For young people with disabilities, crossing the bridge to adulthood will be empowering instead of intimidating--when their support teams know the essentials of effective transition planning. Now all the fundamentals of well-crafted transition plans are collected in one concise quick-guide, straight from one of the top authorities on helping young…

The transitional assessment model described here contains the following characteristics: vocational orientation, comprehensive approach, individualized focus, contemporary design, and informal instrumentation. The screening, placement/planning, and monitoring/evaluation services vary in degree depending on the severity of the student's disability.…

Youths with disabilities are at risk of failing to complete high school and face considerable uncertainty as they attempt to transition toward a productive adulthood. One potential tool to help more of these youths to stay in school and provide them with information as to suitable post-school careers is the use of vocational assessments. This…

Project UNITE (Unified Intercommunity Transition and Empowerment for Youth and Young Adults with Disabilities) is a federally funded transition systems change grant in Virginia which attempts to integrate services among educational systems, human service agencies, communities, families, and consumers with disabilities who are involved in…

This manual provides a sequential procedure for conducting functional vocational evaluations for secondary school students as required by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. This evaluation procedure considers the interactions of the student with instructors, peers, and employers; training needs; work demands; environmental factors;…

Educational records of 127 secondary students with disabilities were reviewed to assess impact of vocational assessment information in Individualized Education Plan (IEP) development process. Results focus on the impact of information on the number of IEP vocational goals and objectives written, kinds of IEP items written, and number of IEP goals…

A process is illustrated for cooperative sharing by sending schools and vocational centers pertinent records and information concerning the strengths, weaknesses, learning styles, and special needs of students who are sent to vocational center programs. Need for a record exchange process is discussed, with particular attention given to the…

Intended as a practical tool for high school classroom teachers, the manual examines career objectives and activities for handicapped students. An introduction presents the eight goals of career education. A chapter on assessment provides sample instruments and information from a vocational evaluation unit. Extensive material in chapter 3 is…

A framework for vocational assessment that matches handicapped students, curriculum, and training environment is described. The assessment approach is described in regard to screening, educational placement, evaluation of student achievement prior to placement in the curriculum, and assessment of individual progress, and program evaluation. (SEW)

The brochure provides an overview of the components of vocational assessment used in many Cooperative Services Model (CSM) projects in New York State. Federal and state requirements for vocational assessment for students with handicapping conditions, the purpose of vocational assessment, and a suggested vocational assessment model are discussed.…

The use of vocational evaluation recommendations for 71 disabled students in three public schools was studied. Predictive (placement-oriented) recommendations were implemented more frequently than prescriptive (preparation-oriented) recommendations, and prescriptive recommendations were rarely incorporated into individualized education programs.…

This document is a guide developed for the Dallas Independent School District's (DISD's) Multiple Careers Magnet Center, which provides special education students with training in standards of work performance and specific occupational skills for successful transition to community life and employment. The document also provides information for…

The handbook reviews Wisconsin's use of the designated vocational instructor (DVI) in providing direct instructional support services for vocational educators and special education students enrolled in vocational education classes. DVIs facilitate cooperative relationships between special and vocational education at the local school level. Eight…

Service delivery issues leading to the development of Curriculum Based Vocational Assessment (CBVA) are reviewed; eight key steps (in the form of 38 questions) to CBVA implementation are identified. Intrinsic benefits such as maximizing the impact of assessment data on curriculum are noted. (DB)

Teacher-parent collaborative consultation can be useful in planning appropriate vocational programs for adolescents with disabilities. Such consultation can involve informing parents of vocational opportunities, planning vocational assessment and collecting vocational information, developing vocational components of individualized education plans,…