Since 2016, Utah has stipulated that students with disabilities who are 14 and up must be presented with the option for transition planning. As with approximately half of all U.S. states, this puts transition planning in motion two years earlier than mandated by federal law.
Transition planning helps students learn essential skills for college, employment, and independent living. Each student receives an Individual Education Program (IEP) plan that does the following:
- works with their strengths;
- takes their interests under consideration;
- supports their areas of need; and
- prepares students via experiences and instruction for the life they want.
Utah’s Elevated Planning Website Revealed
In 2021, the Utah State Board of Education (USBE) decided to take the transition planning process a step further by creating a dedicated website and app, Elevated Planning, to assist educators, students, and families. This resource of tools, stories, and strategies serves to help students elevate their strengths and develop their skill sets for postsecondary living.
One of the many stories listed on the Elevated Planning website is about Breanne, whose selective mutism could have stood in the way of employment opportunities (Stanborough, 2026). Through the usage of transition planning, the Utah Department of Workforce Services was able to help Breanne by finding her a position customized to her skillset . Seeing real-life people with disabilities thrive in this way can help others understand the many possibilities their futures could hold.
There are currently around 96,510 students with disabilities throughout Utah’s school system (USBE, 2025). Each of them has their own needs, which makes the Elevated Planning website even more important. As each student has their own needs, the Elevated Planning website is split into two distinct factions in order to better serve them.
Educators
Educators find assistance on the following topics of elevated transition planning:
- technical assistance and professional development specifically for transition planning;
- learning how to design instructions for transition planning, including executive functioning;
- figuring out which of the listed transition assessments are most appropriate for each individual;
- tips for successfully collaborating with families;
- locating pre-transition planning service providers;
- mapping pre-transition planning activities to specific grade levels;
- creating timelines for transition activities across each grade;
- coordinating each student’s transition planning and postsecondary IEP goals; and
- connecting with applicable service providers, community partners, and state agencies.
Students and Families
Disabilities such as autism are on a spectrum, which means that no two students are exactly alike. This makes individualized transition planning critical. To assist students and their families with transition planning, the website offers:
- access to the many resources and workshops via Utah’s Transition University, including advocacy and citizenship, security and safety, spirituality and social life, healthy living, and community living;
- usage of person-centered transition checklists and planning tools;
- understanding vocational rehab processes and transition planning;
taking assessments geared specifically toward transition planning;
- finding local community services; and
- identifying applicable disability service programs at universities and colleges.
Outside of the website, families can also obtain the (SRS®-3) Social Responsiveness Scale,Third Edition . This assessment pinpoints autism-related behaviors and social responsiveness from as young as 2 years old to adulthood. Furthermore, completing the assessment makes it easier for educators to design a student’s IEP and specific transition plan.
Research and Resources
Stanborough, R. (2026). Transition Elevated: Utah’s Ambitious Aims for Students With Disabilities. WPS. https://www.wpspublish.com/blog/transition-elevated-utah-transition-planning-students-with-disabilities
Stanborough, R. (2026, July 8). Transition Elevated: Utah’s Ambitious Aims for Students With Disabilities. WPS. https://www.wpspublish.com/blog/transition-elevated-utah-transition-planning-students-with-disabilities
Utah State Board of Education. Child Count of Students with Disabilities – December 1, 2025 (2025-2026 School Year). (2025). https://schools.utah.gov/specialeducation/_specialeducation/_datareporting/_schoolyearreports/SY2026_LEAChildCountOfStudentsWithDisabilities_AlphabeticalOrder.pdf
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