Security Work Incentives, Vocational Rehabilitation, and other transition-related topics. To join, use the Zoom link.

Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) can be a transformative tool to support students with disabilities as they prepare for life after high school. This continuum of interventions and supports can be especially beneficial for promoting soft skill development in adult environments, like Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS), work trials, and employment settings, where independence, emotional regulation, and social success are essential.

To ensure PBIS is implemented effectively during this critical transition period, educators can use the following strategies:

  1. Align Behavioral Expectations with Adult Outcomes
    Frame school-wide expectations (e.g., respect, responsibility, safety) in the context of adult environments like workplaces, college campuses, and community settings. Teach behaviors that directly support independence, self-determination, and employability.
  2. Individualize Supports Based on Transition Goals
    Use students’ IEP transition plans to guide behavioral instruction and reinforcement. For example, a student aiming for competitive employment may benefit from targeted support in punctuality, communication, and task persistence.
  3. Embed PBIS into Real-World Experiences
    Reinforce positive behaviors during community-based instruction, internships, and job shadowing. This helps students generalize skills across settings and see the relevance of school-based expectations.
  4. Use Meaningful Reinforcers
    Choose reinforcers that reflect adult life, such as increased autonomy, mentorship, or leadership opportunities, rather than traditional school-based rewards.
  5. Collaborate Across Systems
    Partner with families, adult service providers, and community organizations to ensure consistency in behavioral expectations and supports across environments.
  6. Monitor Progress and Adjust Supports
    Use data to track behavioral growth and make timely adjustments. Celebrate progress toward adult readiness, not just compliance.

By integrating these strategies, PBIS becomes a bridge to adulthood that empowers students with disabilities to thrive beyond high school.

Bonus Tips:

Ready to sharpen your skills in preparing students for a transition to the workplace? Enroll in Transition Educators Facilitating Employment, a comprehensive, 10-week online training beginning January 5, 2026.

This essential course is designed for educators, specialists, Pre-ETS providers, transition coordinators, and all related professionals ready to elevate their practice.

You will gain:

    • A strong foundation in adult vocational transition.
    • Proven techniques for effective job placement.
      • A strong foundation in adult vocational transition.
      • Proven techniques for effective job placement.

Cost: $250

Transform your approach to transition education, enroll today!

By now, everyone should know there are four domains in the transition portfolio. Similarly, there are four domains included in recognized High-Leverage Practices (HLPs) for special education professionals. HLPs are foundational practices and competencies that every educator should master and incorporate into their professional practice. Using HLPs optimizes educator readiness to meet the diverse needs of students, thus enhancing student outcomes.

The Four Domains:

a four-panel graphic with white outline icons and text on colored squares. The first blue square: icon of four hands meeting in the center. Text: Collaboration. The second orange square: icon of a gear atop a rising line graph with an arrow. Text: Data-Driven Planning. The third green square: icon of a teacher pointing to a whiteboard/easel. Text: Instruction in Behavior and Academics. The fourth red square: Icon of a clipboard with a checklist and a pen. Text: Intensify and Intervene as Needed.

HLPs Within Each Domain:

  1. Collaboration: Cooperating and partnering with general educators, paraprofessionals, support staff, and families.
  2. Data-Driven Planning: Using various assessment tools, interpret the results to identify student goals and design student-centered instruction.
  3. Instruction in Behavior and Academics: Developing and delivering instruction that more effectively manages student behavior and increases engagement by creating, practicing, and reinforcing clear expectations.
  4. Intensify and Intervene as Needed: Align instructional strategies and support methods with students’ academic and behavioral needs.

For more information and self-guided learning about HLPs, we invite you to explore the four resources listed below.

Resources:

Bonus Tips:

On Monday, December 15, 2025, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. ET at Easterseals Crossroads (4740 Kingsway Drive, Indianapolis), the Center on Community Living and Careers and Easterseals Crossroads will host A Place of My Own, a free session exploring residential options for individuals with disabilities. The program covers housing models, funding, regulations, workforce challenges, and intentional communities, and welcomes families, transition-age students, caregivers, and professionals.

James M. “Jim” McCarten, a special needs attorney specializing in SSI, Medicaid, and Special Needs Trusts, will lead the session. In-person seating is limited to 60 participants, and a virtual attendance option is available. Please help us spread the word! Share the registration information with families and colleagues.

As Thanksgiving approaches, it’s the perfect time to pause and reflect on the incredible dedication of our high school teachers, staff, and administrators. You are mentors, advocates, and champions for every student who walks through your doors.

You shape minds and futures with every lesson, every encouraging word, and every moment spent helping a student believe in themselves. Your work is not easy. It requires patience, creativity, resilience, and above all, heart. And yet, day after day, you show up with unwavering commitment to your students’ growth and success.

As educator Rita Pierson once said, “Every child deserves a champion—an adult who will never give up on them, who understands the power of connection and insists that they become the best that they can possibly be.” You are those champions!

To every teacher, staff, and administrator who has helped a struggling student, celebrated small victories, and who has believed in potential even when it wasn’t yet visible – thank you. Your impact is immeasurable, and your service is deeply appreciated. May this season remind you that your work is valuable, and your presence in our schools is a cherished gift that we appreciate.

Bonus Tips:

The Indiana Secondary Transition Resource Center (INSTRC) is excited to offer a new and improved Transition Miniseries. This free 7-course online training teaches transition professionals, teachers, and interagency teams the cyclical planning process for creating quality Transition IEPs and Portfolios. Schools, Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS), Vocational Rehabilitation, adult service agencies, families, and their community support systems are among the many who could find this information useful. Participants can complete the full series for up to 18 professional contact hours or take individual courses to enhance their skills.

Courses in the Transition Miniseries include:

  • Self-Determination in the Transition Process
  • The Transition IEP
  • Adult Services and Supports after High School

Register for one or all seven courses today!

We invite you to participate in Comprehensive Transition Open Office Hours every Thursday from 2:30 to 4:30 PM Eastern Time. During these sessions, you can speak with subject matter experts in dedicated breakout rooms. CCLC staff can address inquiries concerning transition portfolios, Individualized Education Programs (IEPs), Social Security Work Incentives, Vocational Rehabilitation, and other transition-related topics. To join, use the Zoom link.

A successful transition to adulthood requires students to practice self-advocacy and communication skills and utilize community resources and services with their families. These strategies help high school students build self-determination, resilience, and strong support networks for their future. As extended holiday breaks approach, we are reminded of the transitions students and families experience before graduation. These seasonal periods offer a S.M.A.R.T. opportunity to use transition strategies that alleviate stress and support mental health, behavioral adjustments, and environmental changes.

What is the S.M.A.R.T. Criteria?

S – Support Communication and Self-Advocacy

Encourage students to express their needs and emotions. Using tools like visual aids, communication apps, or guided conversations as needed. These skills are essential for navigating environments and relationships.

M – Monitor for Warning Signs

Watch for changes in behavior, mood, or engagement before extended school breaks. Early signs of distress, especially during high-stress times like the holidays, may warrant timely intervention.

A – Access Mental Health Resources

Proactively connect families to reliable resources such as:

These tools offer guidance on therapy, crisis support, and transition planning.

R – Reduce Pressure and Redefine Success

Create realistic academic and social expectations to minimize student overload before extended school breaks. Emphasize progress, connection, and well-being just before the holiday season.

T – Teach Coping Strategies

Introduce techniques like mindfulness, movement breaks, and sensory regulation. These strategies help students manage stress now and build resilience for adulthood.

Bonus Tips:

Want to better support your students as they prepare for a career after graduation? The CCLC Learning Academy offers 10 online courses, created by professionals with lived experience and over 70 years of combined expertise. All courses provide the deep understanding and practical applications needed to help people reach their vocational goals.

Join our upcoming cohort starting Monday, December 1.

  • Mental Health Series: Explores anxiety, bipolar, personality disorders, schizophrenia, and more.
  • Special Populations: Deep dive into Acquired Brain Injury, Autism, Substance Use Disorders, Trauma-Informed Care, and Formerly Incarcerated Individuals.
  • Online & Affordable: $75 per course, with professional development credits available.

These courses come with a certificate of completion, CRCs, PGPs, and more. Register for one or more courses today!