Assessment
Transition Assessment Competencies
Assessment Summary
The transition assessment is an ongoing and continuous process to further "evaluate and assess student progress toward goals, transition services, and supports" (Morningstar and Clavenna-Deane 2018). With the student at the center of the transition process, assessments (both formal and informal) will aid in the evaluation of the IEP goals and MPG's. When deciding whether to use formal vs. informal assessments, keep in mind that formal assessments usually include an administration manual, scoring guide, test items, and a guide to interpret the results whereas informal assessments ask more specific questions, are usually created by a teacher, and can be used by different responders (i.e., students, parents, teachers, and friends) (Morningstar and Clavenna-Deane 2018). The completed assessments will be measured and scored and placed in the summary of performance (SOP) in the IEP to assist with the transition planning process (Kochhar-Bryant 2007). During planning, the following are considered: the benefits and limitations when using formal assessments and informal assessments. Since there are advantages and disadvantages when using both, the IEP team analyzes each assessment to verify suitability for the student before using it. The following artifacts demonstrate the competencies regarding transition assessments.
Formal vs Informal Assessments
As stated in the summary, transition assessments can be formal or informal. Within course 858, the goal for the running project was to evaluate formal and informal transition assessment results that were completed by a student. One formal assessment that my district uses is called AFLS (Assessment of Functional Living Skills). This assessment is an intellectual functioning assessment that corresponds to all primary domains of transition. It uses a pass-fail system with the idea that the student is not actually failing that specific task but rather requires accommodations/modifications.
The informal assessment given was an observation assessment of daily living skill domains. As stated previously, both assessments were administered to Mark, a 21-year-old, non-verbal vocal, male who is diagnosed with cerebral palsy. Due to Mark having a severe disability, it was important to assess his strengths and needs in multiple perspectives so that he ellicits the most accurate results (Carter et al., 2014). The following documents detail 5 protocols within the daily living domain. Each protocol is assessed with varied criteria to analyze mastery, emerging, or fail. You will notice that Mark establishes mastery of some protocols but not all primarily because he requires 1:1 assistance when completing the majority of tasks. Both artifacts demonstrate mastery of the following competencies: 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 2.5, 2.6, 2.7, 2.8, 2.9, 2.10, 2.11.
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Creating Measurable Postsecondary Goals Based
After conducting the assessments and evaluating the results, IEP team members can begin constructing the measurable post-secondary goals. Since the overall transition process is ongoing, student's summary of performance should be completed annually (Martin et al., 2007). Within course 858, we analyzed a case study, "Manny," and were asked to create MPG's as well as IEP goals that aligned with one another within each transition domain. In his case study, we found that Manny is a 15-year-old high school student. When he gets older, he would like to become an Egyptologist or an engineer. The following documents demonstrate his MPG's and IEP goals that align with each transition domain area (education/training, employment, and independent living) as well as Manny's strengths, weaknesses, interests, and preferences. (2.1, 2.2, 2.4, 2.7)
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Resources
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Carter, E. W., Brock, M. E., Trainor, A. A. (2014). Transition assessment and planning for youth with severe intellectual and developmental disabilities.
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Holmes, R (2020). Assessment of Functional Living Skills: Sample Student: Collective Learning Academy.
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Holmes, R. (2020, April 24). Running Project part two. Assessment for Transition Planning 858. University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS.
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Holmes, R. (2020 April 6). Develop IEP Goals Based on Case Study. Assessment for Transition Planning 858. University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS.
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Kochhar-Bryant, C. A., (2007). The Summary of Performance as Transition “Passport” to Employment and Independent Living. Assessment for Effective Intervention, 32(3), 160-170.
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Martin, J. E., Van Dycke, J., D'Ottavio, M., & Nickerson, K. (2007). The student-directed summary of performance: Increasing student and family involvement in the transition planning process. Career Development for Exceptional Individuals, 30(1), 13-26.
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Morningstar, M. & Clavenna-Deane, B. (2018). Your Complete Guide To Transition Planning and Services. Baltimore, MD: Brookes Publishing Company.