Career Planning Career Planning Begins with AssessmentBegins with Assessment

Meeting the Needs of Youth and Young AdultsMeeting the Needs of Youth and Young Adults

2

What this session will cover:

The factors that contribute to career planning

challenges faced by vulnerable youth and

youth with disabilities

The experiences that support their transition to

adulthood and the career planning process.

How assessment is used during transition to

ensure quality career planning for youth.

3

What is Career Planning?

Career planning is a set of activities designed for youth to make informed choices about academic programs, training, and work.

To be successful, youth need access to a specific range of experiences that allow them to explore their interests and the many options available to them.

4

What is Assessment?

Assessment is “the process of collecting data for the purpose of making decisions.”

It is the part of career planning that closely examines the interests and abilities of each individual to establish a basis for identifying appropriate types of employment, training, and career development possibilities.

5

Nine factors that often lead to transition challenges

Diagnosed disabilities Hidden or undiagnosed disabilities Chronic illness Poverty Immigrant status—culture and language Teen parenthood Involvement in the juvenile or adult justice system Homelessness Involvement in the foster care system

6

Experiences supporting development and the career planning process—The Five Guideposts

1. School-Based Preparatory Experiences

2. Career Preparation & Work-Based Learning

Experiences

3. Youth Development & Youth Leadership

Opportunities

4. Connecting Activities & Support Services

5. Family Involvement Activities

7

1. School-Based Preparatory Experiences

Standards and high expectations Based on meaningful indicators of student

learning and skills Career and technical education options Accommodations and adaptive technology

for youth with disabilities

8

2. Career Preparation & Work-Based Learning Experiences

Secondary and postsecondary In-school and community-based Structured exposure in paid and unpaid work Mentoring and Internships Ongoing assessment Collaborative support

9

3. Youth Development & Youth Leadership Opportunities

Activities that allow youth to control and direct their own lives based on informed decisions– Self-advocacy – Conflict resolution– Personal leadership– Community Service– Mentoring

10

4. Connecting Activities & Support Services

Physical and mental health services Transportation Tutoring Financial planning and management Postsecondary supports Assistive technology for youth with

disabilities

11

5. Family Involvement and Supports

Access to community resources Opportunities to be engaged in decision

making Opportunities to learn about legislation,

disabilities, and career options

12

IDEA & Thirteen Categories of Disability

Autism Deafness Deaf-blindness Hearing Impairment Mental Retardation Multiple Impairments Orthopedic Impairment Other Health Impairment

Serious Emotional Disturbance

Specific Leaning Disability Speech or Language

Impairment Traumatic Brain Injury Visual Impairment or

Blindness

13

Federal child count (ages 12 through 17)

1987 2000

Primary disability category Number % Number %

Learning disability 1,014,618

59.9 1,649,306

61.6

Speech/language impairment

104,968 6.2 129,683 4.8

Mental retardation 292,746 17.3 312,133 11.7

Emotional disturbance 196,153 11.6 286,909 10.7

Hearing impairment 17,377 1.0 32,723 1.2

Visual impairment 7,905 .5 11,865 .4

Orthopedic impairment

16,208 1.0 31,032 1.2

Other health impairment

19,572 1.2 142,853 5.3

Multiple disabilities 23,631 1.4 52,074 1.9

Deaf-blindnessa/ 252 .0 518 .0

Autismb/ NA 22,289 .8

Traumatic brain injuryb/

NA 7,711 .3

All disabilities 1,693,430

2,679,096

14

Hidden Disabilities

Specific Learning Disabilities (SLD) Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder—

(ADHD) Traumatic Brain Injury Mental Health or Emotional Problems Mental Retardation Chemical Health Issues

15

Issues Related to Hidden Disabilities

Disclosure

Screening and Assessment

Referrals to Consultants

Education and Training Programs

Judicial System and Treatment Programs

16

Out of School Youth with Disabilities

Eligibility and access to services Vocational Rehabilitation Workforce Investment Act

-Youth Services

-Adult Services

17

Meeting an Individual’s Career Planning Assessment Needs—Five Goals

1. Multiple Options

2. Self-Advocacy: Person Centered Planning

3. Bridging Academic and Career Needs

4. Access to Critical Information

5. Professional Adult Assistance

18

The Four Domains of Assessment

Educational

Psychological

Vocational

Medical

19

Formal Testing Instruments in Assessment

Seven Areas of Testing and Performance Review

1. Academic Performance or Achievement

2. Cognitive Abilities

3. Behavior, Social, and Emotional Issues

4. Vocational Interests

5. Job Aptitudes

6. Certification of Occupational Competencies

7. Physical and Functional Capacities

20

1. Academic Performance or Achievement Testing

Purposes of Assessment in Academic Planning: Determine eligibility for special services Aid student placement and instruction Support accountability efforts

The goal is to identify the academic skills,

learning styles, cognitive abilities,

and educational challenges of individual youth.

21

2. Cognitive Abilities Testing

Educational Domain– Intelligence Testing

Psychological Domain– Neuropsychological testing– Testing for learning disabilities

22

3. Behavioral, Social, and Emotional Issues

Their impact on youth

Behavioral testing and assessment

Mental health diagnostic testing

Chemical health diagnostic testing

23

Vocational Assessments

Interest testing

Job aptitudes

Certification of occupational competency

Physical and functional capacities

24

4. Vocational Interests Tests

Lead to pragmatic academic and career planning

Can be purchased or found on line at many Web sites

Many government sites have forms of these tests

Should not be used to “screen out”

25

5. Job Aptitudes, Habits, and Skills

Wide variety of written or performance

assessments

KSAs—knowledge, skills, and abilities

Situational work assessments

Work sample testing

Analysis of work environments

26

7. Physical and Functional Capacities—Vocational

Work Capacities– Work Tolerance

– Motor Skills and Manual Dexterity

– Assistive Technology Assessments

– Post-secondary and Workplace Accommodations

27

7. Physical and Functional Capacities—Medical

Medical Diagnostic Testing

Speech/Language, Physical, and

Occupational Therapies

Treatment

28

Independent Living Skills Assessments

Transportation and mobility

Personal care

Recreation and leisure

Home maintenance

Communication skills

29

Testing Accommodations

Reliability and Validity Publisher Guidelines Institutional Guidelines Four Types of Accommodation

– Presentation Format– Response Format– Setting– Timing

30

Factors in Choosing Published Tests and Assessments

Reliability Validity Fairness Cost Time needed to administer and score Qualifications of test administrator Ease of use Reporting format

31

Career Planning Begins with Assessment—The Guide

Other Features: Directory of Commonly-Used Published Tests Building an Assessment Infrastructure Ethical and Fair Assessment Practices Confidentiality and Privacy Issues Useful Forms and Exhibits

32

Our Web Sites

The National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth

www.ncwd-youth.info

The National Center on Secondary Education and Transition

www.ncset.org

33

Types of Products and Resources

• How to Guides• Information and Policy Briefs• Background Papers• Facts and Statistics• Hot Topics Syntheses• Funding Sources• Training Materials

34

Presenters

Joe Timmons timm0119@umn.edu

Jen Fitz-Roy fitzroyj@bc.edu

Peter Squire psquire@gmu.edu