Transition to Postsecondary Education for Students with Disabilities - Case Study Example

Transition to Postsecondary Education for Students with Disabilities The modern educational environment is highly competitive and requires elaborate planning on the part of post-secondary students for a successful transition to college and employment. In fact, post-secondary students have a range of educational opportunities to choose from and include anything from a vocational certificate to a bachelor’s degree in a specific discipline like Engineering or Medicine. A recent study by Sitlington found that while over 92% of high-school students aspired to attend college upon graduation, only a third of these students were eligible and prepared to embark upon the rigors of higher education (106). This paper discusses a case study concerning the transition assessment of a post-secondary student who aspired to enroll in college and sought expert help in facilitating this transition from his public school. Besides preparing students for post-secondary education, the purpose of this transition assessment was to understand the expectations of the student and communicate the appropriate level of preparation and coursework required for them to take up college-level studies. The student’s family members had not attended college, and as such there were no viable avenues for the student at home for consultation. Thus, the primary purpose of the transition assessment was to present college-level studies as a viable and affordable option beyond post-secondary studies. The assessment was also a medium to expand the range of educational streams and options available to the student, and meant to showcase options beyond those offered by a traditional high-school curriculum (Levinson 52). Opportunities to secure funding in the form of scholarships and student loans were also explored during this assessment by evaluating the current financial status of the student and his family. The assessment also sought to motivate the student towards pursuing further studies especially since the limitations of the current high-school curriculum became apparent during the evaluation. The assessment determined that the student was interested in pursuing computer engineering at college and recommended him to pursue technical courses in programming, hardware design and advanced mathematics in order to ensure a smooth transition (Repetto 43). By undertaking such courses, the student would not only strengthen the prospects of his college application, but would be in a better position to take up subsequent coursework (Bryant 82). Several student loans available to students through the federal government and private banks were discussed and a list of suitable loan providers was given to the student based on an evaluation of his total funding requirements and repayment preferences. The assessment carried out was aimed at understanding the preferences, aspirations and individual styles of students. The evaluation consisted of recording responses to specific questions and then used the MBTI (Myers-Briggs Type Indicator) measure to determine a relationship between individual personality and corresponding career options to recommend a suitable college course (Rusch 72). The use of the MBTI method has however met with some criticism over its validity. Many researchers like Bryant argue that the MBTI lacks academic scrutiny and a sufficient research design to qualify as a suitable assessment technique (65). Many researchers like Rusch have also questioned the reliability of this method as many re-evaluations have assigned similar scores to people after a considerable time gap (87). Based on the findings of Wallace, the reliability and validity of this assessment approach is around 50% each, indicating the need for further assessment using other techniques (95). The assessment relied on the four paired dichotomies (specified under the MBTI method) to develop a psychological perspective of the student by assigning a score to each group in the pair. Furthermore, the assessment was done through a set of 30 questions that were used to determine the specific personality types from among the sixteen classes provided by the MBTI method. The assessment concluded that the student belonged to the ISTP group (I-Introversion, S-Sensing, T-Thinking and P-Perception) (Wallace 38). Based on this classification, the assessment concluded that the student was reserved and restricted himself to very few close friends. It was also observed that he liked to perceive phenomenon in detail and preferred to approach questions from a logical perspective. It also appears that the student liked to maintain a range of career options and was reluctant to take a decision on choosing a specific stream (Levinson 55). The assessment in question was conducted by the student’s high-school counselor along with two other assistants. One of these assistants was tasked with observing the students behavior and mannerisms to construct a psychological profile while the other recorded the student’s responses to the questionnaire. For the most part, the counselor interacted with the student by asking questions and seeking clarifications whenever further scrutiny and evaluation of a response were felt necessary. The outcomes from this assessment are important for the school administration and the local administration for a number of reasons. The high-school system has intended to develop a number of pathways of students so that the latter can develop a high level of competence by attending different institutions and receive adequate levels of support at each stage. Through this approach, the school intends to provide multiple options and career choices for students that can suit their needs and aspirations (Repetto 127). The transition assessment is also important from an economic perspective as the school is reimbursed by the state government for most expenses related to the student. Besides, colleges offer tuition fee waivers based on available funding and set quotas for student enrollments. Determining the right proportions of student fee waivers and school reimbursements is thus a challenge that is tackled using such evaluations. The transition assessment was also important due to the availability of dual enrollment opportunities. Under this program, post-secondary students have the benefit of receiving credits for college-level courses. High-school courses that offer such possibilities include the International baccalaureate and advanced placement (Bryant 153). Since it is required under law for high-school and undergraduate institutions to participate in this dual enrollment program, a proper evaluation of students becomes necessary for suitable identification of courses for students and credit transfers between participating institutions (Rusch 51). References 1. Bryant, G., Transition to postsecondary education for students with disabilities. London: Corwin Press, 2008. 2. Levinson, A., Transition from school to post-school life for individuals with disabilities: assessment from an educational and school psychological perspective. New York: Charles C Thomas, 2009. 3. Repetto, P., The middle school experience: successful teaching and transition planning for diverse learners. New York: McGraw Hill, 2008. 4. Rusch, T., Beyond high school: transition from school to work. University of Virginia, 2008. 5. Sitlington, B., Assess for Success: A Practitioner's Handbook on Transition Assessment. London: Corwin Press, 2007. 6. Wallace, M., Educational assessment of learning problems: testing for teaching. University of Michigan, 2009. Read More