A student's IEP has goals for college and for work. Under independent living, the box says, "N/A." His mother asks why. The teacher says the student is "high-functioning." The mother thinks about the evenings when her son cannot find his keys, forgets to take his medication, and sits in the dark rather than call a landlord. She wonders what "N/A" means.
Independent living is the part of transition planning about daily life: where a person lives, how they take care of themselves, and how they get through a week. The federal rule treats it differently from the other areas, which makes it the one most often left blank. This guide explains what the rule and two states say, shows how goals at different levels fit together, and suggests questions. It is general information, not legal advice.
What the rule and the states say
Section 300.320(b) requires measurable postsecondary goals related to training, education, employment, and, where appropriate, independent living skills. The phrase "where appropriate" gives teams room to decide.
States use it differently. North Dakota's Department of Public Instruction says goals are required in education, training, and employment, and that an independent living goal is optional and a decision of the IEP team, taking into account the student's present levels, strengths, preferences, and interests, and the environment the student will be moving into after leaving school. Connecticut's IEP manual says the postsecondary goals are required in education or training and in employment, and in independent living skills if the planning team determines it applies.
So "N/A" can be an honest conclusion for some students. It should come from a decision the team made and wrote down, and not from default. Ask why.
What independent living can cover
The rule does not list skills. These are common areas teams consider. They are suggestions, not a federal list.
| Area | Examples |
|---|---|
| Self-care | Personal hygiene, dressing, grooming |
| Home | Preparing meals, laundry, cleaning, household safety |
| Health | Taking medication, making appointments, knowing when to seek help. See health care transition checklist |
| Money | Budgeting, paying bills. See money management skills |
| Travel | Using public transit, walking safely, planning a route. See transportation skills |
| Communication | Using a phone, asking for help, explaining needs |
| Community | Shopping, using a library, attending events. See community-based instruction |
| Living situation | Living with family, a roommate, or in supported housing |
Goals at three levels
An example shows how the pieces fit. The student is Elena, who is seventeen. The details are invented.
| Level | Example |
|---|---|
| Postsecondary goal | After graduation, Elena will prepare her own evening meals at least four days a week |
| Annual goal | By the end of the year, given a recipe with pictures and a kitchen, Elena will prepare a three-step meal and clean up with no more than one verbal prompt, in four of five trials |
| Transition services | A cooking elective, weekly community-based shopping trips, practice at home, and a family kitchen checklist |
| Assessment basis | A family interview, an observation in the school kitchen, and an adaptive behavior scale |
The CPIR page says an annual goal should include a condition, a measurable behavior, criteria, and a timeframe, and that services should link to each postsecondary goal. The example above does both.
Strong and weak versions
| Weak | Strong |
|---|---|
| "Marcus wants to be independent." | "After graduation, Marcus will take his medication as prescribed using a phone reminder" |
| "Kim should learn to cook." | "After graduation, Kim will prepare her own breakfast and lunch on workdays" |
| "Lee will use the bus." | "After graduation, Lee will travel to work by bus without help" |
| "Dana likes the outdoors." | "After graduation, Dana will attend a weekly community recreation program" |
The CPIR page offers a parallel contrast: a goal about maintaining equipment by attending annual checkups is acceptable, while a statement that a student wants to hang out with friends is a wish, not an outcome. For the five-question test, see transition goals: a five-question test.
A skills inventory to use at home
Families often know more about daily skills than the school does. A short inventory can start the conversation. Mark each as independent, with reminders, with help, or not yet.
| Skill | Independent | With reminders | With help | Not yet |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Getting up and ready for the day | ||||
| Making a simple meal | ||||
| Doing laundry | ||||
| Keeping a room clean | ||||
| Taking medication | ||||
| Making a phone call | ||||
| Using a clock or phone for a schedule | ||||
| Handling money for a small purchase | ||||
| Using the bus or another travel option | ||||
| Staying safe at home alone for an hour |
Bring the filled-in page to the IEP meeting, with the date. Update it each term. It gives the team observations from home, and it shows which skills are growing.
Questions for the team
Where the student will live matters
The skills that matter depend on the setting. A student who plans to live with family may need a different set of skills than one who plans to share an apartment, and a student who will live in supported housing may need yet another. Ask the student, early and often, what living arrangement they imagine. Visit a few kinds of settings if you can, such as a group home, a supported apartment program, or a shared apartment for adults, and talk with people who live there. Notes from those visits belong in the transition assessment, and they help the team write goals that fit. Preferences can change, so check each year.
Practice at home
Home is the best place to practice independent living, because the tasks are real. Pick one skill a month. Break it into steps, show the steps once, let the student do them, and step back. Use a checklist with pictures if words are hard. Praise specific actions, such as "you remembered to rinse the pan." Keep a short log of what the student does without help. That log is useful at the next IEP meeting, where the team can compare it with what the student does at school. If a skill does not carry over from school to home, or from home to school, that gap is worth discussing, and the team can adjust the instruction.
Supports that are not a failure
Needing support does not mean a goal is too high. Many adults use reminders, apps, checklists, and helpers. A goal can be written to include the support: "After graduation, Marcus will take his medication as prescribed using a phone reminder" already contains the support. Writing the tool into the goal also helps the team teach the student to use it. If the student will rely on a support such as a visual schedule or an alarm, practice with it in school and at home, so it is familiar by graduation.
Independent living slips
- Leaving the area blank without a reason. Ask for the team's decision in writing.
- Writing "independence" as a goal. It must describe what the student will do.
- Teaching only in the classroom. Skills need practice where they are used.
- Ignoring the setting. The right skills depend on where the student will live.
- Skipping the home view. Families see skills the school does not.
Terms are in the glossary.