Assessment Critiques

This questionaire is used to help you find careers that match your interests and abilities. The first part of the questionaire asks how you feel about work situations that involve things such as organizing an activity, taking risks, and making judgements, just to name a few. It asks you to rate them from dislike and avoid to like and seek. The second part asks you to rate your abilities in different areas. You are asked to rate yourself from low to high. teh next section asks you questions about working conditions. teh next part asks you to select the level of education you expect to complete. The next section asks you to check all the areas that interest you. The lat two sections are about salary requirements and employment outlook.

After answering all the questions you hit the submit button and wait for your career responses! Each career is given a score according to how closely the career requirements match your answers. Once you are given your results, you can click on any of the careers and read more about it.

I think this questionaire would be useful for someone who isn't quite sure what he or she wants to do. The questions it asks are fairly simple to understand. The questionaire itself takes about twenty minutes to complete. I don't think I would really rely fully on this questionaire. I think that it could be altered a little by the way you feel that day. I feel for teh most part it would be very useful.

This questionaire might be a little difficult for someone who can't see small print. I would recommend that they use the magnifier that is built right into you computer programs. It would also be difficult for someone who has a difficulty reading. I would recommend that a person use a program such as read please. This program would read the questionaire out loud to them, that way they would be able to answer the questions. Overall, I think this questionaire was a good start for find a career that's right for you.

The article I chose came out of a book that takes a look at school work-study programs for the educable mentally handicap. The article I read focused mainly on high school students. One of the issues it focused on was first making the student feel comfortable in the classroom. It hit on Maslow's hierarchy of needs saying that once the students basic needs are met, the student will feel more comfortable in reaching further in the community. I agree with this because the student must feel like they are being taught and cared for enough in school before they are to go out into the community. They need a basic place of feeling comfortable and they need to find that in the classroom setting. Before the student is able to go into the work place they need to be taught on the skills they need or at least know what the employer will expect of them. They need to learn this in the classroom.

Another issue this article dealt with was how the student was to be placed. I thought the authors had a great idea. Too often job placement is for only four or five hours a day and is without supervision or counseling. They suggested students would work a full eight-hour shift supervised and guided by school personnel. Schools who have made an effort to coordinate school and work experiences have found this a highly successful approach. Instead of a full week of school, have the student in the classroom setting three days a week and work two full days.

Another issue that was hit on was having health classes taught. Since law generally requires four years of physical education, yet usually carry no credit; maybe have a health education class taught. This class would be taught in a special room for those students who are handicap. The special education teacher would be able to teach this class. The health class would include grooming, rest, desirable health habits, and proper diet. These are things a special education student needs to know before going out into the work place.

I think this article is something I could definitely use one day. I think the special education student should feel comfortable in a classroom setting and this article has brought this more to my attention. Maybe in my classroom I will have a beanbag or some place where a student can go and look at pictures in a book. I think the health classes are such a great idea. Many times it is hard for a child with a handicap to do physical activities. If my school does not offer this type of class, I could be the first to suggest it. I would be able to make the class fun and maybe incorporate some type of activities in the classroom setting so the students do not feel like they are being left out of regular P.E. classes. Finally, the eight-hour work days are a great idea. Let the student really know what it is like in a full eight-hour day. I would suggest the first three days of the week be in the classroom and then the last two days be in the work place. That way, the student is getting a consistent amount of both.

The article in the magazine Techniques I reviewed was titled "10 Hot Jobs." This article had taken the more appealing jobs and gave a description abouteach one, the job outlook, how you would go about getting the job, and how much you would make. These ten jobs were taken from "High-Skill, High-Wage Jobs" which is a book from the American Vocational Association. These jobs ranged from a Physical Assistant to a Dietition and Nutritionist.

I think this article would be useful to just about anybody. The first part would be usefu to students who are curious about a particular job. It seemed to answer quite a few questions that someone would have. The second part would be useful for a teacher. This is because it talks about different tools and things youcould possibly use in a classroom setting.

I didn't really notice any modifications or accomodations that would need to be addressed. This is just a regular magazin, with regular articles just like any other magazine.I think the whole magazine is a great resourse for anyone who is looking into choosing a career.I would recommend this magazine subscription to everyone.

As our group chose things to critique we decided that we wanted something besides vocational assessments. As we searched the web we ran across a sight with a free IQ test, and Amanda and I decided to take it, we are genius' you know! The test had a time limit of ten minutes, and had various types of questions on it. The test was thirty questions, which were each worth a little over five points a piece if you divide them equally. I am not exactly sure how the test is scored but I assume that the points are equally distributed among the questions. Our score was 132 out of 160, it rated us as geniuses, and the standard deviation chart labeled us as gifted. To show the IQ test we printed off a copy of the test itself. The only drawback to this print out is that it tells us which ones we chose but it does not show which ones we got wrong. This IQ test was set up as a true/false test, and all thirty questions were set up this way.

As a future teacher I would use this format in addition to other forms of assessment to get a basic understanding of my students knowledge. I believe that assessment is an important part of teaching. How can you teach a child if you do not know what level they are functioning on? An IQ test gives a perspective that teachers and parents can relate to, they give measurable results. The IQ test contained questions having to do with logic, mental math, word relations, and many other kinds of questions. There is also a lot of controversy over IQ tests these days. I had Human Growth and Development my freshman year and my professor was a former clinical psychologist. He told us that when he use to assess kids with IQ tests they would give it a fancy name so that parents were not so worried about it. He also said that this method took the pressure off the kids so that if they got some wrong they did not automatically think they were dummies. Someone may have a low IQ because of a disability, and knowing they took an IQ test may make them see themselves as dumb. In conclusion I believe that IQ tests should be used to assess the knowledge of some basic skills, and not to compare people.

This test is very harsh in its written results, in my opinion. At the end of the test it gives a distribution of scores in the "general population," who do they consider general? At the bottom of the chart there is a row for "percent of population," this section tells what percent of the population scored the same as you did. It also tells you if you are " in the mentally impaired range, borderline, average, high average, or gifted range." I am a firm believer that people learn in different ways and the test has no visual questions, and all the questions were in the same format. Not everyone can read a bunch of words and solve a math problem; some need math problems in the number format. I myself have a hard time visualizing words, and I do not have a disability that I know of. So I think there are modifications to be made.

In search for materials that help in promoting transition of youth with disabilities, I decided to go a different route. Although occupational and vocational information is extremely important, I also think that recreational activities are essential for social issues, self-esteem, and pleasure. Therefore, I chose to go to Adventure Landing's web site. Adventure Landing is a mini amusement park with several fun activities for people of all ages located on Beach Blvd. At this web site, they have fun ways of showing the activities that are available, including a map and photographs of the facility. The site also has directions to their various locations, and additional information regarding parties. However, you can only get so much information off of the web site, so I chose to use my prior evaluations from the site that I used for the Outside Critique assignment.

After observing the accessibility of this facility, I was very impressed. The facility has numerous activities in which individuals with disabilities could participate in, specifically those with physical impairments. When you first walk in, they have a nice ramp leading up to the entrance. Once inside, the have a huge arcade room, including video games, ski-ball, pin-ball, air hockey and many more that are all low enough for all to enjoy. They food area has a low enough bar to slide your tray across and the tables are far enough apart where you could easily fit a wheelchair in and out. They have Laser tag, which is a game played in the dark with glow-in-the-dark laser guns. They divide you into teams, where you battle it out, attempting to shoot the opposing team with laser beams. The laser game area is surrounded by ramps, which are wheelchair accessible. As you move outside the facility, they have a wheelchair accessible golf course, and also an accessible water park, which consists of a "Lazy River", a wave pool, and several water-slides.

Although I found numerous positive things about the facility as far as accessibility, I did find a few things that could use some improvement. I found Batting Cages that are wheelchair accessible, however, I would not recommend it because the height at which the balls fly out is unpredictable. After looking at the go-cart tracks, I was still unsure, so I asked the manager what the rules are as far as what they allowed. She said that as long as the caregiver of a person in the wheelchair is able to place them in the cart, she saw no problem with allowing them to either drive, or ride in the passenger seat, depending on their motor skills. After speaking with her, I though that sounded wonderful. However, I thought back for a minute and remembered that it doesn't always happen that way. I once witnessed a teenager who was rejected from riding the go-carts because she had a cast on her arm. Their excuse was that they did not want to be held liable. I have a hard time believing that if they did not allow her to participate, it is doubtful that they would allow someone with more serious impairments.

My only suggestion for accommodations could be that they have a go-cart available with hand controls for those who have poor motor skills with their legs and feet. However, that would be more money for them to invest, but I think it would be great so that everyone could enjoy the facility. Aside from that, I saw no need for improvement.

After my observation, I could clearly see that there are very few limitations for people with physical impairments, as well as other disabilities. I was very impressed with not only the accessibility of the facility, but also the involvement of the caring and helpful management and their view of people with disabilities. I would highly recommend this recreational facility for all individuals!


	Transition Guidance for Parents \| home Tips and Hints \| Example Transition Plans \| Assessment Critiques \| References \| Contact Us Assessment Critiques Career Search Questionaire This questionaire is used to help you find careers that match your interests and abilities. The first part of the questionaire asks how you feel about work situations that involve things such as organizing an activity, taking risks, and making judgements, just to name a few. It asks you to rate them from dislike and avoid to like and seek. The second part asks you to rate your abilities in different areas. You are asked to rate yourself from low to high. teh next section asks you questions about working conditions. teh next part asks you to select the level of education you expect to complete. The next section asks you to check all the areas that interest you. The lat two sections are about salary requirements and employment outlook. After answering all the questions you hit the submit button and wait for your career responses! Each career is given a score according to how closely the career requirements match your answers. Once you are given your results, you can click on any of the careers and read more about it. I think this questionaire would be useful for someone who isn't quite sure what he or she wants to do. The questions it asks are fairly simple to understand. The questionaire itself takes about twenty minutes to complete. I don't think I would really rely fully on this questionaire. I think that it could be altered a little by the way you feel that day. I feel for teh most part it would be very useful. This questionaire might be a little difficult for someone who can't see small print. I would recommend that they use the magnifier that is built right into you computer programs. It would also be difficult for someone who has a difficulty reading. I would recommend that a person use a program such as read please. This program would read the questionaire out loud to them, that way they would be able to answer the questions. Overall, I think this questionaire was a good start for find a career that's right for you. Reference: College Board Online. Career Search Questionaire. [online]. Available: http://www.collegeboard.com [2000,October 15]. High School Program for Subnormal Students The article I chose came out of a book that takes a look at school work-study programs for the educable mentally handicap. The article I read focused mainly on high school students. One of the issues it focused on was first making the student feel comfortable in the classroom. It hit on Maslow's hierarchy of needs saying that once the students basic needs are met, the student will feel more comfortable in reaching further in the community. I agree with this because the student must feel like they are being taught and cared for enough in school before they are to go out into the community. They need a basic place of feeling comfortable and they need to find that in the classroom setting. Before the student is able to go into the work place they need to be taught on the skills they need or at least know what the employer will expect of them. They need to learn this in the classroom. Another issue this article dealt with was how the student was to be placed. I thought the authors had a great idea. Too often job placement is for only four or five hours a day and is without supervision or counseling. They suggested students would work a full eight-hour shift supervised and guided by school personnel. Schools who have made an effort to coordinate school and work experiences have found this a highly successful approach. Instead of a full week of school, have the student in the classroom setting three days a week and work two full days. Another issue that was hit on was having health classes taught. Since law generally requires four years of physical education, yet usually carry no credit; maybe have a health education class taught. This class would be taught in a special room for those students who are handicap. The special education teacher would be able to teach this class. The health class would include grooming, rest, desirable health habits, and proper diet. These are things a special education student needs to know before going out into the work place. I think this article is something I could definitely use one day. I think the special education student should feel comfortable in a classroom setting and this article has brought this more to my attention. Maybe in my classroom I will have a beanbag or some place where a student can go and look at pictures in a book. I think the health classes are such a great idea. Many times it is hard for a child with a handicap to do physical activities. If my school does not offer this type of class, I could be the first to suggest it. I would be able to make the class fun and maybe incorporate some type of activities in the classroom setting so the students do not feel like they are being left out of regular P.E. classes. Finally, the eight-hour work days are a great idea. Let the student really know what it is like in a full eight-hour day. I would suggest the first three days of the week be in the classroom and then the last two days be in the work place. That way, the student is getting a consistent amount of both. References: Frey, O. & Kolstoe R. (1996) A High School Work-Study Program for Mentally Subnormal Students. Organization of a High School Work-Study Program for the Mentally Subnormal (pp. 50-68). Illinois: Feffer & Simmons, INC. 10 Hot Jobs The article in the magazine Techniques I reviewed was titled "10 Hot Jobs." This article had taken the more appealing jobs and gave a description abouteach one, the job outlook, how you would go about getting the job, and how much you would make. These ten jobs were taken from "High-Skill, High-Wage Jobs" which is a book from the American Vocational Association. These jobs ranged from a Physical Assistant to a Dietition and Nutritionist. The second part of the article talked about different tools for exploring careers. These tools ranged from books or other printed materials, to web sites, computer programs, and even a board game. I think this article would be useful to just about anybody. The first part would be usefu to students who are curious about a particular job. It seemed to answer quite a few questions that someone would have. The second part would be useful for a teacher. This is because it talks about different tools and things youcould possibly use in a classroom setting. I didn't really notice any modifications or accomodations that would need to be addressed. This is just a regular magazin, with regular articles just like any other magazine.I think the whole magazine is a great resourse for anyone who is looking into choosing a career.I would recommend this magazine subscription to everyone. Reference: (1999, January). Exploring Careers; 10 Hot Jobs. Techniques,26-29 IQ Test As our group chose things to critique we decided that we wanted something besides vocational assessments. As we searched the web we ran across a sight with a free IQ test, and Amanda and I decided to take it, we are genius' you know! The test had a time limit of ten minutes, and had various types of questions on it. The test was thirty questions, which were each worth a little over five points a piece if you divide them equally. I am not exactly sure how the test is scored but I assume that the points are equally distributed among the questions. Our score was 132 out of 160, it rated us as geniuses, and the standard deviation chart labeled us as gifted. To show the IQ test we printed off a copy of the test itself. The only drawback to this print out is that it tells us which ones we chose but it does not show which ones we got wrong. This IQ test was set up as a true/false test, and all thirty questions were set up this way. As a future teacher I would use this format in addition to other forms of assessment to get a basic understanding of my students knowledge. I believe that assessment is an important part of teaching. How can you teach a child if you do not know what level they are functioning on? An IQ test gives a perspective that teachers and parents can relate to, they give measurable results. The IQ test contained questions having to do with logic, mental math, word relations, and many other kinds of questions. There is also a lot of controversy over IQ tests these days. I had Human Growth and Development my freshman year and my professor was a former clinical psychologist. He told us that when he use to assess kids with IQ tests they would give it a fancy name so that parents were not so worried about it. He also said that this method took the pressure off the kids so that if they got some wrong they did not automatically think they were dummies. Someone may have a low IQ because of a disability, and knowing they took an IQ test may make them see themselves as dumb. In conclusion I believe that IQ tests should be used to assess the knowledge of some basic skills, and not to compare people. This test is very harsh in its written results, in my opinion. At the end of the test it gives a distribution of scores in the "general population," who do they consider general? At the bottom of the chart there is a row for "percent of population," this section tells what percent of the population scored the same as you did. It also tells you if you are " in the mentally impaired range, borderline, average, high average, or gifted range." I am a firm believer that people learn in different ways and the test has no visual questions, and all the questions were in the same format. Not everyone can read a bunch of words and solve a math problem; some need math problems in the number format. I myself have a hard time visualizing words, and I do not have a disability that I know of. So I think there are modifications to be made. Reference: www.iqtest.com Adventure Landing In search for materials that help in promoting transition of youth with disabilities, I decided to go a different route. Although occupational and vocational information is extremely important, I also think that recreational activities are essential for social issues, self-esteem, and pleasure. Therefore, I chose to go to Adventure Landing's web site. Adventure Landing is a mini amusement park with several fun activities for people of all ages located on Beach Blvd. At this web site, they have fun ways of showing the activities that are available, including a map and photographs of the facility. The site also has directions to their various locations, and additional information regarding parties. However, you can only get so much information off of the web site, so I chose to use my prior evaluations from the site that I used for the Outside Critique assignment. After observing the accessibility of this facility, I was very impressed. The facility has numerous activities in which individuals with disabilities could participate in, specifically those with physical impairments. When you first walk in, they have a nice ramp leading up to the entrance. Once inside, the have a huge arcade room, including video games, ski-ball, pin-ball, air hockey and many more that are all low enough for all to enjoy. They food area has a low enough bar to slide your tray across and the tables are far enough apart where you could easily fit a wheelchair in and out. They have Laser tag, which is a game played in the dark with glow-in-the-dark laser guns. They divide you into teams, where you battle it out, attempting to shoot the opposing team with laser beams. The laser game area is surrounded by ramps, which are wheelchair accessible. As you move outside the facility, they have a wheelchair accessible golf course, and also an accessible water park, which consists of a "Lazy River", a wave pool, and several water-slides. Although I found numerous positive things about the facility as far as accessibility, I did find a few things that could use some improvement. I found Batting Cages that are wheelchair accessible, however, I would not recommend it because the height at which the balls fly out is unpredictable. After looking at the go-cart tracks, I was still unsure, so I asked the manager what the rules are as far as what they allowed. She said that as long as the caregiver of a person in the wheelchair is able to place them in the cart, she saw no problem with allowing them to either drive, or ride in the passenger seat, depending on their motor skills. After speaking with her, I though that sounded wonderful. However, I thought back for a minute and remembered that it doesn't always happen that way. I once witnessed a teenager who was rejected from riding the go-carts because she had a cast on her arm. Their excuse was that they did not want to be held liable. I have a hard time believing that if they did not allow her to participate, it is doubtful that they would allow someone with more serious impairments. My only suggestion for accommodations could be that they have a go-cart available with hand controls for those who have poor motor skills with their legs and feet. However, that would be more money for them to invest, but I think it would be great so that everyone could enjoy the facility. Aside from that, I saw no need for improvement. After my observation, I could clearly see that there are very few limitations for people with physical impairments, as well as other disabilities. I was very impressed with not only the accessibility of the facility, but also the involvement of the caring and helpful management and their view of people with disabilities. I would highly recommend this recreational facility for all individuals! Reference: www.adventurelanding.com