DC Transition IEP Goals: RSA Pre-ETS, Project SEARCH, and What Starts at Age 14

Most families with a 14-year-old in DC schools don't realize that the IEP should already include a transition section — with specific goals about post-secondary education, employment, and independent living. By federal law, transition planning begins at age 16. DC started it at age 14 because waiting two years in a city where 19% of 8th graders have IEPs, and where youth unemployment and disconnection rates are high, was producing consistently poor outcomes.

What DC Requires for Transition at Age 14

Under 5-A DCMR and DC's transition policy framework, the IEP for any student aged 14 or older must include a transition section that addresses:

1. Post-secondary education or training — realistic plans for what comes after secondary school (community college, 4-year college, trade/vocational program, supported employment, or supported community living, depending on the student's goals and needs)
2. Employment — goals and services related to career exploration, work experience, and job skills
3. Independent living skills — where relevant to the student's disability and anticipated adult life (transportation, self-care, money management, health management, community navigation)

The transition section must be based on age-appropriate transition assessments — formal or informal evaluations documenting the student's interests, preferences, strengths, and needs in the transition domains. A transition section written without any assessment basis is not compliant.

The student must be invited to any IEP meeting where transition is discussed. Their voice and stated preferences must be reflected in the transition goals — not overridden by what adults think is realistic. If your child has not been attending IEP meetings, the transition section is a reason to start.

RSA Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS)

DC's Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) provides Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS) to students with disabilities starting in the last two years of secondary school. These services are funded separately from the IEP budget and available to any student with a disability — they do not require an RSA case to be open.

The five Pre-ETS activities:

1. Job exploration counseling — information about occupations, career pathways, and labor market realities
2. Work-based learning experiences — internships, job shadows, community-based work
3. Post-secondary education counseling — information about college access, disability services, and campus supports
4. Workplace readiness training — soft skills: communication, reliability, workplace norms
5. Self-advocacy instruction — understanding disability rights, communicating accommodation needs, participating in one's own IEP

RSA Pre-ETS is accessed through coordination between the school and RSA. The IEP can reference RSA Pre-ETS services as coordinated activities even though RSA (not the LEA) funds them. If the IEP team has never discussed RSA Pre-ETS for your 14- or 15-year-old with a disability, ask specifically why it hasn't been considered.

Project SEARCH DC

Project SEARCH is an immersive internship program for students with significant disabilities in their last year of school eligibility (ages 18–21 in DC, where FAPE extends through the school year a student turns 22). DC has Project SEARCH sites at two major institutions:

• Smithsonian Institution — interns rotate through departments within one of the world's largest museum complexes
• National Institutes of Health (NIH) — interns rotate through departments in one of the country's leading biomedical research agencies

Project SEARCH combines classroom instruction, soft skills development, and real-world work experience with the goal of competitive integrated employment after the program. Admission is competitive and requires referral through the DCPS transition process and RSA coordination.

If your child is approaching age 18 with an IEP and significant support needs, Project SEARCH should be on the table as a potential IEP transition service. Raise it explicitly at the IEP meeting and request that the team document how the student will be evaluated for eligibility and what the referral pathway looks like.

What Transition IEP Goals Should Actually Look Like

Transition goals must meet the same measurability standard as all IEP goals. "Will explore career options" is not a measurable transition goal.

Employment:

• "By [date], [student] will complete 60 hours of paid or unpaid work-based learning at an approved community employer, demonstrating consistent attendance (4 of 5 scheduled days per week) and task completion at the employer's expected standard, as documented by employer and job coach reports."
• "By [date], [student] will identify 3 career pathways aligned to their stated interest areas, describe the required education or training for each, and develop a written action plan for one priority pathway, as measured by written portfolio artifact."

Post-secondary education:

• "By [date], [student] will complete and submit applications to 2 post-secondary programs (college, trade school, or supported employment program), including collecting required documentation and writing the personal statement, as measured by application submission records."
• "By [date], [student] will independently navigate the disability services intake process at one post-secondary institution, including submitting required documentation and requesting specific accommodations, as measured by disability services confirmation letter."

Independent living:

• "By [date], [student] will independently plan and execute a round-trip commute via DC Metrobus or Metrorail to a designated community destination without assistance, on 3 of 4 consecutive trials."
• "By [date], [student] will demonstrate the ability to manage a weekly personal budget (income, fixed expenses, discretionary spending) using a provided template, making no errors greater than $5 across 4 consecutive weekly reviews."

Self-advocacy:

• "By [date], [student] will verbally describe their 3 primary IEP-identified disability-related needs and the corresponding accommodations to an unfamiliar adult, without prompting, across 3 of 4 role-play practice sessions."

Interagency Coordination: What DC Schools Are Supposed to Do

DC's transition IEP is not supposed to exist in a silo. DCPS's transition framework involves coordination with:

• RSA for Pre-ETS and vocational rehabilitation services
• DC Department on Disability Services (DDS) for students who will need adult services including supported employment or residential supports after school
• DC Department of Behavioral Health (DBH) for students with mental health-related support needs

If these agencies should be involved in your child's transition but no one has raised the issue, you can request it at the IEP meeting. Request that the team invite an RSA counselor or DDS representative to the next IEP meeting. Failure to coordinate interagency services can leave a student without continuity of support the moment they age out of school.

The District of Columbia IEP & 504 Blueprint includes a DC transition checklist, age-14 transition goal examples by domain, and guidance on the RSA Pre-ETS referral process and Project SEARCH eligibility pathway.

For a general overview of transition IEP goals, see our transition IEP goals guide.

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