Virginia DRS Vocational Evaluator Conference April 3 4, 2008 - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Virginia DRS Vocational Evaluator Conference April 3 – 4, 2008 Woodrow Wilson Rehabilitation Center Fishersville, VA

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Objectives

Review the following:

National/ universal definitions of transition,

career and vocational assessment

National definitions and characteristics of

community based vocational assessment (CBVA)

Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) related to

assessment, exploration and training

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Objectives

Discuss the following:

Where and by whom CBVA is being provided

currently?

Where and by whom will CBVA be provided in

the future? Share the following:

Specific information on a process for

conducting CBVA in transition, including instruction for completing the CBVA, questionnaire and associated forms.

Additional references and resource materials

• n CBVA.

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Types of Assessment

Transition Assessment relates to all life

roles and the supports needed before, during, and after transition to adult life; it serves as an umbrella for career and vocational assessment and evaluation.

Career Assessment relates to life-long

career development, which affects life roles, and is ongoing throughout one’s life.

Vocational Assessment and Evaluation

relate to the role of the potential worker (and employment).

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What is Transition Assessment?

“Transition assessment is an ongoing process of collecting information on the student’s strengths, needs, preferences, and interests as they relate to the demands of current and future living, learning and working environments”

All stakeholders participate in the process of inform ation-gathering and decision-m aking

2007 Corwin Press. Assess for Success: A Practitioner’s Handbook on Transition Assessment, 2nd ed., by Stillingtion, Neubert, Begun, Lombard, and Leconte

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Domains/Content of Transition Assessment & Adulthood

Home and Family Physical and Emotional Health

Cronin, M. E. & Patton, J. R. (1993). Life skills instruction for all students with special needs: A practical guide for integrating real-life content into the curriculum. p 13. Austin TX: PRO-ED.

Self Determination

Domains/Content of Transition Assessment & Adulthood

Conducted within a Career Development Context: Knowing Where to Begin

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Employment and Education Domain

What is Career Assessment?

The on-going process of collecting information for career development and career planning.

Lifelong process Addresses all aspects of life within career

contexts

People come to understand themselves Cyclical Process and Content:

Career Awareness Career Exploration Career Preparation Career Assimilation and Change

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Assess within a Career Development Context

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Awareness

Exploration Preparation

Assimilation

Growth, Change & Expansion

What is Vocational Assessment?

A comprehensive, informal process

conducted over a period of time, usually involving a multidisciplinary team with the purpose of identifying individual characteristics, rehabilitation, education, training, and placement needs, serving as the basis for planning an individual’s rehabilitation, employment, career development, education, and/ or transition program(s), and that provides the individual with insight into vocational and career potential.

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What is Vocational Assessment?

Three levels:

Needs Assessment/ Screening Exploratory Comprehensive Vocational Evaluation

30th Institute on Rehabilitation Issues

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What is Vocational Evaluation?

A comprehensive process (with content)

that systematically uses w ork, either real or sim ulated, as the focal point for assessment and vocational exploration, the purpose of which is to assist individuals with vocational development. Vocational evaluation incorporates medical, psychological, social, vocational, educational, cultural, and economic data into the process to attain the goals of evaluation.

30th Institute on Rehabilitation Issues

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Levels of Transition, Career & Vocational Assessment

Levels of Service Level I I I : comprehensive career assessment/ vocational evaluation. Level I I : diagnostic and prognostic, exploration, go

• nto next level if more

information is needed to make decisions. Level I : make quick decisions; minimal assessment required, go on to next level if more information is required. Level III Level II Level I

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Who Provides Three Levels of Services?

• Vocational Evaluators
• Transition specialists
• Guidance
• Rehabilitation counselors
• Teachers
• Community service providers
• Employers or service learning supervisors
• Employment specialists
• Vocational Evaluators or Assessment Specialists
• Parents and family members
• Youth
• Others who have relevant experience, vested

interest in the student, and have received some type of orientation or training.

For Vocational Assessment

• Levels I and II assessment can be coordinated

and collected by anyone, hopefully with the consultation or coordination from someone Certified in Vocational Evaluation (CVE) by the Commission on Certification of Work Adjustment and Vocational Evaluation Specialists (CCWAVES)

• Level III assessment should be conducted and

coordinated by a CVE. (They can provide all 3 levels of service, but are the only ones qualified to provide Level III: Comprehensive Vocational Evaluation.)

Framework for Transition and Career Assessment Individual + Ecology = Congruence

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Exam ples of an I ndividual’s Attributes Interests Level of Career Development Level of Self Determination Temperaments Skills Preferences Needs Strengths Exam ples of Ecological Attributes Environments Circumstances Relationships Situations Resources

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Environment

Observations Interviews LMI Task Analysis Training Analysis Community Resource Survey Job Analysis

Congruence

Behavioral Observation Assistive Technology Situational Assessment OJE OJT Vocational Profiling Follow-up Generalized Skill Assessment

Individual

Observations Background Information Interviews Psychometric Testing Work Samples Work Tasks Transferable Skill Assessment Screening

Triangulation of Methods and Information

Current Relevant Valid

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Community Based Vocational Assessment

A holistic assessment of an

individual’s interests, needs, and abilities in a job/ worksite setting located in the community.

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Situational Assessment

The systematic observation process for identifying work-related behaviors and performances in a controlled work

• environment. Real work is most often used to

add relevance. The element distinguishing situational assessment from other types of assessment is the capability of systematically varying demands in order to evaluate for work-related behaviors and performances (e.g. social skills, quantity of work, use of materials, work pace). (VEWAA/ VECAP Glossary)

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On-the-Job Evaluation

An evaluation technique in which the individual performs actual job duties in a real work situation. Performance is supervised and evaluated by the employer in coordination with evaluation staff. There is a pre-determined beginning and ending date: it is not necessarily intended to result in employment. (VEWAA/ VECAP Glossary)

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Job Try-out (Shop Try-out)

A temporary job placement or internship designed to provide the individual with real work experience and community contacts where the employer or coworkers assess the individual. Job tryouts: (a) expose the participant to new

• ccupational experiences; (b) assess the

individual’s work; (c) expose employers to the potential worker; (d) gather additional data useful for making job placement decisions; and (e) provide the individuals with references and work experience to be documented in a resume. (Neubert & Tilson)

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Functional Skills Assessment

The systematic process designed to assess individual skills, interests, values, behaviors and performance related to functioning in the community or home (e.g. money management skills, transportation skills, scheduling and

• rganization), defining the level of support

needed by the individual. Assessments and resulting recommendations regarding these skills should be based upon a clear analysis and understanding of the skills needed to function at varying levels of independence in the community and home.

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Community Based Vocational Assessment

Situational Assessment

• Most

controlled, manipulated and observed by the Vocational Evaluator On-the-Job Evaluation Job Try-out (Shop Try-out)

• Least

controlled, manipulated and observed by the Vocational Evaluator

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Triangulation in Community Based Vocational Assessment

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Worker Employer/ Coworker Evaluator

What to Assess

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Vocational Appraisal: Integrative

Assessment of the Total Individual Let’s review and discuss the handout

Secretaries’ Commission on

Achieving Necessary Skills (SCANS)

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CAREER APTITUDE

• General
• Specific
• Performance

CAREER SKILLS

• Transferable
• Specific
• Vocational

WORKER CHARACTERISTIC

• Worker Traits
• Attitudes/
• Values
• Employability

Skills BACKGROUND INFORMATION

• Academic
• Medical
• Cultural

LEARNING STYLES

• Instructional
• Operational
• Response

WORKER STYLE PREFERENCES (Temperaments)

• Disposition to:
• Environment
• Individuals
• Activities

CAREER INTERESTS

• Expressed
• Tested
• Manifested

Values

Behaviors

Values

Behaviors

Vocational Appraisal

Self Concept & Self Esteem

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SCANS (Secretary’s Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills)

The Secretary's Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills (SCANS) identifies the level of skills required to enter employment, including

define the skills needed for

employment;

propose acceptable levels of proficiency; suggest effective ways to assess

proficiency. http: / / wdr.doleta.gov/ SCANS/

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SCANS (Secretary’s Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills)

These workplace essential skills and the

associated rating scales can be utilized to measure youth progress, thereby holding the standard expectation for youth with and without disabilities.

Workplace Essential Skills are identified

as workplace competencies and foundations skills, also referred to as “Workplace Know-How.”

Teaching the Scans Competencies: http: / / wdr.doleta.gov/ SCANS/ teaching/

Workplace Know-How: The Foundation

Com petence requires:

Basic Skills: reading, writing, arithmetic

and mathematics, speaking and listening;

Thinking Skills: thinking creatively, making

decisions, solving problems, seeing things in the mind’s eye, knowing how to learn, and reasoning;

Personal Qualities: individual responsibility,

self-esteem, sociability, self-management and integrity.

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Workplace Know-How: SCANS Competencies

Effective w orkers can productively use:

Resources: allocating time, money,

materials, space, staff;

Interpersonal Skills: working on teams,

teaching others, serving customers, leading, negotiating, and working well with people from culturally diverse backgrounds;

Information: acquiring and evaluating data,

• rganizing and maintaining files, interpreting

and communicating, and using computers to process information;

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Workplace Know-How: SCANS Competencies

Effective w orkers can productively use:

Systems: understanding social, organizational,

and technological systems, monitoring and correcting performance, and designing or improving systems;

Technology: selecting equipment and tools,

applying technology to specific tasks, and maintaining and troubleshooting technologies.

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FLSA WBL Guidelines

The Departments of Labor and Education

joined this statement of principle with Policy Guidelines governing the participation of youth with disabilities in employment settings for career exploration, career assessment, and work- related training.

Let’s review and discuss the handout

National Center for Secondary Education & Transition, Handbook for Implementing Comprehensive Work-Based Learning Program According to the Fair Labor Standards Act, http: / / www.ncset.org/ publications/ essentialtools/ flsa/ NCSET_Esse ntialTools_FLSA.pdf

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FLSA WBL Guidelines

• 1. Youth with disabilities who engage in

nonpaid career exploration, career assessment, and work-related training activities are not considered employees of the businesses in which they receive these services only if they can demonstrate compliance with all of the guidelines below. When schools and employers engaging in these WBL activities with youth with disabilities adhere to all of the following guidelines, they do not violate the provisions

• f the FLSA.

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FLSA WBL Guidelines

• 2. Participants will be youth with physical

and/ or mental disabilities for whom competitive employment at or above the minimum wage level is not immediately

• btainable and who, because of their

disability, will need intensive ongoing support to perform in a work setting.

• 3. Participation will be for career

exploration, career assessment, or work- related training at a worksite placement under the general supervision of public school personnel.

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FLSA WBL Guidelines

• 4. Worksite placements will be clearly

defined components of Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) developed and designed for the benefit of each

• student. The statement of needed

transition services established for the exploration, assessment, training, or cooperative work experience components will be included in the student’s IEP.

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FLSA WBL Guidelines

• 5. Information contained in a student’s IEP will not

have to be made available; however, documentation as to the student’s enrollment in the work-based learning program will be made available to the Departments of Labor and

• Education. The student and his or her parent(s)
• r guardian(s) must be fully informed of the IEP

and the career exploration, career assessment,

• r work-related training components and have

indicated voluntary participation with the understanding that participation in these components does not entitle the student participant to wages or other compensation for duties performed at the worksite placement.

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FLSA WBL Guidelines

• 6. The activities of the student at the worksite do

not result in an immediate advantage to the

• business. The Department of Labor looks at the

following factors to determine if this guideline is being met:

• There has been no displacement of

employees, vacant positions have not been filled, employees have not been relieved of assigned duties, and the students are not performing services that, although not

• rdinarily performed by employees, clearly

are of benefit to the business.

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FLSA WBL Guidelines

• The students are under continued and

direct supervision by either representatives of the school or by employees of the business. The student receives ongoing instruction and close supervision at the worksite during the entire experience, resulting in any tasks the student performs being offset by the burden to the employer of providing ongoing training and supervision.

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FSLA WBL Guidelines

• Such placements are made according

to the requirements of the student’s IEP and not to meet the labor needs of the business.

• The periods of time spent by the

students at any one site or in any clearly distinguishable job classification are specifically limited by the IEP.

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FLSA WBL Guidelines

• 6. While the existence of an employment

relationship will not be determined exclusively

• n the basis of number of hours, as a general

rule, each component will not exceed the following limitation during any one school year:

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Career Exploration 5 Hours per Job Experience Career Assessm ent 9 0 Hours per Job Experience W ork-Related Training 1 2 0 Hours per Job Experience

FLSA WBL Guidelines

• 7. Students are not automatically entitled

to employment at the business at the conclusion of their IEP. However, once a student has become an employee, the student cannot be considered a trainee at that particular worksite placement unless in a clearly different occupation.

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Importance of Compliance with Guidelines

Schools and participating businesses are

responsible for ensuring that all seven of these guidelines are met. If any of these guidelines are not met, an employment relationship exists, and participating businesses can be held responsible for full compliance with the FLSA.

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Addressing Liability Concerns

One barrier to establishing work based

learning is the issue of liability for non-paid experiences.

Provide Employer with basic Fact Sheet

regarding Community Based Assessments Include Purpose Employer Expectations Agency Responsibilities Statement that the arrangement is “Not an Employer/ Employee Relationship” and employment is not a requested outcome

Addressing Liability Concerns

Provide information to the employer

regarding the Department of Labor Standards In compliance with IRS Revenue Ruling 65-165 and with standard insurance practice, the Employer-Employee relationship actually exists between your agency and the client who is participating in a Community Based Assessment experience with the following understanding:

Addressing Liability Concerns

Department of Labor Standards (cont’d)

The services are for therapeutic or rehabilitative purposes. The ESO retains final control over the client and this control is protective. The client is a registered client of your ESO, and receives token remuneration from your agency. An ESO staff person will be available to client and employer as needed.

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DRS Guide to Supported Employment and Job Coach Training Services

Situational Assessm ent

Let’s review and discuss this section of the Guide

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Situation Assessment Report & Bill

I . Vendor I nform ation Vendor # : Vendor Invoice # : Vendor Name: Address: Employment Specialist:

• Emp. Spec. Phone # :
• Emp. Spec. Email:

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Situational Assessment Report & Bill

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I I . Consum er/ Billing Data Consumer: Billing Period: Social Security # : Hours Currently Authorized: DRS Case # : Hours Billed: DRS Counselor: Hours Remaining: Case Manager: Amt ($) Due: Service Code: Additional Hours Needed: Current Authorization # : Situational Assessment Goal: SSA Status, Indicate Type and Amount or N/ A

Situational Assessment Report & Bill

I I I . Site I nform ation ( To Be Com pleted for Each Site) Date of Assessment: Job: Employer: Hours Used: Address: Integrated Setting: Y or N (If no, explain) Phone: Duties & Responsibilities: Date of Assessment: Job: Employer: Hours Used: Address: Integrated Setting: Y or N (If no, explain) Phone: Duties & Responsibilities:

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Situational Assessment Report & Bill

I V. Consum er Personnel Profile:

• A. Consumer Preferences: (Should address, but not be limited to: part-

time vs. full-time, days / shifts desired, environment needed, socialization required / desired, etc.)

• B. Consumer Strengths:
• C. Consumer Limitations:
• D. Barriers to Employment: (Financial, Safety, Transportation,

Environment, Medication)

• E. Community Resources to Address Barriers:
• F. Review of Needs: (Regarding Accommodation, Assistive Technology,

and Paratransit)

• G. Specific Interpersonal / Behavioral Concerns:
• H. Specific Issues Regarding Skill Acquisition: (Including Training Needs

and Learning Styles)

• I. Work Tolerance for Full / Part-Time:
• J. Motivation / Desire for Employment:
• K. Recommendations for Referral: (Counseling, Psych. Assessment, etc.)

Situational Assessment Report & Bill

• V. Sum m ary & Recom m endations ( I nclude each site,

consum er interest in specific job, planned em ploym ent

• utcom es, em ploym ent discussion results, and availability of

jobs in local area.)

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The outcome of the assessment(s) has been shared with the consumer and/or the DRS Counselor.

Employment Specialist Date SE FORM 1

Some Examples of other Types of CBA Reports

Maryland Career Assessment

Service Options

OpCo, Inc. GWU Intern CBVA Report

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Where and by Whom

Who is providing CBVAs?

Virginia – ESO Employment Specialists, School-based Vocational Evaluators, others? Maryland –Community Rehabilitation Provider and Independent Certified Vocational Evaluators

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Guiding Questions

VA DRS uses standard supported employment

training procedures as a basis for “situational assessment”. As you satisfied with the community-based vocational assessments (CBVA) conducted by vendors/ ESOs?

• Do the situational assessment reports include

triangulation?

• Do the situational assessments reports meet

youth and counselor needs for training?

Given that national definition identify CBVA as

Level III, what qualifications do Virginia ESO situational assessment providers have?

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Discussion of Opportunities for Systemic Change regarding CBVA

Revise unpaid work experience practice Revise situational assessment guidelines Partner with

Business development managers Placement counselors Job developers School-based vocational evaluators Transition community Career & Tech Ed instructors and work experience coordinators Woodrow Wilson Rehabilitation Center programs Others?

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Community Based Vocational Assessment is Functional Assessment

“the analysis and measurement

• f specific behaviors that occur

in real environments and are relevant to life and vocational goals” (Halpern & Fuhrer, 1984)

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Community Based Vocational Assessment

Involves interaction between behavior and

performance, considering environmental conditions and demands

Determines the impact of disability and

functional limitations

Identifies the degree of the young person’s

acknowledgement and acceptance of disability

Emphasizes supports and accommodations

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Community Based Vocational Assessment Characteristics

Environmental specificity characterizes

CBVA and differentiate it from other types

• f assessment:

Measure of what a person can do and the level of supports needed In particular situations Under certain conditions In light of unique demands

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Guiding Principles in Community Based Vocational Assessment

Assessment serves as a compass not a

detailed map.

Youth chart their own courses. Youth have choices in how assessment is

delivered.

The assessment process itself is a learning

process.

Assessment summary is jointly written

and analyzed by the youth.

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Guiding Principles in Community- Based Assessment

Assessment process takes an ecological

approach providing an understanding of relationships among diverse influences on the youth.

Assessment of specific work culture and

receptivity of an employment site is as equally important as assessing the individual.

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CBVA is Authentic Assessment

Characteristics of Authentic Assessment:

• People perform, create, produce or “do”
• Individual performance is the focus
• Tasks to perform are part of a larger context

(e.g., curriculum, job, transition activity)

• People doing the rating use human judgment
• Higher order thinking and problem-solving skills

are tapped

• There is no right answer
• Activities are closely integrated to self-

assessment.

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CBVA is Authentic Assessment

It is a process that provides real and

meaningful feedback for improving Learning Instructional practices Performances and behavior Educational and vocational or career

• ptions

Participation with “real world” performances, requirements, and experiences.

(adapted from Herman, Aschbacher, & Winters, 1992)

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CBVA is Authentic Assessment

Authentic Assessment occurs when the following is present

prior knowledge, recent learning, or

relevant skills to solve realistic, authentic problems

with the opportunity to demonstrate

ability to Perform Use processes of learning Apply knowledge in natural environments and situations

Preferred Preparation & Assessment for SCANS and Tomorrow's Workforce

CBVA

Situational assessment On-the-job evaluation Job try-out (shop try-out)

Labor market survey Informational interviewing (employers, human

resource staff, etc.)

Job analysis Worksite assessment (identifying barriers and

possible accommodations)

Work sampling Portfolios showing chronological examples of

performances and behavior (i.e. learning)

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Preferred Preparation & Assessment for SCANS and Tomorrow's Workforce

To be effective, these methods must be founded on

continual community communication collaboration between employers and

evaluators

participation in business partnerships (i.e.

Chambers of Commerce, Rotary Clubs, Virginia Workforce Centers & Councils, Career & Technology Education community)

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Community Based Vocational Assessment for Transition Toolkit

Developed by OVR and Pittsburgh Public

Schools in partnership with the University of Pittsburgh, Department of Rehabilitation Science

Specific Training Modules A Manual Additional resources and tools including job

analysis

Lets take a look!

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Join the Transition and Career Assessment Practice Group

Please expand your learning and dialogue

with other transition stakeholders interested in career assessment. Also, obtain supporting resources and share your tools and strategies.

To connect to this work, participate in the

www.sharedwork.org interactive website (see instructions on following page).

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Join the Transition and Career Assessment Practice Group

To access the site, please follow these simple

instructions: Visit www.sharedwork.org; Click on the national community of practice on transition Take a minute to register (complete requested information) When in the site, in the left column, click on Pennsylvania Click on Career and Transition Assessment Click on the button on the top right to “Join this Mailing List” (this will allow us to email one another directly from the site) Review the information and respond to the discussion thread

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Additional Resources

Position Paper of the Interdisciplinary

Council on Vocational Evaluation and Assessment by Smith F., Lombard R., Neubert D., Leconte P., Rothernbacher C., & Sitlington, P. For additional information, please visit www.vecap.org and click on publications, click on National Position Papers

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Additional Resources

Assess for Success: A Practitioner's

Handbook on Transition Assessment, Stillington, Neubert, Begun, Lombard, Leconte, 2007.

30th IRI: A new paradigm for vocational

evaluation: Empowering the VR consumer through vocational information. www.rcep6.org

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Additional Resources

Career Assessment: The Ongoing Journey

(LeConte 2006): http: / / sharedwork.org/ documents/ CATheOng

• ingJourney1.ppt

Additional tools developed by local transition

teams in Pennsylvania, which can found on the Career Assessment Practice Group page

• f the PA Community on Transition shared

work website, located at http: / / www.sharedwork.org/ section.cfm?ms = 5&ms2= 44&as= 143&ShowAll= 0&ShowFold er= 612# Repository.

Additional Resources

Department of Labor: SCANS Resources:

http: / / wdr.doleta.gov/ SCANS/

National Center for Secondary Education &

Transition, Handbook for Implementing Comprehensive Work-Based Learning Program According to the Fair Labor Standards Act, http: / / www.ncset.org/ publications/ essentialtools/ flsa/ NCSET_EssentialTools_FLSA.pdf

National Collaborative on Workforce and

Disability – Youth: Jump Start – Work Based Learning, http: / / www.ncwd- youth.info/ resources_&_Publications/ jump_Starts / work_Based_Learning/ index.html

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Feel Free to Contact Us

Pamela J. Leconte, Ed.D. George Washington University Department of Teacher Preparation and Special Education Collaborative Vocational Evaluation Training 2134 G Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20052 202-994-1534 pleconte@gwu.edu Joan E. Kester, M.A., CRC Human Resource Development Specialist Mid-Atlantic Rehabilitation Continuing Education Program The George Washington University 2011 Eye Street, NW, Suite 300 Washington, DC 20052 202-489-7112 jkester@gwu.edu

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