Transition and Vocational Assessment

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Transition and Vocational Assessment

• Edward M. Levinson, Ed.D, NCSP
• Professor of Educational and School Psychology
• Indiana University of Pa.

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Transition and Vocational Assessment Agenda

• Introduction Definition and Legal Issues
• Systemic Transition /Vocational Assessment
  Planning Program Development Best Practice
  Issues
• Vocational/Career Development The Basis for
  Program Development
• Vocational Assessment Program Examples
• Vocational Assessment Domains and Techniques
• Roles, Responsibilities, and Instrumentation

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As students approach the end of their formal
schooling, we frequently ask what they will be
doing after school ends. Unfortunately, when we
look back to determine what preparations have
been made for students to live and work in our
communities, we often see a series of disjointed
efforts lacking focus on skills necessary to
confront the new expectations of adult life

• Halloran, 1989

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The mission of special (or general) education
is not restricted to the teaching of academic
subjects, nor is it to protect students from a
harsh adult environment. It is to prepare them to
participate fully in the mainstream adult world

• Siegel and Sleeter, 1991

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Dropout rates Among Individuals with Disabilities

• NLTS data reveal a dropout rate of 36.4 , though
  this rate varies by disability category (rate for
  general population is 25-30)
• For individuals with learning disabilities,
  dropout rates of over 50 have been reported
• For individuals with emotional disabilities,
  dropout rates of over 40 have been reported
• For individuals with mental retardation, dropout
  rates of 30 have been reported.

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Dropout rates Among Individuals with Disabilities

• Research has consistently demonstrated that
  students with disabilities dropout of school more
  frequently than do students without disabilities
  and that students with learning and emotional
  disabilities are at the greatest risk of dropping
  out.

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Unemployment/UnderemploymentRates for
Individuals with Disabilities

• Following the completion of school
• 21 are fully employed, 40 are underemployed
  (poverty level), and 26 are on welfare
  (Pennsylvania Transition from School to Work,
  1986)
• 67 are unemployed (ages 16-64), 67 would like
  to be employed, and 75 are employed part-time
  (Rusch Phelps, 1987)

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Unemployment/UnderemploymentRates

• NLTS data (Blackorby Wagner, 1996 Wagner et
  al., 1993)
• Within three years following school
• 52 of youth with disabilities were employed in
  1987, 67 in 1989
• Employment rate varies by disability category
• 63 of LD, 48 of ED, 41 of MR, and 10 of MH
  were employed

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Unemployment/UnderemploymentRates

• In summary
• Studies consistently demonstrate that the
  unemployment and underemployment rates for all
  disability groups except LD and speech impaired
  are significantly higher than those for the
  general population

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Reasons/Needs for Transition/Vocational
Assessment Services

• Drop out rates among students with disabilities
• Unemployment rates among individuals with
  disabilities
• Economic costs to society
• Quality of life issues
• Legislation

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Transition Definition IDEA

• A coordinated set of activities for a student,
  designed within an outcome-oriented process,
  which promotes movement from school to
  post-school activities, including post-secondary
  education, vocational training, integrated
  employment (including supported employment),
  continuing and adult education, adult services,
  independent living, or community participation.
  The coordinated set of activities shall take into
  account the students preferences and interests,
  and shall include instruction, community
  experiences, the development of employment and
  other post-school adult living objectives, and,
  when appropriate, acquisition of daily living
  skills and functional vocational evaluation
  (Education of the Handicapped Act Amendments of
  1990, PL 101-476, section 602 (a))

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Coordinated set of activities??

• Linkages (interagency agreements) should be
  established between schools and community
  agencies to insure smooth service delivery.
• Activities to be listed in IEPs include
  instruction, community experiences, development
  of employment and post-school adult living
  objectives, and if appropriate daily living
  skills and functional evaluation

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Post-School Activities???

• Post-secondary education, vocational training,
  integrated employment, continuing and adult
  education, adult services, independent living,
  and community participation
• Hence, transition planning is meant to address
  more than just employment it should address
  needs within the broader focus of life in the
  community

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Outcome-Oriented Process???

• IEPs should address long-term and short-term
  goals in the areas of employment, post-secondary
  education, vocational training, continuing and
  adult education, adult services, independent
  living, and community participation

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When must transition planning be initiated?

• By age 14

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Who determines what services are needed?

• The law states that the following individuals
  must be involved in transition planning
• - the student
• - the students teacher(s)
• - a representative of the school
• - the parents
• - representatives from outside agencies

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How does the team determine needed services?

• IDEA does not specifically address this
• IMHO, needs should be identified via a
  comprehensive transdisciplinary assessment which
  addresses potential needs in the following areas
  employment, post-secondary education, adult
  services, independent living, and community
  functioning.

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Who provides transition services?

• The school is primarily responsible for providing
  transition services, though clearly the law
  suggests that community agencies need to be
  involved in providing services as well.

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Additional IDEA Requirements (June, 1997
amendments, PL 105-170

• Related services added to the list of required
  transition services
• Students with disabilities are to participate in
  statewide testing
• Functional behavior assessment is required
• Increasing student self determination is added as
  a goal of transition
• Statement of transition services needs to be
  included in IEP beginning at age 14 and updated
  annually

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Factors Associated with Positive
Secondary/Post-Secondary Outcomes

• Participation in vocational education
  (occupationally-specific instruction) during last
  two years of high school.
• Participation in paid work experiences in the
  community during the last two years of high
  school
• Competence in functional academics, community
  living, personal social, vocational, and
  self-advocacy skills
• Participation in transition planning
• Graduation from high school

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Program Clusters and Components Needed for
Achieving Effective Outcomes (Phelps
Hanley-Maxwell, 1997)

• Program Administration
• Curriculum and Instruction
• Comprehensive Support Services
• Formalized articulation and communication
• Occupational experience, placement and followup

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Program Administration

• Administrative leadership and support
• Sufficient financial support
• Formative and summative program evaluation
• Staff development

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Curriculum and Instruction

• Individualized curriculum modifications
• Integration of vocational and academic curricula
• Appropriate instructional settings
• Cooperative learning experiences

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Comprehensive Support Services

• Career guidance and counseling
• Instructional support services (e.g. aides and
  resources)
• Assessment of individual career interests and
  abilities

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Formalized articulation and communication

• Family/parental involvement and support
• Early notification of vocational opportunities
• Vocational and regular educators involvement in
  individualized planning
• Formalized transition planning
• Intra- and interagency collaboration

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Occupational experience, placement, and follow-up

• Work experience opportunities
• Job placement services
• Follow-up

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Transition/Vocational Assessment Best Practices

• Develop a system-wide program
• Link planning to career development theory and
  K-12 career development activities
• Base planning on a sound assessment
• Involve parents, students, and community
  representatives in planning from the start
  (establish inter-agency agreements)
• Insure that students with disabilities have
  vocational, occupational and work experiences

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Systemic Transition/Vocational Assessment
Planning Three Phases

• Planning
• Develop a task force
• Conduct needs assess.
• Develop a model
• Develop interagency agreements
• Identify funding requirements/sources

• Implementation
• Appoint a coordinator
• Develop a procedures manual
• Select and purchase materials
• Train school/community personnel
• Conduct in-service workshops
• Pilot test the program

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Systemic Transition Planning Three Phases

• Program Evaluation
• Identify aspects of the program in need of
  evaluation
• Identify preliminary standards for program
  evaluation
• Hire a program evaluator and conduct the
  evaluation
• Plan and implement program improvements

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Effective Assessment for Transition

• Uses only reliable and valid assessment
  techniques
• Uses a transdisciplinary team to conduct the
  assessment
• Incorporates a multitrait, multimethod, and
  multifactored approach to assessment
• Links assessment to career development theory
• Insures that assessment is functional and ongoing

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Definitions of Vocational Assessment
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Process of identifying an individuals physical,
mental, and emotional abilities, limitations, and
tolerances in order to..

• Predict current and future employment potential
  and adjustment

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Process whereby an individuals attitudes,
aptitudes, interests, capabilities, physical
capabilities and tolerances are evaluated by
utilizing standardized tests..

• Job sampling, job trait and other standardized
  techniques and procedures

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As defined by the Vocational Evaluation and
Work Adjustment
Association

• Vocational assessment is a comprehensive process
  that utilizes work, real or simulated as the
  focal point of assessment and vocational
  exploration, the purpose of which is to assist
  individuals in vocational development.

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As defined by the Vocational Evaluation and
Work Adjustment
Association

• Vocational assessment incorporates medical,
  psychological, social, vocational, and economic
  data in the attainment of the goals of the
  evaluation process

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Purposes of vocational assessment (from
voc.ed/voc. rehab. lit.)

• To assess intellectual potential, present work
  skills, expected work skills, physical
  capability, work behavior, and learning problems
• To determine whether students have adequate
  prerequisite skills for voc-ed programs
• To suggest needed support services

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Purposes of vocational assessment (from
voc.ed/voc. rehab. lit.)

• To suggest effective teaching techniques and
  instructional modifications for special students
• To provide the vocational teacher with improved
  information about the student
• To bridge the gap between special educators and
  vocational educators

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Rationale for school psychologist involvement in
vocational/transition issues

• Relationship between psychology and work
• Schools emphasis on preparing students for work
• Federal legislation
• Drop-out, Unemployment and underemployment rates
  among individuals with disabilities
• NASP standards

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NASP Standards Consultation

• 4.3.1.3 School psychologists provide skill
  enhancement activities (such as in-service
  training, organizational development, parent
  counseling, program planning and evaluation
  vocational development, and parent education
  programs) to school personnel, parents, and
  others in the community, regarding issues of
  human learning, development, and behavior

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NASP Standards Assessment

• 4.3.2.2 psychological and psychoeducational
  assessments include evaluation, as appropriate,
  of the areas of personality, emotional status,
  social skills and adjustment, intelligence and
  cognitive functioning, scholastic aptitude,
  adaptive behavior, language and communication
  skills, academic knowledge and achievement,
  sensory and perceptual-motor functioning,
  educational setting, family/environmental-cultural
  influences, career and vocational development,
  aptitude, and interests.

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NASP StandardsDirect Service

• 4.3.3.2 School psychologists design direct
  service programs to enhance cognitive, affective,
  social, and vocational development

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In order to develop a sound vocational assessment
program.

• We must understand and apply vocational/career
  development theory

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Minnesota Theory of Work Adjustment

• Proposes two aspects of work adjustment
• Job Satisfaction
• Job Satisfactoriness

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Individual
Job
Reinforcer System
Needs
Correspondence
Job Satisfaction
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Work-Related Needs

• Achievement
• Activity
• Advancement
• Authority
• Compensation
• Co-workers

• Creativity
• Independence
• Moral Values
• Recognition
• Responsibility
• Security

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Work-Related Needs

• Ability Utilization
• Policies and Practices
• Social Service
• Social Status
• Supervision (Technical/Human)
• Variety
• Working Conditions

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Individual
Job
Ability Requirements
Correspondence
Abilities
Job Satisfactoriness
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Components of Career Maturity

• Self Awareness
• Occupational Awareness
• Decision making skills
• Harrens decision making styles
• Dependent
• Intuitive
• Rational

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Components of a Comprehensive Vocational
Assessment

• Mental Ability
• Academic Achievement
• Small/Large Motor Coordination
• Vocational Interests
• Vocational Aptitudes
• Vocational Adaptive Behavior
• Career Maturity

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Vocational Assessment Techniques

• Paper pencil tests
• Interviewing
• Behavioral Observation
• Performance tests
• Work Sampling
• Simulated Work Experience
• Work Experience

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Advantages of Interfacing Vocational Assessments
and Triennial Reevaluations

• Time and cost efficiency
• Multidisciplinary cooperation
• Involvement of the school psychologist
• Holistic assessment