Partnerships engage family and community transition partners and provide transition programming focused on supports and services. Youth with involved transition partners report increased post high school satisfaction and success in many areas of adult living.

Predictor Categories

1. Family Engagement and Empowerment / Expectations. Parents/families/guardians are active and knowledgeable participants in all aspects of transition planning (e.g. decision-making, providing support, attending meetings, and advocating for their child). Consider families' perceptions in transition planning that may conflict with mainstream professional ideas. Some family members from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds may not be supportive of transition activities if they feel the plans are contrary to their expectations. Consider developing material in languages accessible to target communities.
2. Coordinated Student Supports. A network of people (e.g. family, friends, educators and adult service providers) who provide services and resources in multiple environments to prepare students to obtain their annual transition and postsecondary goals aligned with their preferences, interests and needs.
3. Interagency Collaboration. A clear, purposeful and carefully designed process that promotes cross agency, cross program and cross disciplinary collaborative efforts leading to tangible transition outcomes for youth.
4. Transition Programming. Prepares students to move from high school to adult life, utilizing comprehensive transition planning that creates individualized opportunities, services and supports to help students achieve their post-school goals in education/training, employment, and independent living. In Wisconsin, transition planning is a part of the IEP and is updated each year starting at age 14.

Youth who demonstrate life skills through self-advocacy, social skills and community experiences while in high school report increased satisfaction in post high school living.

Predictor Categories

5. Self-Advocacy / Self-Determination. The ability to make choices, solve problems, set goals, evaluate options, initiative to reach one's goals, and accept the consequences of one's choices. As you work with students, take into consideration the cultural nuances involved in teaching self-determination skills and providing opportunities to develop self-determination to students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.
6. Self-Care / Daily Living Skills. Skills necessary for management of one’s personal self-care and daily independent living, including the personal management skills needed to interact with others, daily living skills, financial management skills, and the self-management of healthcare/wellness needs.
7. Social Skills. Behaviors and attitudes that facilitate communication and cooperation (e.g. social conventions, social problem-solving when engaged in a social interaction, body language, speaking, listening, responding, verbal and written communication) environment that requires interaction with people from different culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.
8. Youth Autonomy. An adolescent's growing ability to think, feel, make decisions, and act on her or his own. It signifies that an adolescent is a unique, capable, independent person who depends less on parents and other adults.
9. Goal Setting. Involves actions that enable a person to reach a specified preferred outcome.
10. Community Experiences. Activities occurring outside of the school setting, supported with in-class instruction, where students apply academic, social, and/or general work behaviors and skills.

Instructional supports includes school-based programs, curriculum and inclusion in general education activities and programming. Success in these areas leads to increased outcomes in many areas of adult living.

Predictor Categories

11. Test Preparation / Accommodations. Standardized tests assess single content or multiple skills areas with specified levels of proficiency that students must pass. Diploma Status is achieved by completing the requirements of the district awarding the diploma.
12. Inclusion in General Education. Requires students with disabilities have access to the general education curriculum and be engaged in general education classes with peers without disabilities.
13. Program of Study. An individualized set of courses, experiences and curriculum designed to develop students' academic and functional achievement to support the attainment of students desired post-school goals.

Participation in employment preparation provides employment experiences and helps youth prepare for entry into employment after high school.

Predictor Categories

14. Work Study. Provides a specified sequence of work skills instruction and experiences designed to develop students' work attitudes and general work behaviors by providing students with mutually supportive and integrated academic and vocational instruction.
15. Work Experiences and Paid Employment. Any activity that places the student in an authentic workplace, and could include work sampling, job shadowing, internships, apprenticeships, and paid employment. Paid Employment always provides competitive pay paid directly to the student by the employer.
16. Travel Skills. Being able to travel outside of the home independently.

Participation in activities of career preparation and occupational readiness helps prepare youth for further education and/or entry into employment.

Predictor Categories

17. Career Awareness. Learning about opportunities, education and skills needed in various occupational pathways to choose a career that matches one’s strengths and interests.
18. Occupational Courses. Individual courses that support career awareness, allow or enable students to explore various career pathways, develop occupational-specific skills through instruction and experiences focused on students' desired employment goals.
19. Vocational Education. A sequence of courses that prepares students for a specific job or career at various levels from trade or craft positions to technical, business or professional careers.