Transition Assessment Process for Educators - Empowering Student Success

1. Transition Assessment RPDC Consultant Name & Contact Info

2. Pretest Pretest

3. Introductions

4. Norms Please • start and end on time. • be an engaged participant. • be an active and respectful listener. • use electronics responsibly. • limit side bar conversations. • take care of your business.

5. Learner Intentions • Understand the purpose of transition education for students with disabilities. • Explore transition assessment tools and methods to gather needed information for students to determine their measurable postsecondary goals. • Understand how transition assessments support or lead to realistic measurable postsecondary goals for students. • Understand how to incorporate the transition assessments in the development and documentation of the IEP.

6. Missouri Teaching Standards • Standard #1: Content knowledge aligned with appropriate instruction. • Standard #2: Student Learning, Growth and Development. • Standard #7 Student Assessment and Data Analysis. • Standard #9 Professional Collaboration.

7. 7 What is Transition Assessment and Why Do it?

8. What is the Purpose of Assessment? The overall purposes of transition assessments are to: • identify students’ interests and preferences; • determine post-school goals and options; • develop relevant learning experiences (instruction) and transition service needs; • identify supports (linkages) needed to accomplish goals; and • guide instruction and supports.

9. Self-Determination and Transition Assessment Self-determination can be defined as “acting as the primary causal agent in one’s life and making choices and decisions regarding one’s quality of life free from undue external influences or interference.” HO #1 (Wehmeyer, 2001)

10. Person-Centered Planning andTransition Assessment • Person-centered planning • Defined as a process for planning and supporting youth and families that builds upon the individual’s capacity to engage in community life. • Honors the individual’s preferences, choices, and abilities. • Brings together families, friends, educators and professionals. • Facilitates a lifetime of self-determination in order to maximize the level of community inclusion in adult life. • Guides transition assessment.

11. Student Roles • When it comes to transition assessment, students should play several roles: • They can help plan for specific areas they want assessed. • They can participate in the assessment process by completing self-directed assessment instruments. • They can use the information gathered during the assessment process to help develop their own transition plans.

12. What Does IDEA Say About Transition Assessment? “Beginning not later than the first IEP to be in effect when the child turns 16, or younger if determined appropriate by the IEP Team, and updated annually, thereafter, the IEP must include— (1) Appropriate measurable post-secondary goals based uponage appropriate transition assessments related to training, education, employment, and, where appropriate, independent living skills” [§300.320 (b) (1)].

13. Indicator 13 Checklist and Transition Assessment • Indicator 13 checklist asks “Is there evidence that the measurable post-secondary goal(s) were based on age appropriate transition assessment(s)?” • Evidence of age appropriate transition assessments used with a student are typically found in the present level of academic achievement and functional performance (present levels) section of the IEP. HO #2

14. 17 14 Types and Approaches to Transition Assessment

15. Types of Transition Assessment • Typical assessment procedures include: • standardized tests. • interviews. • direct observations. • functional assessments. • curriculum based assessments. Clark, 1998 Sitlington et al., 1997

16. Types of Transition Assessment (cont.) • Methods of gathering assessment information include: • parent and family questionnaires. • observations. • employer interviews. • community-based checklists and profiles. • vocational assessments. Clark, 1998 Sitlington et al., 1997

17. Approaches to Transition Assessment • Assessments are categorized into two groups: • Formal. • Informal. • Characteristics: • Purpose. • Standardization. • Assessment environment. • Administration procedures.

18. Formal Assessment • Formal assessments are often used to determine present levels of educational performance for making decisions about postsecondary education or vocational training plans or to make referrals to outside agencies, such as vocational rehabilitation. • While formal measures of assessment are a good source of information, there are some limitations. • Formal assessment measures include standardized instruments and procedures that have been norm-referenced, contain sufficient evidence of validity and reliability, and require detailed administrative and scoring procedures.

19. Formal Assessments (cont.) Formal assessments include measures such as: • academic achievement tests, • intellectual functioning assessment, • adaptive behavior scales, • interest inventories, • quality of life scales, • social skills inventories, • self-determination scales, and • vocational skills assessments. Clark, 2007

20. Formal Assessments (cont.) HO #3 http://www.ou.edu/education/centers-and-partnerships/zarrow/self-determination-assessment-tools/air-self-determination-assessment

21. Using Formal Assessments It is important to be aware of the following concepts for each formal assessment: • validity and reliability, • norms, • how to interpret results, and • population for which the assessment was designed.

22. Time to Process What formal assessment measures are available through your district? • Limitations • Advantages

23. Informal Assessments Informal methods, which may not include validity and reliability data, are measures such as: • case file reviews, • curriculum-based assessments, • observation, • oral histories, • rating scales, • situational assessment, and • structured interviews. HO #4 Clark, 1998

24. Informal Assessments (cont.) HO #5

25. Administering Informal Assessments Protocols for administering informal assessments should include: • clearly stating the purpose of the instrument; • getting consent to participate; • assuring that the individual can decide not to continue at any time; • informing that there are no right or wrong answers; • identifying who will have access to results; • honoring confidentiality; and/or • allowing as much time as needed to complete the assessment.

26. Administering Informal Assessments (cont.) While informal assessments have many benefits, it is critical that practitioners understand the limitations. For example, informal observation is a powerful tool, but inaccuracies in observations occur because: • out-of-the-ordinary behavior is observed; • the use of personal definitions of behavior rather than precise or stable definitions; • bias resulting from unsystematic observations; and/or • difficulty in independently verifying subjective information.

27. 27 HO #6

28. When is Consent Needed? • Consent requirements for transition assessments are THE SAME as for any special education evaluations. • Written consent is required when conducting an individual assessment and inviting outside agencies. • Written consent for an assessment is NOT needed if the assessment is being given to all the students in a class as a part of the course or to all the students at a grade level or district-wide. • When having a conversation with the student related to future plans, interests or preferences, consent is not required.

29. 29 Assessment Process

30. Transition Assessment Process Transition assessment is the ongoing process of collecting data on the individual’s strengths, needs, preferences, and interests as they relate to the demands of current and future working, educational, living and personal, and social environments. Sitlington, 1996

31. Meet James • 17-year old junior at East Ridge High School. • Intellectual disability. • Community work-study experience. • Part time job. • Limited independent living skills. HO #7

32. Questions Every Transition Team Should Ask • What do we already know? • What do we need to know? • What methods and sources? • Who will gather the information? • When will the assessment data be collected? • Is the student making progress? HO #8 HO #9

33. Thinking about James… • What do we already know about James’ preferences and interests? • What do we still need to learn about James to help him meet his postsecondary goals?

34. Eight Guiding Statements • Assessment methods must be customized to specific types of information needed for upcoming decisions. • Methods must be appropriate to the learning and response characteristics for each individual. • Assessments must incorporate assistive technology or accommodations when necessary. • Assessments must occur in natural environments. Sitlington, Neubert, and Leconte (1997)

35. Eight Guiding Statements (cont.) • Assessment methods must produce the outcomes that influence the development, planning, and implementation of the transition process. • Methods must include multiple ongoing activities that sample behaviors and skills. • Methods must be verified by multiple methods and persons. • Assessment results must be stored in a user-friendly format. Sitlington, Neubert, and Leconte (1997)

36. Developing an Assessment Plan • The primary rule in creating an assessment plan is to individualize types of assessments given to each student so they are responsive to the student’s needs. • When choosing assessment instruments, it is important to use multiple types and levels of assessments. Measures must be selected based on how they address key questions for a student’s individual transition planning: • Who am I? • What do I want in life, now and in the future?

37. Resources https://transitionta.org/system/files/toolkitassessment/AgeAppropriateTransitionAssessmentToolkit2016_COMPLETE_11_21_16.pdf https://transitioncoalition.org/tc-assessment-reviews/ HO #10

38. Assessment Data “Assessment is really only a means to an end, rather than the end itself.” (Rojewski, 2002)

39. Thinking about James How could the assessment data be used by his team to support him in full participation in school and community?

40. Integrating Assessment Data HO #11

41. Integrating Assessment Data (cont.) HO #11

42. Integrating Assessment Data (cont.) HO #11

43. Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS) • Pre-ETS Serve Missouri public school students with disabilities, ages 16-21 • Examples of lessons and activities: • Self advocacy • Work-based counseling • Work-based learning • Postsecondary counseling • Job exploration • https://education.missouri.edu/outreach/pre-employment-transition-services/

44. Assessment and the Annual IEP • Transition assessment data should be documented in the Present Levels of Academic Achievement and Functional Performance section of the IEP. • Transition data should be used to identify measurable Postsecondary Goals and Transition Services documented on Form C. HO #12-15

45. Transition Services • Transition services (including courses of study) needed to assist the child in reaching measurable post-secondary goals…” (Section 614, bb). • The transition services must be based upon the student’s needs, strengths, preferences, and interests and focus on the measurable postsecondary goals for the student. HO #13

46. Transition Services (cont.) • Transition services that must be considered by the IEP team during the planning process include: • instruction; • related services; • community services; • development of employment and other post-school adult living objectives; and, • when appropriate, acquisition of daily living and functional skills. HO #13

47. Courses of Study • Courses of study must begin no later than the first IEP that will be in effect when the student is 16. • The IEP team must plan the student’s courses of study. HO #13

48. Courses of Study (cont.) • The intent is to make sure the courses in which the student enrolls helps him/her develop the knowledge and skills he/she will need to achieve the targeted postsecondary outcomes. • In helping the student plan the courses of study, IEP teams should consider all possible courses that currently exist at the high school. • There should be a clear connection between a student’s measurable postsecondary goals and his or her school program (i.e., course of study). HO #13

49. Courses of Study (cont.) • The IEP team wants to ensure that the student enrolls in all appropriate and relevant courses in order to graduate in a timely manner. • Many schools now require a four-year plan for all students in high school. This four-year plan can be the courses of study for students with disabilities. HO #13

50. Time to Process What have you learned today that will enhance your transition assessment process?