School Age Transition Services

At Champlain Valley Educational Services (CVES)-RISE Center for Success, we believe transition planning is not something that begins just before graduation—it is an ongoing process that helps students discover their strengths, explore possibilities, build meaningful skills, and prepare for life beyond high school.

Our School-Age Transition Services support students with disabilities as they prepare for their next steps in employment, education and training, independent living, and community participation. Through individualized planning, career exploration, skill development, work-based experiences, and connections with adult service agencies, we work collaboratively with students, families, schools, and community partners to help each student develop a pathway toward a meaningful adult life.

Our Philosophy

Transition planning should be student-centered, strengths-based, purposeful, and connected to real-life experiences. Students are encouraged to take an active role in identifying their interests, preferences, strengths, support needs, and goals for the future.

Our goal is not simply to prepare students to leave school, but to help them develop the skills, experiences, confidence, and connections they need to successfully move into adult life.

Whenever possible, transition activities are embedded throughout a student’s educational experience and include opportunities to learn and practice skills in authentic school, workplace, and community settings.

Transition Timeline

Transition planning is a process that develops over time. As students progress through their school years, transition activities become increasingly focused on preparing for adult responsibilities and post-school goals.

Planning may include:

· Exploring interests, strengths, and career preferences

· Developing self-awareness and self-advocacy skills

· Learning about different careers and educational pathways

· Building workplace readiness and employability skills

· Participating in community-based and work-based learning experiences

· Developing independent living and community participation skills

· Connecting students and families with adult agencies and resources

· Creating a clear plan for the transition from school to adult services, employment, or continued education

The student’s transition plan evolves as interests, abilities, experiences, and goals change.

Yearly Interest Inventories

Students are encouraged to participate in interest inventories on a regular basis, but minimally yearly. These tools help students, families, and educational teams better understand what motivates a student and identify areas they may want to explore further.

Interest inventories may examine:

· Career and employment interests

· Personal strengths and preferences

· Learning styles

· Workplace preferences

· Community interests

· Postsecondary education and training interests

· Independent living goals

Because interests can change significantly as students gain new experiences, revisiting these inventories each year helps ensure that transition planning continues to reflect the student’s current goals and aspirations.

Career Plans

Career planning begins early at CVES and grows with each student throughout their educational experience. Career Plans are completed yearly, beginning in kindergarten as developmentally appropriate for each student, and are documented within our schoolwide career development system, CDOS Online.

Career planning provides students with opportunities to begin connecting what they are learning in school with their interests, strengths, and future possibilities. Starting these conversations early allows students to gradually build greater awareness of themselves, the world of work, and the many pathways available to them after school.

As students grow, they are supported in exploring career clusters, occupations, education and training requirements, workplace expectations, and employment opportunities. Career Plans are designed to grow and change with the student as they participate in new classes, community experiences, career exploration, internships, and work-based learning opportunities.

The annual Career Plan process also provides an opportunity for students and their educational teams to reflect on new experiences, recognize developing strengths, identify areas for continued growth, and ensure that transition activities remain connected to the student’s evolving goals.

Ultimately, career planning helps students begin answering important questions such as: What am I interested in? What am I good at? What type of environment works best for me? What skills

do I need to develop? What experiences would help me learn more? What steps can I take now to move toward my future goals?

By beginning this process early and revisiting it each year, career planning becomes an ongoing journey rather than a single activity completed as graduation approaches.

Level 1 Vocational Assessment

A Level 1 Vocational Assessment is an important component of transition planning. It gathers information from the student, family, and educational team to develop a broader understanding of the student’s vocational interests, strengths, preferences, experiences, and support needs.

Information gathered through the assessment can help guide transition goals, career exploration, work-based learning opportunities, course planning, and other educational experiences.

Rather than being a one-time activity, vocational assessment should contribute to an ongoing process of learning more about the student and using that information to guide meaningful planning.

Pre-Planning Transition Meetings

We believe students should have a meaningful voice in decisions about their future. Beginning at age 14, all students participate in a Pre-Planning Transition Meeting each year prior to their annual CSE meeting.

This student-centered conversation provides dedicated time for students to reflect on their strengths, interests, accomplishments, goals, support needs, career and employment experiences, and vision for adult life. Students can also identify questions or concerns and decide what they would like to share with their CSE team.

The process is individualized and may include conversation, questionnaires, visual supports, presentations, or practicing what the student would like to say. Students also learn what to expect at their CSE meeting and why their participation is important.

Over time, pre-planning helps students build self-awareness, self-advocacy, and confidence, while taking greater ownership of the decisions and plans that shape their future.

Exit Portfolios

As students prepare to leave school, we want them to feel prepared and connected to the resources they will need for their next chapter. Every student exiting our program upon completion leaves with an individualized Exit Portfolio designed to support a successful transition from school to adult life and adult services.

The portfolio brings together important information, accomplishments, resources, and documents in one organized place. Depending on the individual student, it may include:

· Resume and employment information

· Career goals and work experiences

· Certifications and training records

· Accomplishments and work samples

· Information about accommodations and supports

· Adult agency and community contacts

· Postsecondary education or training information

· Transportation and community resources

· Important transition documents

· Resources that support continued self-advocacy

Our goal is for every student and family to leave our program with a practical, personalized resource they can carry forward, helping make the transition from school to adult services, employment, continued education, and community life as seamless as possible.

Linkages to Adult Agencies

One of the most important parts of transition planning is helping families understand that many supports available during school do not automatically continue after graduation.

CVES works collaboratively with students, families, school districts, and community partners to identify appropriate adult agencies, services, and resources before a student exits school.

Depending on individual needs and eligibility, connections may include vocational rehabilitation, developmental disability services, employment providers, postsecondary education and training programs, community organizations, transportation resources, and other adult supports.

Early connections allow families time to learn about eligibility requirements, application processes, available services, and potential timelines so that planning can begin well before the student leaves school.

Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS)

Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS) provide eligible students with disabilities opportunities to begin exploring and preparing for employment while they are still in school.

Pre-ETS activities focus on five key areas:

1. Job Exploration Counseling – helping students learn about careers and identify employment interests.

2. Work-Based Learning Experiences – providing opportunities to learn about and experience real workplace environments.

3. Counseling on Postsecondary Education and Training – exploring college, vocational training, certification programs, and other options available after high school.

4. Workplace Readiness Training – developing the communication, social, independent living, and employability skills needed for success in the workplace.

5. Instruction in Self-Advocacy – helping students understand their strengths, needs, rights, responsibilities, and how to effectively communicate and advocate for themselves.

Through these experiences, students can explore possibilities before making decisions about their future, build confidence, and develop skills that will support a successful transition from school to employment and adult life.

Building a Bridge to Adult Life

Successful transition planning is a shared process. Students, families, educators, community partners, employers, and adult service agencies all play an important role.

At CVES, our goal is to help create that bridge—giving students opportunities to explore, experience, practice, connect, and plan while they still have the support of their school team.

When transition planning begins early and grows with the student, graduation becomes more than the end of school. It becomes the next step in a thoughtfully planned path toward employment, continued learning, independence, community involvement, and a meaningful adult life.