Self-Determination: Resources

These instructional and curriculum resources provide practical information for teachers and families to foster self-determination:

- The Self-determination Page at the National Technical Assistance Center on Transition (NTACT) provides a comprehensive overview and list of various curriculum and assessment resources to promote and facilitate transition, both assessments and curriculum.
- The I’m Determined website in Virginia offers good resources for youth, families, and educators around self-determination. The website includes videos, training modules, a transition guide, downloadable brochures, and more.
- 2BSD is an action model for self-determination with the goal of identifying what individuals can do to increase their self-determination. It focuses on factors affecting self-determination that are within a person’s control. Check out the interactive graphic and the resources!
- Flip through the slides from Teaching Self-Determination to Students with Disabilities (PPT, 22 slides, 2016), an introductory workshop from NextStepsNH for school personnel. Slides include presenter notes.
- The Self-Determined Learning Model of Instruction (SDLMI), now called Goal Time, enables students with and without disabilities to achieve self-selected goals and positive in-school and post-school outcomes, such as access to and performance in general education curriculum, transition skills, and health-related skills. SDLMI Teacher’s Guide (PDF, 66 pages, 2019). Webinar recording, from the Transition Coalition, Self-Determined Learning Model of Instruction (26:17-minutes, 2019) is an introduction to using SDLMI/Goal Time It includes resources and a lesson plan starter, with video examples.
- Individual learning plans (ILPs) help students translate what they learn in school into real-world job skills. The federal Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) has a toolkit called “Kick Start Your ILP” that includes checklists for each year of high school.
- A wealth of assessment and curriculum materials to support students with developing self-determination skills: Zarrow Center for Learning Enrichment, at the University of Oklahoma.
- Youth-Led Initiatives: Programs like Virginia's I’m Determined project or the student-developed Secondary Transition Toolkit (PDF, 102 pages, 2008) from the Pennsylvania Youth Leadership Network emphasize giving students a seat at the table—especially during their own IEP meetings. The toolkit was developed BY youth FOR youth, and is organized in three phases: Accept Yourself, Declare Yourself, and Empower Yourself. There’s things to read and lots of pages to complete.
- Curriculum Materials: Academic centers like the Zarrow Center for Learning Enrichment offer free, validated assessments and curricula to measure and build self-determination skills over time.

Updated 6-29-26