occupational and vocational assessment options in transition planning gary m. clark, ed.d....
TRANSCRIPT
Occupational and Vocational Assessment Options in
Transition Planning
Gary M. Clark, Ed.D.
Department of Special Education
University of Kansas
Lawrence, KS 66045
What do we need to know for vocational planning?
Student’s personal interests and preferences
Family preferences for studentSelf-determination knowledge and skillsEmployability skillsVocational skills
Assessing Personal Interests and Preferences
Student interests and preferences
Family preferences
Examples of Occupational Interest Scales
Ashland Interest Assessment Career Assessment Inventory Career Directions Inventory Interest Determination Exploration and
Assessment System (IDEAS) Occupational Interest Schedule (OASIS-3) Self Directed Search Your Employment Selection (YES)
Informal Assessment of Occupational Interests and
Preferences
Interviews
Surveys
Checklists
Structured Interviews
A structured interview is an informal assessment technique, but it has structure to it.
An interview protocol is used to stay focused on the area of information desired, but probes or questions asking for clarification or examples are permitted.
Examples of Structured Interview Questions
What is your best subject in school? Why do you think that is your best subject?
What is your best area of strength outside of school? Why are you good at that?
What did you want to be when you were in elementary school? What do you want to be when you are an adult?
Strategies for a Structured Interview
Make the purpose of the interview clear and assure the interviewee that opinion questions have no right or wrong answers, but factual questions do.
Provide the person a copy of the questions before the interview, if possible, especially if some questions require recall of specific facts or events.
Strategies for a Structured Interview, cont’d.
Come prepared with a set of questions on a form or some notes for targeting questions.
Be flexible. Follow up on specific questions, getting clarification as needed; return to list of questions.
Conduct interviews in person, if possible.
Strategies for a Structured Interview, cont’d.
Write down enough information during the interview so you can remember the person’s responses. Complete notes later. Use tape recorder only with permission.
Avoid leading the person to answer a certain way or inserting personal biases.
Allow sufficient response time to permit person to respond fully.
Surveys
Surveys are forms that have written questions, multiple-choice responses, checklists, or ratings designed to get information related to facts, opinions, preferences, interests, or values .
Surveys
Advantages:1. Provides respondent more time to think
about answers2. Provides a written record of the questions
and answers3. May be amended at any time by the
respondent4. Multiple content areas may be assessed
Surveys
Disadvantages:
1. Requires reading and writing, a problem for non-readers and limited English-speaking persons
2. Depends upon respondents’ willingness to be honest in responses
Checklists
Advantages:
1. Permit assessment of a variety of behaviors
2. Permit quick responses
3. Eliminate students’ need to write
Checklists
Disadvantages:
1. Requires reading
2. Many responses are not easily answered with Yes/No or a simple check that the behavior/trait applies most of the time
3. No chance to immediately probe answers
4. Problems in reliability
Assessing Self-Determination Knowledge and Skills
Examples of Self-Determination Scales
Arc Self-Determination Scale Responsibility and Independence Scale for
Adolescents
Informal Assessment of Self-Determination Knowledge and
Skills
Observation notes
Rating scales
Checklists
Strategies for Developing Behavioral Occupational Observation Notes
Behaviors observed must be actions, not inferred moods, intent, or emotional states.
Behaviors noted should, when possible, refer to frequency, duration, or intensity.
Behaviors should be precise descriptions of actions or behavior.
Strategies for Developing Behavioral Occupational Observation Notes
When observations are planned, decide when and where the observation(s) will take place, how many observations will be done, and who will act as observer(s).
Select a note recording system (e.g., audio or video recording, desk or hand-held computer notes, handwritten notes).
Rating Scales Advantages:1. May provide assessment ratings for a variety
of employability behaviors in a variety of settings
2. May provide a one-time rating or provide a serial rating to show possible change in employability behavior(s)
3. Employability or vocational behaviors may be selected as appropriate for any one individual or for a group of individuals
Rating Scales
Advantages, cont’d.:
4. Removes student from a testing, interview, or paper/pencil format
5. Permits linking assessment to natural settings
Rating Scales
Disadvantages:
1. Tendency to have validity problems
2. Reliability may be affected by leniency, “halo” effect, cultural bias, rater mood, or recent events.
3. Difficult to develop quality rating scales (item wording and scaling)
Assessing Employability and Vocational Competence
Examples of Standardized Vocational Aptitude Scales
Ability Explorer APTICOM Armed Services Vocational
Aptitude Battery Career Ability Placement Survey Differential Aptitude Tests Occupational Aptitude Survey
(OASIS-3)
Examples of Standardized Employability Scales
Short Employment Tests Wonderlic Basic Skills Test Work Adjustment Scale
Examples of Mixed Non-standardizedOccupational/Employability Assessments
Practical Assessment Exploration System (PAES)
Vocational Interest Temperament and Aptitude System (VITAS)
Environmental Job Assessment Measure (E-JAM)
LCCE Competency Assessment Performance Batteries
Workplace Educational Skills Analysis
Examples of Non-standardized Employability Scales
BRIGANCE® Employability Skills Inventory
Transition-to-Work Inventory Vocational Adaptation Rating Scales
Informal Assessment of Vocational and Employability
Skills
Situational assessment
Observation notes
Rating scales
Checklists
Employability and Vocational Situational Assessment
Advantages:
1. Permits data collection on a variety of behaviors
2. Is highly authentic assessment
3. Permits assessment to occur in the context of learning, working, social or leisure environments
Employability and Vocational Situational Assessment
Advantages, cont’d.:
4. Is more motivating for students than tests, surveys, interviews, etc.
5. May be ongoing for a period of time and increases reliability of assessment data
Employability and Vocational Situational Assessment
Disadvantages:1. Difficult to assess some behaviors
because of a lack of control over the situational environment
2. Observers/raters/evaluators cannot be in the situation at all times
3. Observers/raters/evaluators in the situation might change the situation by being there
Employability and Vocational Situational Assessment
Disadvantages, cont’d.:
4. Is time-consuming for student and assessment personnel
5. Requires coordination with a variety of persons/settings for it to work
6. Requires high degree of planning and monitoring
General Transition AssessmentInstruments that Include
Vocational/Occupational Assessment
Enderle-Severson Transition Rating
Scales LCCE Competency Assessment
Knowledge Batteries Transition Skills Inventory (TSI) Transition Behavior Scale (2/e) (TBS) Transition Planning Inventory (TPI-UV)