Occupational and Vocational
Assessment Options in
Transition Planning
Gary M. Clark, Ed.D.
Department of Special Education
University of Kansas
Lawrence, KS 66045
gclark@ku.edu
What do we need to know for
vocational planning?
 Student’s
personal interests and
preferences
 Family
preferences for student
 Self-determination
 Employability
 Vocational
skills
skills
knowledge and skills
Assessing Personal Interests
and Preferences
Student interests and
preferences
Family preferences
Examples of Occupational Interest
Scales
Ashland Interest Assessment
 Career Assessment Inventory
 Career Directions Inventory
 Interest Determination Exploration and
Assessment System (IDEAS)
 Occupational Interest Schedule (OASIS-3)
 Self Directed Search
 Your Employment Selection (YES)

Informal Assessment of
Occupational Interests and
Preferences
Interviews
Surveys
Checklists
Structured Interviews
A structured interview is an informal
assessment technique, but it has structure to
it.
An interview protocol is used to stay focused
on the area of information desired, but
probes or questions asking for clarification or
examples are permitted.
Examples of Structured
Interview Questions
What is your best subject in school?
Why do you think that is your best
subject?
 What is your best area of strength
outside of school? Why are you good at
that?
 What did you want to be when you were
in elementary school? What do you
want to be when you are an adult?

Strategies for a Structured
Interview
Make the purpose of the interview clear
and assure the interviewee that opinion
questions have no right or wrong
answers, but factual questions do.
 Provide the person a copy of the
questions before the interview, if possible,
especially if some questions require recall
of specific facts or events.

Strategies for a Structured
Interview, cont’d.
Come prepared with a set of questions on
a form or some notes for targeting
questions.
 Be flexible. Follow up on specific
questions, getting clarification as needed;
return to list of questions.
 Conduct interviews in person, if possible.

Strategies for a Structured
Interview, cont’d.



Write down enough information during the
interview so you can remember the person’s
responses. Complete notes later. Use tape
recorder only with permission.
Avoid leading the person to answer a certain
way or inserting personal biases.
Allow sufficient response time to permit
person to respond fully.
Surveys
Surveys are forms that have written
questions, multiple-choice responses,
checklists, or ratings designed to get
information related to facts, opinions,
preferences, interests, or values .
Surveys

1.
2.
3.
4.
Advantages:
Provides respondent more time to think
about answers
Provides a written record of the questions
and answers
May be amended at any time by the
respondent
Multiple content areas may be assessed
Surveys

1.
2.
Disadvantages:
Requires reading and writing, a problem
for non-readers and limited Englishspeaking persons
Depends upon respondents’ willingness
to be honest in responses
Checklists

1.
2.
3.
Advantages:
Permit assessment of a variety of
behaviors
Permit quick responses
Eliminate students’ need to write
Checklists

1.
2.
3.
4.
Disadvantages:
Requires reading
Many responses are not easily answered
with Yes/No or a simple check that the
behavior/trait applies most of the time
No chance to immediately probe answers
Problems in reliability
Assessing Self-Determination
Knowledge and Skills
Examples of
Self-Determination Scales
Arc Self-Determination Scale
 Responsibility and Independence Scale for
Adolescents

Informal Assessment of SelfDetermination Knowledge and
Skills
Observation notes
Rating scales
Checklists
Strategies for Developing Behavioral
Occupational Observation Notes
Behaviors observed must be actions, not
inferred moods, intent, or emotional
states.
 Behaviors noted should, when possible,
refer to frequency, duration, or intensity.
 Behaviors should be precise descriptions
of actions or behavior.

Strategies for Developing Behavioral
Occupational Observation Notes
When observations are planned, decide
when and where the observation(s) will take
place, how many observations will be done,
and who will act as observer(s).
 Select a note recording system (e.g., audio
or video recording, desk or hand-held
computer notes, handwritten notes).

Rating Scales

1.
2.
3.
Advantages:
May provide assessment ratings for a variety
of employability behaviors in a variety of
settings
May provide a one-time rating or provide a
serial rating to show possible change in
employability behavior(s)
Employability or vocational behaviors may be
selected as appropriate for any one individual
or for a group of individuals
Rating Scales

4.
5.
Advantages, cont’d.:
Removes student from a testing,
interview, or paper/pencil format
Permits linking assessment to natural
settings
Rating Scales

1.
2.
3.
Disadvantages:
Tendency to have validity problems
Reliability may be affected by leniency,
“halo” effect, cultural bias, rater mood, or
recent events.
Difficult to develop quality rating scales
(item wording and scaling)
Assessing Employability and
Vocational Competence
Examples of Standardized
Vocational Aptitude Scales
 Ability
Explorer
 APTICOM
 Armed Services Vocational Aptitude
Battery
 Career Ability Placement Survey
 Differential Aptitude Tests
 Occupational Aptitude Survey
(OASIS-3)
Examples of Standardized
Employability Scales
 Short
Employment Tests
 Wonderlic Basic Skills Test
 Work Adjustment Scale
Examples of Mixed Non-standardized
Occupational/Employability Assessments
Practical Assessment Exploration
System (PAES)
 Vocational Interest Temperament and
Aptitude System (VITAS)
 Environmental Job Assessment
Measure (E-JAM)
 LCCE Competency Assessment
Performance Batteries
 Workplace Educational Skills Analysis

Examples of Non-standardized
Employability Scales
 BRIGANCE®
Employability Skills
Inventory
 Transition-to-Work Inventory
 Vocational Adaptation Rating Scales
Informal Assessment of
Vocational and Employability
Skills
Situational assessment
Observation notes
Rating scales
Checklists
Employability and Vocational
Situational Assessment

1.
2.
3.
Advantages:
Permits data collection on a variety of
behaviors
Is highly authentic assessment
Permits assessment to occur in the
context of learning, working, social or
leisure environments
Employability and Vocational
Situational Assessment

4.
5.
Advantages, cont’d.:
Is more motivating for students than
tests, surveys, interviews, etc.
May be ongoing for a period of time and
increases reliability of assessment data
Employability and Vocational
Situational Assessment

1.
2.
3.
Disadvantages:
Difficult to assess some behaviors
because of a lack of control over the
situational environment
Observers/raters/evaluators cannot be in
the situation at all times
Observers/raters/evaluators in the
situation might change the situation by
being there
Employability and Vocational
Situational Assessment

4.
5.
6.
Disadvantages, cont’d.:
Is time-consuming for student and
assessment personnel
Requires coordination with a variety of
persons/settings for it to work
Requires high degree of planning and
monitoring
General Transition Assessment
Instruments that Include
Vocational/Occupational Assessment
Enderle-Severson Transition Rating
Scales
 LCCE Competency Assessment
Knowledge Batteries
 Transition Skills Inventory (TSI)
 Transition Behavior Scale (2/e) (TBS)
 Transition Planning Inventory (TPI-UV)
