Indicator 13 transition compliance checklist

By the IEP Atlas editorial teamLast updated November 1, 2026

Short answer

Indicator 13 is the state performance measure that checks whether IEPs for students 16 and older contain the required transition parts: measurable postsecondary goals based on transition assessment and updated yearly, transition services including a course of study, related annual goals, and evidence the student and any agency were invited. Use the checklist below before, during and after each transition IEP meeting.

Every state reports to the U.S. Department of Education on a set of special education indicators. Indicator 13 looks at secondary transition. A state reviews a sample of IEPs for students age 16 and above and counts the share that contain every required transition part. The parts come straight from the federal rules on IEP content and team membership.^[1]^[2]

Most states use a checklist built on one that the federal transition technical assistance center developed, now kept by NTACT:C.^[6] States adapt it, though: some review students from 14, some add items, and the scoring rules differ. Ask your state or district for its version, and use this page as a working checklist that matches the federal parts. For what each part should look like in a good plan, see transition planning in the IEP.

What Indicator 13 checks, in plain words

Item	The question a reviewer asks
1	Are there measurable postsecondary goals for education or training and for employment, and for independent living where needed?
2	Were the postsecondary goals updated in this year's IEP?
3	Is there evidence the goals came from age-appropriate transition assessment?
4	Are there transition services that could reasonably help the student reach each goal?
5	Do the transition services include a course of study?
6	Is there an annual IEP goal related to the student's transition service needs?
7	Is there evidence the student was invited to the meeting where transition was discussed?
8	If appropriate, is there evidence a representative of a participating agency was invited, with prior consent?

An IEP is compliant for the indicator only if every applicable item is yes. One missing piece makes the whole file a no.

Before the meeting

Print this section and work through it 4 to 6 weeks before the annual review.

Run the date. Check the annual review deadline in the IEP due date calculator. Reason: an expired IEP fails before content is even reviewed.
Add the student to the caseload tracker with the transition flag. Log the meeting date, the age of majority date and the exit year in the caseload tracker. Reason: the date-driven items (invitations, the one-year rights statement, the exit summary) are easy to miss across a full caseload.
Give at least one new transition assessment this year. Interview, inventory, situational assessment or checklist. Reason: items 2 and 3 need current data. See the transition assessments list.
Invite the student in writing. Reason: item 7 needs evidence. The notice must say the meeting will consider postsecondary goals and transition services and that the student is invited.^[3]
Decide whether an outside agency is likely to provide or pay for services. If yes, get written consent from the parent or adult student before inviting. Reason: item 8, and the consent is part of the requirement. See inviting vocational rehabilitation to the IEP.
Name any invited agency in the meeting notice. Reason: the notice rule covers agencies too.
Prepare the student. Review their goals and interests with them. Reason: if the student does not attend, the team must still take other steps to consider their preferences and interests.^[2]
Check the age of majority date. If the student reaches it within 1 year of the IEP's end, plan the rights statement. Reason: a separate required part of the IEP; see the age of majority notice.

During the meeting

Write postsecondary goals for education or training and for employment. Add independent living when assessment shows a need. Reason: item 1. Each goal should name an outcome after high school that can be observed. See postsecondary goals examples.
Name the assessments the goals came from, with dates. Reason: item 3. "Based on assessment" without naming one usually fails.
List transition services for each postsecondary goal. Include who is responsible and when. Reason: item 4. See transition services and activities examples.
Write the course of study. Multi-year, tied to the goals. Reason: item 5. See course of study examples.
Link at least one annual goal to each area of transition need. Reason: item 6. Reviewers look for an obvious connection between the annual goal and a postsecondary goal. The transition goal library has templates.
Record who attended, including the student and agency staff. Reason: supports items 7 and 8 alongside the invitations.
Record the rights statement if the age of majority is within 1 year. Reason: required IEP content.

After the meeting

File copies of the student invitation and agency invitation with consent. Reason: reviewers look for evidence in the file, not memory.
Check the finalized IEP against items 1 to 8. Have a colleague check one in five files. Reason: errors creep in during data entry.
Update the caseload tracker. Mark next year's assessment month, invitation dates and the age of majority notice date. Reason: the clock starts again.
Follow up on agency commitments. If an agency does not provide an agreed service, reconvene the team.^[4] Reason: it keeps item 4 true in practice, not just on paper.
In the exit year, start the summary of performance. Reason: required when eligibility ends at graduation with a regular diploma or at the age limit.^[5] See the summary of performance template.

What to do when an item is missing

Missing	What to do
Postsecondary goal for employment	Give a quick interest interview and add the goal by an IEP amendment, with parent agreement or a meeting as your state allows
Goals not updated this year	Review them with the student and family and amend; even unchanged goals should show they were reviewed
No assessment named	Give an assessment now, then amend the plan to name it and its result
Services that do not match a goal	Add at least one service per goal through an amendment
No course of study	Add a multi-year statement linked to the goals
No transition-related annual goal	Draft one and amend; check the draft in the goal checker
No student invitation in the file	You cannot fix the past meeting. Invite in writing for every future meeting and note it in your process.
Agency invited without consent	Stop sharing information with the agency until consent is in place, and document the correction

Amendment rules differ by state. Some allow changes without a meeting when the parent agrees in writing. Check your district's procedure.

The case manager checklist covers the rest of the IEP. For a fully worked plan that passes every item, see the transition plan IEP example.

Frequently asked questions

What is Indicator 13 in special education?

Indicator 13 is one of the measures each state reports in its State Performance Plan and Annual Performance Report. It counts the share of IEPs for students 16 and older that include all required transition parts, from measurable postsecondary goals to evidence the student was invited.

Do all states use the same Indicator 13 checklist?

No. Most states build on a checklist first developed by the federal transition technical assistance center, but they adapt it. Some start reviewing at age 14, add items or score differently. Use your state's version for any official review.

Does passing Indicator 13 mean the transition plan is good?

Not necessarily. The indicator checks that each required part is present. A plan can pass and still be thin. Strong plans also show goals the student helped write, specific services and annual goals that clearly build the skills each postsecondary goal needs.

Use it in IEP Atlas

Sources

34 CFR §300.320: Definition of individualized education program, Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School
34 CFR §300.321: IEP Team, U.S. Department of Education (IDEA website)
34 CFR §300.322: Parent participation, U.S. Department of Education (IDEA website)
34 CFR §300.324: Development, review, and revision of IEP, Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School
34 CFR §300.305: Additional requirements for evaluations and reevaluations, U.S. Department of Education (IDEA website)
National Technical Assistance Center on Transition: The Collaborative, NTACT:C

Written and checked by the IEP Atlas editorial team under our editorial policy. This guide describes general practice and federal rules. It is not legal advice; your state may add requirements, and the IEP team makes the decisions for each student.