Transition services and activities examples

By the IEP Atlas editorial teamLast updated November 1, 2026

Short answer

Transition services in the IEP are the activities the school and other agencies will provide this year to move the student toward their postsecondary goals. A strong entry names the activity, who is responsible, when it happens and which goal it serves. Example: case manager arranges 2 job shadows in health care by March, tied to the employment goal.

The federal definition calls transition services a coordinated set of activities that is results-oriented and based on the student's needs, strengths, preferences and interests. It lists the kinds of activities that count: instruction, related services, community experiences, development of employment and other adult living objectives, and, when appropriate, daily living skills and a functional vocational evaluation.^[1] The IEP must include the services needed to reach the postsecondary goals, updated each year.^[2]

In practice, this section is where many plans go thin. "Career exploration" written in a box tells nobody what to do. Below are 20 examples grouped by the categories in the definition, then weak and strong versions side by side. Names and dates are illustrations. For how services fit with goals and the course of study, see transition planning in the IEP.

The four parts of a strong entry

The activity. Specific enough that you could check whether it happened.
Who is responsible. A role, not "team." If another agency is responsible, name it.
When. A month, a quarter or a frequency.
Which postsecondary goal it serves. Education, employment or independent living.

A service is not a goal. Goals measure the student's skill. Services describe what adults will provide or arrange. The transition IEP goals examples page covers the goal side.

Instruction

1. Self-advocacy instruction. "Special education teacher will teach a 6-week unit on describing accommodations, in the resource period, October to November. Goal: education." Strong because it has a length, a setting and a content focus.
2. Study skills for college. "Resource teacher will teach note-taking from lectures and using a planner, 2 times a week, all year. Goal: education (community college)."
3. Financial literacy. "Student will take the personal finance elective in spring semester, with accommodations from the IEP. Goal: independent living." Strong because it uses a general education course rather than inventing a separate service.
4. Job-seeking skills. "Transition teacher will teach completing online applications and practice interviews, 1 period a week, January to May. Goal: employment." Teaching ideas are in teaching job interview skills.

5. Speech-language therapy for workplace communication. "SLP will address asking a supervisor for clarification, 30 minutes a week in the work setting, all year. Goal: employment." Strong because the service is delivered where the skill is used.
6. Occupational therapy for job tasks. "OT will evaluate and adapt tools for the student's school store job by October. Goal: employment."
7. Counseling on postsecondary options. "School counselor will meet with the student and family 3 times to compare community college programs, by February. Goal: education."
8. Orientation and mobility. "O&M specialist will teach the bus route to the work placement, weekly until the student travels it independently 5 days in a row. Goal: employment and independent living."

Community experiences

9. Job shadows. "Case manager will arrange 2 job shadows in veterinary settings by March. Student will write a reflection after each. Goal: employment." Strong because the student's role is stated too.
10. Community-based instruction. "Life skills teacher will provide weekly grocery shopping instruction at the local store using a task analysis, all year. Goal: independent living." See community-based instruction planning.
11. Campus visit. "Counselor will arrange a visit to the community college accessibility services office in April. Goal: education."
12. Volunteer work. "Student will volunteer 2 hours a week at the food bank, arranged by the transition coordinator, from February. Goal: employment."

Employment and adult living objectives

13. Work experience. "Transition coordinator will place the student in a paid or unpaid work experience for 10 hours a week in grade 12, with job coach support faded by the end of the first quarter. Goal: employment." For data on that job, see how to measure job skills.
14. Vocational rehabilitation referral. "Case manager will help the student and family apply to the state vocational rehabilitation agency by October of grade 11, with consent. Goal: employment." The steps are in inviting vocational rehabilitation to the IEP.
15. Pre-employment transition services. "State VR agency will provide workplace readiness training through its school-based program, spring semester, as agreed at the IEP meeting. Goal: employment." Strong because the outside agency is named as responsible.
16. Adult services application. "Case manager will give the family the application for the state developmental disability agency and help complete it by the student's 18th birthday. Goal: independent living."
17. Age of majority information. "Case manager will review the rights that transfer at the age of majority with the student and family at the meeting one year before. Goal: all." Details are in the age of majority notice.

Daily living skills and functional vocational evaluation

18. Cooking instruction. "Life skills teacher will teach preparing 5 simple meals, 3 times a week, all year. Goal: independent living." See life skills cooking activities.
19. Travel training. "Transition teacher will teach the route from home to the job site on public transit, 2 times a week until independent. Goal: employment and independent living." Goals are on the public transportation goals page.
20. Functional vocational evaluation. "Vocational evaluator will complete a situational assessment at 3 job sites by December. Goal: employment." Strong because the results will shape next year's employment goal.

Weak and strong versions side by side

Weak	Strong	Why
"Career exploration"	"Case manager arranges 2 job shadows in health care by March; student writes a reflection after each"	Activity, person, date, student role
"Contact adult agencies"	"Case manager helps the family apply to the state VR agency by October of grade 11, with consent"	Names the agency and the deadline
"Independent living skills"	"Life skills teacher teaches 5 simple meals, 3 times a week, all year"	Countable and checkable
"Student will get a job"	"Coordinator places student in a 10-hour-per-week work experience in grade 12, with job coach support faded by the end of quarter 1"	A service, not an outcome
"Family will research colleges"	"Counselor meets student and family 3 times by February to compare 2 programs"	School responsibility, with a count

When another agency does not follow through

If a participating agency other than the school fails to provide a transition service listed in the IEP, the school must reconvene the IEP team to find other ways to meet the objective.^[3] Record the agency's commitment clearly so the gap is visible at the next review.

For the skill goals that go beside these services, browse the transition goal library, including vocational skills and independent living. The transition services glossary entry has a short definition for families.

Frequently asked questions

What counts as a transition service in the IEP?

Any activity the school or another agency provides to help the student reach a postsecondary goal. The federal definition names instruction, related services, community experiences, employment and adult living objectives, and when appropriate daily living skills and a functional vocational evaluation.

How many transition services should an IEP list?

There is no set number. Each postsecondary goal should have at least one service that clearly supports it. Most plans have four to eight services a year. A short list of specific services is more useful than a long list of vague ones.

Can a family be listed as responsible for a transition service?

Families can agree to do things, such as visiting a campus, and some teams note that. The IEP should still name the services the school will provide or arrange, since the school is responsible for the IEP. Agencies other than the school can be named when they have agreed.

Use it in IEP Atlas

Sources

34 CFR §300.43: Transition services, Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School
34 CFR §300.320: Definition of individualized education program, Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School
34 CFR §300.324: Development, review, and revision of IEP, Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School
A Transition Guide to Postsecondary Education and Employment for Students and Youth with Disabilities (August 2020), U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services

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.