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The objective of this lesson plan is to address the limits of instructional time by developing an interactive multimedia version of instruction for self-advocacy. SHARE stands for: Sit up straight. Have a pleasant tone of voice. Activate your thinking. Relax. Engage in eye communication. I feel teachers could use this method because it challenges the children to see where they struggle in certain areas in learning.

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The NASET or National Standards & Quality Indicators was created as a framework for stakeholders to identify what all youth need in order to achieve successful participation in postsecondary education and training, civic engagement, meaningful employment, and adult life. The NASET National Standards & Quality Indicators framework has two purposes (1) to respond to increased requests from states, school districts, and service providers for information on research-based practices, programs, and services and benchmarks for effective secondary education and transition practices and (2) to address new responsibilities for states to focus on accountability for each and every young person. Using this method, teachers are adequately prepared to work with transition-age youth, understand their shared responsibilities, and use coordination and linkage strategies to access resources, services, and supports across systems to assist youth in achieving their postschool goals.

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I learned that EBP is a teaching method used to teach a specific skill that has been shown to be effective based on high-quality research. I feel this is a great thing for teachers because teaching this method in secondary transition has been most effective at helping students with disabilities learn skills. Also, EBP can be used to support IEP goals and objectives.

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Self-Management to Teach Academic Skills

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Self-Management to Teach Academic Skills

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I would use this in my future meeting because it gives a better understanding to get to know the student. It teaches you about behavior, self-monitoring, self-instruct talking about inappropriate verbalizations known as “ interrupting a peer or teacher when talking to other students, making animal noises or grunts, yelling, swearing, or whistling in class.” it's a great teaching process to teach students how to be respectful in class and help the class be a better place for students using these methods teach students to model and practice recording using appropriate and inappropriate verbal verbalizations asking students to mark a tally and ask them do they think they are doing a good job at this is an import step in seeing how students see themselves in class so I would use this It's such a good resource for anybody trying to a do a transition meeting.

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The personal development tab can help students find interests to have a successful transition. There are many ways to find their interests, future goals, and strengths.

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I personally do not like to use technology in the classroom but I think that there is a time where students will benefit use a computer to do research. I do think that technology is helpful for students with disabilities. They can use the technology to communicate. This source gives several ways

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As a teacher, i would like to help my students with the time management and teach them how to prioritize This would also help with with ways to be more self-aware. This resource will help me educate myself to be the best I can be for my students. !

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As I was reading through this section one thing that I noticed the student participation. In an IEP meeting the parents and teachers tend to do most of the talking, but it is very important to realize that the student knows what is best for them. The decision does not have to come down to the student, but they know what works better for them in the classroom.

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I wanted to take a look at postsecondary goals not only for myself, but how I can implement this in my future profession. While the postsecondary document does not have a lot of questions it is always good to think about your future and where you want to take it. Questions such as "What do you want to accomplish", "After leaving school...", "Is their any further level of education or training..." are questions you have to consider while you are in high school or college. This would give me a better idea as a teacher as to where I should lead my students next to get to their goals.

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Web-based Examples and Non-examples for SPP/APR Indicator 13 Checklist

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Web-based Examples and Non-examples for SPP/APR Indicator 13 Checklist

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This resource gives 14 examples of properly written IEPs that fulfill all of the indicator 13 standards. This resource is helpful as it has both examples and non-examples. It also has hyperlinks and definitions to words within the plans and examples. This will help me in the future as it will clear up any confusion with what things mean as well as I can familiarize myself with the resources before my meetings. I can also use this source to help explain what different things mean to the student we are working with. This will greatly help me understand what a good plan look slike and waht it should not look like.

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To help schools and other organizations enhance the post-secondary outcomes for students with disabilities, the National Secondary Transition Technical Assistance Center (NSTTAC) offers resources and technical support. The US Department of Education funds the center, which offers support for transition planning, implementation, and evaluation.

For educators, students, families, and other stakeholders, NSTTAC provides a range of resources, including opportunities for professional development, data tools, and evidence-based approaches. They also offer advice on secondary transition planning and implementation policy and practice, including compliance with federal requirements like the Rehabilitation Act and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

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Age Appropriate Transition Assessment toolkit

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Age Appropriate Transition Assessment toolkit

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This resource provides background information and resources relating to how best to conduct and employ transition assessments. Throughout this toolkit, there are four different sections. In the first section, it talks all about transitions and how to conduct assessments and prepare yourself as well as some other issues. The second section is more sample instruments, focusing on formal and informal assessments. The third section has a number of other resources that can be helpful towards special education teachers. Finally, the last section provides suggestions. I think this resource will be helpful in my future as I can use it for my own help.

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This library provides over 85 lesson plans. These lesson plans were pulled directly from intervention studies, correlated to interventions in secondary transitioning. These lessons plan, use both the broad and specific areas of Taxonomy for Transition Planning. This would be great to use as a future educator because it provides activities and ideas that meet specific standards. This would be especially helping for those working with secondary transitioning.

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These practices align with Indicator 13. This resource provides descriptions and evidence that supports secondary transition literature. These practices give examples or how to they have been used in research and also how they align with Nation Standards. This would be great to look into as a future educator because it provides necessary information, on what practices should be used to support those transitioning. These practices would be great within my future career because they correlate with all legal standards.

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The NSTTAC created this toolkit to help educators and service providers with evaluation and data analysis. This toolkit improves services by determining what is working and what is not working. It provides activities and developmental goals to help those when working with students who has disabilities, who are in the process of transitioning. This could benefit by future career as an educator because this will provide me with important information that is accurate to my local community and state. This will provide me with resources and support, when helping students in the transition process.

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After looking through the website, I really enjoyed learning about the transition resources. Since I want to be a special education teacher, I was really drawn to the transition assessments. This tab talked about age-appropriate transition assessments, more importantly what is it, why you should do them, how to select the methods, how to conduct an assessment, and emerging issues. This website would be very helpful because it gives you all the information you need to conduct a transition assessment and the importance of it. This assessment provides the teacher with recommendations for instructional strategies and accommodations in instruction and environments to meet the student’s needs, while capitalizing on their unique talents. the results also lead the student to better understand the connection between their individual academic program and post-school ambitions, the likely key to their motivation to engage in learning and stay in school.

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Transition to College and Careers for Youth with Disabilities: Dreams vs. Reality, Gaps and Challenges, and Strategies to Address Them

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Transition to College and Careers for Youth with Disabilities: Dreams vs. Reality, Gaps and Challenges, and Strategies to Address Them

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this is Important to my future career because I need to be able to assist these children to the best of my abilities to help them survive to their greatest potential throughout high school, college, and even after college to pursue their careers.

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Another resource I found on this website, was the Post-secondary Goals Activity. This would be a great resource to use in any classroom for all students, as well as with students who have IEP's. Having this resource saves me form having to create my own or finding someone else who has one. I love this resource because it gives the student complete control over their answers and what they want to do after school. This will give those on the IEP and transition team an idea of what the student wants to do without parent input or outside opinions. I think I will use something similar even in my elementary classroom, so students can reflect on how what they have wanted to do has changed.

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As I was reading through the answers of my peers, I found something about a transition assessment. After looking on the website, I was able to find it and I am glad I did. While I do not plan on going into the field of special education, I think having knowledge of resources and things I can help suggest and use to benefit the IEP planning of my students. I think this resource will help me answer the three questions that were presented in the description of the assessment: Where is the child now? Where is the child going? How will the student get there? Resources like this will better help me to advocate for my students.

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One thing I found was a Common Core Transition Think Tank. I thought this recourse was really neat as it would allow me to look at things other people found that worked for other students and I can upload different idea my team and I come up with as we go. I might use this resource in a future transition meeting by looking at things and strategies that worked for other students in similar situations or had similar struggles with content material.

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As we have been looking through transitional resources for individuals with disabilities I found the tab for personal development. Out of all the weeks we have been looking through this site I have never noticed this resource until this time. I think that as a future educator I could use this resource to help my students find their interests in life in order to have a successful transition. This resource provides many ways that you can find students interests, strengths, and future goals. It gives both teachers and students an outline to prepare for the transition after high school.

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I plan to use this knowledge in my future career as I aspire to work in special education transitions. With this approach, I can gain a better understanding of what my client or participant wants for their future. It allows me to get to know my client on a deeper level and make appropriate accommodations that are in line with their lifestyle.

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CREATING EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR CHILDREN AND YOUTH WITH DISABILITIES TO PARTICIPATE IN PHYSICAL EDUCATION AND EXTRACURRICULAR ATHLETICS

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CREATING EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR CHILDREN AND YOUTH WITH DISABILITIES TO PARTICIPATE IN PHYSICAL EDUCATION AND EXTRACURRICULAR ATHLETICS

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This resource I feel is very important for my future career due to the process I am put in to create a livable situation and comforting environment for children with hearing and speaking disabilities to further assist them in creating a positive educational future and also help with with their extra curricular activities

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I also believe this is also very important for my future career. I will be conducting individual work at my own private practice and will need these skills it provided to ensure the best quality for myself and my patients.

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This will help me in the future due to my future occupation, audiology. Although I do not want to become a teacher visual aids are very important when becoming an audiologist.

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Using Response Prompting to Teach Social Skills

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Using Response Prompting to Teach Social Skills

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This resource uses prompting technology to assist individuals with severe intellectual disabilities and autism how to react in social situations and conversations. There are auditory, visual, textual, and symbolic responses where the individual must chose the correct response. Practices like these help to reduce stereotypical behaviors and increase verbal responses to one's environment. I would use this resource in my classroom to help assess after a social- emotional lesson where we learned about emotions of ourselves and our friends. After a lesson like this, I would arrange for my students to perform their understanding of emotions by using the prompter to simulate social situations where their knowledge would be required.

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Using Computer Assisted Instruction to Teach Food Preparation and Cooking Skills

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Using Computer Assisted Instruction to Teach Food Preparation and Cooking Skills

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This resource uses computer- assisted instruction to teach individuals with disabilities how to prepare basic meals. This knowledge is important to these individuals because it can greatly increase their ability to live independently and feed themselves. I would implement this technology into my classroom to help teach cooking skills remotely to eliminate a lot of the safety concerns associated with cooking. Once mastery had been accomplished remotely, the cooking could switch to in-person with the use of a real knives, microwave, toaster, oven, etc.

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Using Community Based Instruction to Teach Banking Skills 

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Using Community Based Instruction to Teach Banking Skills 

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This resource offers the idea of taking individuals to an ATM and a bank to practice their real life banking skills. It also offers the corresponding standards it covers. I would use this resource for my students to teach them how to handle money and how to withdraw and place money in an account at a bank.

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This resource is an outline of a lesson plan that can be used during the IEP meetings. It has the outlines for setting/materials, content which has 4 different instructional units that give you step by step roles to take. Within the teaching procedures, it also gives a step by step list you should take. This can be great if someone is struggling trying to find a lesson plan for an IEP as it gives many detailed steps you should take to make it successful and perfect for your student.

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Transition Planning Involvement Using Take Charge for the Future Powers, L.E., Turner, A, Westwood, D., Matuszewski, S., Wilson, R. & Phillips, A. (2001). TAKE CHARGE for the Future: A controlled field-test of a model to promote student involvement in transition planning. Career Development for Exceptional Individuals, 24, 89-104.

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self management to teach academic skills

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self management to teach academic skills

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I plan to use this in my future career because I plan to work in special education transitions. By using this you can get a better o=understanding of what your client or participant wants for their future. You are able to get to know the client deeper and make accommodations appropriate for their lifestyle.

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I believe this resource will be useful to me as an educator because my students with disabilities are practicing self-advocacy skills through writing our their goals and their perception of their disability. There are also sections of this form that he school fills out where they must describe what supports are they are providing the student with, and also the types of assessments the student is being given to appropriately measure academic achievement and functional performance. What is interesting about this source is how it provides two different perspectives when it comes to transition planning because the IEP team can match the student where they are at and work towards where the student wants to be.

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This resource caught my eye because I think it is a great questionnaire for my students to fill out. The best way to create goals for your student is to learn more about them and get an understanding of what they would like to do in their future. The questionnaire is also convenient because they can fill it out on their own time. Also, it makes planning more effective because you have their ideas and personal goals all written out on the same form.

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As a future teacher it is really important I understand what goes in to IEP ad IEP meetings. I need to be aware of all the bases that need to be covered or should be covered. This page really helped test myself on what I know and what I need to become more informed on. This page also helped see what I can do as an educator to help with the transition process.

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Team Planning Tool for Improving Transition Services

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Team Planning Tool for Improving Transition Services

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I found this resource under the "Capacity Building" tab, which also lists a multitude of transition planning toolkits to aid the IEP team during a meeting. This specific resource includes a blank template that utilizes a three-phase planning tool (1) current services, (2) needs and priorities, (3) developing a plan with evaluation measures. In looking at the planning tool document, I noticed that the flow charts on each page asked thorough questions about the transition services a person with exceptionalities would need, which is very important because a more detailed planned can better support a student's needs. I can definitely see myself using this transition tool in IEP meetings because this resource is easy to follow, and all members of the IEP team can understand the questions being asked.

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Using Technology to Teach Academic Skills 

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Using Technology to Teach Academic Skills 

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I think that this resource will greatly affect my future in teaching. I am not the best at technology but I want to get better. I know that there are very many resources online. I want to be able to provide my students with a vast majority of content and resources. Having this resource will guide me in the correct direction to help my students with disabilities gain resources that are provided online.

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Using Mnemonics to Teach Academic Skills

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Using Mnemonics to Teach Academic Skills

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This page talks about the ways mnemonic devices can be used to help people with disabilities remember certain things of importance. This method depends greatly on the individuals previous knowledge. using mnemonics will help the individual do more independently through their transition. One way a mnemonic could be used is to remember the steps of doing laundry.

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using self management to teach academic skills

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using self management to teach academic skills

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As a teacher I would use this to help my students define what self-management means to them. I would help manage methods in which helped them, be more aware of how to monitor, record, and assess behavior. This resource would also help me be more knowledgeable when it comes to self-management.  This would also help me with a wide range of students not just a few specific. My goal as a teacher is to help my students grow academically and emotionally and with this resource I believe I can do this!

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The NSTTAC Newsletter caught my attention because it is a newsletter that parents and practitioners can sign up for to learn about new legislature, policy updates, resources, evidence-based strategies, and success stories. This resource would be beneficial for me as an SLP so I can stay in the know on these new resources in order to reform my skills to offer the best assistance for my students. This is also great for the parents in order for us both to talk with each other about the students goals and treatment.

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The resource that I believe would be best value to my future students is the link labeled High School vs. College. This page gives a detailed comparison of the expectations from college and how that is different from high school. It lists laws, required documents, self advocacy tips, how grades and tests work, and much more to benefit an individual who is transitioning from high school to college. This would support my future students because it is laid out very neat, is extremely detailed, and accessible at any time. This is just a few pages long, but if a student needed more resources then there are plenty of links provided within this page.

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This link caught my attention as I browsed the website's list of links because it would obviously help with transition preparation. This site also contains links that can aid the student and the teacher in self-advocacy, student-led IEP meetings, and figuring out what is best for the student.

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Using Technology to Teach Academic Skills

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Using Technology to Teach Academic Skills

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I believe this resource will be useful to me as an educator to incorporate technology in my teaching. This includes Computer-based instruction (CBI) is when computers or associated technology are used to improve students' skills, knowledge, or academic performance. As well as Computer-managed instruction (CMI), also referred to as integrated learning system (ILS), is used to describe the application of computer technology and extensive software programs designed to present sequential instruction to students over extended periods of time while maintaining records of student progress. This will be useful to use in my future classroom.

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I would use this activity in my future meetings to get to know my student better in terms of their goals for the future. The first sheet is an "Employment Questionnaire" that asks the student about their life, strengths/weaknesses, hobbies, favorite classes, etc. to have a sort of introduction to who the student is! There is another "Postsecondary Goals" sheet that asks the student questions about what type of job they want, if they need college education or training for this job, and practicing writing out their measurable goals. I like how both sheets in this resource help the student communicate their goals and desires, as well as having them think about the future. I could see myself using this resource in IEP meetings with the team so the student can think about these questions and answer them how they would like to; these answers will help myself and the rest of the team brainstorm ideas and additional resources that we can use to best support the student in reaching their goals.

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As an educator I think it is vital we teach life skills. Every child should have the resources and opportunities to live on their own if they are capable. This gives a young adult a sense of maturity and respect. Whether a student wants to live on their own while attending college or living on their own as they work, both should be options. Teachers can help assess what a student is good at and what independent living skills need to be improved in order for a student to live on their own after high school. This can also helps students get more access to resources they may need.

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I think this resource could be helpful for me in terms of understanding my students better. As a future SLP, I will work with kids that could have any sort of disability that affects their communication. These disabilities can come with many other qualities that I may not be very aware of. This site has information on all different types of disabilities and how they can look for individuals of any age.

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Evidence-Based Practices Organized by Skill being Taught

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Evidence-Based Practices Organized by Skill being Taught

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As I looked through the links provided on the website, I was drawn to this one because it would explicably aid in transition planning. There are additionally links within this one that would help the student and the educator in self-advocacy, student-led IEP meetings, and determining what works best for the student. There are also techniques and checklists for things like cooking, cleaning, community involvement, banking, grocery shopping, etc. This page really goes through everything the child and IEP commity would need in order to ensure successful transitioning.

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When I looked through the website I noticed the students and families tab which really caught my eye especially seeing the post secondary goals. In this tab there was activities that students could fill out about employment and a secondary goal sheet. This will be great for getting their name out to employers and to see what the student is interested in

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After exploring the resources that are spread throughout this site, I found the employment skills lesson plans to be the most value to my future. I want to teach students with disabilities not only inside my classroom, but I also want to teach them skills to use outside of my classroom. I think that these lesson plans will provide structure and a start into finding out what students are interested in, what their strengths are, and where they would like a career after high school. These lesson plans will teach students their career interests, but will also provide them with life skills. I think that this site is a great resource to keep in mind in the future, especially the lesson plans.

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Aligning Evidence-Based Practices and Predictors for Post-School Success

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Aligning Evidence-Based Practices and Predictors for Post-School Success

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I find that everything in this specific resource seems to be very helpful to the well being of each student. Specifically the part where students are included in the general classroom. As a future speech therapist, I think it's important for children to be exposed to environments that are NOT always tailored specifically to their needs. Obviously not withholding help that is necessary, but little things like participating in social games and situations. Many of the things in this document are incredibly important for every student, whether they are listed under a specific category or not.

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When I first went on the website i went to the "students and families" tab. I found a link that would take me to a secondary goals activity. This activity allows students to fill out questions that will help find them employment. There is also a goal sheet for post secondary goals for the student to fill out. These two sheets will let their families and themselves to see what they can do with their interests that they put down.

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Although I don't plan on a future in education, as someone who wants to be a disability rights lawyer, lack of accessible information is one of the biggest problems I think affect people with disabilities. I really liked the Transition Map. This map provides contact information for different transition specialists in different states. This would be really helpful to refer clients to. The only changes I would make to this is providing information for organizations in each state as well as programs offered at state colleges like the WVU Country Roads Program, since I think that advocates for college opportunities for people with disabilities which is often times not an option.

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National Secondary Transition Technical Assistance Center

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Looking at this site, my eyes immediately floated towards the lesson plan starters section. This section is organized into four groups, student-focused planning, employment skills, life skills, and program structure. This lets you easily find what type of lesson plan starter that you're looking for. I first clicked on the student-focused planning section. This section focused mostly on working with IEP's. Each bullet point on this page has a link to a PDF of a lesson plan. The lesson plan begins by stating the content that will be taught. The teaching procedure is listed by steps, which I like as I feel it's easy to read and follow along. The end of the lesson even includes the methods of evaluation which I think it important because not all lesson plans include this.

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As I browsed the site, the Transition Team Toolkit caught my attention. As a future SLP, I think this toolkit would be helpful to me and my team to help us learn how to build effective transition goals. This could be important for when a student transitions into or out of speech services. It can also teach me how to work well with others who would be a part of this students transition planning.

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After going through this site, I chose to click under the tab Products and Resources. Within this tab there was a link provided that brought me to a page about online resources for career and technical education. There were many more sites provided that help students and families explore these transition opportunities. I think this would be great to refer parents to because it gives detail on what these programs offer, and also it allows students to explore potential post-secondary education. Workplace ethics, scholarships, statistics, and educational pathways are just some of the information provided under this link.

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While looking through this website, I went to the Students and Families section and found the iTransition Resources page. This transition tool includes a curriculum for students with deafness or hearing exceptionalities learn about themselves in terms of their interests, career goals, and life skills for the future. I think this resource would be very helpful in my classroom because I can better support my students with this type of exceptionalities in reaching their goals, as well as preparing them for the real world. This resource would definitely be helpful in preparing the team for IEP meetings because we are learning about the student from their own perspective.

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As I was looking through this site I decided to click on students and families. Here I found a Completed summary of a performance form. This form is for the student to gather information about their goals after high school. As well as how they perceive their disability. As well as how others perceive it. This form is given by the teacher in order to gain more information about the student's goals and how they see their disabilities. I could see myself using this in my classroom to gain this information and see how each student views themself as a learner. As well as providing this information to the student's parents to share the information with them about their child. Super great resource.

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As I looked through the different resources, the one I found that would be most helpful to me as a Special Education Teacher would be the Age Appropriate Transition Assessment. This resource answers questions on transition assessments including what it is, why we conduct them and how. It also gives samples of both informal and formal assessments. All of this will allow me to succeed in the special education field because if I ever get confused or overwhelmed, I can look back through this resource and figure out exactly what I need to do and how to do it.

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This document was produced under U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs Grant No. H326J050004 and H326J110001. Dr. Marlene Simon-Burroughs served as the project officer. The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the positions or policies of the Department Education. No official endorsement by the U.S. Department of Education of any product, commodity, service, or enterprise mentioned in this publication is intended or should be inferred. This product is public domain. Authorization to reproduce it in whole or in part is granted. While permission to reprint this publication is not necessary, the citation should be:

National Secondary Transition Technical Assistance Center (2013). Age Appropriate Transition Assessment Toolkit Third Edition. University of North Carolina at Charlotte, A. R. Walker, L. J. Kortering, C. H. Fowler, D. Rowe, & L.Bethune.

Published and distributed by:

National Secondary Transition Technical Assistance Center
University of North Carolina Charlotte
College of Education, Special Education & Child Development
9201 University City Boulevard
Charlotte, NC 28223
Phone: 704-687-8853
Fax: 704-687-1625

http://www.nsttac.org
http://www.uncc.edu

Table of Contents

Section 1: Age Appropriate Transition Assessment Toolkit

Section 2: Sample Instruments

Section 3: Informative Links and Other Sources of Information

Section 4: Transition Assessment Implementation Timeline

What Is Transition Assessment?

The Division on Career Development and Transition (DCDT) of the Council for Exceptional Children defines transition assessment as an "...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 (IEP)" (Sitlington, Neubert, & LeConte, 1997; p. 70-71). Federal law requires "appropriate measurable postsecondary goals based upon age appropriate transition assessments related to training, education, employment, and, where appropriate, independent living skills" (§300.320[b][1]).

Although states are still developing policy and guidance documents relative to transition assessment (Morningstar & Liss, 2008), it seems most appropriate to use some combination of the following types: Paper and pencil tests, structured student and family interviews, community or work-based assessments (situational) and curriculum-based assessments. These assessments or procedures come in two general formats - formal and informal. Informal measures may include interviews or questionnaires, direct observations, anecdotal records, environmental or situational analysis, curriculum-based assessments, interest inventories, preference assessments, and transition planning inventories. Formal measures include adaptive behavior and independent living assessments, aptitude tests, interest assessments, intelligence tests, achievement tests, personality or preference tests, career development measures, on the job or training evaluations, and measures of self-determination.

Formal assessments are standardized instruments that include descriptions of their norming process, reliability and validity, and recommended uses. Generally, these instruments have independent reviews in texts (e.g., A Counselor's Guide to Career Assessment Instruments - 5th Edition) or on-line at http://www.unl.edu/buros/. These assessments tend to be limited to recommended use by a professional with a requisite qualifications, identified as Level A (no special qualifications required), Level B (a four-year degree in psychology or related field along with coursework in testing or a license or certification from an agency that requires appropriate training and experience in the use of psychological tests) or Level C (all Level B qualifications plus an advanced degree that requires training in psychological testing). The vast majority of transition assessments used by educators require a Level A or B qualification. Notable exceptions include intelligence tests and some personality assessments that require a Level C qualification with specialized advanced training.

Examples of the more popular formal assessments include the Meyers Briggs Type Indicator Form M (Meyers & Briggs, 1988.), Self-Directed Search Forms CE (Holland & Powell, 1994), R (Holland, 1994), and E (Holland, 1996), and Occupational Aptitude Survey and Interest Schedule 3rd Edition (Parker, 2002).

In contrast, informal assessments generally lack a formal norming process and reliability or validity information. They seldom have professional qualifications for their use and tend to be inexpensive and often times free. These assessments require more subjectivity to complete and yield the best data when used on an ongoing basis and by more than one person to improve their validity. Examples of some popular paper/pencil informal assessments include the Transition Planning Inventory (Clark & Patton, 2009), O'Net Career Interest Inventory (U.S. Department of Labor, 2002), and Life Centered Career Education (LCCE) Performance and Knowledge Battery (Bucher & Brolin, 1987). Other examples of informal assessments include situational or observational learning styles assessments, curriculum-based assessment from courses, observational reports, situational assessments, structured interviews, personal-future planning activities, and functional skill inventories.

The transition assessment process can be viewed within a framework. One useful framework is by Sitlington, Neubert, Begun, Lombard, and Leconte (1996). Their framework incorporates a variety of methods for assessing the student and potential work or training environment. Analyses of results help educators make decisions about how best to match a student with their potential training or job environment. The purpose of the framework is to identify training and post school options that match the students' interests, preferences, and needs using the Assess, Plan, Instruct, and Evaluate (APIE) model. In the first step (assess), educators assess the students' interests, preferences, and needs related to desired post school outcomes using formal and informal assessments. The second step (plan) involves interpreting the results from these assessments and incorporating them into the students' IEP. In the third step (instruct), students learn the skills they will need to reach their post school goals. In the last step (evaluate), evaluate whether progress has been made toward achieving the transition activities and corresponding IEP goals and objectives.

Rojewski (2002) outlines another useful framework inclusive of three levels of transition assessment. Level one is for most students and might include a review of existing information (e.g., intelligence and achievement data from the student's most current Psychological Report along with performance data from school-wide testing, course grades, and attendance), student interview, interest assessment, personality or preference assessment, and, if indicated (e.g., a student shows promise in a given aptitude), aptitude testing. A level two assessment targets students having difficulty making a career choice, clarifying their interests, or preparing to exit high school. This level would build on a level one assessment by generating additional information as to one's work-related behaviors, general career maturity, and job readiness. A level three assessment would be reserved for students needing additional assistance with identifying long term career goals, when earlier transition assessments were inconclusive or for those with more significant disabilities. This level generally takes several days, involves a vocational assessment specialist (Sarkees-Wircenski & Scott, 1995), and is in cooperation with a local adult service provider. A level three evaluation would include a combination of assessing job-related behaviors (e.g., Becker Work Adjustment Scale - Revised) and on the job and community situational assessments.

Sitlington and Payne (2004) continued to suggest that transition assessment information is gathered regarding a student's current needs, preferences, and interests as they relate to the demands of current and future working, educational, living, personal, and social environments. The goal of transition assessment is to assist students, families, and professionals as they make transition planning decisions for student success in postsecondary environments (Sitlington & Clark, 2007; Sitlington & Payne). Finally, Sitlington and Clark suggest that transition assessment should answer three basic questions:

1. Where is the student presently?

2. Where is the student going?

3. How does the student get there?

Why Conduct Transition Assessments?

Transition assessments may be undertaken for several reasons. These reasons include: (a) to develop postsecondary goals, and related transition services and annual goals and objectives for the transition component of the IEP ), (b) to make instructional programming decisions, and (c) to include information in the present level of performance related to a student's interests, preferences, and needs in the IEP. In addition, transition assessment is an excellent way to learn about individual students, especially their strengths outside of academics and career ambitions (Kortering, Sitlington, & Braziel, 2010). Likewise, Zunker and Osborn (2006) remind us that the most important reason for doing transition assessments is to help students learn about themselves so as to better prepare them for taking an active role in their career development. It is suggested that transition assessment information be gathered in the following four categories: (a) academic, (b) selfdetermination, (c) vocational interest and exploration, and (d) adaptive behavior/ independent living. These are four broad areas for assessment. Individual students may require additional assessment in other areas, depending on their needs.

The results of transition assessments should also be the basis for making recommendations for instructional strategies and accommodations in instruction and environments to meet the student's needs, while capitalizing on their unique talents. Finally, the results should lead the student to better understand the connection between their individual academic program and post-school ambitions, the likely key to their motivation to engage in learning and stay in school (Kortering & Braziel, 2008). The transition assessment information should be the basis for identifying postsecondary goals in education or training, employment, and independent living (as appropriate) for a student who's IEP is being developed for the purpose transition planning. As noted in the federal law regarding the education of students with disabilities, "appropriate measurable postsecondary goals based upon age appropriate transition assessments" must be included in the IEPs of students who will turn 16 during that year (p.118, 2709, viii, aa).

How Do I Select Instruments and Methods?

First, become familiar with the different types of transition assessments and their characteristics, including reading their respective manuals, seeking independent information (e.g., test reviews, professional articles) and talk with local adult service providers and employers. Again, it is recommended that you use multiple evaluations on an ongoing basis.

Second, select assessment instruments and methods that help the student to answer the following questions:

* Who am I?

* What are my unique talents and interests?

* What do I want in life, now and in the future?

* What are some of life's demands that I can meet now?

* What are the main barriers to getting what I want from school and my community? and

* What are my options in the school and community for preparing me for what I want to do, now and in the future?

Third, select instruments and methods that are appropriate for your students. Key considerations include the nature of their disability (e.g., reading level and general intelligence), their post-school ambitions (e.g., college versus other training options or immediate employment), and community opportunities (e.g., local training options, employers and adult service providers). As an example, students with more severe or complex disabilities would be best served by a person centered planning approach (see Condon & Callahan, 2008). The nature of their disability may preclude the relevancy of many standardized assessments, notable exceptions might include interest inventories that do not require reading (e.g., Becker's Reading Free Interest Inventory - Revised, Wide Range Interest and Opinion Test - Revised) and other instruments that require minimal reading levels (e.g., Career Decision Making System, Self-Directed Search Form E). Similarly, some students may need special accommodations during the assessment process. Informal and formal measures may be used to assess the four suggested categories: (a) academic, (b) self-determination, (c) vocational interest and exploration, and (d) adaptive behavior/ independent living.

By considering the aforementioned concerns, you will be able to better select informative and useful transition assessment tools.

How Do I Conduct an Age Appropriate Transition Assessment?

Transition assessments will vary depending on the actual instrument(s) and procedures being used and various student characteristics. However, Sitlington, Neubert, and Leconte (1997) suggest that the following guidelines when developing your transition assessment process:

1. "Assessment methods must incorporate assistive technology or accommodations that will allow an individual to demonstrate his or her abilities and potential.

2. Assessment methods must occur in environments that resemble actual vocational training, employment, independent living, or community environments.

3. Assessment methods must produce outcomes that contribute to ongoing development, planning, and implementation of "next steps" in the individual's transition process.

4. Assessment methods must be varied and include a sequence of activities that sample an individual's behavior and skills over time.

5. Assessment data must be verified by more than one method and by more than one person.

6. Assessment data must be synthesized and interpreted to individuals with disabilities, their families, and transition team members.

7. Assessment data and the results of the assessment process must be documented in a format that can be used to facilitate transition planning (p. 75)."

Another appropriate process approach follows the following sequence. Initially start off with a structured interview that solicits information on various family background features affecting one's career development while providing the student with an opportunity to express their thoughts (see Kortering & Braziel, 2008). As an example, you may wish to use the Employment-Related Questionnaire or Dream Sheet links in the following section. Next, have the student complete a basic interest inventory, preferably one that matches their post-secondary ambitions (e.g., career ambitions requiring college training or not), and then perhaps some assessment of their personality or preferences. Finally, if the student demonstrates potential talent in a given aptitude (e.g., shows an established interest in mechanical type jobs) conduct an assessment of this potential or related talent using one of the standard aptitude tests. As a reminder, selected methods should be appropriate for the learning characteristics of the individual, including cultural and linguistic differences.

Emerging Issues

There are prominent and emerging issues affecting transition assessment. First, the role of the internet and technology-based resources is rapidly evolving. Several publishers offer software packages for assessment and career planning. Second, the Summary of Performance (SOP) requirement must include recommendations to assist graduating students in meeting their post-secondary goals. Finally, the increasing importance of a college education suggests the need to consider college entrance exams (e.g., Scholastic Achievement Test or SAT and American College Testing or ACT) as part of the assessment process.

A number of websites offer transition assessments. Many of these sites use an interest test or self-reporting of perceived talents or needs. Based on the responses, these sites generally offer initial information for free but charge a fee for a full report. The sites offer convenience, but seldom have independent reviews or access to a technical manual. Notable exceptions include sites offering online access to established assessments (e.g., Self Directed Search, Kuder Interest Inventory, and Strong Interest Inventory). A few online tools that are totally free and popular among special educators include the following:

* www.caseylifeskills.org

* http://itransition.pepnet.org/

Various vendors offer software-assisted career planning resources. These software packages are all in one units that provide assessments of interests and self-reported abilities and then link one's responses to matching careers based on an occupational data base or groups of employees representing given occupations. These packages tend have an expensive upfront cost but many districts use them with all their students thus lowering the per student fee. These resources also offer routine updates for their occupational data bases to better reflect emerging labor trends and new occupations. Some research, involving college students and adults, suggests that computerassisted assessments compare favorably to more traditional paper and pencil assessments (see Chauvin & Miller, 2009; Gati, Kleiman, Saka, & Zakai, 2003; Gati, Gadassi, & Shemesh, 2006). A possible downside is that these resources may lack independent reviews of their utility, reliability, or validity for youth with disabilities, but some have technical manuals with useful background information on their product's development.

* http://www.careercruising.com/

* http://www.firescience.org/public-service-careers/

* http://www.bridges.com/us/prodnserv/choicesplanner_hs/index.html

* http://www.act.org/discover/

* http://www.kuder.com/

* http://www.onetcenter.org/tools.html

* http://www.sigi3.org/

* http://www.vri.org/careerscope/

The SOP provides a formal document that includes transition-related information, including formal and informal assessment information, classroom and school performance data, and information on appropriate accommodations and services during high school (Dukes, 2010). This document serves as an information sharing tool that helps adult service providers (e.g., Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors, Support Specialists in College or University settings) tailor services to the student's unique talents, limitations, and needs. The document also provides the student with an opportunity to prepare for their post-school goals by having an accurate summary of their transition assessment data that they then can be proactive with future service providers.

Given the increasing importance of a college education, it seems reasonable to consider helping youth prepare for college entrance exams as part of the transition assessment process. A student's performance of these exams has a considerable impact on whether they get admitted to a college of their choice. The two most common entrance exams are the ACT and SAT. In helping prepare a student for these exams, you may want to work with the high school guidance counselor given their working knowledge of regional colleges and related expertise. In addition, several publications and websites, most offering free and for a fee services, provide access to sample test questions or further training. Sample websites include the following:

* http://www.actstudent.org/testprep/index.html

* http://www.kaptest.com/College/ACT/index.html

* http://www.act-sat-prep.com/

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Section 2: Sample Instruments

Informal Transition Assessment Methods

Interviews and Questionnaires

Interviews and questionnaires allow you to gather information to be used to determine a youth's needs, preferences, and interests relative to anticipated post-school outcomes. In other words, collected information helps you to better understand what is currently known about a youth, their perceptions of transition-related factors, and familial influences on the career development process. This information, in turn, helps you and the youth to develop postschool ambitions, plan a course-of-study and identify transition services and activities that will help them reach their ambitions. "An important part of this data collection process involves gathering information about a student and their family's current and future resources. For example, if a student's future education choice is to enroll in a four-year college, it is helpful to know as soon as possible what financial resources a family might have or need. Another example might involve current and future transportation needs to get to work or to various activities/places in the community. Families also can often provide current and future resources in terms of employment options for their daughter or for other students in a high school program" (Test, Aspel, & Everson, 2006, pp. 74). Another aspect of this type of information is generating an understanding of family influences on a student's career development, including access to role models, world of work knowledge and general ambitions. Examples of a useful structured interview or questionnaire include:

* Employment-Related Questions

* Dream Sheet

* Transition Planning Inventory - Updated Version (Clark & Patton, 2009)

* Enderle-Severson Transition Rating Scales - Third Edition (Enderle, & Severson, 2003).

Direct Observation

"Direct observation of student performance should be conducted within the natural school, employment, education or training, or community setting (Sitlington, Neubert, & Leconte, 1997). Sometimes called "situational assessment" (Sitlington, Neubert, Begun, Lombard, & Leconte, 2007; Sitlington & Clark, 2001), direct observations are often done by a job coach, co-worker, recreation specialist, or vocational educator. However, in keeping with a self-determined philosophy, youths should learn to record their (performance) data. Direct observation data typically includes task analytic data of steps in completing required tasks (e.g., folding laundry, sorting mail), work behavior (e.g., staying on-task, following directions, getting along with co-workers), and affective information (e.g., is student happy, excited, frustrated, or bored?). For example, if (you are) observing at a worksite, and a student quickly and accurately completes her tasks, interacts well with coworkers, and appears happy, this data may suggest that the student is successful and enjoys this type. However, after visiting a community residential setting a student appears withdrawn, this may be an indication that the particular situation may not be suitable" (Test, Aspel, & Everson, 2006; pp. 74). Examples of direct observation formats include:

* Example of Task Analysis 1

* Example of Task Analysis 2

Environmental or Situational Analysis

Environmental analysis, sometimes referred to as ecological assessment, involves carefully examining environments where activities normally occur. For example, a youth may express an interest in attending karate classes at the local YMCA. In this case an environmental analysis might be conducted to look at transportation needs and the expectations for participates (e.g., being a member, using the locker room, taking a shower). In a second example, if a youth expressed interest in a specific type of job like attending to pets at a local veterinarian's office, an environmental job analysis could establish job requirements that match one's skills or potential to learn the skills (Griffin & Sherron, 1996). A critical part of a job analysis involves the identification of reasonable accommodations and modifications that could help them be successful (e.g., job restructuring, modifying equipment, acquiring an adaptive device, re-organizing the work space, hiring a personal assistant) (Griffin & Sherron, 1996; Test, Aspel, & Everson, 2006). An excellent source for further information for on the job accommodations and modifications is the Job Accommodation Network's website (http://askjan.org/). Another area of environmental analysis involves having a structured format for collecting on the job or job performance data. Some of the more popular formats in this area include Becker Work Adjustment Profile - Profile: 2 (Becker, 2005), Work Personality Profile (Neath & Bolton, 2008), and Job Observation and Behavior Scale (Stoelting Publishing, 2000). In addition, most local employers will have an evaluation form for their job site and positions that can be modified to meet your needs.

* Job Site Analysis Survey

Curriculum-based Assessments

"CBAs are typically designed by educators to gather information about a student's performance in a specific curriculum (McLoughlin & Lewis, 2005)... (and) to develop instructional plans for a specific student. To gather data an educator might use task analyses, work samples, portfolio assessments, or criterion-referenced tests" (Test, Aspel, & Everson, 2006, pp. 78). Examples of CBAs include:

* Example of Data Sheet 1

* Example of Data Sheet 2

* Life Centered Career Education (LCCE, Buchar & Brolin, 1987)

* Brigance Life Skills Inventory (Brigance, 1994)

* Brigance Transition Skills Inventory (Curriculum Associates, 2010)

* Brigance Employability Skills Inventory (Brigance, 1995)

* Choice Maker Set (Martin, Huber-Marshall, Maxson, Jerman, Hughes, Miller, & McGill, 2000)

School Performance Measures

Informal curriculum based measures, end of course and grade assessments, state-wide tests, and observations of student classroom behaviors (e.g., participation in group work, on task behaviors, assignment completion) provide useful information regarding a student's strengths, needs, and interests in the area of academics, relevant to future education or training environments. Other useful measures include student portfolios, use and effectiveness of test accommodations, and attendance data.

Transition Planning Inventories

Transition planning inventories involve a process which identifies strengths and needs for a given student as they prepare to transition from school to the community, including employment, schooling, and independent living. These inventories encompass various aspects of adult living, including employment, postsecondary schooling and training, independent living, interpersonal relationships, adult service needs, and community living. Examples include:

* Enderle-Severson Transition Rating Scales - Third Edition (Severson, Enderle & Hoover, 2003)

* Supports Intensity Scale (American Association on Mental Retardation, 2004)

* TEACCH Transition Assessment Profile - Second Edition (Mesibov, Thomas, Chapman, & Schopler, 2007)

* Transition Planning Inventory - Updated Version (Clark & Patton, 2009) Transition to Work Inventory (TWI) (Liptak, 2008)

Formal Transition Assessment Methods

Achievement Tests

Achievement tests measure learning of general or specific academic skills. Achievement tests provide results that can be linked to most occupational requirements while helping to identify potential areas needing remediation or accommodation (e.g., reading comprehension). They are usually general survey batteries covering several subject areas or single-subject tests. They can be criterion-referenced, norm-referenced, or both. Achievement tests are usually identified by grade level. It is important to establish the specific purpose for giving an achievement test to decide what type to use. Examples include:

* Adult Basic Learning Examination - Second Edition (ABLE - 2, Karlsen & Gardener, 1986)

* Basic Achievement Skills Inventory (BASI, Bardos, 2002)

* Kaufman Test of Educational Achievement - Second Edition (KTEA-2, Kaufman & Kaufman, 2004)

* Peabody Individual Achievement Test-Revised-Normative Update (PIAT-R/ NU, Markwardt, 1997)

* Stanford Achievement Test (SAT -10th Edition)

* Wide Range Achievement Test-Revision - Fourth Edition (WRAT 4, Wilkinson & Robertson, 2006)

* Woodcock Johnson III (WJ III, Woodcock, McGrew, & Mather, 2001)

Adaptive Behavior and Independent Living

Adaptive behavior assessment helps determine whether a youth needs a postsecondary goal in the area of independent living, including the type and amount of special assistance they may need to be successful in a given environment (e.g., residential, self-care, transportation, social communication, and community participation). This assistance might be in the form of homebased support services, special education and vocational training, and supported work or special living arrangements such as personal care attendants, group homes, or nursing homes. These assessments rely on informed source (e.g., parent, care taker, teacher, student) to provide information. With some assessments respondents are interviewed, while others have respondents fill out a response booklet.

* AAMR Adaptive Behavior Scales - School (ABS-2, Lambert, Nihira, & Leland, 1993)

* Brigance Life Skills Inventory (Brigance, 1994)

* Independent Living Scales (ILS, Anderson-Loeb, 1996)

* Inventory for Client and Agency Planning (ICAP, Bruininks, Hill, Weatherman, & Woodcock, 1986).

* Scales of Independent Behavior - Revised (SIB-R, Bruininks, Woodcock, Weatherman, & Hill, 1996)

* Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales - Second Edition (Vineland II, Sparrow, Cicchetti, & Balla, 2005)

Aptitude tests

An aptitude test is a measure of a specific ability relative to a given norm group (e.g., age peers, employees in a given job). Ability involves what a person can do now or, given the proper opportunity, possibly in the future (Betz, Fitzgerald, & Hill, 1989). There are two types of aptitude tests: Multiaptitude or general test batteries and single tests measuring specific aptitudes. General aptitude test batteries contain measures of a wide range of aptitudes and combinations of aptitudes. A youth's performance on these tests provides valuable information that can help gauge their potential for success in a given training or educational program or occupation. Single aptitude tests are used when a specific aptitude needs to be measured, such as manual dexterity, clerical ability, artistic ability, or mechanical ability. Examples include:

* Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB, U. S. Department of Defense, 1999)

* Bennett's Mechanical Comprehension Test (Bennett, 2006)

* Occupational Aptitude Survey and Interest Schedule-3rd ed. (OASIS-3, Parker, 2002)

* O*NET Ability Profiler (U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration, 2002)

* Wiesen Test of Mechanical Aptitude (Wiesen, 1999)

Interest Inventories

Strong (1943) was one of the original vocational theorists to stress the importance of gathering data concerning individuals' likes and dislikes for a variety of activities, objects, and types of persons commonly encountered. Interest inventories provide the opportunity for individuals to compare their interest with those of individuals in specific occupational groups or selected peer groups. Fouad (1999) notes that regardless of specific measure interest inventories appear to generalize across time. Examples of interest inventories include:

* Becker Reading Free Interest Inventory - Revised (Becker, 2000)

* OASIS - 3 Interest Schedule (Parker, 2002)

* O*NET Career Interest Inventory (U.S. Department of Labor, 2002)

* Picture Interest Career Survey (Brady, 2007)

* Self-Directed Search Forms R (Holland, 1996), E (Holland, 1994, and CE (Holland & Powell, 1994)

* Career Decision-Making System Revised (Harrington & O'Shea, 2000)

* Wide Range Interest-Opinion Test - Revised (WRIOT-2, Glutting & Wilkinson, 2006)

Intelligence Tests

Intelligence tests involve a single test or test battery to assess a person's cognitive performance. Powers (2006) clarifies cognitive performance by describing it as solving novel problems, adapting to new situations, and demonstrating competence when faced with new learning demands. Fives (2008) also reminds us that cognitive performance becomes especially relevant for students expressing interest in an occupation that has ability requirements beyond their current or projected ability level. Examples of intelligence tests include:

* Comprehensive Test of Nonverbal Intelligence (CTONI, Hammail, Pearson, & Wiederhold, 1997)

* Kaufman Adolescent & Adult Intelligence Test (KAIT, Kaufman & Kaufman, 1993)

* Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test - Third Edition (PPVT-III, Dunn & Dunn, 1997)

* Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scales - Fifth Edition (SB-5, Roid, 2003)

* Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-IV (WISC-IV, Wechsler, 2004)

* Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Adults - Third Edition (WAIS-III, Wechsler, 1997)

* Wonderlic Basic Personnel Test (Wonderlic, 1992)

Personality or Preference Tests

Personality inventories measure individual differences in social traits, motivational drives and needs, attitudes, and adjustment. Personality measures offer a means of evaluating support for, or opposition to, a career under consideration. The score alone should not be viewed as a predictor of success or failure but rather should be compared with other data, including abilities and interests. Examples include:

* Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® (MBTI®) Instrument - Form M (Meyers & Briggs, 1988)

* 16 Personality Factors - Fifth Edition (16 PF, Cattell, Cattell, & Cattell, 2000)

Career Development Measures

Career development inventories measure developmental stages or tasks on a continuum. The degree of an individual's career maturity is determined by the individual's location on the developmental continuum. Examples include:

* Career Beliefs Inventory (CBI, Krumbolz, 1991)

* Career Decision Scale (CDS, Osipow, Carney, Winer, Yanico, & Koschier, 1987)

* Career Thoughts Inventory (Sampson, Peterson, Lenz, Reardon, & Saunders, 1996)

* Job Search Attitude Survey - 3rd Edition (Liptak, 2006)

On the Job or Training Evaluations

Perhaps one of the most effective ways to determine whether a student is ready to work at a given position is some form of on-site assessment. As noted earlier, most employers will have some form of evaluation tool that can be modified to meet your needs. In addition, the following assessments provide information on a student's general (i.e., behaviors and skills that apply to almost any job) employability relative to a training or job site.

* Becker Work Adjustment Profile - 2nd Ed. (Becker, 2005)

* Job Observation and Behavior Scale (JOBS, Stoelting Publishing, 2000)

* Work Adjustment Inventory: Measures of job-related termperament (Gilliam, 1994)

* Work Personality Profile (Neath & Bolton, 2008)

Self-determination assessments

Self-determination has been defined by Wehmeyer, Sands, Doll, and Palmer (1997) as actions that are identified by autonomous, self-regulated behavior of an individual, who is empowered and acts in a self-realizing manner. Fields, Martin, and Miller (1998) added to this definition, indicating that in order to have self-determination skills one must possess a belief in one's self and capabilities. Self-determination assessments help determine a student's aptitude and opportunity for specific components of self-determination such as goal-setting, problem solving, self-advocacy, self-evaluation, persistence, and self-confidence. Self-determination skills have been associated with independence and self-actuality which in turn have a positive effect on postschool outcomes (Agran et al., 2005). Examples of self-determination assessments include:

* American Institutes for Research (AIR) Self-Determination Scale (Wolman, Campeau, DuBois, Mithaug, & Stolarski, 1994)

* The ARC's Self-Determination Scale (Wehmeyer & Kelchner, 1995)

Section 3: Informative Links and Other Sources of Information

Podcasts

http://itcnew.idahotc.com/pages/pastwebinars.htm#feb15-06 - This is a podcast of a presentation by Gary Clark and Jacque Hyatt on "Using Assessment Information for Planning Transition Services."

Websites

http://www.cde.state.co.us/cdesped/download/pdf/TK_TransAssessment.pdf - Produced by the Colorado Department of Education, Special Education Services Unit. This site offers a brief document explaining Transition Assessment.

http://education.ou.edu/zarrow/?rd=1 - The Zarrow Center at the University of Oklahoma provides access to a variety of transition-related assessments and related materials.

http://www.khake.com/page51.html - This page provides links for students and guidance counselors including resources to self assessments, career planning, career development and college planning. Additional career exploration resources for younger students are found on the Career Guides page. For a more complete list of career and technical education resources in each state visit the State Career and Technical Education Resources page.

http://www.ksde.org/Default.aspx?tabid=3235 - This link provides general information on various types of transition assessments.

http://www.ncdcdt.org/downloads/guidance_career_counselor_toolkit.pdf - Great resource for general and specific information relating to career counseling services.

http://www.ncwd-youth.info/resources_&_Publications/assessment.html - Career Planning Begins with Assessment: A Guide for Professionals Serving Youth with Educational and Career Development Challenges. This guide serves as a resource for multiple audiences within the workforce development system. Youth service practitioners will find information on selecting careerrelated assessments, determining when to refer youth for additional assessment, and additional issues such as accommodations, legal issues, and ethical considerations. Administrators and policymakers will find information on developing practical and effective policies, collaboration among programs, and interagency assessment systems.

http://nsttac.org/content/transition-map ﻿ - Using the google search function at the bottom of the map, enter the term 'transition assessment' and 13 states will come up. Click on the respective links to locate relevant materials and tools relating to transition assessment.

http://www.ode.state.or.us/gradelevel/hs/transition/newsletters/2004/ttvol02issue03.pdf - Produced in November 2003 by the Oregon Department of Education and Transition, this issue of the Transition Toolbox newsletter focuses on Vocational Transition Assessment-its purpose, types, and uses, and the role of professionals in the vocational assessment process and resources for vocational assessment.

http://www.onetcenter.org/guides.html#tests and other assessments helping you make better career decisions - Testing and Assessment Consumer Guides by the Occupational Information Network (O*Net) resource Center.

http://www.seattleu.edu/ccts/func_eval/index.asp - A Guide to Functional Vocational Evaluation was developed in Washington State (October 2004) by staff at The Center for Change in Transition Services, a Washington State Needs Project funded by the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction in collaboration with Seattle University.

http://transitioncoalition.org/transition/module_home.php - Assessing Students with Disabilities: Transition Planning for the IEP is a website developed by Gary Clark at the University of Kansas.

http://transitioncoalition.org/transition/assessment_review/all.php - This page is part of the Transition Coalition Website and includes peer reviews of various transition assessments.

http://www.tslp.org/docs/QuickbookIEPChecklistFinal091407.pdf - The South Dakota transition staff put this resource together, includes informal assessments, background information, and a number of assessment resources.

http://www.vcu.edu/ttac/transition/assessment.shtml The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) Assessment Transition Packet was designed to assist those individuals who might need a structured, coordinated effort that involves collecting data on students' strengths, preferences, and interests related to their postsecondary goals. The matrix is a sampling of different assessments that may be used to define those goals.

Presentations

http://www.ncset.org/teleconferences/transcripts/2005_10.asp - A Transcript of NCSET teleconference call held on October 25, 2005, with associated PowerPoint. Presented by Joe Timmons, (Project Coordinator) and Mary Podmostko, (Senior Project Associate) from the National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability/Youth and titled 'Career Planning Begins with Assessment'

Section 4: Transition Assessment Implementation Timeline

Transition Assessment Implementation Timeline: Suggestions for Assessment

The following timeline provides educators and service providers with guidance for implementing an on-going transition assessment process. The timeline suggests that assessment begins as early as elementary school (and is required by age 16 and lower in some states) and evolves over time. Each area begins with questions to consider when selecting assessment tools. There are four sections: (a) academic assessment, (b) self-determination assessment, (c) vocational interest and exploration, and (d) adaptive behavior/ independent living. Within each section is a list of tools which may be used and suggested grade levels for administration. It is suggested that some assessments be administered every year and others would be more appropriate for occasional administration. The list of assessments instruments is not exhaustive, but provides a starting point for practitioners. Please be aware that there are other transition related assessments for students with disabilities. NSTTAC is not endorsing any programs or products that are sold for profit and described in this guide. If there are other assessments you feel have assisted in the transition planning process for students and would like for NSTTAC to consider adding to the timeline please feel free to contact Catherine Fowler ( chfowler@uncc.edu).
Transition Assessment Implementation Timeline
The Transition Coalition's website provides a link to assessment reviews. Tools which have been reviewed at that website are so noted in the table below as "Consumer Reviewed" and those reviews may be accessed at www.transitioncoalition.org under the Collaboration tab.

Authors' Note: NSTTAC staff developed this resource by extending materials from Jim Martin at University of Oklahoma's Zarrow Center, the West Virginia Department of Education, the Colorado Department of Education, and the Transition Coalition at the University of Kansas.

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Age Appropriate Transition Assessment Toolkit 3rd Edition

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This document was produced under U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs Grant No. H326J050004 and H326J110001. Dr. Marlene Simon-Burroughs served as the project officer. The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the positions or policies of the Department Education. No official endorsement by the U.S.

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As I reviewed the website I clicked on the students and families tab. Here, I found the post secondary goals activity link. With this activity the student is able to fill out an employment questionnaire and a post secondary goals sheet. This will help the student and their family see what the child is interested in and what their next step can be!

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This guide is an online resource that helps teachers to used age-appropriate assessments for students. This resource provides links to formal and informal assessments. This could be extremely useful in my future career. By understanding and having knowledge on the proper assessments to use, I can accurately gage what students may need help in. This could be great for teachers who work with students, who have learning disabilities. It is important to properly assess students so that you can direct them down the right educational paths.