f you're a special educator or transition coordinator for high school students with disabilities, you play a critical role in empowering young people to achieve their goals and dreams. It's a complex and challenging job;and this introductory guide will help you every step of the way as you support students' successful transition to college, work, and community life. You'll get the howto guidance you need to master all the basics of transition planning and services, from assessing each learner's strengths and writing IEPs to evaluating student progress. Research-based strategies help you develop effective plans with confidence, and the reproducible checklists and forms keep critical information organized as you prepare each student for life beyond the classroom. A must-read for all transition coordinators#151;and any secondary educator with a role on the transition team this book is your essential guide to supporting successful, self-determined futures for all your students. PRACTICAL HELP IN EVERY CHAPTER: Getting started.For each major transition topic covered, you'll find a thorough introduction to the fundamentals, including definitions of key terms and concrete examples. Making it happen.Get in-depth guidance and practical strategies for creating and carrying out each step of an effective transition plan. What you can do right now.Put the ideas in each chapter into immediate action with quick tips, helpful forms, and a list of the best online resources. DISCOVER HOW TO:build a transition assessment toolkit • write transition IEPs with measurable goals; increase family and student involvement in transition planning; strengthen student self-determination; embed transition skills in core academic content; boost student engagement in school; create a quality career development program; prepare students for post-secondary education; teach independent living skills; enhance students' social skills; support participation in community experiences; promote inter-agency collaboration; evaluate student progress; and more. With practical checklists & forms: Skills and Knowledge Checklist for transition specialists; Self-determination forms for students and families; Helpful forms for your career development program; Ecological inventory and task analysis forms.

I'm responsible for transition planning ... now what do I do? -- Transition planning from compliance to quality -- Student-directed planning and involvement -- Family involvement: engaging families during transition -- Transition assessment: the cornerstone of transition planning -- School engagement: keeping all students in school -- Inclusion in general education: strategies for embedding transition into academic content -- Preparing for employment and career development -- Preparing for postsecondary education -- Preparing for independent living and inclusion -- Preparing for interpersonal engagement -- Working with outside agencies: implementing practices to promote interagency collaboration.