Transition + Job Skills Curriculum for Special Education, Grades 9-12

This is the big one. It's every transition and job skills resource I've built for high school special education, put together so you can teach the whole path from "what do I want to do after school?" to "I got the job, now how do I keep it?" without hunting for pieces.

I've spent 20+ years in education. The students I worry about most are the ones who leave school with a diploma or certificate and no idea how to read a job ad, fill out an application, or call in when they're sick. This bundle is built around those exact moments.

Part 1: Planning the transition

It starts with the Transition Assessment Mega Pack: an intake screen, an interest inventory, four short domain assessments, parent and staff input forms, a present levels template, goals banks, and a data tracker. The Secondary Transition FAQs give your IEP team plain answers about postsecondary goals and transition requirements. The SSI at 18 Mini-Guide helps families plan for the benefits changes that come at 18. Three one-page planning ladders cover the questions families ask most: How do I get there? Where will I live? Who do I call?

Part 2: Getting a job

Students learn to read real-looking help wanted ads for pay, hours, and requirements. They build a resume from a template, with three sample resumes and a brag sheet to pull strengths out of students who swear they don't have any. The Job Application Practice Pack has fill-in forms, the vocabulary that trips students up, and spot-the-mistake pages. Then the Job Interview Practice set gives you 36 question cards and a mock interview rubric so you can run practice interviews with real feedback.

Part 3: Keeping a job

This is where most transition materials stop, and where most of our students struggle. The Soft Skills Scenario Cards cover 40 workplace situations: running late, a coworker who isn't doing their share, taking correction from a boss. The Following Directions Task Cards build 1-, 2-, and 3-step direction following with a work mat. The communication scripts teach how to call in sick, text a supervisor, and send a short email. Job math covers reading a work schedule, counting hours on a time card, and reading a pay stub so students understand why their check is smaller than they expected.

Part 4: Data and daily routines

The Task Analysis Data Sheets cover 20 life and job routines broken into steps, ready for IEP progress monitoring. The Life Skills Bell Ringers give you 60 short warm-ups on transition and career topics, so every class starts with something useful.

How to use it

• As a full-year job skills or career readiness course for a self-contained high school or 18-21 class

• As a semester elective for students in resource or co-taught settings

• As a homeschool life skills and career course for teens

• As a pull-from library: grab the piece that matches the IEP goal you're working on this month

Everything is printable and low-prep. Most sets follow the same pattern (words to know, guided practice, independent practice, a real-life task, answer key), so students learn the routine once and you spend your time teaching instead of explaining directions.

A note on pacing

You don't have to teach this in order. Most teachers I talk to start with Getting a Job in the fall, move to Keeping a Job in the spring, and use the planning pieces whenever an IEP comes up.

Who it's for

High school special education teachers, transition coordinators, job coaches, 18-21 program staff, CTE teachers with students on IEPs, and homeschool parents of teens who need direct teaching of work skills.

Educational resource only. Benefits and adult services information is US-based and varies by state. Follow your state and district procedures.

Contents

• Transition Assessment Mega Pack (27 pp)

• Secondary Transition FAQs for IEP Teams

• SSI at 18 Mini-Guide

• Self-Advocacy Communication Cards (Hand This Page + wallet card)

• How Do I Get There? Transportation ride plan

• Where Will I Live? Housing options

• Who Do I Call? Adult services phone map

• Life Skills Bell Ringers (60 warm-ups, slide deck)

• Reading Job Ads task cards + worksheets

• High School Resume Builder (template, 3 sample resumes, brag sheet)

• Job Application Practice Pack

• Job Interview Practice (36 question cards + mock interview rubric)

• Soft Skills Scenario Cards (40 situations)

• Following Directions Task Cards (1, 2 and 3 step)

• Calling In Sick, Texting + Emailing the Boss scripts

• Work Schedules + Time Cards math

• Reading a Pay Stub (gross vs net)

• Task Analysis Data Sheets (20 life and job routines)