Personal and Social Assessment Options in

Transition Planning

Gary M. Clark, Ed.D.

Department of Special Education

University of Kansas

Lawrence, KS 66045

gclark@ku.edu

Issues in Assessment• Personality, behavior, and

emotional status is complex, making interpretations hard.

Issues in Assessment• Assessment in this area is

potentially intrusive, with confidentiality issues.

Issues in Assessment• Informal assessments in this area

have questionable validity and reliability.

Issues in Assessment• Self-report depends on willingness

to be honest in revealing feelings, emotions, or behavior.

What are we most concerned about in the area of personal/social assessment?

• Functional social skills at school, work, leisure, and in the community

• Basic self-determination knowledge (knowledge of self)

• Positive self-regard/self-esteem• Civility and other values important

for acceptance, responsible personal and social behavior, and capacity to care about others

A Shift in Assessment Focus From Diagnosis

Of:• Emotional disturbance

• Behavioral disorder

• Personality disorder

• Psychiatric disorder

A Shift in Focus To Assessment Of:

• Self-esteem• Social attitudes• Current problems in behavior or

emotional control, including functional behavioral assessment

• Self-knowledge• Personal values and responsibility• Social acceptance/ adjustment

Three reasons to assess personal/social functioning in

transition planning:

•Planning• Intervention (instruction,

behavioral plans, guidance, or counseling)

•Linkages/referrals

Assessment Selection Criteria

•Will the information help in making decisions in planning, interventions, or linkages?

Assessment Selection Criteria, cont’d.

•Does the instrument meet psychometric standards for validity and reliability?

Assessment Selection Criteria, cont’d.

• Is the instrument or procedure likely to cause the respondent emotional distress or anxiety?

Assessment Selection Criteria, cont’d.

•Will the respondent be able to read and/or respond?

IF, one wanted to use a standardized assessment, what are some options?

Selected Standardized Instruments

• Behavior Assessment System for Children-2• Behavior Evaluation Scale-3• Behavioral and Emotional Rating Scale-2• Piers-Harris Children’s Self-Concept Scale• Social Skills Rating System• Walker-McConnell Scale of Social

Competence and School Adjustment

General Transition AssessmentInstruments that Include Personal/Social

Assessment

• Enderle-Severson Transition Rating

Scales• LCCE Competency Assessment Knowledge Batteries• Responsibility and Independence Scale for

Adolescents• Quality of Life Questionnaire• Quality of Student Life Questionnaire• Transition Behavior Scale (2/e) (TBS)• Transition Planning Inventory (TPI-UV)

Informal Assessment of Personal and Social Competence

• Observations

• Interviews

• Surveys

• Checklists

ObservationsObservations

“The most direct and desirable way to assess child or adolescent behavior is through naturalistic observations.”

Merrill, K. W. (1994). Assessment of behavioral, social, and emotional problems.

New York: Longman.

Strategies in Observations Assessment

• Try to keep some type of observation recording system with you at all times. Examples include:Note padObservation forms keyed to behaviors of

interest (checklists, event recording form, or anecdotal recording form, etc.)

Audio-tape recorderHand-held computer

Sample Anecdotal Form

Student__________________________Date________

Observer(s)___________________________________

Setting_______________________________________

Starting time____________Ending time_____________

Total observation time____________________ANTECEDENT BEHAVIOR CONSEQUENCES

(Who, What, Where) (Frequency or duration) (What occurred next?)

__________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________

Sample Event Recording FormStudent____________________________Date______________

Observer(s)__________________________________________

Setting______________________________________________

Target behavior_______________________________________

Behavior Observed:

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

8:30-9:30_____ |_______________|__________|________|_______

9:30-10:30____ |_______________|__________|________|_______

10:30-11:30 |_______________|__________|________|_______

Lunch _______ |_______________|__________|________|_______

12:30-1:30 |_______________|__________|________|_______

1:30-2:30 |_______________|__________|________|_______

2:30-3:30 |_______________|__________|________|_______

Strategies in Observations Assessment, cont’d.

• Focus on and record behaviors observed, rather than interpretations of that behavior, until your observations are completed.

Strategies in Observations Assessment, cont’d.

• Verify frequency, duration, or intensity of behavior from whatever sources are available, but preferably from another school professional. Otherwise, do not report it as reliable data.

InterviewsInterviews

“Interviews with the student, family members, former teachers, friends, counselors, other support staff, and former employers may be one of the best sources of information on how the individual functions in the real world…”

Sitlington, P.L., Neubert, D. A., Begun, W., Lombard, R. C., & Leconte, P. J. (1996). Assess for success: Handbook on transition assessment. Reston, VA: Council for Exceptional Children.

Strategies in Interviewing

• Request permission for the interview and get written consent.

• Do interviews in settings of choice of the interviewees.

• Work hard to establish rapport/trust with the interviewee by stating the purpose of the interview and making him/her feel as relaxed and comfortable as possible.

Strategies in Interviewing, cont’d.

• Use interviews to follow up other forms of assessment (e.g., observations, surveys, checklists) to get clarification of why the behavior occurred or certain responses given.

• Use interviews to get reliability checks on observations or other assessment data.

Sample Student/Parent Interview Questions for Personal-Social Information

• Do you/Does _____ get along well with members of the family?

• Do you/Does _____ ask for support in times of stress, frustration, failure, or disappointment?

• What are three of the best things you/ _____like(s) about yourself/himself/ herself?

• When are you/is _____ the happiest?• When are you/is ____ the most unhappy?• Who are two or three of your/_____’s best

friends?

SurveysSurveys

Surveys are designed to get information related to facts, opinions, preferences,, or values . Survey forms typically have written questions, multiple-choice responses, ratings, or fill-in-the blank items.

Survey Development Strategies

• Have two or more colleagues read the draft and critique it for clarity and intent.

• Revise the draft as needed and try it out with 8-10 students from your school .

• Revise as necessary and prepare the final version.

Sample Student/Parent Survey Questions for Personal-Social Information

• Do you/Does _____ get along well with members of the family?

• Do you/Does _____ ask for support in times of stress, frustration, failure, or disappointment?

• What are three of the best things you/ _____like(s) about yourself/himself/ herself?

• When are you/is _____ the happiest?• When are you/is ____ the most unhappy?• Who are two or three of your/_____’s best friends?• What causes the most difficulty in friendships?• What causes the most difficulty with parent(s)?

ChecklistsChecklists

Checklists, like surveys, are designed to get information related to facts, opinions, preferences,, or values .

Checklist forms typically have Yes-No responses or lists of possible responses and the respondent checks all that are applicable.

Sample Teacher Checklist Questions for Personal-Social Information

Yes No1. Student complies with teacher ____ ____ directions.2. Student is cooperative in groups. ____ ____3. Student talks out of turn frequently.____ ____4. Student is verbally aggressive. ____ ____5. Student chooses to isolate self. ____ ____6. Student shows signs of child abuse. ____ ____7. Student shows signs of substance ____ ____ abuse.8. Student shows signs of depression. ____ ____

Assessment Challenges for Alienated Youths in Transition

Planning1. Alienated students may be highly

resistant to question-asking about the present or the future for several possible reasons:

- they are angry and non-compliant; - they have little or no hope;

- they are anxious about home, school, or both: and/or

- they view school personnel with suspicion/lack of trust

Assessment Challenges, cont’d.

2. Students in (or leaving) incarceration may continue game-playing with school and corrections personnel to get what they want for themselves--back on the streets. In assessment activities, the “game” is to act like the assessment is taken seriously, but responses are actually deliberate faking of interests and preferences or feelings about self.

Assessment Challenges, cont’d.

3. Alienated students frequently have problems with reading comprehension and writing skills, thus affecting their responses on paper-and-pencil assessments.

Suggestions for Responding to Challenge #1

• Initiate assessment with an interview of all students, not just those that are “difficult.”

• Make students feel the interview time is a positive time with you that is discon-nected to any recent negative behavior or conflict with you.

• Offer to let the students “interview” you.

Suggestions for Responding to Challenge #2

• Probe or follow up on survey or interview responses that are glib, flippant, or do not match what you know about the student or would expect him/her to say.

• Be patient! Ask questions another way or repeat them after a delay to see if they say the same things.

• Follow up unsuccessful assessments by asking for reasons (Why? questions) or examples when they use unspecific terms like “stuff,” “things,” or “whenever.”

Suggestions for Responding to Challenge #2, cont’d.

• Have the student describe the logical consequences or risks of certain expressed choices or statements of intent.

• Stay calm and in control if students use the interview as an opportunity to shock you with their language or revelations about behavior.

Suggestions for Responding to Challenge #3

• Select instruments that are easy to read or that provide oral administrations.

• Use audiotape recordings of items to minimize embarrassment of a personal oral administration.

• Use an interview rather than a paper-and-pencil instrument.

General Suggestions for Personal/Social Assessment

• Assessment is question-asking. Stay in a relationship with students or parents that makes question-asking natural, justifiable, and a demonstration of caring.

• Use critical moments or events to ask questions.

• Use self-evaluation of your own teaching or professional service with students to show the value of question-asking in terms of personal behavior (e.g., Am I fair? Was I sensitive to….? How do I handle my anger or frustration?). This is good modeling.

Overriding Theme

The more we know about the receiving settings and the student’s social, emotional, and behavioral competence to deal with these settings,

the more likely we can increase the student’s chances for success.