Vocational assessment and special education triennial reevaluations at the secondary school level

Abstract

This article is a description of how the integration of vocational assessment data into special education triennial reevaluations can facilitate educational programming of intermediate and secondary level handicapped students. Advantages of integrated assessments, roles of school psychologists, and the description of a model assessment program are included.

Incorporating a vocational component into a school psychological evaluation: A case example

“…School psychologists are rarely trained in use of such assessment techniques, and the cost and time requirements of such techniques often preclude their use by school psychologists. As was exemplified, school psychologists can refer students to vocational rehabilitation facilities, or to Phase 2 school-based vocational assessment programs (if they exist in the student's school), should use of such techniques be desired (for a description of Phase 2 evaluations, see Levinson and Capps, 1985).…”

Current Vocational Assessment Models for Students With Disabilities

“…Many of the professionals involved in this reevaluation process are the same professionals who are involved in the vocational assessment process, and much of the same information that is gathered as a result of this evaluation must also be gathered as part of a comprehensive vocational assessment. As Levinson and Capps (1985) have noted, integrating these two processes has the following advantages: (a) It provides for a time-and cost-efficient assessment process, reduces redundant information gathering, and conserves personnel time; (b) the special education reevaluation process provides a framework for the mulitidisciplinary cooperation that must exist in a comprehensive vocational assessment program; and (c) integrating the vocational assessment and special education reevaluation processes ensures a holistic and comprehensive assessment of the student (i.e., vocational assessment will not be completed in isolation, but will be combined with psychological, educa-tional, social, medical, and other data to provide a comprehensive picture of the student). VSEC's interfacing of the vocational assessment and special education reevaluation processes is described in Figure 2.…”

Vocational assessment involvement and use of the self-directed search by school psychologists

“…In recent years, much has been written relative to the school psychologist's involvement in the vocational programming of handicapped students, particularly in regard to the provision of vocational assessment services (Capps, Heinlein, Nelson, & Hohenshil, 1985;Hohenshil, 1982;Hohenshil, Anderson, & Salwan, 1982;Hohenshil, Levinson, & Buckland-Heer, 1985;Levinson, 1984;Levinson & Capps, 1985;Levinson & Shepard, 1982;Shepard & Levinson, 1985). That the two major publications of the National Association of School Psychologists (Best Practices in School Psychology and Children's Needs: Psychological Perspectives) each include a chapter relevant to the topic of vocational programming (Hohenshil, Levinson, & Buckland-Heer, 1985;Levinson, 1987) attests to the significance of the topic for the profession of school psychology.…”

“…Use of the SDS, in conjunction with the use of an intelligence scale, a measure of academic achievement, and other assessement data, will allow school psychologists to identify viable occupational alternatives and to generate some broad vocational recommendations. However, SDS data should be confirmed using other assessment strategies (observations, interviews, and so forth) and data sources (teachers, parents, other school personnel, work supevisors) and should be incorporated within a multidisciplinary team evaluation in which other aspects of vocational functioning (work habits, for instance) are assessed (Levinson & Capps, 1985). The SDS should not be used with severely handicapped students (the vocational assessment literature clearly indicates that the trait-factor approach upon which the SDS is based is clearly inappropriate for severely handicapped individuals and that an environmental assessment approach based upon developmental theory is more appropriate with this population), nor should it be used with students below 10th grade.…”