Vermont Transition IEP Goals: Planning for Life After High School

Transition planning is where the IEP system either sets a young person up for adult independence — or fails them at the most critical moment. Vermont has specific requirements for when transition planning must begin, what it must include, and which agencies must be involved. For parents, understanding the transition IEP is as important as understanding any other phase of the special education process.

When Transition Planning Must Begin in Vermont

Under Vermont Rule 2360 (aligned with IDEA), transition planning must be incorporated into the student's IEP by the first IEP in effect when the student turns 16. This means if your child turns 16 during the school year, the IEP in effect at the start of that year — even if it was written before the birthday — must include a transition plan.

Many Vermont best-practice guidelines recommend beginning informal transition discussions at age 14, while formal transition IEP requirements kick in at 16. Earlier is better. Transition goals take years to work toward, and a 16-year-old who hasn't been building vocational, academic, and independent living skills will have less runway than one who began at 14.

What Vermont's Transition Plan Must Include

A compliant Vermont transition IEP must contain:

Measurable postsecondary goals in at least three domains:

1. Postsecondary education or vocational training (Will the student attend community college? A trade program? Supported employment?)
2. Employment (What type of work? What environment? What level of support?)
3. Independent living skills (when appropriate — not all students require specific independent living goals, but many do)

These goals must be based on age-appropriate transition assessments — formal and informal tools that measure the student's strengths, preferences, interests, and needs in relation to adult life. A transition plan built on teacher guesses rather than actual assessment data is not compliant.

A course of study aligned with the postsecondary goals — meaning the classes the student takes in high school should logically connect to where they're headed after graduation.

Transition services — activities that build the skills needed to reach the postsecondary goals, which may include:

• Career exploration and job shadowing
• Vocational training or work-based learning experiences
• College preparation coursework or dual enrollment
• Independent living skills instruction
• Community agency connections

Agency coordination — if outside agencies (like Vermont Division of Vocational Rehabilitation) will be providing services after graduation, they must be invited to the transition IEP meeting.

Measurable Transition Goals: What They Look Like

Transition goals must be measurable, not just directional. Here are examples:

Postsecondary education goal: "Following graduation from [School], [Student] will enroll in the Computer Technology program at Community College of Vermont, accessing disability services and using self-advocacy skills to request accommodations."

Employment goal: "Following graduation, [Student] will obtain and maintain part-time employment (20+ hours per week) in a retail or food service setting with job coaching support through [Vermont agency] for the first 6 months."

Independent living goal: "Following graduation, [Student] will independently manage a weekly budget, including tracking expenses and making planned purchases, with monthly check-in support from a developmental services agency."

Notice that each goal describes what the student will do after high school — not what they'll do during high school. The IEP's annual goals for the current year should then be the stepping stones toward those postsecondary outcomes.

Vermont VocRehab: The Critical Connection

Vermont's Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (VocRehab) is the primary state agency supporting young people with disabilities in their transition to employment and postsecondary education. VocRehab should be invited to the IEP meeting by the time a student is 15-16, even if formal services won't begin until closer to graduation.

VocRehab can provide:

• Career assessments and exploration
• Pre-employment transition services (Pre-ETS) available to students with IEPs ages 16-21 — including job exploration, work-based learning experiences, counseling on enrollment in comprehensive transition programs at postsecondary institutions, workplace readiness training, and instruction in self-advocacy
• Vocational training funding, job placement, and follow-along support post-graduation

Pre-ETS are available at no cost and don't require a full VocRehab application. Contact VocRehab early — Vermont's rural geography means waitlists can be real, and the counselor who will serve your area needs time to build a relationship.

Vermont-Specific Considerations: Town Tuitioning and Independent Schools

Vermont's town tuitioning system creates a unique transition complexity. Some students with IEPs attend independent schools (private schools) paid for by their public school district under Vermont's tuitioning rules. Following recent changes under Act 73, approved independent schools accepting public tuition funds must accept students with disabilities and provide necessary special education services.

For transition-age students at independent schools: the sending public school district retains legal responsibility for FAPE, including the transition components of the IEP. If the independent school's transition programming doesn't align with the student's IEP, the district — not the independent school — is accountable.

Vermont I-Team for Complex Transition Planning

For students with intensive support needs — complex autism profiles, multiple disabilities, students who will need lifelong supported employment or residential supports — the Vermont I-Team at UVM's Center on Disability and Community Inclusion can provide specialized technical assistance to IEP teams around transition planning. Contact [email protected] or (800) 770-6103.

Vermont Diplomas and Graduation

Vermont does not offer a special education diploma. All students work toward a regular high school diploma. However, IEPs can include individualized graduation requirements through personalized learning plans, allowing students to demonstrate proficiency in modified ways outlined in the IEP.

The shift from IEP services to adult services at graduation is an abrupt one. Services through Vermont's adult developmental disabilities system are not entitlements — unlike IDEA, which guarantees services, adult services are based on eligibility and available funding. Start connecting with developmental service agencies (Designated Agencies by county, like the Howard Center in Chittenden County) well before graduation. Waitlists are common.

The Parent's Role in Transition

As students approach transition age, their role in IEP meetings should increase. Vermont's transition requirements emphasize student participation — ideally, the student attends and even leads portions of their own IEP meeting, building the self-advocacy skills they'll need in adult life.

You still have the same parent rights during the transition period. But start helping your child develop their own voice: what do they want for their adult life? What are they interested in? What do they need to get there? Those answers — in the student's own words — should drive the transition IEP.

The Vermont IEP & 504 Blueprint covers Vermont's transition requirements, the VocRehab connection process, and tools for age-appropriate transition assessments used in Vermont schools.

See more United States homeschool guides →