Under both the Rehabilitation Act and the Individuals with Disabilities Act of 2004, “transition services” are defined as a coordinated set of activities for a student, designed within a results-oriented process, focused on improving academic and functional achievement to facilitate movement from school to post-school activities, including any of the following:
- Employment (including supported employment)
- Post-secondary education
- Vocational training
- Continuing and adult education
- Adult services
- Independent living
- Community participation
IDEA contains detailed requirements for planning the education of individual students including specific instruction for the development of the Individualized Education Program (IEP). Beginning with the first IEP developed when the child is age 15, but no later than the end of 9th grade, the IEP must include measurable post-secondary goals based on age appropriate transition assessments, statements of specific transition services, including interagency linkages.