Transition & Postsecondary Skills IEP goals for Emotional or Behavioral Disability
96 transition & postsecondary skills templates across 9 skills: self-determination, transition-related skills, job seeking & applications, career exploration, vocational & work readiness, postsecondary education readiness, independent living, community access & travel, personal finance & money management. Each opens in the builder with a matching data sheet.
96 templates · 9 skills · 3–5, 6–8, 9–12 · How we write and review goals
Top skills
The 8 most relevant skills, with sample goals. Numbers are illustrative; set targets from the student's own baseline.
Self-Determination Transition & Postsecondary Skills
Set a personal goal with an action plan
Setting a personal goal and action plan
By the annual IEP review date, during a goal-planning conference with the case manager, using a blank goal plan sheet, the student will write a personal goal with an action plan that lists steps, dates and a way to check progress independently, earning a score of at least 8 out of 10 on a 5-row goal plan rubric (0 to 2 per row), on 3 consecutive goal plans, as measured by a defined scoring rubric collected monthly, at each new goal plan.
Revise the plan when a goal stalls
Adjusting an action plan
By the annual IEP review date, at a planned goal review where the student's own data show the goal is behind schedule, the student will name one barrier and change one step, date or support in the action plan independently in at least 4 of 5 opportunities, across 2 consecutive grading periods, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected at each goal review, at least twice monthly.
Transition-Related Skills Transition & Postsecondary Skills
Complete a job-match reflection after an interest inventory
Connecting interests to jobs
By the annual IEP review date, after completing a career interest inventory and exploring a matched job profile, the student will complete a job-match reflection sheet independently, earning a score of at least 6 out of 8 on a 4-row job-match reflection rubric (0–2 per row), on 3 consecutive job-match reflections, as measured by a defined scoring rubric collected every two weeks.
Meet workplace expectations during a school-based job
Workplace behaviors during a school job
By the annual IEP review date, during a 30-minute school-based job, such as shelving library books or collecting recycling, the student will complete the assigned job shift while following the posted work expectations with end-of-shift feedback only, earning a score of at least 10 out of 12 on a 4-row workplace behavior rubric (0–3 per row), on 3 of 4 consecutive scored shifts, as measured by a defined scoring rubric collected weekly.
Job Seeking & Applications Transition & Postsecondary Skills
Find job postings that match own needs
Finding job postings
By the annual IEP review date, given a job search website on a classroom device and own job search criteria (job type, hours, travel distance), the student will search for jobs that meet own criteria and save the matching postings, performing at least 7 of 8 steps independently, on 3 consecutive search sessions, as measured by a task-analysis checklist collected weekly during the job search unit.
Prepare a reference list with permission
References
By the annual IEP review date, given a reference list template and a list of adults who know the student's work, such as a teacher, coach or work-based learning supervisor, the student will ask possible references for permission and complete the reference list with their correct contact details, performing at least 6 of 7 steps independently, on 2 consecutive list updates, as measured by a task-analysis checklist collected each semester and before each application round.
Career Exploration Transition & Postsecondary Skills
Explain own interest inventory results
Interest inventory results explained
By the annual IEP review date, after completing a career interest inventory, given the results page and a results summary sheet, the student will complete the results summary with own top interest areas, a job from each and whether the results fit independently, earning a score of at least 7 out of 8 on a 4-row interest results rubric (0 to 2 per row), on 2 consecutive inventories or summaries, as measured by a defined scoring rubric collected after each inventory, about each semester.
Match own interests to a career cluster
Matching interests to career clusters
By the annual IEP review date, given own interest inventory results or hobby list and a career cluster guide, the student will choose a career cluster that fits own interests, list jobs in it and explain the match independently, earning a score of at least 7 out of 8 on a 4-row interest matching rubric (0 to 2 per row), on 3 consecutive matching sheets, as measured by a defined scoring rubric collected every two weeks.
Vocational & Work Readiness Transition & Postsecondary Skills
Continue working on a job task without prompts
Sustained work
By the annual IEP review date, during a work period at a familiar task station with a supervisor in the room but not at the station, the student will independently continue working on the assigned task without a supervisor prompt for at least 20 minutes, on 4 of 5 consecutive work periods, as measured by duration recording collected at each work period (at least three per week).
Accept corrective feedback and fix the work
Responding to feedback
By the annual IEP review date, when the supervisor points out an error and states how to fix it during a school-based job, the student will acknowledge the feedback and redo the work as directed independently in at least 4 of 5 opportunities, across 3 consecutive data collection periods, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected at each correction, summarized every five.
Postsecondary Education Readiness Transition & Postsecondary Skills
Manage the steps of a college application
Applications and admissions steps
By the annual IEP review date, during the fall of senior year, given the application requirements of the colleges or programs the student chose and an application checklist, the student will complete each step of the application process by its deadline and confirm the application is complete, performing at least 7 of 8 steps independently, on 2 consecutive applications, as measured by a task-analysis checklist collected weekly during application season.
Explain own summary of performance
Reviewing own summary of performance
By the annual IEP review date, during an exit planning session, given a draft of own summary of performance, the student will explain each section of the summary of performance in own words and say whether it fits own experience independently in at least 4 of 5 opportunities, across 2 consecutive review sessions, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected at each exit planning session.
Independent Living Transition & Postsecondary Skills
Clean the kitchen after cooking a meal
Dishes and kitchen cleanup
By the annual IEP review date, after cooking a meal in the training apartment kitchen, with cleaning spray, cloths, and a broom, the student will clean the kitchen until it matches the after-cooking photo, performing at least 8 of 9 steps independently, on 3 consecutive cooking sessions, as measured by a task-analysis checklist collected at every cooking session.
Clean a bathroom using a checklist
Cleaning a living space
By the annual IEP review date, in the training apartment bathroom, with gloves, a toilet brush, labeled cleaners, and cloths, the student will clean the bathroom following the checklist, performing at least 8 of 10 steps independently, on 3 consecutive weekly cleanings, as measured by a task-analysis checklist collected weekly.
Community Access & Travel Transition & Postsecondary Skills
Wait in line with a waiting plan
Waiting in public
By the annual IEP review date, while waiting in line at a store, pharmacy, post office, or cafe on a community trip, the student will wait in place in line using the waiting plan until it is their turn independently for at least 8 minutes, on 4 of 5 community trips, as measured by duration recording collected on each community trip with a line.
Work a volunteer shift at a community site
Community volunteering
By the annual IEP review date, during a weekly volunteer shift at a community site (a food pantry, animal shelter, thrift store, library), with the site's volunteer supervisor, the student will complete the volunteer shift from sign-in to sign-out, performing at least 7 of 8 steps independently, on 4 consecutive shifts, as measured by a task-analysis checklist collected at each shift.
All 9 skills
Every skill with goals for this group, by area. The number is how many of its goals are tagged here.
Self-determination, career exploration, employment, postsecondary education, independent living, and community access for students 14 to 21. Goals under Emotional Disturbance (called Emotional or Behavioral Disability in many states) describe what the student will do instead of the behavior of concern, and they are measured with frequency, duration, or opportunity data that a behavior plan can share. A replacement behavior goal is only as good as the definition of the behavior being counted.
Matching data sheets
Each goal above links to the blank sheet built for its measure. These are the sheets this set of goals uses:
- Rubric trackerScores each rubric criterion and totals the score for each sample.Used by 34 goals here
- Opportunity trackerRecords each opportunity as independent, prompted, or not demonstrated.Used by 28 goals here
- Task-analysis checklistMarks each step of a routine as independent, with support, or not completed across sessions.Used by 21 goals here
- Accuracy trackerNumber correct out of number attempted, with percent accuracy and support level.Used by 8 goals here
- Duration trackerTimes how long a behavior lasts and compares it with the target duration.Used by 2 goals here
- Frequency & rate trackerCounts a defined behavior during a fixed observation period. Calculates rate when time is recorded.Used by 2 goals here
- Latency trackerTimes the gap between a cue and the start of the response.Used by 1 goal here
Frequently asked questions
What is a replacement behavior goal?
A goal that teaches a specific, acceptable behavior that serves the same function as the behavior of concern, such as requesting a break instead of leaving the room. The goal measures the replacement behavior increasing, and a separate measure can track the original behavior decreasing.
Should the IEP goal match the behavior intervention plan?
They should use the same behavior definitions and the same data. The BIP describes the supports and responses; the IEP goal states the measurable outcome. If they drift apart, the data stops being useful for either.
What transition goals fit students with emotional or behavioral disability?
Career exploration, job seeking, postsecondary education, independent living, personal finance, community access, and self-determination goals, chosen from age-appropriate transition assessments and the student's own goals. Each annual goal should build toward a measurable postsecondary goal.
How are transition goals measured?
With task-analysis steps for routines like applications and bus routes, rubrics for products like resumes and career profiles, and opportunities for skills practiced in the community. The disability informs supports, not the measure.
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