T-Folio Curriculum

T-Folio is a free transition portfolio tool for high school-age youth with disabilities

  1. Center for Change in Transition Services
  2. Transition Planning Resources
  3. T-Folio Curriculum

About T-Folio

What's Your Story

The T-Folio is an online platform that's designed to guide youth in exploring, identifying, and planning for their post-school goals. The curriculum provides facilitators with lesson plans and tips to help youth build self-determination and job-readiness skills through a series of interactive exercises.

T-Folio curriculum aligns with Individual Education Program (IEP) transition planning, DVR Pre-Employment Transition Service categories, and the CCTS Transition Services Flowchart. Many of the activities also align with the High School and Beyond Plan required for all students for graduation. Activities are student-centered and emphasize the youth’s role as a leader in setting and achieving goals for the future.

T-Folio Units

Each T-Folio unit is made up of lessons that contain a lesson guide and at least one activity.

This introductory unit is meant to give both students and facilitators a chance to warm up and prepare for the work of the T-Folio. It encourages students to use their own voice, promoting student-centered planning in the development of the transition portfolio. It provides facilitators the opportunity to practice their facilitation roles; to support and guide through questioning, dialog, and encouragement.

In this unit, youth will add to their portfolios:

  • What’s Important to Me
  • T-Folio Tracker

Unit 1 guides youth through a series of assessments that can be added to their transition portfolio. The final two lessons ask students to synthesize and reflect on the information gathered and to use it in their exploration of potential jobs and careers.

In this unit, youth will add to their portfolios:

  • Strengths Assessment
  • Preferences Assessment
  • Career Clusters Interest Survey
  • Challenges in the Classroom and Beyond
  • Needs Assessment
  • AIR Self - Determination Scale
  • Skills Assessment
  • Synthesizing Assessment Results: Bringing It All Together
  • Career Research Worksheet

Unit 2 guides youth in creating goals and exploring options for postsecondary education and employment based on the strengths, preferences, interests, and needs they have identified in Unit 1. They will set goals, explore options, design a course of study, and write an action plan.

In this unit, youth will add to their portfolios:

  • SMART Goals Worksheet
  • Postsecondary Goals Worksheet
  • Career Exploration Worksheet
  • College Navigator School Listings
  • Course of Study Worksheet
  • Agency Connections Worksheet
  • Action Plan for Employment and Education

Unit 3 helps youth gauge their interest in a particular career through experiential learning opportunities, such as informational interviews and job shadows. They will learn what employers look for when hiring and supervising employees. This unit helps students become more competitive for future employment. It ends with a lesson on aligning T-Folio activities with the High School and Beyond Plan.

In this unit, youth will add to their portfolios:

  • SCANS Skills Assessment
  • Informational Interview Worksheet
  • Job Shadow Workbook
  • High School and Beyond Plan

Unit 4 assists youth in building more specific skills and products, including a resume and elevator speech, that will help them in applying and interviewing for jobs.

In this unit, youth will add to their portfolios:

  • Work Maturity Skills List
  • Resume
  • Resume Keyword Worksheet
  • Elevator Speech Worksheet
  • Practice Job Application
  • Job Applications Tracker
  • Job Interview Questions and Answers
  • Job interview: Peer Reflection Feedback
  • Job Interview: Self-Evaluation
  • Thank You Note
  • Action Plan for Employment

In Unit 5, youth reassess their level of self-determination and make goals in the areas of self-advocacy and independent living.

In this unit, youth will add to their portfolios:

  • AIR Self-Determination Scale
  • Self-Advocacy Goals Worksheet
  • Independent Living Assessment
  • Independent Living Goals Worksheet
  • Action Plan for Self-Advocacy and Independent Living
  • T-Folio Tracker (updated)
  • Final Reflections Worksheet

Who should use the T-Folio?

T-Folio is designed for youth aged 16-25 who are in the process of transitioning from high school to postsecondary employment or higher education.

It is primarily designed for students in high-incidence categories (Specific Learning Disability, Emotional/Behavioral Disability, etc.). Activities are constructed to incorporate universal design principles and can be modified to meet the needs of a wider range of student abilities.

How to implement the curriculum

The T-Folio can be used in any class (such as English Language Arts, Life Skills, Career Technical Education, Advisory, Community Experience Class, etc.). With the help of a DVR counselor, it can also be used with individuals or small groups to prepare for the development of DVR’s Individualized Plan for Employment (IPE).

CCTS suggests partnering with others to utilize their expertise. Special Education teachers and DVR counselors may want to partner with a CTE teacher, the school counselor, business partners in the community, or other guest speakers. You can use technology to invite speakers virtually into the classroom via Zoom, Teams, etc.

T-Folio and the High School and Beyond Plan

Many T-Folio activities align with the High School and Beyond Plan (HSBP) required for all students for graduation, including:

IEP and HSBP Alignment

For more information about aligning the IEP transition plan with the HSBP, view Module 9 of our Writing Effective Transition Plans (WETP) training. 

WETP Module 9: HSBP Alignment