Transition self-assessment tool: The development and field testing of a statewide assessment of pre-employment transition services

Issue title: Pre-employment Transition Services

Guest editors: Joshua P. Taylor and Holly N. Whittenburg

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Poppen, Marcus^{a; *} | Sheftel, Anya^a | Lindstrom, Lauren E.^{b; c} | Rowe, Dawn A.^d | Unruh, Deanne^e | Mazzotti, Valerie L.^f

Affiliations: [a] Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA | [b] University of California Davis, Davis, CA, USA | [c] University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa | [d] East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN, USA | [e] University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, USA | [f] University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA

Correspondence: [*] Address for correspondence: Marcus Poppen, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Special Education, 353 Cleveland Hall, College of Education, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99163, USA. E-mail: [email protected].

Abstract: BACKGROUND:Under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014 (WIOA), vocational rehabilitation (VR) agencies are required to evaluate their students’ need for pre-employment transition services and use this information to inform their goals, priorities and strategies. OBJECTIVE:This manuscript presents the development and field testing of the Transition Self-Assessment Tool (TSAT), a web-based instrument designed to support VR agencies’ evaluation and strategic planning initiatives by measuring the availability, accessibility, and coordination of school-based transition services. METHOD:Our methods describe the TSAT development procedures and the methods of conducting a TSAT field test. RESULTS:Findings suggest high schools offer a broad array of career-related services for their students. However, not all potentially eligible students with disabilities have access to those services and when these services are provided, they are frequently delivered without coordination with VR. Additionally, data show more services are available, accessed, and coordinated in high schools participating in a statewide transition program. CONCLUSION:Results from the TSAT field test suggest it is feasible to conduct a statewide needs assessment of school-based transition services using this instrument. Furthermore, the findings from the TSAT align with prior knowledge about school-based transition services, and can be used to inform a state’s goals, priorities and strategies.

Keywords: Transition, youth with disabilities, vocational rehabilitation, workforce innovation and opportunity act, pre-employment transition services

DOI: 10.3233/JVR-240004

Journal: Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, vol. 60, no. 2, pp. 175-184, 2024