Career and Vocational Assessment

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Career and Vocational Assessment

• Chapter 13

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• Career assessment encompasses evaluation of a
  broad range of practical life skills that are
  part of living and working as an adult
• Can include social behaviors, functional
  academics, and daily living activities necessary
  for success on the job or in the community
• Vocational assessment refers to particular skills
  necessary for success in specific jobs,
  professions, or trades. (secondary school)

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• Stages Of Career Education
• Career awareness understanding of the meaning of
  work and knowledge of a variety of jobs
• Career exploration job interests or aptitudes
• Career preparation specific job goals, skills
  needed to reach these goals
• Placement follow-up students transition issues
  and needs? Future goals? Agencies needed to
  participate in reaching these goals?

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• According to IDEA transition services are a
  coordinated set of activities designed to
  facilitate movement from school to post-school
  activities, which include postsecondary
  education, vocational training, integrated
  employment (including supported employment),
  continuing into adult education, adult services,
  independent living, and community participation.

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• Is based on individual students needs, takes into
  account the students preferences and interest
  and includes instruction, related services,
  community experiences, the development employment
  and other post-school adult living objectives and
  if appropriate, acquisition of daily living
  skills and functional vocational evaluation

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• Transition planning begins early in the student
  secondary career for each student with the
  disability began age 14 (or younger if it is
  determined appropriate) statement describing
  needed transitional services the statement
  focuses on the students courses of study
• Beginning at age 16 (or younger if determine
  appropriate) a statement of needed transition
  services for the student, including, if
  appropriate, a statement of inner age or agency
  responsibilities or any needed linkages

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• Interagency responsibilities or linkages
  necessary to ensure a successful transition
• Collaboration with professionals from other
  agencies and institutions
• Functional assessment evaluates student
  performance in real-life, natural settings to
  identify proficiency in performing practical,
  applied skills

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• Why do we assess career and vocational skills?
• To identify instructional needs in skill areas
  required for successful personal development
  employment.
• To evaluate what the student knows and can do.
• To identify occupational interest, aptitudes,
  strengths, and weaknesses.
• Level 1 screening
• Level 2 exploration
• Level 3 vocational evaluation

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• Considering Diversity And Career And Vocational
  Assessment
• Socioeconomic classes which may affect the
  pattern of scores on some career and vocational
  test.
• Some assessments focus on profession rather than
  skills jobs.
• Societal expectations and cultural traditions
  must be considered (gender).
• Reading levels of test.

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• Assessing Career Vocational Interest
• Written test are the most popular - must consider
  reading level
• Interest assessment techniques
• Expressed interest what students say about their
  interest
• Manifest interest what students are observed
  doing
• Testing what students know how different careers
  and jobs
• Inventories how students respond to the items of
  interest inventories

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• Vocational Interest Inventories
• specialized test for assessing the job and career
  preferences of individuals and groups of students

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• Assessing Prevocational And Employable Skills
• Prevocational skills personal, social, and
  applied academic skills necessary for success on
  any job
• Employable skills generic skills important to
  qualify for entry-level jobs in the workplace
  regardless of the particular occupational
  profession

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• Situational And On The Job Assessment
• Situational assessment is the use of systematic
  observation to evaluate work and career related
  performance on the job or in real or simulated
  environments such as vocational training setting,
  simulated workstations, job tryouts in the
  community, and other community-based setting

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• Advantages
• Real-life settings rather than artificial testing
  situations
• Engage in real jobs and participating in real
  community-based activities
• Not a testing environment
• Authentic information about student performance
• Genuine assessment results which career related
  to the curriculum

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• Disadvantages
• Generalizing results obtain one situation to
  others
• Accurate appropriate data collection procedures
• Bias resulting from evaluator errors in
  observing, recording, and interpreting behavior

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• Direct Observations
• Task analysis
• Analyze the content of the task to identify the
  separate steps
• Evaluate the process of the task to determine
  appropriate teaching strategies
• Prepare a data collection form to measure student
  progress
• Begin instruction
• Revise the task analysis on the basis of progress
  data if needed

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• Assessment For College And Other Postsecondary
  Settings
• Many students with mild disabilities will aspire
  to technical training, 2-year, 4-year colleges
  and even graduate degrees.
• Number of university freshmen claiming to have
  learning disabilities is increasing.
• Huge increase in the number of universities
  providing student support services

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• Section 504 of Rehabilitation Act applies to
  postsecondary educational programs, if federal
  money is received then legal obligation to
  provide services.
• After being diagnosed it becomes responsibility
  of postsecondary student to disclose the
  disability and the extent to which they may be
  affected academically.

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• admissions requirements for students with mild
  disabilities
• Some colleges have open admissions to students
  with special-needs, others require SAT or ACT but
  allow modifications