Self-Determination Assessments and Resources
ARC Self-Determination Scale
The ARC Self-Determination Scale is a free transition assessment that (a) assesses the self-determination strengths and weaknesses of adolescents with disabilities, (b) facilitates student involvement in educational planning and instruction to promote self-determination as an educational outcome, (c) develops self-determination goals and objectives, and (d) assesses student self-determination skills for research purposes. After students complete the assessment, the ARC Scale yields a total self-determination and four sub-domain scores: Autonomy; Self-regulation; Psychological empowerment; and Self-realization.
https://www.ou.edu/education/zarrow/resources/assessments
The AIR Self-Determination scale is a free assessment that produces a profile of the student's level of self-determination, identifies areas of strength and areas needing improvement as well as identifies specific educational goals that can be incorporated into the student's IEP. The AIR Self-Determination Assessment also includes a student, parent, and educator version that measures two broad self-determination components. 1. Capacity which refers to the student's knowledge, abilities, and perceptions that enable them to be self-determined; and 2. Opportunity which refers to the student's chances to use their knowledge and abilities
https://www.ou.edu/education/zarrow/resources/assessments
Transition Assessment Goal Generator -TAGG
The Transition Assessment and Goal Generator (TAGG) is an online transition assessment with validity and reliability evidence. The TAGG assesses postsecondary employment and education skills of individuals with mild to moderate disabilities. The TAGG assessment consists of Professional, Student, and Family versions. The 34-item assessment measures student performance across eight constructs: (a) knowledge of strengths and limits, (b) disability awareness, (c) persistence, (d) interacting with others, (e) goal setting and attainment, (f) employment, (g) student involvement in the IEP, and (h) support community. The TAGG automatically provides a norm-based graphic profile, present level of performance statement, lists of strengths and needs, and suggested IEP annual transition goals based on the identified greatest student needs.
Multiple versions Spanish, English, ASL; TAGG-A for Significant Support Needs
The Self-Determination Inventory: Student Report (SDI:SR) asks students questions about how they feel about their ability to be self-determined; that is to make choices, set and go after goals, and make decisions.
- Designed for young people ages 13-22 with and without disabilities
- Takes only 10 minutes to complete
- Offers audio that reads the questions aloud and in-text
Spanish, English, ASL
“The I’m Determined project, a state directed project funded by the Virginia Department of Education, focuses on providing direct instruction, models, and opportunities to practice skills associated with self-determined behavior. This project facilitates youth, especially those with disabilities to undertake a measure of control in their lives, helping to set and steer the course rather than remaining the silent passenger.” The website includes an array of resources for educators, parents, and students.
READY Tool: Readiness Evaluation of Transition to Adulthood for Deaf-Blind Youth
The READY Tool helps a transition team, composed of an individual who is deaf-blind, parents, and professionals, determine essential activities that must be carried out during the transition process. The completed tool should be used to generate a plan of action and develop goals and objectives for the IEP and transition plans.
https://www.nationaldb.org/products/ready-tool/
Deafverse- National Deaf Center on Post-Secondary Outcomes
https://deafverse.com- Game Based
This website’s primary goal is to help student’s plan for the future. Through the on-line experience, students can find answers to questions such as: What will you do after high school? Will you work? Go to college? Live in a place of your own? Students can personalize their experience by creating a free online account that will give the ability to regularly access a goal planner in order to set and achieve goals. Additionally, there are a variety of other interactive on-line support activities. The Youthhood was developed by the National Center on Secondary Education and Transition (NCSET), headquartered at the Institute on Community Integration, within the College of Education and Human Development at the University of Minnesota.READY Tool: Readiness Evaluation of Transition to Adulthood for Deaf-Blind Youth https://www.youthhood.org/
LIfe Skills
The Life Skills Inventory/Independent Living Skills Assessment Tool
315-item assessment completed by a parent or educator that addresses the domains of money management, health, independent living, transportation, employment, postsecondary education, and social/interpersonal skills https://drive.google.com/file/d/1PfSwd45oNH9rqMb0-lY0-_S4cynumfrH/view
Employability/Life Skills Assessment (ELSA) Format for Families Developed
by: Robert Weaver & Joseph R. DeLuca
Who Can Use ELSA? There is only one requirement for using ELSA, and that is to have firsthand interaction with the youth. ELSA is a criterion referenced assessment. That means that the youth’s performance for each of the skills is compared to the adult expectation of that skill, from the viewpoint of the rater. Each assessor, family member or professional will have a different relationship with the youth and different expectations for performing each of the 24 skills. Different raters interact with the youth in varying environments, with unique expectations. The type of relationship and the environment influence the view of the rater’s expectations.
Finacial Literacy Progres & Efficacy Assessment
The Financial Literacy Progress & Efficacy Assessment (FLPEA) is a classroom-based research effort measuring the efficacy of financial literacy education. The assessment is aligned to the National Standards for Personal Financial Education.
Participation in this program is completely free and helps promote access to personal finance education for all U.S. high school students.
Participating teachers will receive a report on their students’ growth.
https://www.ngpf.org/flpea-info/#!#partnership-assessment-collapse-twoo
Casey Life Skills (CLS) is a set of free tools that assess the independent skills youth need to achieve their long-term goals. It aims to guide youth toward developing healthy, productive lives. Some of the functional areas that CLS assesses include:
- Daily living and self-care activities
- Maintaining healthy relationships
- Work and study habits
- Using community resources
- Money management
- Computer literacy and online safety
- Civic engagement
- Navigating the child welfare system
Community Based Skills Assessment
Autism Speaks
The transition out of school-based services for students with autism can be difficult. There is no "one size fits all" plan for the path to adulthood.https://www.autismspeaks.org/tool-kit/community-based-skills-assessment
Independent Living Postsecondary Goal IEP Team Decision Assistance Form
Clickable fillable document from the State of Missouri, developed at KU
https://dese.mo.gov/sites/dese/files/media/file/2020/04/se-com-PTGoals.doc
Community Based Functional Skills
Detailed packet that combines observations and rating scales to determine levels of functioning in life skills, community involvement, social skills, and health and safety.
http://www.vcuautismcenter.org/documents/FinalCommunityAssessment711141.pdf
Home Talk (free) 42-page assessment tool developed by and for parents of children who are deaf-blind to help them participate in their child’s educational program on an equal footing with professionals [free download in MsWord (English), MSWord (Spanish), PDF (English), or PDF (Spanish) ].https://www.designtolearn.com/Page/EducationalResources
This guide is to assist self-advocates, families, and professionals in their planning. This guide aims to help gain access to a person's preferences and support needs to help identify potential support needs in the working environment and to promote employment, 9 pages, Download English , Download Spanish
https://ouhsc.edu/thecenter/Publications/Publication-Details/employment-support-indicators
College and Career Competencies
Suite of assessments that pair with a sister website offering curriculum which can be purchased. Assessments have technical guides for practitioners which provide useful information related to development, and administration. Dashboard allows practitioners to create assessments and then provide student codes. Assessments include: Assertiveness Knowledge, Assertiveness Questionnaire, Conflict Management, Conflict Management styles, Conflict Management Questionnaire, Empathy Questionnaire, Goal Setting Questionnaire, Needs Assessment, Networking Questionnaire, School Connections Snapshot, Self-Efficacy, and Self-Regulation Questionnaires
https://www.cccstudent.org/homepages/view/1?show=yes
Students with Significant Support Needs
Developed by the Center for Learning and Leadership, Oklahoma’s University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD).
The Child Preference Indicators guide is a tool that can assist in developing individualized learning plans. It is designed to help professionals access a family’s expertise about their child and to help families in giving that expertise to professionals. The Child Preference Indicators guide provides information that formal assessments typically do not address, and can be used by family members to identify and communicate what motivates their child. It covers seven domain areas that provide prompts for discussing important considerations with the child and his or her family members.
DOWNLOAD the Child Preference Indicators (pdf)
Transition Rating Scales 2.0, 3.0
Formal Transition Assessments for students with significant support needs. These are comprehensive assessments.
Personal Preference Indicators
Developed by the Center for Learning and Leadership, Oklahoma’s University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD).
The Personal Preference Indicators guide is a tool to assist in planning with and for a person with a developmental disability. It is a guide, not a checklist, for accessing information about the person's preferences. This guide enables members of the planning team to identify and focus on interests and preferences connected to seven domain areas, including self-determination and socialization.
The individual with a disability, family members, friends, and knowledgeable professionals can use this guide for planning in the areas of education, transition, health management, and others. If used by any member of the interdisciplinary team in their interaction with the person with a disability, this guide has the potential to provide a picture of the person that will guide the planning process in a considerate, appropriate, and positive manner.
DOWNLOAD the Personal Preference Indicators (pdf)
DOWNLOAD the PPI Supplement (doc)
According to the AAID website, the Supports Intensity Scale - Adult Version® (SIS-A®) is a standardized assessment tool designed to measure the pattern and intensity of supports that a person aged 16 years and older with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) requires to be successful in community settings. First launched in 2004, the assessment tool was developed by AAIDD over a five-year period (1998 to 2003) and normed with over a culturally diverse group of 1,300 people with IDD aged 16 to 72 in 33 US states and two Canadian provinces
TAGG-A is from the Zarrow Institute on Transition and Self-Determination, was designed for students in high school (9th – 12th grade, 18+ programs) who do not anticipate either competitive employment of regular admission into post-secondary education options.
Students with disabilities who are primarily educated on alternative education standards should take the TAGG-A.
WIAT (Wisconsin Assistive Technology Initiative resources)
A series of observational tools which can be used in the classroom and at work to determine assistive technology needs. Downloadable as PDFs fro free. Helps educators ask good questions about the technology needs of their students, doesn't not replace consultation with a trained professional. ABLETech is Oklahoma's go to resource for questions, and equipment trials.
Interest Inventories & Values Assessements
ICAP resource tool, empowering resource to link students to their futures here in Oklahoma and beyond. Acts as a repository for Oklahoma ICAP data, supports career exploration, assessments, and many other factors (students ask your educators to find out what tool your school is using).
Another ICAP resource tool, empowering resource to link students to their futures here in Oklahoma and beyond. Acts as a repository for Oklahoma ICAP data, supports career exploration, assessments, and many other factors (students ask your educators to find out what tool your school is using).
This is a quick, 42-statement online quiz from Minnesota.
This is an online questionnaire with 60 questions about what students like and don’t like to do
Career One-Stop Work Values Matcher
This is an online card sort exercise that has students rank statements to define their ideal job. Work values are our beliefs about what’s most important in our work.
Website features content and various informal tools and resources for assess girls career interests and breaking gender rules in career exploration.
Website features content, curriculum, and a career mapping tool, teachers can create an account, or class within the website and utilize the tools, videos, and content. Videos address abroad variety of topics (pre-screening is advised).
According to their website, T-Folio is a free transition portfolio tool for high school age youth with disabilities. It is designed to guide youth in exploring, identifying, and planning for their desired post-school goals. This tool represents a compilation of activities and products showcasing each youth’s ongoing transition process. It is their individual story of who they are, where they have been, and where they are headed after high school. Great tool, with slides, digital online fillable tools, an all in one transition curriculum for students with mild/moderate disabilities.
