After High School Roadmap

For families and transition coordinators

Plan the road after high school. Start before 16.

After High School Roadmap explains transition planning for students with IEPs, ages 14 to 21: the goals, the assessments, the agencies, and the legal changes at 18, with the federal rule behind each step stated plainly.

See the timelineAll 30 guides

The road in seven stops

Each stop is a group of guides. Follow them in order, or jump to the one that matches where your family is today.

  1. 14 to 16

    Ages 14 to 16

    Starting the conversation: what transition planning is, when it begins, and how a student can start speaking for themselves.

    5 guides. Open this stop

  2. 16 to 18

    Ages 16 to 18

    Writing measurable postsecondary goals, choosing courses, and preparing for transition meetings.

    6 guides. Open this stop

  3. 18 to 22

    After graduation

    The summary of performance, diploma and certificate questions, services past 18, and health care.

    4 guides. Open this stop

  4. Work

    Work and training

    Vocational rehabilitation, pre-employment transition services, work experience, and supported employment.

    4 guides. Open this stop

  5. College

    College and programs

    How rights change after high school, how to ask for accommodations, and what documentation colleges look for.

    3 guides. Open this stop

  6. Daily life

    Living and community

    Community-based instruction, independent living, money, and travel skills, written as goals a team can measure.

    4 guides. Open this stop

  7. At 18

    Legal topics overview

    Age of majority, guardianship and supported decision-making, SSI, and Medicaid waivers, at the level of a first orientation.

    4 guides. Open this stop

Start with the question on your mind

Pick the line that sounds like your last conversation about the future.

What exactly is a transition plan?The pieces the federal rule asks for, in plain words.My child is 14. Is that too early?When the federal rule applies, and why many teams start sooner.What should the goals even say?Measurable goals for training, education, and work, with invented examples.Who helps with jobs after school?How vocational rehabilitation fits in and how to find your state office.College is the plan. What changes?How to ask a college disability office for support.What happens when my child turns 18?The rule on transfer of rights, and where state law decides.

Recently updated

Each guide is re-read against its sources on a schedule. The date on a guide is the last time we did.

Legal topics overview

Age of Majority and the IEP: A First Orientation

What age of majority means for special education rights, what the IEP must say a year before, and the kinds of decision-making supports to learn about.

9 min read, updated October 23, 2026Ages 14 to 16

Age-Appropriate Transition Assessments, Explained

What a transition assessment is, how formal and informal tools differ, how teams choose among them, and how the results turn into postsecondary goals.

9 min read, updated October 23, 2026Ages 16 to 18

Are Your Transition Goals Measurable? A Five-Question Test

A five-question test for whether a postsecondary goal is measurable, the sentence formula many states teach, and how annual goals and services connect.

9 min read, updated October 23, 2026Living and community

Community-Based Instruction, Explained

What community-based instruction is, where it fits in the transition services the federal rule describes, what it looks like, and what to ask the school.

8 min read, updated October 23, 2026Ages 16 to 18

Course of Study in a Transition IEP: What It Means

What the course of study part of a transition IEP is, how it links classes to postsecondary goals, an invented four-year example, and what to check.

9 min read, updated October 23, 2026After graduation

Diploma or Certificate? Graduation Options Overview

How a regular diploma, a certificate, and other exit options differ for a student with an IEP, what ends and what continues, and what to ask the team.

9 min read, updated October 23, 2026

How we work

Maps, not promises

Every state runs its own agencies, deadlines, and definitions. We explain what the federal rule says, show a way to organize the work, and say plainly where the answer depends on where you live and who your child's team is.

How we review Our sources

  • Timelines and checklists first, with short examples labeled as invented.
  • No student names, ever. Do not send us documents about your child.
  • State differences are flagged, not guessed. Money amounts and eligibility cutoffs are left to the official agency pages.
  • Nothing here is legal, financial, benefits, or educational advice.

Words you will hear

A few of the terms that come up most. The full glossary has the rest.

Age of majority
The age at which a person is legally an adult under state law, usually 18.
Postsecondary goals
Measurable goals for what the student wants to do after high school, in training, education, employment, and, where appropriate, independent living.
Pre-ETS
Pre-employment transition services: services for students with disabilities that prepare them for work, offered through the vocational rehabilitation system.
Summary of performance
A document the school gives a student who is leaving special education by graduating or aging out.
Transition services
A coordinated set of activities that helps a student move from school to adult life.
Vocational rehabilitation
A state and federal program that helps people with disabilities prepare for, find, and keep work.