Transition Coordinator

As a Transition Coordinator with The Menta Education Group, you will prepare students aged 14-22 to embrace life after school in a behavioral, emotional and social capacity. You will bridge the critical gap between school and adult life by implementing an "outside-the-school-walls" mindset that centers on fostering student independence, building robust community networks and navigating the real world. Aurora, IL. General Staff Hours 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Monday-Friday, Occasional responsibilities beyond work hours. \n

Responsibilities

Student Support, Coaching & Self-Advocacy Supervision & Behavioral Management: Supervise students in groups and individually, monitoring behavior to ensure alignment with programmatic expectations. Student Counseling: Counsel students on personal, social, behavioral, or academic issues affecting their educational progress. Person-Centered Planning: Ensure every student actively leads or participates in their own Individualized Education Program (IEP) transition meetings. Utilize assistive technology, visual choice boards or person-centered tools to provide a voice for students with limited or non-verbal communication. Goal Realism & Guidance: Manage complex dynamics where a student's post-secondary dream conflicts with parental wishes or current skill realities. Apply strategies like "failing safely" (e.g., career-testing, job shadowing and temporary classes) alongside stepping-stone goals to gently navigate reality without crushing student ambition. Compliance, Data, & Transition Assessments Student Evaluations: Evaluate individual student abilities, interests and personality characteristics using tests, records, interviews and professional sources. Multi-Faceted Assessment: Administer age-appropriate formal and informal transition assessments evaluating independent living, travel/transit skills, and actual work behaviors to formulate compliant, measurable post-secondary goals. IDEA Compliance: Apply strong knowledge of Individualized Education Act (IDEA) transition mandates to draft audited, highly scrutinized goals and dynamically pivot plans based on assessment data. Rigorous Progress Tracking: Utilize robust organizational systems such as digital tracking tools, rubric-based feedback from job coaches, and student self-monitoring checklists to track and document progress when students are off-campus at work-based learning sites. Collaboration, Networking & Program Development Community Site Development: Develop and maintain strong relationships with community sites, public transit systems, and external agencies. Work-Based Opportunities: Develop work-study programs, internships, and volunteer opportunities for students to gain competitive experience while completing their high school curriculum. Agency Connections: Manage the "Service Cliff" by facilitating warm handovers introducing families directly to agency contacts and connecting students with Vocational Rehabilitation (VR), Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS), and developmental disability boards. Business Empathy & Partnerships: Proactively engage local business owners, pitching inclusive hiring benefits and demonstrating how a transitioning student adds tangible value to their workforce. Workplace Intervention & Crisis Management Workplace Learning Labs: Safely intervene when work-based placements experience friction, behavioral incidents, or employer misunderstandings. Student Independence Coaching: Use workplace mistakes as a live curriculum, coaching students on how to navigate portals, look up records, request legal accommodations,and repair professional relationships independently rather than filling out paperwork for them.