Indiana Transition IEP at Age 14: When Planning Must Start and What the CCC Covers

Most Indiana parents first hear the word "transition" dropped casually into a Case Conference Committee meeting when their child is 13 or 14 — and nobody explains what just changed. What changed is that Indiana law now requires the school to build an entirely different kind of IEP. Not just academic goals. A full plan for life after high school.

When the Transition Clock Starts

Under 511 IAC 7-43-4, transition planning must be in effect when a student enters ninth grade or turns 14, whichever happens first. That trigger is earlier than the federal IDEA floor of age 16, which means Indiana families need to be ready sooner than most national resources suggest.

The first transition Case Conference Committee (CCC) meeting is where the school is required to add specific elements to the IEP that weren't there before: age-appropriate transition assessments, measurable postsecondary goals, a course of study tied to a diploma pathway, and, with required written consent, invitations to representatives of outside agencies likely to provide or pay for transition services.

What Article 7 Requires in the Transition IEP

The Transition Individualized Education Program (TIEP) under Article 7 has four mandatory components:

Age-appropriate transition assessments. The school must evaluate the student's strengths, preferences, and interests across employment, education, and independent living domains. These assessments drive everything else — postsecondary goals that aren't grounded in documented assessment data don't meet the legal standard under 511 IAC 7-43-4(h)(1)(B).

Measurable postsecondary goals. The CCC must write goals for training, education, and employment — and, where appropriate, independent living. These aren't aspirational statements. Each goal needs to be measurable and directly connected to the assessment results.

A course of study. This section documents the classes and activities designed to help the student reach those postsecondary goals. It also formally records the student's diploma pathway: regular diploma, alternate diploma, or Certificate of Completion. That choice has major downstream consequences — a regular diploma terminates FAPE, while the other two credentials preserve eligibility for services through the school year of the student's 22nd birthday.

Outside agency coordination. Under 511 IAC 7-43-4(e)(2), the school must invite representatives from agencies likely to provide or pay for transition services — Vocational Rehabilitation, the Bureau of Disabilities Services, and similar organizations. The school needs written parental consent before sending those invitations.

What Parents Should Do Before the First Transition CCC

The CCC meeting is where the transition plan gets locked in for the year. Parents who walk in unprepared often discover months later that the plan doesn't actually connect to the services their child will need after school.

Before the meeting, request copies of whatever transition assessments the school has administered. If none have been done, ask when they will be completed — the school can't write compliant postsecondary goals without them. Review the diploma pathway options and understand what each one means for your child's continued eligibility for school-based services.

If your child might benefit from Pre-Employment Transition Services (available starting at age 14 through Indiana VR) or will eventually need a Medicaid waiver, the first CCC is the right time to get those conversations started. Waiver waitlists in Indiana run years long, and placement is determined by application date — families who apply to the BDS Gateway at 14 get in line years ahead of families who wait until high school exit.

The Indiana IEP Transition to Adulthood Guide walks through every element of the transition CCC with Indiana-specific timelines, the exact regulatory citations your school is required to follow, and worksheets for tracking each deadline from age 14 through 22.

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