Transition Assessment: Understanding IDEA 2004 Requirements and Tools

1. Florida Education: The Next GenerationDRAFT March 13, 2008 Version 1.0 Transition Assessment: An Ongoing Process Florida Department of Education Revised September 2012

2. Objectives To develop an understanding of IDEA 2004 requirements for transition assessment To identify various formal and informal transition assessment tools To develop a better understanding of resources specifically used for transition assessment through hands-on application activities To identify how and where transition assessment fits within the Transition IEP process

3. Terminology The term (T16) has been used in these training materials to correspond with the requirements for State Performance Plan (SPP) 13 – Secondary Transition Age 16, T16-9, measurable postsecondary goals, and T16-10, age-appropriate transition assessment, found in the Exceptional Student Education Compliance Manual, Bureau of Exceptional Education and Student Services, Florida Department of Education.

4. NSTTAC, 2007 Age 16 Requirements IDEA 2004 Develop measurable postsecondary goals based on age-appropriate transition assessment in the following areas: Education Training Employment Independent living (as needed) Age-appropriate transition assessment

5. Age 16 – Measurable Postsecondary Goals From: Compliance Self-Assessment SPP 13 – Secondary Transition Age 16 (T-16) FLDOE T16-9. There is a measurable postsecondary goal or goals in the designated areas (i.e., education, training and employment; where appropriate, independent living). 34CFR 300.320(b)(1); Rule 6A-6.03028(3)(h)10.a., F.A.C. A measurable postsecondary goal may address more than one of the designated areas and must meet the following requirements: It must be measurable; you must be able to “count it” or observe it. It must be intended to occur after the student graduates from school. It must be updated annually.

6. Adapted from: NSTTAC, 2007 Age 16 – Education/Training Education is defined as Enrollment in Adult General Education (e.g., Adult Basic Education, Adult High School Credit Program, Vocational Preparatory Instruction Program, or GED Testing Program) Enrollment in technical center (certificate program) Enrollment in community college (certificate program or two-year degree) Enrollment in college/university (four-year degree and higher)

7. Adapted from: NSTTAC, 2007 Age 16 – Education/Training Training is defined as Employment training program (e.g., Workforce Investment Act [WIA], Job Corps, AmeriCorps, Individualized) Individualized means one-on-one training provided by the employer, an agency, or service provider

8. Age 16 - Employment Employment is defined as Competitive In the competitive labor market that is performed on a full- or part-time basis in an integrated setting Is compensated at or above the minimum wage Supported Competitive work in integrated work settings…for individuals with the most significant disabilities for whom competitive employment has not traditionally occurred; or for whom competitive employment has been interrupted or intermittent as a result of a significant disability… Adapted from: NSTTAC, 2007

9. NSTTAC, 2007 Age 16 - Independent Living (as Needed) Life skills in the following domains: Leisure/Recreation Maintain home and personal care Community participation

10. Measurable Postsecondary Goals From: Compliance Self-Assessment SPP 13 – Secondary Transition Age 16 (T-16) FLDOE The following examples of measurable postsecondary goals for the areas of education and/or training that are sufficiently descriptive are provided to guide you in the review: Allison - Within four years of graduation from high school, Allison will obtain a four-year degree from a liberal arts college with a major in Child Development. Lisette - Within three years of graduation from high school, Lisette will complete the nondegree program at Montgomery County College (MCC).

11. Measurable Postsecondary Goals From: Compliance Self-Assessment SPP 13 – Secondary Transition Age 16 (T-16) FLDOE The following examples of measurable postsecondary goals for the area of employment that are sufficiently descriptive are provided to guide you in the review: Allison - Within six months of receiving her degree in Child Development, Allison will obtain employment in the field of early childhood education. Lisette - Within nine months of graduation, through the assistance of Vocational Rehabilitation and the staff of the nondegree program at MCC, Lisette will obtain part time employment on campus at MCC that does not interfere with her program’s schedule.

12. Measurable Postsecondary Goals From: Compliance Self-Assessment SPP 13 – Secondary Transition Age 16 (T-16) FLDOE The following examples of measurable postsecondary goals for the area of independent living that are sufficiently descriptive are provided to guide you in the review: Allison -N/A; independent living is only required “where appropriate.” For this student it was determined by the IEP team not to be appropriate. Lisette - Within one year of graduation from high school, Lisette will use public transportation, including the public bus and uptown trolley to independently get to and from classes at MCC.

13. Age 16 –Transition Assessment From: Compliance Self-Assessment SPP 13 – Secondary Transition Age 16 (T-16) FLDOE T16-10. The measurable postsecondary goals were based on age-appropriate transition assessment. 34CFR 300.320(b)(1); Rule 6A-6.03028(3)(h)10.a., F.A.C. Review the IEP and other available components of the student’s record to determine if information from age-appropriate transition assessments has been considered in developing measurable postsecondary goals.

14. Transition Assessment – Examples… From: Compliance Self-Assessment SPP 13 – Secondary Transition Age 16 (T-16) FLDOE The following examples of age-appropriate transition assessment that are sufficiently descriptive and that reflect best practice are provided to guide you in the review: Allison (education/training and employment) - From the Present Levels of Academic Achievement and Functional Performance statement on the IEP: “Allison has achieved a level 3 in math and a level 2 in reading on the tenth grade FCAT, passing the reading portion with a scale score of 310 (300 required to pass). She continues to struggle with reading in the content areas when the material is technical (e.g., science text).

15. …Transition Assessment – Examples From: Compliance Self-Assessment SPP 13 – Secondary Transition Age 16 (T-16) FLDOE Allison’s relative strengths are in the areas of short- and long-term memory and problem solving. Her specific learning disabilities are in the areas of reading comprehension and written expression, but she is able to maintain passing grades in general education classes when provided with additional time to complete assignments and opportunities for re-teaching and/or reinforcement of concepts. Allison’s oral expression skills are strengths for her as are her interpersonal skills. Academically she maintained B’s with a C in Chemistry during tenth grade and the first semester of the 11th grade. She met all of her IEP goals for the previous school year.”

16. Transition Assessment – Examples… From: Compliance Self-Assessment SPP 13 – Secondary Transition Age 16 (T-16) FLDOE Lisette (education/training, employment, and independent living) - From the Present Levels of Academic Achievement and Functional Performance statement on the IEP: “Based on teacher observation notes, community-based task analysis checks, and information from the student, her parents, and her teachers collected through the Transition Planning Inventory and Making Action Plans (MAPS), Lisette is a rule-oriented, quiet young woman with strong skills and interests in employment in the service industry.

17. …Transition Assessment – Examples From: Compliance Self-Assessment SPP 13 – Secondary Transition Age 16 (T-16) FLDOE Lisette learns best through observation and practical experience due to limited verbal and reading skills. Lisette has participated in a curriculum with a functional-academic focus in which she has demonstrated strengths in independent living skills, such as self-care, home management, reading for success in the community, and community math skills, including time and calendar skills. Lisette has expressed an interest in and demonstrated success in the service industry, particularly in the area of food preparation. Lisette indicates that her family encourages her to do well in school and in her job experiences. Her family expresses interest in Lisette’s living outside of their home as she becomes more financially independent after leaving high school.”

18. Transition Assessment “Transition assessment is 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 personal and social environments. Assessment data serve as the common thread in the transition process and form the basis for defining goals and services to be included in the Individualized Education Program.” - Sitlington, Neubert, and Leconte (1997)

19. NSTTAC, 2007 Age-Appropriate Transition Assessment Age-appropriate means activities, assessments, content, environments, instruction, and/or materials that reflect a student’s chronological age. Age-appropriate assessments may necessitate adaptations to their administration for some students so that meaningful data are obtained.

20. NSTTAC, 2007 Types of transition assessments… Behavioral assessment information Aptitude tests Interest and work values inventories Intelligence tests and achievement tests Personality or preference tests Career maturity or readiness tests Self-determination assessments Work-related temperament scales Transition planning inventories

21. NSTTAC, 2007 …Types of transition assessments Paper and pencil tests Structured student and family interviews Observational community or work-based assessments (situational) Curriculum-based assessments

22. Transition Assessment What assessments are you currently using? Formal Informal

23. Types of Assessment Formal Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test College Entrance Test PSAT, SAT, ACT, CPT Transition Planning Inventory Brigance Life Centered Career Education (LCCE) Florida Alternate Assessment Other Norm-Referenced Informal Curriculum-Based/Teacher-Made Tests Interest Inventories Self-Determination Situational Questionnaires/Surveys/ Interviews Checklists

24. Assessments Transition Planning Inventory Enderle-Severson ChoiceMaker STEPS ARC Self-Determination Scale Self-Directed Search Career Chronicle Quest Informal Assessments in Transition Planning Transition Assessment: Planning Transition and IEP Development for Youth with Mild to Moderate Disabilities Case Studies in Assessment for Transition Planning

25. Assessments and Accommodations Formal Assessments Documentation on individual student’s IEP Established accommodations Request prior to testing Informal Assessments Documentation on individual student’s IEP No set accommodations Implemented on demand

26. Using Assessment Information in IEP Development Transition assessment will provide practical information to assist in all facets of transition planning and IEP development. Age-appropriate transition assessment must be used to develop students’ measurable postsecondary goals.

27. NSTTAC, 2007 Transition Assessment Transition assessment data should: Be obtained over time Indicate strengths, preferences and interests Consider present and future environments Be conducted by way of multiple places/sources/persons Be sensitive to cultural diversity

28. Resources Transition Assessments Websites http://www.nsttac.org http://www.nsttac.org/products_and_resources/tag.aspx http://transitioncoalition.org/transition/section.php?pageId=73 Interest Inventories Career Cruiser – Florida Department of Education http://www.fldoe.org/workforce/programs/cd_home.asp CHOICES http://www.FACTS.org Career Development Resources See attachments.

29. For additional information: Florida Department of Education Bureau of Exceptional Education and Student Services

30. Florida Education: The Next GenerationDRAFT March 13, 2008 Version 1.0 Questions?