Question 21
Through my work with special educators, I have often been asked to supply
a list of standardized occupational interest and aptitudes tests for students
of low reading ability or who are non-readers. I have been unable to supply
such a list to my clients.
Are there a number of tests that practitioners agree provide the apppropriate
information needed for career planning and guidance? Here in the State of
Washington, we are required to provide a summary of a functional vocational
evaluation for the transition component of the IEP. Even though informal
assessment of interest and aptitude provides valid and reliable information
for the FVE, many parents as well as administrators request more formal
assessment data.
I would appreciate products as well as comments on this topic.
STW Wizard Strategies
Strategy 1
The resource, Making the Transition Team Work ($11.95 plus s &
h) available from Minnesota Education Services at 1-800-652-9024, has some
excellent questionaires and checklists that cover more than just employement.
This resource also covers the other areas of transition, including home
living, community participation, recreation and leisure, and post-secondary
education and training. Although many are more informal, they also are very
practical and can provide much more useful information than some of the
more formalized versions.
MES also has copies of other interest inventories - many post-secondary
settings use them. One resource you might want to order is the Enderle
Severson Rating Scale ($15.95 for 10). It includes two types of rating
scales - R - for all types of disabilties and J - for students with mild
disabilities. I might encourage the writer to contact their local programs
to see what they use.
Putting the format on the computer and using a screen reader program
plus voice dication could solve the access issues.
Strategy 2
I work for State Services for the Blind and our Psychologist does formal
assessments for students/customers who are blind,visually impaired, deafblind
etc. You might like to talk to Lois Anderson at 612/642-0523. I believe
she could give you quite a bit of useful information.
Strategy 3
The following information was supplied by a transition/school-to-work
listserv subscriber.
Table 1. Interest inventories used with youth who have disabilities.
age/grade level, administration time, and reading required (grade level
if reported). Information Adapted from McLouglin and Lewis (1994).
APTICOMÆ Occupational Interest (JEVS, 1985)
- 9th grade reading
- 20 minutes
- 4th grade level
Adult Career Assessment Inventory
- 8th grade reading
- 20-40 minutes
- 8th grade level
Enhanced and Vocational forms (Johansson, 1986)
- no information
Adult CHOICE (Holland, 1985)
- 4th grade-Adult reading level
- No data
- 4th grade
Geist Picture Interest Inventory- Revised (Geist, 1988)
- 8th grade reading
- 30-50 minutes
- None required
Adult Gordon Occupational Checklist II (Gordon, 1980)
- 8th grade
- 20-25 minutes
- Not reported
Adult Kuder General Interest Survey- Form E (Kuder, 1988)
- 6-8th grade
- 40-50 minutes
- 6th grade & 9-12th grade
Kuder Occupational Interest Survey- Form-DD (Kuder, 1985)
- 10th grade
- 30-40 minutes
- 6th grade
Adult Kuder Preference Record-Vocational (Kuder C-Kuder E) (Kuder,
1978)
- 9th-12th grade
- 30-60 minutes
- 9th grade
McCarron-Dial Systems Vocational Interest
- 4th grade-Adult
- No data
- 4th-5th grade
System for Entry Level Employment (MDS*VIE)
no information available
Minnesota Vocational Interest (Clark & Campbell, 1966)
- 9th grade
- 45 minutes
- Approximately 6th Inventory
Occupational Aptitude Survey and Interest Schedule (OASIS)
(Parker, 1983)
- 8th-12th
- 30 minutes
- Not reported
Reading-Free Vocational Interest Inventory-Revised (Becker, 1981,
1988)
- 9th grade
- 20 minutes
- None required
Strong-Campbell Interest Inventory (Campbell & Hansen, 1981,
1985)
- 8th grade
- 30-60 minutes
- 8th grade
USES Interest Inventory II (U.S. Department of Labor, 1982)
- 8th grade
- 30-60 minutes
- Not reported
Wide Range Interest-Opinion Test (WRIOT) (Jastak &
Jastak, 1979)
- 7th grade
- 40-60 minutes
- None required
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