What is Transition?
Transition for students with disabilities focuses on their transition from the school environment to environments in adult living such as employment, community participation, leisure activities, place of dwelling, and post secondary education.
Definition of Transition Assessment
“The ongoing process of collecting data on the individual’s needs, preferences, and interests as they relate to the demands of current and future working, educational, living, and person and social environments.” (The Division of Career Development and Transition)
According to Sitlington, Neubert, & Leconte, (1997) transition assessment data is the foundation for defining goals and services that are to be included in a student’s IEP.
“The purpose of transition assessment is to determine the strengths, abilities and areas of need for students in addition to identifying interests and preferences. Assessments aid in determining levels of self-determination skills and the amount of necessary supports. Both formal and informal assessment measures are used, in addition to comprehensive transition skills assessment, during the transition evaluation process.
Transition assessment is broadly inclusive of competencies that are needed for adulthood. These competencies can be categorized into three main areas: current and future education, work, and living. Personal-social permeates all three domains. The team chooses among a range of standardized and informal assessments, including functional and ecological assessments. These provide both general and specific data that are used in planning for desired transition outcomes. The nature of transition implies that assessments be ongoing, have a specific purpose, and be effectively summarized. “(Mallory Gertscher, M.Ed.)
Examples of Types of Transition Assessment
Formal Informal
Self determination Assessments/Inventories / Record ReviewInterest Inventories / Interviews
Personality Inventories / Ecological Inventory
Adaptive Behavior Scales / Portfolio Assessment
Achievement Tests / Situational Assessments
Work Related Temperament Scales / Person Centered Planning
Laws and History related to Transition Planning and Assessment
Information obtained from Browder (2001)
· Transition Assessment came about after PL 98-199 which required Individual Transition Plans (ITP) to be included in student’s IEP.
· In 1984 the Developmental Disabilities Act required that employment of individuals with disabilities focus on and create guidelines for supportive employment services. “Supportive employment is paid employment in a competitive job setting with ongoing support services.” (Browder, 2001, pg 362).
· In 1984, the Carl D. Perskins Vocational Education Act expanded vocational education and assessment services to student with disabilities to include transition services. It was amended in 1990 so all students be informed of their vocational opportunities at least 1 year prior to graduation. It also mandated that students with disabilities be provided equal access to vocational services.
· IDEA mandated transition planning in IEPs
· IDEA 1997
-transition planning should start at age 14 with a statement of the student’s transition service need under the IEP and be updated annually. By age 16, transition services have to be defined to include interagency responsibilities.
· IDEA 2004
Transition Services
a) Transition Services means a coordinated set of activities for a child with a disability that is:
(1) designed to be within a results-oriented process that is focused on improving the academic and functional achievement of the child with a disability to facilitate the child’s movement from school to post-school activities including: post-secondary education, vocational education, integrated employment (including supported employment), continuing and adult education, adult services, independent living, or community participation;
(2) is based on the individual child’s needs, taking into account the child’s strengths, preferences and interests, and includes:
(i) training and education
(ii) related services,
(iii) community experiences,
(iv) the development of employment and other post-school adult
living objectives; and
(v) if appropriate, the acquisition of daily living skills and functional
vocational evaluation.
· According to Wehman et al (1988) transition planning should focus on the following: Information obtained from Browder (2001) p. 362.
· Employment
· Postsecondary education
· Residential plan
· Financial/income needs
· Recreation/leisure needs
· Medical needs
· Counseling/case management
· Transportation needs
· Advocacy/legal needs
· Personal/home/ and management
· In the 1990’s, transition planning trends moved from sheltered workshop and adult day programs (traditional segregated environments) to supported employment to created opportunities for individuals with moderate to severe disabilities to be able to obtain and maintains jobs, as well as improve self extreme, job satisfaction, and provide financial security. The above process can be completed by using ecological assessment and person centered planning.
Vocational Evaluation as defined by Chapter 101 pg. 47
Vocational Evaluations
Every child with a disability between 16 and 20 years of age may be provided an
opportunity for an interest and aptitude evaluation. Such evaluations may include
job sampling and practical experiences if determined to be appropriate. Such
vocational evaluations may be provided by qualified evaluators. The purpose of
the vocational evaluation is to assist the IEP Team to identify child’s vocational
interests, his/her vocational strengths, and deficits in work skills and behaviors
that would interfere with appropriate educational programs and services that
would be reasonably expected to result in the gainful employment of the child.
Based on the results of such an evaluation, a component of the child's
Individualized Education Program shall be developed to include special
education, supportive services and vocational services necessary to accomplish
the identified vocational goals. A representative of the appropriate regional
vocational agency or program shall be invited to participate in the development
of this component of the child’s Individualized Education Program.
Disadvantages of Standardized Transition Assessment Tools
· Do not focus o life skills and adult outcomes
· Not designed for students with moderate to severe disabilities
· Do not focus on functional behavior
· Do not focus on a student’s home, community and work setting
Advantages Ecological Assessment for Transition Planning
· Focus on functional skills and support needs
· Include person-centered planning
How to Conduct a Ecological Assessment for Transition Planning
1. Records review
-focus on student achievements, strengths, and preference related to future employment.
-include information related to prior job training
-focus on the strengths and positives for transition planning
-Create a “profile to introduce student to transition team” that includes the following; personal information, skills and recent achievements, ongoing supports needed
2. Person Centered Planning
-allows for family input to be provided to help plan for student’s future
-teacher can help parents prepare for person centered planning by sharing examples of other students with moderate to severed disabilities have been successful with transition planning.
-hold person centered planning meeting with family and friends to prepare for IEP/ITP meeting
-person centered planning increases parent participation in IEP/ transition meeting, allows family priorities to be indentified and an agenda of topics to be discussed at the IEP/ITP meeting
-priorities can be summarized in a “family preference profile” and “student preference profile”
-family preference profiles can include vocational, educational, and leisure preference
3. Three Ways Ecological Assessment Promotes Self-determination during
Transition Planning (Browder, 2001 p. 271)
1. Use meetings to foster leadership
2. Encourage the student to set goals and make decisions, or base goals on student preferences
-Student Preference Profile can be created and shared at meeting for students who more significant disabilities that can not lead the planning meeting.
-Student Preference Profile can include environmental, food, material, and activity preferences
3. Assess what self determination skills the student needs to acquire (ex. communication or social skills)
Priorities determined through person-centered planning and self -determination strategies can be used to develop a personalized curriculum for a student with moderate to severe disabilities.
Steps to Creating s Student’s Personalized Job Training Curriculum
1. Ecological Inventories
· Identify specific job options in community that are related to student’s preferences
· Generate a list of options to consider for current training and future employment
· See Fig. 13.1 in Browder pg. 375
2. Situational Assessments-providing students with an opportunity to try new jobs, to gather more information about the students needs and preferences
· Job tryouts for students can vary in length from a day, several weeks, one per quarter, or several at a time
· Special Education teachers and transition coordinators can evaluate job try outs through the use of task analysis, discrepancy analysis, an repeated trial assessment (ex. write a list of all students responses to remote a tag from a piece of clothing).
Transition planning through the use of ecological assessment, person centered planning, and job tryouts is a way in which schools can provide students with moderate to severe disabilities with opportunities to transition to adult living.