NH Transition IEP Goal Examples: Measurable Postsecondary Goals That Pass

The number one reason transition IEPs fail Indicator 13 compliance reviews isn't missing paperwork. It's vague goals. A measurable postsecondary goal tells you exactly what the student plans to do after school — and you can verify whether it happened. An unmeasurable goal is a sentence that sounds like planning but commits to nothing.

What Makes a Postsecondary Goal Measurable

A compliant measurable postsecondary goal has three characteristics:

1. It describes life after school, not something happening during school
2. It's specific enough to verify — you can check whether it happened
3. It's supported by assessment data documented in the IEP

The IEP must contain at least one postsecondary goal in each applicable domain: education/training, employment, and (where appropriate) independent living.

Noncompliant vs. Compliant Goal Examples

Employment Goals

❌ Noncompliant: "After graduation, the student will explore career options." Why it fails: "Explore" is not measurable. You can't verify whether someone explored something. There's no defined outcome.

✅ Compliant: "Within one year of school exit, the student will obtain competitive integrated employment in the food service industry, working at least 15 hours per week, with the support of a VR New Hampshire job coach." Why it works: Specific industry, specific hours, specific support, and a clear verification point (employed or not).

✅ Compliant: "Upon exiting school, the student will be enrolled in a supported employment program through their BDS Area Agency, with an employment goal of working in retail or warehouse settings." Why it works: Names the service system, identifies the employment sector, and describes a verifiable enrollment.

Education/Training Goals

❌ Noncompliant: "The student will continue their education after high school." Why it fails: What education? Where? Doing what? This commits to nothing.

✅ Compliant: "Within six months of school exit, the student will enroll in the Culinary Arts certificate program at a Community College System of New Hampshire (CCSNH) campus, with disability accommodations registered through the college's accessibility office." Why it works: Names the program, the system, the timeline, and the accommodation step.

✅ Compliant: "After school exit, the student will complete a vocational training program in computer repair through Easterseals New Hampshire, using adaptive tools identified in their VR New Hampshire IPE." Why it works: Specific program, specific provider, specific supports.

Independent Living Goals

❌ Noncompliant: "The student will live independently." Why it fails: "Independently" is undefined. Does that mean alone? With support? In what setting?

✅ Compliant: "Within one year of school exit, the student will reside in a supported community apartment coordinated through their BDS Area Agency, managing daily self-care routines (meal preparation, laundry, personal hygiene) with no more than weekly staff check-ins." Why it works: Defines the living arrangement, the support level, and the specific functional skills being measured.

✅ Compliant: "After exiting school, the student will use public transportation independently to travel between their residence and workplace, completing a minimum of 3 round trips per week without adult support." Why it works: Observable, countable, and tied to functional independence.

How Annual IEP Goals Connect

Postsecondary goals describe the destination. Annual IEP goals are the steps taken during school to support the student's transition service needs and progress toward those postsecondary goals.

Example connection:

• Postsecondary goal: "The student will obtain competitive employment in food service, working at least 15 hours per week."
• Annual IEP goal: "By the end of this IEP period, the student will complete three supervised work-based learning experiences in food service environments, demonstrating food safety compliance and time management with 80% accuracy across all placements."

The annual goal is measurable during school (three placements, 80% accuracy). The postsecondary goal is measurable after school (employed, 15+ hours).

Common Mistakes NH Families Should Watch For

Goals that describe school activities, not post-school outcomes: "The student will participate in a community-based instruction program" is a school service, not a postsecondary goal.

Goals without assessment support: If the IEP team writes an employment goal in retail but the only assessment data is a reading test, the connection between data and goal is missing.

Missing domains: If the student needs independent living supports, the IEP must include an independent living postsecondary goal. Teams sometimes skip this domain because it's technically optional — but "optional" only means "when appropriate," not "when convenient to omit."

Generic goals copied across students: If every student in the district has the same transition goals, that's a compliance red flag. Goals should be individualized, based on the specific student's assessments, interests, and circumstances.

The New Hampshire IEP Transition to Adulthood Guide provides a full set of goal-writing templates mapped to each postsecondary domain, with examples calibrated to New Hampshire's agency landscape — VR New Hampshire, BDS Area Agencies, and CCSNH programs. The guide's IEP meeting prep worksheet helps you evaluate your child's current goals against Indicator 13 requirements before the meeting starts.

See more New Hampshire guides →