Transition Assessment + Family Guide Bundle for Special Education

Transition planning has two halves, and most of us only get handed one. The school side is the assessment, the present levels, and the postsecondary goals in the IEP. The family side is everything that happens around age 18: benefits, money rules, decision-making, adult services, and where a young adult is going to live. When those two halves don't talk to each other, families fall off what I call the transition cliff. This bundle puts both halves in one place so the case manager and the family are working from the same plan.

I've spent 20+ years in education, a lot of it with high school students and 18-21 programs. These are the forms and guides I built because I got tired of starting from a blank page every time a student turned 14, 16, or 18.

The school side: Transition Assessment Mega Pack

The Mega Pack is a complete, printable transition assessment system. You start with a one-page Intake Quick Screen for a new student on your caseload. It ends with a next-actions box so everyone on the team knows who is doing what and by when. From there, the Student Interest Inventory gets at likes, strengths, work interests, and the supports that actually help.

Then come four domain assessments: postsecondary education and training, employment readiness, independent living, and self-advocacy. Each one is short enough to give in a class period. Each one also lists alternate response modes, so a student who uses yes/no, choice boards, or a device can still take part. You also get a Parent/Family Input Form, a Teacher/Staff Input Checklist for gen ed teachers, job coaches, and related service staff, and a Community Agency Referral Checklist.

The back half of the pack turns all that data into IEP writing. There's a Present Levels Summary Template with fill-in stems, a Postsecondary Goals Bank with measurable goal stems, an Annual Goals and Objectives Bank organized by domain, and a data tracker you can copy into a spreadsheet. A Student One-Pager gives the student a voice at the meeting. A fully worked example follows one fictional student from the forms, to the summary, to the goals, so a new teacher can see what "done" looks like.

The family side: five mini-guides and a tear-out pack

The mini-guides are written for parents, in plain language, with checklists and trackers instead of walls of text. SSI at 18 walks through what changes when a student becomes an adult in the eyes of Social Security. ABLE Accounts explains the money rules and gives families a savings log. Guardianship and Decision-Making lays out the less restrictive options families should hear about before they go to court. VR and Pre-ETS explains vocational rehabilitation and the pre-employment services students can start while still in school. HCBS Waivers and Aging Out covers Medicaid waiver programs, why waiting lists matter, and a housing ladder from living at home to living more independently.

The Printable Tear-Out Pack collects the checklists and letter templates by age so a family can pull one page at a time and stick it on the fridge.

How teachers and families use it

• Case managers run the screen and inventory in the fall, then use the goals banks to write the transition section before the annual review.

• Transition coordinators hand families the right mini-guide before the meeting, not after, so the conversation is about choices instead of surprises.

• 18-21 program staff use the domain assessments to update goals each year and the tear-out checklists to keep families on track.

• Homeschool families of teens with disabilities can use the whole set as a planning binder.

Why it's built this way

Everything is printable and low-prep. The forms use the same layout from page to page, so students and staff learn the routine once. Guides are written at a reading level families can use, and nothing assumes you have a transition specialist down the hall.

What's included (132 pages total, PDF)

• Transition Assessment Mega Pack (27 pages)

• SSI at 18 Mini-Guide

• ABLE Accounts Mini-Guide

• Guardianship and Decision-Making Mini-Guide

• VR and Pre-ETS Mini-Guide

• HCBS Waivers and Aging Out Mini-Guide

• The Transition Map Printable Tear-Out Pack: checklists and letters for ages 14-22

Please note: this is an educational resource, not legal or benefits advice. Rules for SSI, ABLE, guardianship, VR, and waivers are US-based and vary by state, so the guides tell families what to ask and who to call rather than promising an outcome. Always follow your state and district procedures.