IDEA 2004 defines transition services as "a coordinated set of activities for a child with disabilities that is (a) designed to be within a results-oriented process , that is focused on improving the academic and functional achievement of the child with a disability to facilitate the child's movement from school to post-school activities, including post-secondary education, vocational education, integrated employment (including supported employment), continuing and adult education, adult services, independent living, or community participation; (b) is based on the individual child's needs, taking into account the child's strengths, preferences and interests; and (c) includes instruction, related services, community experiences, development of employment and other post-school adult living objectives; and acquisition of daily living skills and functional vocational evaluation." (IDEA 2004, Sec.300.43).

IDEA 2004's definition of "a results oriented process" schools use two accountability measures to meet this goal, Indicator 13, which determines whether a transition plan contains all of the necessary components and , Indicator 14, the outcome of the student in achieving the goals set forth in their plan upon graduation (Gaumer Erickson et al. 2014). 

The student should be the central focus of the transition plan and should determine what is included in the transition plan and additional members they may want on the transition team aside from required members. One way to ensure that transition planning is student focused is by completing a Positive Personal Profile with the student. This process ensures a student's preferences, interests and strengths are documented so they can be included in post-secondary goals and be supported by transition services. Achievement of post-secondary outcomes are more likely to be achieved and continued when the student's voice and vision are heard.  Allowing the student to lead the meeting can reinforce self-determination skills and keeps the meeting student-focused (Thoma et al. 2004).

• Transition teams can also use the Transition Assessment Planning form to plan who needs to be included, what information needs to be gathered through transition assessment and how transition teams can collaborate to support the student in planning and coordination of transition related activities.

• Write transition goals that are based on student's strengths, preferences and interests with links to transition services that will help them achieve these goals (Stiltington et al. 2010).

• Encourage self-determination skill development (Thoma et al. 2004 and Gaumer Erickson et al. 2014)

• Employ community mapping to connect students with resources in their communities (Cote et al. 2012)

• Recognize the impact culture and language has on students and their families-reflect on how this impacts their view of "independent" living, their perspective on disability from a cultural standpoint, recognize your own cultural perspective and how it impacts how you view transition (Cote et al. 2012)

• Use evidence based transition practices that correlate with evidence based predictors of transition outcomes (NSTACC, 2010).

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