Page 13 - FDLRS Focus - Winter 2020

Secondary Transition

Secondary Transition: What are your SMART Goals for the future?

As students grow from PreK through high school graduation, they learn skills that will help them to become
independent adults in the future. One of the most critical skills that parents can teach them is how to plan
for the future and set goals. Work with your child to investigate opportunities he or she is interested in and
then develop SMART Goals for all that the student envisions their life will look like in 1 year, 5 years, 10
years, 20 years. Be sure to consider: education, career, recreation & leisure activities, where to live, daily
transportation, technology use and daily adult living skills.

Once your child has preliminary ideas for the future, gather additional information
and then develop your goals- both short term and long term. A SMART long term
goal about daily living might say: I will live independently in my own apartment in
10 years, once I have a full-time job. With a short term goal to build needed skills: by
December 2018, I will have my mother teach me to do my own laundry and my father
teach me to cook 3 different meals.
Goals should be Specific- Measurable- Achievable- Realistic- Timely.

If a student is unsure of possible career interests, a first step is to visit My Career
Shines to complete the online career interest assessments offered free to any student in Florida. https://www.
floridashines.org/find-a-career

Many great resources are available to students considering post-secondary education options. Please visit
the SDPBC High School Counseling website for direct links to information about FAFSA, ACT/ SAT,
Bright Futures and other national or local scholarships. https://www.palmbeachschools.org/cms/one.
aspx?pageId=6221251
Other Florida College websites include the Florida College system site
https://www.floridacollegesystem.com/students.aspx
The site for Students with Disabilities with links to each college office for SWD:
https://www.floridacollegesystem.com/students/students_with_disabilities.asp
The Florida Consortium on Inclusive Higher Education offers information on inclusive college programs at:
https://fcihe.com/
Our district Transition Team is here to support your student as s/he moves through the secondary grades.

Transition Open House events are scheduled throughout the year to provide resources and time to meet with
agencies to discuss their services. Recent events were held on Feb. 6th, Feb. 13th, Feb. 19th and Feb. 23rd at
Palm Beach State College Campuses.
Watch the ESE Department website for future events.

For more information about SDPBC Transition supports and resources please visit
https://www.palmbeachschools.org/students_parents/ese/support_services/transition

and the Florida Transition Network- Project 10 at
http://project10.info/DetailPage.php?MainPageID=185&PageCategory=Effective%20Practices%20in%20
Transition&PageSubCategory=Student%20Development

Kerry Rawn, Secondary Program Planner ESE Transition

Volume 41 Issue 1 Page 13