Transition services in Texas public schools are mandatory, individualized, and result-oriented, starting no later than age 14 (or younger if needed) to prepare students for life after high school. These services focus on postsecondary education, vocational training, integrated employment, and independent living.
The process is driven by the Admission, Review, and Dismissal (ARD) committee and requires a tailored plan, often incorporating the Texas Transition & Employment Guide.
Key aspects of transition in Texas include:
- Mandatory Age: Transition planning must be addressed in the Individualized Education Program (IEP) no later than a student’s 14th birthday.
- Key Focus Areas: Plans address postsecondary education, vocational training, integrated employment, independent living, and community participation.
- Components of the Plan: The IEP must include:
- Measurable Postsecondary Goals: Based on age-appropriate assessments.
- Course of Study: High school classes that align with goals.
- Coordinated Set of Activities: A “to-do” list for school, home, and community to reach goals.
- Student Involvement: Students should be actively involved in their ARD meetings to discuss their strengths, needs, and preferences.
- Support Resources: The Texas Education Agency (TEA) provides the Texas Transition and Employment Guide, which is available in multiple languages.
- SPEDTex offers resources to help families and educators with this process.
For more information, you can visit the Texas Transition & Employment Guide and/or Navigate Texas Life.
Support Resources
This transition and employment guide is for you, the student in Texas public school, who may have received special education services due to a disability. It also provides helpful information for your parents. This guide has steps you and your parents can take to make sure you are able to find the right work or educational choices for you after high school. It also tells you where to get the services you will need after high school.
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) are just two laws that help students with disabilities prepare for the transition from school to adult life, employment and independence. These laws are in place to ensure that services and supports for transitioning students with disabilities are coordinated among agencies to help the student move from school to post-school activities.
Local intellectual and developmental disability authorities (LIDDAs) serve as the point of entry for publicly funded intellectual and developmental disability (IDD) programs. They:
- provide or contract to provide an array of services and supports for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities;
- are responsible for enrolling eligible individuals into the following Medicaid programs:
- ICF/IID, which includes state-supported living centers
- are responsible for Permanency Planning for individuals under 22 years of age who live in an ICF/IID (immediate care facilities for individuals with intellectual disabilities), state-supported living center, or a residential setting of the HCS Program. Our local LIDDA: https://www.metrocareservices.org/