Transition Services
Preparing for Life After High School
As students get older and progress through school, their Individualized Education Program (IEP) is required to focus on preparing them for life after they graduate. Transition services must be provided for eligible students ages 14–21 who receive special education services.
Transition planning takes a team. It's a step-by-step process that uses information about your student to create goals and a pathway for life after high school.
Teachers and Exceptional Education Coaches use a rubric to assess which of our two programs, Project SEARCH and the Community-Based Transition Program (CBTP), is best suited for each student. Students can participate in the CBTP for several years before joining Project SEARCH, which is a one-year program.
Project Search
Project SEARCH is a one-year internship for students with disabilities, ages 18-22, who have completed their graduation requirements and are ready for intensive job training and employment.
The program takes place in two hotel settings, Embassy Suites by Hilton at Vanderbilt and Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center, where interns participate in three internship rotations to explore a variety of jobs.
Total immersion in the workplace facilitates the teaching and learning process, as well as the acquisition of employability and marketable work skills.
The students work with a team that includes their family, MNPS special education teachers and paraprofessionals, Tennessee Vocational Rehab and a Community Rehabilitation Provider (Access Academy for Embassy Suites or MillarRich for Gaylord Opryland) to create an employment goal and support the student during this important transition from school to work.
Participating in Project SEARCH marks the end of school services. Our graduates have found employment in hotels, hospitals, restaurants, colleges and retail stores, among others.
Community-Based Transition Program (CBTP)
Our school-to-work transition program operates in several businesses and non-profit sites located throughout Davidson County, where students can experience supervised, work-related learning activities to develop skills relevant to future employment.
Students will learn
- Job skills, such as sorting, light cleaning, office support, stocking supplies, food preparation, filling supply orders, etc.
- Community involvement
- Self-advocacy
- Social skills
- Appropriate work behavior
- Travel training
- Independent living skills
Students can participate in the CBTP until age 22. Many students begin in the CBTP and transition to Project SEARCH in their final year or whenever their team determines they are ready for full-time, competitive employment.