5 Helpful Transition Assessments to Use
with High Needs Students

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If you’re a special education teacher, you know that for your students, assessments are more than just tests—they’re a very important part of understanding how to support them best.

When it comes to preparing your students for life after high school, transition assessments are crucial. These assessments help us figure out our students’ strengths, interests, and what they want their future to look like–whether it’s in a job, further education, or independent living.

Let’s walk through what transition assessments are, why they matter, and what are some assessments that work well for high needs students.

What Are Transition Assessments?

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Transition assessment is an on-going process of collecting information on the student’s strengths, needs, preferences and interests as they relate to the demands of current and future living, learning, and working environments.” (Sitlington, Neubert, Begun, Lombard, and Leconte (2007)

Transition assessments are important in helping your students move from school to adult life. Through continuous assessments from middle school to high school, you can get valuable information about your students’ strengths and interest. You’ll also figure out which areas your students need more support.

It’s essential to ensure that your students have the skills and support they need to transition to adulthood!

If you want to learn more about transition assessments, check out our Transition Assessments 101 blog post.

Transition Assessments to Use with High Needs Students

Transition assessments are like a roadmap for life after school. Without them, it would be hard to know what supports a student needs or what kind of job or life they want.

This is particularly true for high-needs students who often have unique abilities and skills that aren’t obvious during the typical assessment process. They are the ones who face the most challenges in employment and independent living, so they would need extra support.

For students with complex needs, these transition assessments can be the key to building a meaningful and successful adult life. Here are some of the most effective transition assessments I’ve tried!

1. Life Skills Rating Checklist

A great starting point is to gather data from people who know the student best—parents and teachers. The easiest way to do this is to send a life skills rating checklist home to families.

This checklist allows you to gather information about a student’s life skills, so you can understand where the student stands in areas like communication, social skills, daily living skills, and safety awareness.

After reviewing the feedback, you’ll see the student’s strengths and areas where more support is needed! You can do this prior to annual IEP meetings so that you can thoughtfully write your student’s transition plan and IEP goals.

This checklist can help you understand a student’s current life skills, like communication, self-care, and social skills. This information is valuable in shaping their transition plan.

2. “Would You Rather” Game / Assessment Tool

You can also make data gathering fun by using simple games, such as “Would You Rather” decks. You can gather insight into what a student likes or dislikes in both life skills and vocational areas.

The idea is simple—the student is given two options, (for example, “Would you rather work in a bakery or a pet store?”), and they choose which one they prefer. You can do this game verbally, make printed cards, or even get a ready-made digital Would You Rather deck. This is super easy to use and won’t need any preparation at all. 

Plus, there’s also a vocational version!

This tool is a low-pressure way to collect important data on your students’ interests, especially for those who might feel anxious about traditional assessments. The game-like format keeps your students engaged while still giving you the information you need to help guide their transition planning.

3. Picture-Supported Interest Inventory

For reader and non-reader special education students ages 13 to 22 with moderate to severe disabilities, you can use a picture interest inventory.

This tool uses pictures to assess the student’s interests and strengths. It works by showing the student pictures of different activities, tasks, or settings, and then asking them to choose which ones they prefer or feel more comfortable with. Make sure to use real photos instead of clip art!

Here’s an example of a picture-based interest inventory I’ve created after years of working with transition aged students and their families. It includes choices about:

  • Strengths
  • Leisure Interests
  • Future Goals
  • After Graduation

A transition assessment like this can help the IEP team understand what types of environment or career would be a good fit for your students, even if they can’t communicate this verbally.

4. Vocational Interest Inventory

The transition assessment tool above can also be revised to focus more on vocational interest, like having them choose job-related interests, workplace environments, and job positions.

Many high needs students struggle with imagining themselves in different job settings, and this vocational interest inventory tool uses simple, clear images to introduce them to various job types. Your students can indicate what kind of work looks appealing to them which helps with career exploration and setting vocational goals.

You can use this revised tool prior to vocational assessments to find out what pre-vocational interests your students have, or what their ideal work environment would be. This is also helpful when you’re helping them prepare for job applications!

Using these resources can make the transition assessment process much more effective for your high needs students. The key is to choose assessments that match your students’ communication and cognitive levels, so they won’t struggle with sharing their interests and strengths.

Gathering as much information as possible will help you develop a good transition plan that will support their journey toward adulthood!