Transition Planning – Ariel Su

I have taught Grade 6/7s over the past three years, so I’ve had the opportunity to be part of the transition from
elementary to secondary school. For the current school that I’m at this is the process that we go through:
1. During initial IEP meeting (usually sometime between October to December), grade 7 student’s IEP are
looked over in detail to ensure that they have necessary skills to be independent learners in high school
2. In January, high school starts contacting grade 7 teachers regarding their specialized programs or
resources available for special needs students
3. After Spring Break, grade 7 teachers have a meeting with the elementary resource team, elementary
school administrators, high school resource team, high school administrators, and other professionals
(ex. school counsellor) regarding all of the graduating students
- During this meeting, each student will be talked about in detail
o What do they need in order to be successful?
o Do they need to be in specialized programs?
o What are some special quirks / triggers that the high school should be aware of?
o Are there certain groupings (of students) that are not good?
o Are there certain pairs of students that work very well together?
o Who may need prompts to ask for help?
o Which families may need extra support?
o What incidences have happened in the past regarding student(s) that the high school should
be aware of?
o Strengths and stretches (academic, personal or social)
o Does this student have an IEP? If so, what is their designation? What supports do they
currently have? What supports might they need?
- If specific students require extra services like counselling, they will be brought up during this
meeting
4. If necessary, special dates will be set up for specific students to visit the high school in May and / or
June to get used to the new surroundings
- This may be once or more than once, depending on the needs of the student
- Families may go with the student to visit the school
o Rules may differ due to COVID this year
5. IEP Review around May / June to see if goals are met and what things can be changed in order for the
high school resource team to best support the student when they go to high school