If You Don’t Name the Goals, You Can’t Make a Plan
Why IEP Teams Must Start with Postsecondary Goals—And What Happens When We Don’t
I recently read a 20-page transition assessment that, on the surface, seemed to be very comprehensive. There were multiple assessments across the key areas of transition planning, including several life skills and self-determination checklists. Parents, teachers, and the student each completed multiple assessment activities. The evaluator spent time with the student across two days, including carefully observing them in the classroom setting. The report was detailed, thorough, clearly took a lot of work, and captured a lot of important information about the student.
But when I finished reading, I was left disappointed: after 20 pages, I had no idea what the student wanted to do after high school.
Nowhere in the entire report was there a clearly stated postsecondary goal for education or employment. There were three inconsistent statements about the student’s interest in college. And there was almost no information about their goals for independent living or community engagement—and no synthesis of the data collected. It was essentially a very long description of what the student can and cannot do—but it didn’t connect those details to the student’s hopes and dreams for the future or offer a meaningful plan that would support the student’s progress. And that’s the problem.
Because transition assessment isn’t just about gathering data on the student’s strengths, preferences, interests, and needs—even though those are a key part of the process. The purpose of transition assessment is to determine the student’s postsecondary goals. It’s about figuring out where a student is headed and how to help them get there. If we skip the step of clearly identifying what the student expects to do after high school—if we don’t take time to name and define their postsecondary goals—then we’ve missed the point of transition assessment.
What Is a Postsecondary Goal, and Why Does It Matter?
Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), every student with an IEP must have measurable postsecondary goals in the areas of education or training, employment, and, when appropriate, independent living. These goals are not just vague hopes or general intentions—they are concrete, outcome-oriented statements that describe what the student will actually do after leaving high school. That means the activities they’ll engage in, the roles they’ll occupy, and the behaviors or skills they’ll be using in real-world settings. And just as importantly, these goals must be based on age-appropriate transition assessments that reflect the student’s own strengths, interests, preferences, and vision for their future.
For example:
After high school, Amanda will attend a two-year college to study culinary arts.
After graduation, Malik will work part-time at a local auto body shop with support from a job coach.
After exiting school, Emily will live in a supported apartment with a roommate and participate in a community-based day program.
Every IEP team should be asking questions like: What does this student want their adult life to look like? What do they want to do for further education or training? What kind of job or career path makes sense for them? What kind of living situation do they envision, and how do they hope to participate in their community? These are the kinds of questions that help define meaningful postsecondary goals—and they’re essential for developing a plan that is truly individualized.
Postsecondary goals are not the same as annual IEP goals. Annual goals are designed to be achieved within the span of one year; postsecondary goals are meant to help us understand what success will look like for a student once they’ve left the school system altogether. These goals guide the direction of services and instruction as well as the student’s course of study throughout the remainder of a student’s IEP eligibility. Naming a student’s measurable postsecondary goals ensures that we are working toward something that aligns with their real-life aspirations.
And yet—even though these goals are required by federal law—some students receive evaluations and IEPs that skip them entirely or address them in ways that are far too vague. It’s not enough to state that a student “plans to attend college” or “wants to work,” with no additional context or detail. That kind of language doesn’t help us plan, especially if no one has taken the time to ask the student what college actually means to them or what kind of work they see themselves doing. When we fail to define the goals clearly, we lose the opportunity to create a plan that is truly individualized and meaningful.
But Postsecondary Goals Are Just the Start
Postsecondary goals are the foundation for everything else in the IEP. Once a student’s goals are clearly defined, the rest of the IEP needs to be built around them. That means ensuring that each postsecondary goal is supported by at least one corresponding annual goal or benchmark. It also means developing a course of study and selecting transition services that actually reflect the student’s plans for the future—not just their areas of need.
Depending on the student’s goals, the IEP team might consider including things like:
Career exploration activities
Academic skill development
Self-advocacy training
Community-based instruction
Independent living skills practice
Job shadowing or internships
I often remind teams that two students with similar profiles on paper might have entirely different IEPs, simply because they envision very different futures. Let’s say one student wants to go away to a four-year college. That student will need to build skills that support success in that environment—things like executive functioning, time management, study strategies, self-advocacy, and independent living. They might even need to learn how to make ramen and wash at least one pot. Another student, who plans to live at home and attend a local community college, may need many of the same academic skills, but they’ll also need strong travel skills and an even more fine-tuned daily routine. And because they’ll still be living with family, they may be able to rely on someone else for breakfast and dinner (and possibly a packed lunch), at least for a while.
Even something as seemingly simple as whether a student plans to drive, use public transportation, or rely on family for transportation can dramatically shift how we prioritize transition services and instruction. But again, we can’t make those decisions—about skills, services, supports, or scheduling—if we don’t know what the student’s goals are first.
Missing the Mark
That’s why I found that 20-page assessment so frustrating. The evaluator had taken time to collect information from multiple people, had used a variety of tools, and had clearly worked hard to provide a detailed picture of the student. But in the end, it read like a disconnected laundry list. It didn’t identify the student’s postsecondary goals. It didn’t describe how the information gathered would be used to build a transition plan. And it didn’t provide the critical insight the IEP team needed to create a meaningful, individualized roadmap for the student.
This isn’t just a missed opportunity. It’s a misalignment with both best practice and legal expectation. Because IDEA specifically requires us to identify a student’s “measurable postsecondary goals based on age-appropriate transition assessment.”
When the goals are missing or unclear, the IEP can easily become fragmented and ineffective. Annual goals can get out of hand. A student may end up with a dozen goals, but none that address the most important skills or steps they need to work on this year. Transition services become generic. And decisions about the student’s course of study may overlook the very classes or community-based experiences that are essential for preparing them for what’s next.
And ultimately, the student is the one who misses out—and maybe doesn’t reach their potential. I’ve seen this happen across schools and settings—not because people aren’t trying, but because the pressure to collect data or stay compliant can sometimes overshadow the need for clarity, direction, and vision.
Start With the Student’s Vision—Then Build the Plan
So whether you’re a parent, teacher, evaluator, or advocate, I encourage you to take a closer look at the next transition assessment or IEP that crosses your desk.
Ask yourself: Are the student’s measurable postsecondary goals clearly defined? Do the goals reflect the student’s strengths, interests, preferences, and vision for the future? Is there a clear and direct connection between those goals and the services, coursework, and annual IEP goals being proposed?
Because if not—if the plan isn’t grounded in a real vision for the student’s adult life—we’re not doing transition planning. We’re just filling out paperwork. And our students deserve better than that.
