Measurable Postsecondary Goals Alabama IEP

What Alabama Requires

Every Alabama IEP with a transition component must include measurable postsecondary goals in at least two areas: postsecondary education or training, and employment. A third area — independent living — is required "where appropriate," which in practice means most students with significant support needs should have goals in all three.

These goals must be grounded in age-appropriate transition assessment data. Alabama's rules are clear that the IEP team can't rely solely on basic interest surveys — the assessments must evaluate academic achievement, adaptive behaviors, functional vocational skills, and daily living capabilities. The assessment data feeds into the Present Levels of Academic Achievement and Functional Performance (PLAAFP), which establishes the baseline for goal-writing.

The Difference Between Annual Goals and Postsecondary Goals

This is where many IEP teams get confused. Annual goals describe what the student will accomplish this school year — they're short-term and measurable against specific benchmarks. Postsecondary goals describe what the student plans to do after high school — they're outcome-oriented and point toward adult life.

A postsecondary goal answers: "After high school, the student will…" An annual goal answers: "By the end of this IEP period, the student will…"

Both must be measurable. "The student will explore career options" is not measurable. "After high school, the student will obtain competitive integrated employment in a healthcare setting" is measurable — you can verify whether it happened.

Writing Goals That Actually Work

Postsecondary education or training: "After high school, the student will enroll in the welding technology program at Shelton State Community College." This is specific, verifiable, and grounded in the student's interest and assessment data. Compare it to the generic version — "The student will attend college" — which tells the IEP team nothing about what services, courses, or accommodations to plan for.

Employment: "After high school, the student will obtain supported competitive employment in a food service or retail setting with the support of an ADRS-funded job coach." This goal connects directly to the transition services the IEP team needs to coordinate — specifically, the ADRS referral for Vocational Rehabilitation and the Individualized Plan for Employment.

Independent living: "After high school, the student will manage their own daily schedule, medication, and household tasks with the support of a community living aide funded through the Living at Home Waiver." This goal ties the IEP's independent living instruction to the specific adult service the student will transition into.

Connecting Goals to the Course of Study

Alabama requires that the course of study — the sequence of classes the student takes through high school — be aligned with their postsecondary goals. This is where the diploma pathway becomes operational.

A student whose postsecondary goal involves competitive employment in a technical field should have a course of study that includes Career and Technical Education (CTE) courses aligned with that field. A student whose goal involves community college should have courses that prepare them for the placement tests and academic expectations they'll encounter.

For students on the Essentials Pathway, the course of study includes Career Preparedness and 140 hours of work experience. For AAS Pathway students, it follows the Alabama Extended Standards with functional academics and life-skills development. In both cases, the course of study should map directly to the postsecondary goals — if the goals say "supported employment in a grocery setting," the work experience hours should include placements in retail or food service environments.

What Happens When Goals Are Too Vague

Vague postsecondary goals create a chain of problems. If the postsecondary goal doesn't specify a direction, the annual goals won't target the right skills. If the annual goals aren't targeted, the transition services won't be coordinated with the right agencies. And if the agency referrals are generic, the student exits school without an actionable plan.

Alabama requires annual review of the transition plan, with progress reports sent to parents. At each review, the IEP team should ask: Are the postsecondary goals still accurate? Has the student's interest or ability data changed? Are the annual goals producing measurable progress toward the postsecondary outcome?

If the answer to any of those is no, the goals need to be rewritten — not carried forward unchanged for another year.

Getting It Right From the Start

The Alabama IEP Transition to Adulthood Guide includes worksheets for drafting postsecondary goals that connect assessment data to specific outcomes, with examples for each diploma pathway and templates the IEP team can customize at the annual review.

See more Alabama guides →