Post-High School Roadmap
Transition Planning Roadmap
The transition to high school marks a period of change. As students adjust to their new environments and balance academic, social, psychological, and experiential learning, they will need support from all stakeholders. Each year of high school, students explore different aspects of their abilities and interests while mapping measurable goals toward their desired futures. The Beacon Special Education department employs a school-wide team approach when assisting students with postsecondary planning and believes that it is through a concerted effort from parents and educators that students receive personalized, comprehensive support. Our purpose is to help students explore, prepare, plan, and execute their goals so that their transition beyond high school includes both thoughtful reflection and deliberate action.
Communication, engagement, and collaboration are vital throughout all four high school years. We hope students will develop these areas as they continue cultivating their approach to learning.
The following list includes some items students should be aware of each year. It is in each student's best interest to customize the following to fit their individual plans and goals.
9th-grade
- Identify academic strengths, areas of growth, learning style, and study skills
- Explore extracurricular interests and engage in school activities to foster peer relationships
- Learn and practice how to make informed choices
- Increase awareness and practice of self-advocacy skills
- Seek information on various post-secondary pathways
10th-grade
- Develop academic strengths and execute subject specific remediation plans
- Consider leadership opportunities within extracurricular involvement
- Match interests with a post-secondary goal
- Complete community service requirements
- Establish comfortability discussing academic setbacks and successes
11th-grade
- Identify and practice soft, professional, and workplace skills
- Document the nature of extracurricular involvement and seek to expand responsibilities
- Practice and establish independent living skills
- Complete career, interests, and values assessments to narrow post-secondary goals
- Prepare for SAT/ACT
- Attend Junior meeting with Beacon College Office counselor and begin college process components (Beacon College Office website)
12th-grade
- Attend Senior meeting with Beacon College Office counselor and map out plans to execute college process components by applicable deadlines (Beacon College Office Planning Guide)
- Identify, discuss, and implement ways to address continued areas of growth across all domains
- Establish interviewing skills
- Confirm graduation plans
- Maintain academic rigor
- Evaluate progress and identify the preferred supports for post-secondary environment
Study Skills
Education Corner: Study Skills for Students
Life Skills
One Degree: Database of Life-improving Resources
Career/Interest Assessments
Education Planner/Self-Assessments
Checklists