Transition Program through Assessment

The transition assessment process should include a variety of methods for assessing the student and potential post-school environments. It is a multi-year process that requires both time and planning to allow for assessment through self-awareness, career awareness, exploration, preparation, and training to confirm interests. Its purpose is to help IEP teams craft postsecondary goals that align with a student’s SPIN as well as plan, instruct, and evaluate to determine if progress has been made toward achieving the transition activities and IEP goals and objectives. Additionally, this process can assist with the identification of resources and supports that are needed to achieve successful postsecondary outcomes. 

Transition Assessment Process

The following Transition Assessment Process Decision Tree will guide you through the five steps of the transition assessment process. This is an annual process that will take multiple years to move the student towards narrowing down his or her career interests to align with their strengths, preferences, and interests. Through the development of annual transition services and activities, students will move closer to reaching their post-school goals. 

The five steps in the transition assessment process are:

1. Gather Existing Data

2. Identify Assessment Needs and Assess 

3. Analyze Data

4. Determine and Coordinate Transition Services 

5. Instruct and Evaluate

Purpose of Transition Assessment

The purpose of transition assessment is to identify a student’s strengths, preferences, interests, and needs and then assimilate these findings into a rigorous school program complete with realistic postsecondary goals, a challenging course of study, practical real-life community experiences, extra-curricular activities, and paid work, as appropriate, for an individual student. What and how many different transition assessments will be used will vary from student to student. The findings of one assessment, for example, may indicate the need for another assessment in an area that the initial assessment identified. 

One’s preferences and interests also may change over time. Transition assessment will guide a student from self-awareness to career awareness to career exploration and ultimately, to career decision-making. At any time along this continuum, a student may discover an interest, previously unexplored, that may lead to a new postsecondary goal. A student may also change his/her mind several times during the high school years when given the opportunity to explore various post-school options. (Excerpt from CSDE Transition Assessment Resource Manual, 2008)