Transitioning
(verb)
Transitioning refers to processes that some transgender and nonbinary people progress through when they shift toward a gender that differs from the one associated with their sex assigned at birth (Source). The length, scope, and process of transition are unique to each person’s life situation. In fact, some students may not use the word "transition" but instead prefer phrases such as "living authentically" or "living my true gender" (Source).
Examples: An individual may go through a social transition, which may include changes in gender expression, gender role, name, and/or pronoun, a legal transition, which may include a name change on a driver’s license and/or a gender marker change, and/or a medical transition which may include hormone therapy and/or surgery (Source).
Why it’s important to know this: A student’s record within a school’s Student Information System may still have a student’s deadname and their sex assigned at birth if they have not/do not plan on legally changing their name. So, it’s important not to rely on those systems. Instead, you could make a form where students can share their affirmed name and pronouns with you and notify substitutes when a name that appears on a roster is a deadname and what name should be used instead.