Maryland IEP Meeting for Transition Planning: What to Expect and How to Prepare

Transition Planning Lives or Dies in the IEP Meeting

Maryland's transition requirements — age-14 start, measurable postsecondary goals, agency linkages, diploma pathway decisions — all get implemented through the annual IEP meeting. If the meeting doesn't address transition meaningfully, the plan on paper stays on paper. The meeting is where parents can push for specific services, ask uncomfortable questions about agency referrals, and ensure the IEP team is actually connecting the dots between school instruction and adult outcomes.

Who Should Be in the Room

For any IEP meeting where transition is on the agenda, the team should include:

• The student. Maryland law requires the student to be invited starting at age 14. Their preferences and interests drive the transition plan — not what the school finds convenient to offer.
• A general education teacher (if the student participates in any general education classes)
• A special education teacher who knows the student's current programming
• A school administrator authorized to commit resources
• The transition coordinator assigned by the school system
• DORS representative (with written parental consent to invite them) — especially from age 15 onward when Pre-ETS and vocational rehabilitation referrals are active
• DDA Coordinator of Community Services (with written parental consent) — particularly from age 18 onward when the waiver application timeline becomes active
• The parent

The DORS and DDA representatives won't appear unless specifically invited. The school needs signed parental consent to invite outside agency staff, and those consent forms need to be completed before the meeting — not at it. Ask the school to send you the consent forms in advance.

What the Meeting Must Cover

At every annual IEP review from age 14 forward, the team must address:

Transition assessment results. What do the most recent assessments reveal about the student's interests, strengths, and support needs? If assessments haven't been updated since last year, that's a problem worth raising.

Postsecondary goals. Are the measurable postsecondary goals in employment, education/training, and independent living still accurate, or do they need updating based on new assessment data or changed circumstances?

Course of study. Is the student's academic course load aligned with their postsecondary goals? A student headed for competitive employment in a technical field needs different coursework than one pursuing supported employment through a DDA provider.

Transition services. What specific services, activities, and experiences will the school provide this year to move the student toward their postsecondary goals? This includes DORS referrals, community-based instruction, work-based learning, and any agency linkages.

Agency linkages. Which outside agencies are listed as responsible for transition activities, and have they actually been contacted? An agency linkage in the IEP is a referral to authorize communication — it doesn't bind the agency to provide services. Verify that referrals have resulted in active enrollment, not just a checkbox on a form.

Graduation timeline. Is the student on track for a diploma or a Certificate of Program Completion? What's the expected exit year, and are adult services being activated in time?

How to Prepare

Come to the meeting with specific questions, not general concerns. Write them down and bring copies for the team:

• What transition assessments were conducted this year, and what did the results show?
• What DORS services is my child currently receiving, and what's the status of the VR referral?
• Has the DDA been contacted about my child's eligibility status and waiting list placement?
• What community-based instruction or work-based learning is scheduled for this year?
• Are we on track for the GTYI waiver application deadline?

If you have concerns about a specific service that wasn't delivered — the IEP said job shadowing twice monthly, but the student has never left the building — bring documentation. Dates, notes, communication logs.

After the Meeting

Review the written IEP document within a week of the meeting. Transition sections are sometimes left incomplete or filled with generic language that doesn't match what was discussed. If the document doesn't reflect the decisions made at the meeting, submit written corrections to the school and request a follow-up meeting to finalize.

Keep every IEP in a chronological file. When the student exits the school system, the accumulated transition sections across years of IEPs tell the story of what was planned, what was delivered, and what was missed — documentation that matters if compensatory services are ever on the table.

The Maryland IEP Transition to Adulthood Guide includes a meeting preparation checklist organized by the student's age and upcoming milestones, so parents walk into every annual review knowing exactly which transition actions should be on the agenda.

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