Measurable Postsecondary Goals Examples for Minnesota IEP Transition Plans

The transition IEP meeting ends and you get the draft goals. "Student will pursue employment after graduation." "Student will explore postsecondary education options." These are not measurable postsecondary goals. They're placeholders — vague enough to survive a compliance check but useless for actually preparing your child for adult life.

Minnesota requires measurable postsecondary goals (MPSGs) in at least two domains (employment and postsecondary education/training), with independent living goals added when appropriate. The goals must be based on age-appropriate transition assessments and must drive the IEP's annual goals, services, and course of study. If the MPSGs are generic, everything downstream — the services grid, the VRS coordination, the course selections — is disconnected from your child's actual future.

What Makes a Goal Measurable

A measurable postsecondary goal describes a specific outcome the student will achieve after leaving high school. "Measurable" means you can determine whether it happened: the student either reached the outcome or didn't. There's no room for interpretation.

The formula: After high school, [student] will [specific action] in [specific setting/context].

Weak goal: "Student will be employed after high school." Strong goal: "After completing high school, Jayden will work at least 15 hours per week in a food service or hospitality position with job coaching support from VRS."

The strong version tells you exactly what success looks like — the type of work, the minimum hours, the support structure. It's grounded in the student's actual interests (identified through transition assessments), realistic given their current functioning, and connected to a specific agency (VRS) for coordination of potential support.

Employment MPSGs

Employment goals should reflect the student's assessed career interests, functional capacity, and the level of support they'll need. Examples tied to real Minnesota transition resources:

For a student heading into competitive employment with support: "After leaving high school, Amira will work at least 20 hours per week in an office or retail environment, using accommodations identified through her VRS Individualized Plan for Employment and receiving initial job coaching through DEED-VRS."

For a student heading into customized employment: "After completing transition programming, Marcus will work in a customized position developed with a job developer through VRS, performing tasks matched to his visual-spatial strengths for a minimum of 10 hours per week."

For a student exploring employment through Pre-ETS first: "After exiting school services, Sophia will participate in a supported employment program coordinated through her county DD waiver case manager, building on work-based learning experiences completed during Pre-ETS in grades 10-12."

Each of these names the employment type, the expected intensity, and the service or agency connection. They're grounded in what the student is already doing during transition.

Postsecondary Education and Training MPSGs

Education goals range from four-year college enrollment to short-term certificate programs to adult basic education:

For a college-bound student: "After graduating, Elena will enroll full-time in a two-year associate degree program in graphic design at a Minnesota state college, using disability services accommodations."

For a student pursuing vocational training: "After completing high school, Deven will enroll in a welding certification program at a Minnesota technical college, receiving study skills support through the college's disability services office."

For a student needing continuing education support: "After leaving the school system, Kai will participate in an adult basic education program through their county to develop functional literacy skills needed for independent living."

Independent Living MPSGs

Independent living goals are required "where appropriate" — the transition assessment should determine whether the student needs them. These cover the practical skills of adult daily life:

Housing: "After leaving school services, Tanya will live in a staffed community residential setting funded through her CADI waiver, managing her personal space and daily schedule with support from residential staff."

Daily living skills: "After completing transition programming, Jaylen will independently manage personal hygiene, meal preparation, and laundry in his supported apartment, with weekly check-ins from his county case manager."

Community participation: "After exiting school, Mia will independently use Metro Transit to access at least two community activities per week, using the travel training skills developed during her 18-22 transition program."

Financial management: "After leaving school services, Carlos will manage his SSI income and ABLE account with monthly support from his designated supporter under a supported decision-making agreement."

The Connection Between MPSGs and the Services Grid

Measurable goals without corresponding services are aspirational statements, not actionable plans. Every MPSG should have matching entries in the IEP services grid that show:

• What transition service or related service supports this goal (e.g., work-based learning 5 hrs/week, travel training 2 hrs/week, community-based instruction 3 hrs/week)
• Who is responsible (school transition coordinator, VRS counselor, county case manager)
• When it happens (specific school year, semester, or transition program phase)

If the IEP has a goal about competitive employment but the services grid shows no work-based learning, no Pre-ETS participation, and no VRS referral, the goal is unsupported. Request that the IEP team add specific services to support each MPSG.

What to Do When Goals Are Generic

If your child's IEP comes back with template-style goals that don't reflect their actual interests, assessments, or functioning level:

1. Request a comprehensive transition evaluation covering all five Minnesota domains: employment, postsecondary education/training, home living, community participation, and recreation/leisure
2. Ask for the assessment data that drives each goal — if the school can't point to specific assessment results supporting a goal, the goal isn't properly grounded
3. Propose specific alternatives using the examples above as models
4. Connect goals to real agencies — VRS, SSB, county services, college disability offices — so the IEP creates accountability beyond the school

The Minnesota IEP Transition to Adulthood Guide includes goal-writing worksheets that walk families through drafting measurable postsecondary goals based on their student's transition assessment results and connecting each goal to specific services and agencies.

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