1. Making the Match: Role of Career Assessment & Job Analysis

2. Overview
Vocational evaluation (VE) is written in the Rehabilitation Act.
In IDEA, transition planning must be based on assessment (requiring collaboration between special education and vocational rehabilitation).
Vocational Assessment (VA) and Vocational Evaluation (VE) also required in the Workforce Investment Act (One Stops).

3. Overview
Vocational Evaluation (VE) can be used to include, not exclude consumers into the VR program by providing realistic vocational options.
VE increases the successful outcomes of VR consumers because assessment data provides realistic recommendations for vocational goals and plans.
VE promotes informed choice, as required by the Rehabilitation Act.
VE empowers consumers to take an active role in their VR program.

4. Evidence Based Practices: Vocational Evaluation
Longitudinal Study: Vocational Evaluation and Ongoing Assessment Improve Successful Transition Outcomes
Project PERT (Post Secondary Education, Rehabilitation & Transition) of Virginia found that with initial vocational evaluation followed by ongoing assessment, transition planning, and exposure to work, youth became successfully employment with higher wages (Ashley, et al, 2007).

5. Evidence Based Practices: Vocational Evaluation
Longitudinal Study: Vocational Evaluation Positively Impacts Career Tech Ed (CTE) Placement and Outcome
Youth have higher CTE placement rates when vocational evaluation recommendations are followed
Youth have higher success rates (grades) when vocational evaluation recommendations are followed
Youth have higher employment rates following CTE programs when vocational evaluation recommendations are followed. (Reid, Scott, et al, 2001, 2005).

6. Evidence Based Practices: Vocational Evaluation
Longitudinal Study: Vocational Evaluation when followed by Employment Services contributes to successful outcomes for VR consumers, especially those who may not be successful otherwise. (Homa, 2006)

7. How does the rehabilitation act define career assessment?
The Foundation of our Practice

8. VR Eligibility
To be eligible for vocational rehabilitation services, an individual must:
Have a physical or mental impairment, which results in a substantial impediment to employment; and
Be able to benefit in terms of an employment outcome (A person with an impairment and impediment is presumed to be able to benefit; in the rare event that there are serious doubts about ability to benefit, the individual will be offered trial work experiences or a period of extended evaluation to further determine ability to benefit); and
Require VR services to prepare for, secure, retain or regain employment.
(Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, Title I, Part A, Section 102)

9. Presumed Eligibility for VR Services
Individuals who (1) receive certain benefits and (2) apply for VR services in order to achieve employment are presumed eligible for VR services. The following are presumed eligible:
SSI/DI recipients, and/or Individuals eligible for long-term supports of DDA/MHA and pursuing competitive or supported employment.
(Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, Title I, Part A, Section 102)

10. Documentation of Ineligibility
Ineligibility for VR Services: An individual may be determined ineligible for VR services for the following reasons:
The individual does not have a physical or mental impairment; or
The individual’s impairment does not result in a substantial impediment to employment; or
The individual does not require services to achieve employment; or
The individual cannot benefit in terms of an employment outcome due to severity of the disability, determined subsequent to trial work experiences or extended evaluation.

11. What does the Rehab. Act Say?
Assessment: 3 Phases
Use of Existing Assessment Data
If not available, appropriate assessment activities to obtain necessary additional data to make such determination and assignment
To make a determination of the employment outcomes, and the objectives, nature, and scope of vocational rehabilitation services, to be included in the Individualized Plan for Employment of an eligible individual

12. What does the Rehab. Act Say?
Phase 1: Use of Existing information
… information available from other programs and providers, particularly information used by education officials and the Social Security Administration, information provided by the individual and the family of the individual, and information obtained under the assessment for determining eligibility and vocational rehabilitation needs.

13. What does the Rehab. Act Say?
Phases 2 & 3: Comprehensive assessment to determine the unique strengths, resources, priorities, concerns, abilities, capabilities, interests, and informed choice, including the need for supported employment

14. What does the Rehab. Act Say?
Comprehensive assessment may include an assessment of the personality, interests, interpersonal skills, intelligence and related functional capacities, educational achievements, work experience, vocational aptitudes, personal and social adjustments, and employment opportunities of the individual, and the medical, psychiatric, psychological

15. What does the Rehab. Act Say?
Comprehensive assessment (cont’d)
an appraisal of the patterns of work behavior of the individual and services needed
referral, for the provision of rehabilitation technology services
an exploration of the individual's abilities, capabilities, and capacity to perform in work situations, which shall be assessed periodically during trial work experiences, including experiences in which the individual is provided appropriate supports and training.

16. National/Universal Definitions of Career and Vocational Assessment

17. Guiding Principles of Career Assessment
Vocational evaluation should use a variety of methods, tools and approaches to provide accurate vocational evaluation and assessments.
Vocational evaluation and assessment information should be verified using different methods, tools and approaches. Using alternative methods or approaches to validate findings.
Behavioral observation is essential in any vocational assessment process. Behavioral observation occurs throughout the assessment process.

18. Guiding Principles of Career Assessment (cont’d)
Vocational evaluation and assessment may be an on-going and developmental process in career development.
Vocational evaluation and assessment should be an integral part of larger service delivery systems. Vocational evaluation and assessment requires the collection of input from a variety of individuals and requires an understanding of how to use the results of the assessment process. Vocational evaluation and assessment should be current, valid and relevant.
Position Paper of the Interdisciplinary Council on Vocational Evaluation and Assessment by Smith F., Lombard R., Neubert D., Leconte P., Rothernbacher C., & Sitlington, P.

19. Assessment is an integral part of the career development process
Assessment is an integral part of the career development process. It is ongoing and can happen anytime and anywhere. The purpose is to plan how the individual is going to achieve their career goals.

20. Types of Assessment
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). 20

21. 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
Review the Career Development Checklists posted in the Wiki.

22. 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.

23. What is Vocational Evaluation?
A comprehensive process (with content) that systematically uses work, either real or simulated, 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

24. Levels of Career & Vocational Assessment
Levels of Service
Level III: comprehensive career assessment/vocational evaluation.
Level II: diagnostic and prognostic, exploration, go onto 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 24

25. 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.)

26. Framework for Career Assessment
Examples of an Individual’s Attributes
Interests
Level of Career Development
Level of Self Determination
Temperaments
Skills
Preferences
Needs
Strengths
Examples of Ecological Attributes
Environments
Circumstances
Relationships
Situations
Resources
Individual + Ecology = Congruence

27. Individual Environment Congruence Observations Observations Interviews
Environment
Observations
Interviews
Labor Market Info.
Task Analysis
Training Analysis
Community
Resource Survey
Job Analysis
Individual
Observations
Background Information
Interviews
Psychometric Testing
Work Samples
Work Tasks
Transferable Skill Assessment
Screening
Congruence
Behavioral Observation
Assistive Technology
Situational Assessment
On the Job Evaluation
On the Job Try-Out
Vocational Profiling
Follow-up
Generalized Skill Assessment

28. Continuum of Assessment
Informal Assessment
Any assessment that involves collection of data by anything other than a norm-referenced (standardized) test.
Salvia/Ysseldyke- Assessment, 1995
Formal Assessment

29. What to Assess
Vocational Appraisal: Integrative Assessment of the Total Individual
See Vocational Appraisal Handout posted in the Wiki
Secretaries’ Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills (SCANS)
See SCANS web links posted in Wiki
Interests, Aptitudes, Preferences

30. Self Concept & Self Esteem
Vocational Appraisal
CAREER APTITUDE
General
Specific
Performance
CAREER SKILLS
Transferable
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
Self Concept & Self Esteem
Values
Behaviors

31. 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.

32. 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 individuals 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:

34. Interests Career exploration Intended to broaden career perspectives
Dynamic not static

35. Aptitudes
Aptitudes involve specific skills that are not always demonstrated by the consumer to his or her potential. Aptitudes in areas such as mechanical, spatial, musical or artistic ability, or physical coordination may not be fully developed. This could be due to lack of interest or to lack of opportunity.

36. Aptitudes
The Department of Labor has defined aptitudes in twelve areas. It may be helpful if educators were familiar with these aptitudes as they offer a different way of looking at skills. Even when using formal testing, your observations and interviews are helpful to validate the results. Most formal assessment tests evaluate according to these twelve areas:

37. Aptitudes G – Intelligence V – Verbal N – Numerical
General ability to learn, reason, and make judgments
V – Verbal
Ability to understand and use words effectively
N – Numerical
Ability to understand and perform mathematical functions

38. Aptitudes (cont’d) S – Spatial
Ability to visualize three dimensional objects from two
P – Form Perception
Ability to perceive and distinguish graphic detail
Q – Clerical Perception
Ability to see and distinguish pertinent detail
K – Motor Coordination
Ability to coordinate eyes, hands, fingers

39. Aptitudes (cont’d) F – Finger Dexterity
Ability to finger and manipulate small objects
M – Manual Dexterity
Ability to handle placing and turning motions
E – Eye/Hand/Foot Coordination
Motor responsiveness to visual stimuli
C – Color Discrimination
Ability to match/discriminate colors

40. Temperaments
Temperaments are personality traits that relate to the requirements of occupations. If these traits are a “match,” then there is a higher likelihood of job satisfaction. There is formal assessment for temperaments. The DOL defines temperament requirements as:

41. Temperaments D – Direct, control or plan an activity
F – Interpret feelings and ideas from a personal point of view
I – Influence people’s opinions, attitudes, or judgments
J – Generalize/decide based on sensory or judgmental criteria
M – Generalize/decide based on measurable or verifiable criteria

42. Temperaments P – Deal with people beyond giving or
receiving instructions
R – Perform repetitive work according to
set pace or procedure
S – Deal with stress in critical/
emergency/dangerous situations
T – Precisely attain set limits, tolerances,
and standards
V – Do varied job duties without loss of
composure or efficiency

43. Formal Assessments

44. Formal Assessments
Formal assessments utilized standardized testing with norms. For example, formal assessments can be provided by Psychologists, Neuropsychologists, Physical Therapists, Occupational Therapists, and Speech Therapists.
Often times, we can decrease the amount of testing required by focusing on informal assessments and use of existing data.

45. Informal Assessment

46. Informal Assessment Data: Interviews
Interviews with the Consumer
Family Interviews
Interview with other Members of Teams (e.g. teachers, community rehabilitation providers, employers)

47. Informal Assessment Data: Observation
Observing an individual is an excellent way of gathering information about their strengths, aptitudes and interests, and experiences.
The biggest mistake you can make is that you do not consider the setting in which you are observing!

48. National Definitions and Characteristics of Community Based Vocational Assessment (CBVA)

50. Community Based Vocational Assessment
A holistic assessment of an individual’s interests, needs, and abilities in a job/worksite setting located in the community.

51. 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)

52. 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)

53. 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 occupational 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)

54. 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 organization), 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.

55. Community Based Vocational Assessment
Situational Assessment
Most controlled, manipulated and observed by the Vocational Evaluator
On-the-Job Evaluation
(Shop Try-out)
Job Try-out
Least controlled, manipulated and observed by the Vocational Evaluator

56. 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

57. Community Based Vocational Assessment Characteristics
Environmental specificity characterizes CBVA and differentiate it from other types of 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

58. Guiding Principles in Community Based Vocational Assessment
Assessment serves as a compass not a detailed map.
Individuals chart their own courses.
Individuals have choices in how assessment is delivered.
The assessment process itself is a learning process.
Assessment summary is jointly written and analyzed by the individual.

59. Guiding Principles in Community-Based Assessment
Assessment process takes an ecological approach providing an understanding of relationships among diverse influences on the individual.
Assessment of specific work culture and receptivity of an employment site is as equally important as assessing the individual.

60. 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. 60

61. 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 61

62. Job Analysis
Making the Match

63. Making the Match
Making an effective match between an individual and a job requires:
Understanding the consumer through ongoing collection of assessment data, including information about preferences, experiences, skills, current adjustment, strengths, personal contacts, etc., is updated with each new job experience.
Understanding potential jobs and work settings through job analyses.

64. Making the Match
Researching a job through a job analysis provides information to the consumer so that he/she is better prepared to make informed decisions about disability disclosure.
Most importantly, it lays the foundation for identifying and requesting job accommodations and supports to facilitate successful job placements.

65. Job Analysis What is a job analysis?
A job analysis is a detailed study of the work performed, the facilities required, the working conditions, and the skills required to complete a specific job.

66. Purpose of a Job Analysis: Employer Perspective
A job analysis provides an objective basis for hiring, evaluating, training, accommodating and supervising employees, to determine:
purpose-the reason for the job,
essential functions-the job duties which are critical or fundamental to the performance of the job,
job setting-the work station and conditions where the essential functions are performed, and
job qualifications-the minimal skills an individual must possess to perform the essential functions.

67. What Aspects of a Job are Analyzed?
Duties and Tasks
The basic unit of a job is the performance of specific tasks and duties. Information to be collected about these items may include: frequency, duration, effort, skill, complexity, equipment, standards, etc.
Source for this section:

68. What Aspects of a Job are Analyzed?
Environment
This may have a significant impact on the physical requirements to be able to perform a job. The work environment may include unpleasant conditions such as offensive odors and temperature extremes. There may also be definite risks to the incumbent such as noxious fumes, radioactive substances, hostile and aggressive people, and dangerous explosives.

69. What Aspects of a Job are Analyzed?
Tools and Equipment
Some duties and tasks are performed using specific equipment and tools. Equipment may include protective clothing.

70. What Aspects of a Job are Analyzed?
Relationships
Supervision given and received.
Relationships with internal or external people.

71. What Aspects of a Job are Analyzed?
Requirements
The knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA's) required to perform the job. While an incumbent may have higher KSA's than those required for the job, a Job Analysis typically only states the minimum requirements to perform the job.

72. Job Analysis: Mapping the Course
Determining employer’s willingness to provide accommodations.
Evaluating formal and informal supports available to employees.
Observing work culture or supervisors and employers.
Identifying potential need for employer education. 72 72

73. Benefits of a Job Analysis
It can be very beneficial to have the consumer complete job analysis forms, with supports that they may desire.
This can be used as part of the career development process (exploration).
It can help the consumers be better prepared to make informed choices about job placement options.
It should not be used to “screen out” opportunities, only to “screen in” opportunities.
It should not delay job placement.

74. Contact Information
Joan Kester, Human Resource Development Specialist
The George Washington University
This information is the intellectual property of the George Washington University and is intended for training purposes only.