Interests and Preferences for Postsecondary Expectations
Definition: Interests are those things/activities that evoke curiosity and preferences are those things/activities that are chosen over others. Interests and preferences are used to build future directions and plan for postsecondary expectations.
Community Living Preferences Formal education / Informal education
Work Style Options / Career
Options
Basic Skills for Postsecondary Expectations
Definition: Common foundational skills expected of all individuals in the specific postsecondary area.
Home and Community Living
Skills
Literacy / Communication (math, reading, writing) skills (computer literacy)
Core workplace skills (general employability)
Attitudes/Habits/Self-Awareness for Postsecondary Expectations
Definition: Attitudes are opinions or general feelings about something. Habits are actions or behavior patterns that are regular, repetitive and often unconscious. Self-awareness is the understanding of one’s strengths and limitations, including awareness of disability. Attitudes, habits, and self-awareness affect performance and functioning in the specific postsecondary area.
Personal Organization Skills
Personal learning characteristics / learning styles
Interpersonal Skills / Intrapersonal
Skills
Study / Test-taking behaviors
Use of Self Advocacy Skills Work Ethics / Values

Critical Thinking/Application Skills for Postsecondary Expectations
Definition: A process of creative thinking for getting, analyzing and synthesizing information to make decisions and solve problems in each postsecondary area.
Decision-making Skills
Ability to adapt to new tasks/jobs
Personal Life Choices
Ability to problem solve on the job
Application of knowledge to real life (known and unpredictable situations)
Job specific/technical skills
Making Connections - The process for assessing an individual’s transition needs simply requires the IEP team to answer the following four questions:
1.
Does the student have a postsecondary expectation in each one or more of the following areas: living, learning, and working?
2.
What are the essential knowledge, habits, attitudes, and skills that any individual needs for these postsecondary expectations? (Standards for postsecondary living, learning, and working).
3.
What are this student's current attitudes, habits, basic skills, critical thinking and application skills?
4.
What is the discrepancy between the essential skills and the student’s current skills?