Personnel and practices in vocational assessment for students with special needs in the secondary schools of Washington State

Abstract

This study provides a descriptive analysis of personnel and practices in vocational assessment for students with special needs based on a simple random sample (n=100) and generalized to the population of vocational evaluators in Washington State's secondary schools. Subjects provided information and opinions on a carefully designed twenty-two item, eight page survey booklet. A 91% response rate was achieved after a second follow-up. The research findings are presented in the text and in a series of 29 tables and figures. The charts and tabulations describe job titles, time commitments, education and experience of assessment personnel, prevalent vocational assessment instruments and practices, patterns of utilization of assessment information, and levels of vocational evaluator satisfaction. Most vocational assessment personnel in Washington State's secondary schools are well educated professionals--most have master's degrees-- who have received inadequate preparation for the vocational assessment portion of their varied school responsibilities. Vocational assessment programs in the state rely heavily on informal evaluations such as student interviews and records reviews while depending primarily on interest inventories for formal occupationally related assessment. Formal assessments are found to be most appropriate for students with mild disabilities, academic or economic disadvantage while informal assessments extend the service to students with moderate disabilities. The study shows that students with severe disabilities and those with limited English proficiency are inadequately served. On the critical question of utilization of vocational assessment information the research indicated that utilization levels were moderate at best for individual program planning and for training or employment, and below par for guidance and counseling and vocational or academic class placement. The study provides an information basis for decision makers in local, regional, and state agencies and teacher preparation institutions demonstrating the need for improved and intensified pre-service and in-service training and for support in development of effective vocational assessment strategies.