The Transition Assessment is a comprehensive process that guides students toward successful postsecondary lives. As a noun, it refers to specific assessments, like standardized tests or career inventories. As a verb, it denotes the ongoing process of evaluating and planning with students. Regularly administered assessments allow for flexibility as students' interests and skills evolve, ensuring they are well-prepared for their future.
- Transition assessments should:
- identify the student’s strengths, preferences, interests, and needs (SPIN).
- inform the student’s postsecondary goals in employment, education/training, and independent living.
- support the IEP team in identifying appropriate transition services and activities that match the student’s postsecondary goals.
- include authentic assessments from discussing transition activities, such as work-based learning experiences, to help students determine if they’ve chosen the right path or identify a new path toward a dream they have for their future.
We highly recommend the Positive Personal Profile (PPP), a strength-based assessment completed by the student, family, and each team member. The process of gathering and sharing this information is as valuable as the assessment itself. There are various versions from Transcen, Tilson, and LifeCourse.
When the results, of everyone’s contributions to this PPP are shared with the team, it leads to greater insight into the student's skills, abilities, and confidence in future employment. The PPP process also generates ideas for contacting potential employers to explore work-based learning experiences that can serve as important transition services and activities. The PPP is a dynamic tool designed to be updated throughout the year as the student's experiences, skills, and interests evolve.
The Transition Assessment Matrix, originally developed by the Indiana Northeast Cadre of Transition Leaders and the Indiana Secondary Transition Resource Center (INSTRC) for secondary education transition teachers, is a great place to find a variety of age-appropriate transition assessments, including the PPP. The transition assessments housed in the Matrix are either developed by INSTRC, freely accessible online, or authorized for use by INSTRC with permission from the original publisher.
For more information about transition assessments and how they align with other components of the IEP, attend our upcoming IEP webinars and see how a PPP might contribute to creating a student Portfolio.
October is packed with learning opportunities. Our fall series includes:
- Developing Quality Transition IEPs
- Using the Transition IEP to Focus Education and Build Relationships
- Portfolios and Profiles: Portals to Competitive, Integrated Employment (CIE)
To register for these upcoming webinars, visit the INSTRC Training and Technical Assistance webpage.
Bonus Tip: The Family Employment Awareness Training (FEAT) kicks off in Lafayette this September. Help us spread the word! Share this free learning opportunity with families, students, and colleagues. To register for this and other events, visit the CCLC FEAT webpage.