Using School Psychological Assessment Skills to Facilitate Transition Planning

1
Using School Psychological Assessment Skills to
Facilitate Transition Planning

• Edward M. Levinson, Ed.D
• Professor of Educational and School Psychology
• Indiana University of Pa.
• emlevins_at_iup.edu
• http//www.coe.iup.edu/emlevins

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Agenda

• The Rationale for Transition Planning
• A Rationale for School Psychologist Involvement
• Current /Future Roles and Obstacles to
  Involvement
• Best Practice Issues in Transition
• Vocational Assessment Domains and Techniques
• Instrumentation

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What is the purpose of education?

• What is the purpose of special education?

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The mission of special (or general) education
is not restricted to the teaching of academic
subjects, nor is it to protect students from a
harsh adult environment. It is to prepare them to
participate fully in the mainstream adult world

• Siegel and Sleeter, 1991

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How well are we accomplishing this objective?
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As students approach the end of their formal
schooling, we frequently ask what they will be
doing after school ends. Unfortunately, when we
look back to determine what preparations have
been made for students to live and work in our
communities, we often see a series of disjointed
efforts lacking focus on skills necessary to
confront the new expectations of adult life

• Halloran, 1989

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Unemployment/UnderemploymentRates for
Individuals with Disabilities

• Following the completion of school
• 21 are fully employed, 40 are underemployed
  (poverty level), and 26 are on welfare
  (Pennsylvania Transition from School to Work,
  1986)
• 67 are unemployed (ages 16-64), 67 would like
  to be employed, and 75 are employed part-time
  (Rusch Phelps, 1987)

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Unemployment/UnderemploymentRates

• NLTS data (Blackorby Wagner, 1996 Wagner et
  al., 1993)
• Within three years following school
• 52 of youth with disabilities were employed in
  1987, 67 in 1989
• Employment rate varies by disability category
• 63 of LD, 48 of ED, 41 of MR, and 10 of MH
  were employed

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Unemployment/UnderemploymentRates

• In summary
• unemployment and underemployment rates for all
  disability groups except LD and speech impaired
  are significantly higher than those for the
  general population

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Dropout rates Among Individuals with Disabilities

• NLTS data reveal a dropout rate of 36.4 , though
  this rate varies by disability category (rate for
  general population is 25-30)
• For individuals with learning disabilities,
  dropout rates of over 50 have been reported
• For individuals with emotional disabilities,
  dropout rates of over 40 have been reported
• For individuals with mental retardation, dropout
  rates of 30 have been reported.

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Dropout rates Among Individuals with Disabilities

• In summary
• students with disabilities drop out of school
  more frequently than do students without
  disabilities
• students with learning and emotional
  disabilities are at the greatest risk of dropping
  out.

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Why?

• A majority of adults believe schools DO NOT
  devote enough attention to helping non-college
  bound students get jobs (Hoyt Lester, 1995)
• Only 15 of incoming 9th graders obtain a 4-year
  college degree within 6 years of graduating
  (Morra, 1993)
• Only 24.5 of students with disabilities age 17
  and older graduate with a H.S. Degree (US Dept.
  Of Education, 1999)

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21st Annual Report to Congress on the
Implementation of IDEA (US Department of
Education, 1999)

• Concluded
• Drop-out rates can be lowered and employment
  rates increased if students with disabilities are
  afforded adequate vocational education
• At the systems level, major changes are needed in
  schools...if the vocational needs of students
  with disabilities are to be met.

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Reasons/Needs for Transition/Vocational
Assessment Services

• Drop out rates among students with disabilities
• Unemployment rates among individuals with
  disabilities
• Economic costs to society
• Quality of life issues
• Legislation

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Transition Definition IDEA

• A coordinated set of activities for a student,
  designed within an outcome-oriented process,
  which promotes movement from school to
  post-school activities, including post-secondary
  education, vocational training, integrated
  employment (including supported employment),
  continuing and adult education, adult services,
  independent living, or community participation.
  The coordinated set of activities shall take into
  account the students preferences and interests,
  and shall include instruction, community
  experiences, the development of employment and
  other post-school adult living objectives, and,
  when appropriate, acquisition of daily living
  skills and functional vocational evaluation
  (Education of the Handicapped Act Amendments of
  1990, PL 101-476, section 602 (a))

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Factors Associated with Positive
Secondary/Post-Secondary Outcomes

• Participation in vocational education
  (occupationally-specific instruction) during last
  two years of high school.
• Participation in paid work experiences in the
  community during the last two years of high
  school
• Competence in functional academics, community
  living, personal social, vocational, and
  self-advocacy skills
• Participation in transition planning
• Graduation from high school

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Transition/Vocational Assessment Best Practices

• Develop a system-wide program
• Link planning to career development theory and
  K-12 career development activities
• Base planning on a sound assessment
• Involve parents, students, and community
  representatives in planning from the start
  (establish inter-agency agreements)
• Insure that students with disabilities have
  vocational, occupational and work experiences

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Systemic Transition/Vocational Assessment
Planning Three Phases

• Planning
• Develop a task force
• Conduct needs assess.
• Develop a model
• Develop interagency agreements
• Identify funding requirements/sources

• Implementation
• Appoint a coordinator
• Develop a procedures manual
• Select and purchase materials
• Train school/community personnel
• Conduct in-service workshops
• Pilot test the program

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Systemic Transition Planning Three Phases

• Program Evaluation
• Identify aspects of the program in need of
  evaluation
• Identify preliminary standards for program
  evaluation
• Hire a program evaluator and conduct the
  evaluation
• Plan and implement program improvements

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Effective Assessment for Transition

• Uses only reliable and valid assessment
  techniques
• Uses a transdisciplinary team to conduct the
  assessment
• Incorporates a multitrait, multimethod, and
  multifactored approach to assessment
• Links assessment to career development theory
• Insures that assessment is functional and ongoing

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Rationale for school psychologist involvement in
vocational/transition issues

• Relationship between psychology and work
• Schools emphasis on preparing students for work
• Federal legislation
• Drop-out, Unemployment and underemployment rates
  among individuals with disabilities
• NASP standards

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NASP Standards Consultation

• 4.3.1.3 School psychologists provide skill
  enhancement activities (such as in-service
  training, organizational development, parent
  counseling, program planning and evaluation
  vocational development, and parent education
  programs) to school personnel, parents, and
  others in the community, regarding issues of
  human learning, development, and behavior

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NASP Standards Assessment

• 4.3.2.2 psychological and psychoeducational
  assessments include evaluation, as appropriate,
  of the areas of personality, emotional status,
  social skills and adjustment, intelligence and
  cognitive functioning, scholastic aptitude,
  adaptive behavior, language and communication
  skills, academic knowledge and achievement,
  sensory and perceptual-motor functioning,
  educational setting, family/environmental-cultural
  influences, career and vocational development,
  aptitude, and interests.

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NASP StandardsDirect Service

• 4.3.3.2 School psychologists design direct
  service programs to enhance cognitive, affective,
  social, and vocational development

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Current Roles

• Despite these standards, school psychologists are
  uninvolved (though interested) in vocational
  activities
• Shepard Hohenshil (1983) found that
• 75 of school psychologists applied less than 3
  of their time to vocational activities
• 91 felt unprepared to provide vocational
  services
• respondents attached great importance to
  vocational services

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Current Roles

• Levinson (1988) found that 66 had no involvement
  in vocational assessment, 61 had no involvement
  in vocational counseling, 59 had not consulted
  with vocational instructors, and 87 had no
  involvement in vocational program development
• Carey (1995) found that less than 1 of time was
  spent in vocational assessment

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Current Roles

• Staabs (1996) National Study of School
  Psychologists
• School psychologists were interested in
  transition, perceived it to be important, but
  felt unprepared to perform the activities listed
• Other than the functions listed under
  assessment, school psychologists did not
  describe transition activities as being
  regularly or routinely performed
• Only two activities were described as those
  school psychologists definitely should perform
  explain test results to students so they
  understand their strengths and needs, and
  modifications/adaptations needed for successful
  transition planning and completing triennial
  evaluations to help meet transition planning
  needs
• Approximately half indicated that school
  psychology services were underutilized in the
  transition process
• Time constraints and caseloads were cited as
  barriers to involvement

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Current Roles

• Lillensteins (2002) Pennsylvania Study
• Responses from 125 School Psychologists and 66
  Transition Coordinators (28 response rate)
• Generally results were similar to Staab
• 4.5 of time was spent in transition activities
• Assessment activities were frequently or
  occasionally performed (none were
  regularly/routinely performed) review records,
  conduct re-evaluations, conduct FBAs, conduct
  ability assessments, conduct social skills
  assessment
• No involvement in Consultation, Program Planning
  or Direct service activities
• Desired involvement exceeded actual involvement
• Barrier Referral Backlog

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Obstacles to Involvement

• Lack of Training
• Role Restrictions/Time Constraints
• Role Perceptions
• Overreliance on published, standardized norm
  referenced assessment instruments
• Inability to use traditional psychoeducational
  data for vocational planning

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Needs

• Additional training opportunities
• NASP commitment
• Special education reform

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Potential Roles

• Expand assessments to include an assessment of
  interests, aptitudes, functional living skills
  and career maturity
• Facilitate team planning and the development of
  transition plans
• Consult with others to facilitate learning and
  acquisition of necessary behaviors

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Potential Roles

• Assist in designing, planning, and evaluating
  system-wide transition programs
• Assist in evaluating the progress individual
  students are making in accomplishing transition
  goals
• Assist in the selection, use, and interpretation
  of vocational assessment instruments

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Process of identifying an individuals physical,
mental, and emotional abilities, limitations, and
tolerances in order to..

• Predict current and future employment potential
  and adjustment

34
Process whereby an individuals attitudes,
aptitudes, interests, capabilities, physical
capabilities and tolerances are evaluated by
utilizing standardized tests..

• Job sampling, job trait and other standardized
  techniques and procedures

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These are Definitions of Vocational Assessment
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As defined by the Vocational Evaluation and
Work Adjustment
Association

• Vocational assessment is a comprehensive process
  that utilizes work, real or simulated as the
  focal point of assessment and vocational
  exploration, the purpose of which is to assist
  individuals in vocational development.

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As defined by the Vocational Evaluation and
Work Adjustment
Association

• Vocational assessment incorporates medical,
  psychological, social, vocational, and economic
  data in the attainment of the goals of the
  evaluation process

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Purposes of vocational assessment (from
voc.ed/voc. rehab. lit.)

• To assess intellectual potential, present work
  skills, expected work skills, physical
  capability, work behavior, and learning problems
• To determine whether students have adequate
  prerequisite skills for voc-ed programs
• To suggest needed support services

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Purposes of vocational assessment (from
voc.ed/voc. rehab. lit.)

• To suggest effective teaching techniques and
  instructional modifications for special students
• To provide the vocational teacher with improved
  information about the student
• To bridge the gap between special educators and
  vocational educators

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Vocational Assessment Techniques

• Paper pencil tests
• Interviewing
• Behavioral Observation
• Performance tests
• Work Sampling
• Simulated Work Experience
• Work Experience

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Components of a Comprehensive Vocational
Assessment

• Mental Ability/Vocational Aptitudes
• Academic Achievement
• Small/Large Motor Coordination
• Vocational Interests/Personality
• Vocational Adaptive Behavior
• Career Maturity

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Instrumentation Interests/Personality

• Self-Directed Search (SDS)
• Career Key (CK)
• Occupational Aptitude Schedule and Interest
  Survey - III (OASIS-III)
• Non-Reading Interest Inventories
• Issues in Selection Reading level, Developmental
  level, Vocational aspiration, Available training

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Components of Career Maturity

• Self Awareness
• Occupational Awareness
• Decision making skills
• Harrens decision making styles
• Dependent
• Intuitive
• Rational

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Instrumentation Career Maturity

• Career Development Inventory
• Career Maturity Inventory
• Assessment of Career Decision-Making

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Case 1 -TESTS ADMINISTERED

• - Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children
• 3rd Edition (WISC-III)
• - Wechsler Individual Achievement Test
• (WIAT)
• - Achenbach Child Behavior Checklist
• (CBCL)
• - Hollands Self-directed Search (SDS)

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Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children- 3rd Ed
(WISC-III)

• WISC-III Scale IQ Percentile Rank
• Verbal 113 81
• Performance 84 14
• Full Scale 99 47
• Composite Score
• Verbal Comprehension 113 81
• Perceptual Organization 89 23
• Freedom from Distractibility 112 79
• Processing Speed 86 18

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Wechsler Individual Achievement Test (WIAT)

• Subtest Standard Score Percentile Rank
• Basic Reading 100 50
• Mathematics Reasoning 97 42
• Spelling 98 45
• Reading Comprehension 100 50
• Numerical Operations 78 7
• Listening Comprehension 96 89
• Oral Expression 115 84
• Written Expression 98 45

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• Standard Score Percentile Rank
• Reading 100 50
• Mathematics 87 19
• Language 110 75
• Writing 97 42
• TOTAL 98 45

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Achenbach Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL)

• No Significant Findings

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Hollands Self-directed Search (SDS)

• Occupational Areas Total Score
• Realistic 30
• Investigative 17
• Artistic 8
• Social 15
• Enterprising 27
• Conventional 4

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Case 2- TESTS ADMINISTERED

• -Woodcock Johnson Tests of Cognitive Ability-
• Revised (WJ-R COG)
• - Woodcock Johnson Tests of Achievement-
• Revised (WJ-R)
• - Social Skills Rating System- Parent Form (SSRS-
• PF)
• - Social Skills Rating System- Student Form
• (SSRS- SF)
• - Self-directed Search (SDS)

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Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Cognitive Ability-
Revised (WJ-R COG)

• Subtest Standard Score Percentile Rank
• By Age By Age
• Memory For Names 87 19
• Memory For Sentences 109 72
• Visual Matching 97 41
• Incomplete Words 93 31
• Visual Closure 115 84
• Picture Vocabulary 107 67
• Analysis-Synthesis 98 45
• Visual-Auditory Learning 118 88
• Oral Vocabulary 99 48
• Concept Formation 99 48

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• Cognitive Standard Score Percentile Rank
• Cluster By Age By Age
• Long-Term Retrieval 102 54
• Short-Term Memory 105 63
• Processing Speed 94 34
• Auditory Processing 99 47
• Visual Processing 118 89
• Comprehension- 103 57
• knowledge
• Fluid Reasoning 99 48
• Broad Cognitive Ability 102 56

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• Aptitude Standard Score Percentile Rank
• Cluster By Age By Age
• Reading Aptitude 102 55
• Mathematics Aptitude 98 44
• Written Language 104 60
• aptitude
• Knowledge Aptitude 108 69

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Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Achievement- Revised
(WJ-R)

• Subtest Standard Score Percentile Rank
• By Age By Age
• Letter-Word Identification 96 39
• Passage Comprehension 96 39
• Calculation 109 74
• Applied Problems 97 42
• Dictation 79 8
• Writing Samples 89 22
• Science 96 39
• Social Studies 107 69
• Humanities 91 27

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• Clusters Standard Score Percentile Rank
• By Age By Age
• Broad Reading 96 38
• Broad Mathematics 103 58
• Broad Written Language 84 14
• Broad Knowledge 96 39

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Social Skills Rating System-Parent Form (SSRS-PF)

• Standard Score By Age 112
• Percentile Rank By Age 79

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Social Skills Rating System- Student Form
(SSRS-SF)

• Standard Score By Age 112
• Percentile Rank By Age 79

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Self-Directed Search (SDS)

• Occupational Code REA Raw Score
• Realistic 30
• Enterprising 16
• Artistic 15
• Social 10
• Investigative 9
• Conventional 5

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In order to develop a sound vocational assessment
program.

• We must understand and apply vocational/career
  development theory

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Minnesota Theory of Work Adjustment

• Proposes two aspects of work adjustment
• Job Satisfaction
• Job Satisfactoriness

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Individual
Job
Reinforcer System
Needs
Correspondence
Job Satisfaction
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Work-Related Needs

• Achievement
• Activity
• Advancement
• Authority
• Compensation
• Co-workers

• Creativity
• Independence
• Moral Values
• Recognition
• Responsibility
• Security

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Work-Related Needs

• Ability Utilization
• Policies and Practices
• Social Service
• Social Status
• Supervision (Technical/Human)
• Variety
• Working Conditions

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Individual
Job
Ability Requirements
Correspondence
Abilities
Job Satisfactoriness