Secondary Transition Toolkit: Self-Determination Assessments
Self-Determination Assessments help your students prepare to be self-advocates by identifying how self-determined they are and identify ways to become more self-determined. We encourage you to use these assessments as well as transition assessments from other sources to gather and organize information on your students in order to prepare them for a seamless transition from school to adult life.
AIR Self-Determination Scale
Author: The American Institutes for Research (AIR), in collaboration with Teachers College, Columbia University in New York City
The AIR Self-Determination scale produces a profile of the student’s level of self-determination, identifies areas of strength and areas needing improvement, and identifies specific educational goals that can be incorporated into the student’s IEP. The AIR Assessments measure two broad self-determination components. Capacity refers to the student’s knowledge, abilities, and perceptions that enable them to be self-determined. Opportunity refers to the student’s chances to use their knowledge and abilities.
AGE GROUP: MS/HS
TIME: 30 minutes
I’m Determined Self Determination Student Self-Assessment
Author: Commonwealth of Virginia Department of Education Training and Technical Assistance Centers – I’m Determined Project
The Self Determination Student Self-Assessment consists of 19 items and four open ended questions that measure how self-determined the student considers him/herself to be.
AGE GROUP: Middle School
TIME: 20 minutes
The Arc’s Self Determination Scale
Author: Michael Wehmeyer, Ph.D. and Kathy Kelchner, M.Ed.
The Arc’s Self Determination Scale provides students and educators a tool that identifies student strengths, areas of support, and instructional need for self-determination. The scale has 72 items and is divided into four sections that each examine a different essential characteristic of self-determined behavior: Autonomy, Self-Regulation, Psychological Empowerment, and Self-Realization.
AGE GROUP: Middle School and High School
TIME: 40 minutes
Choicemaker
Author: James E. Martin & Laura Huber Marshall
The ChoiceMaker Self-Determination Assessment assesses the self-determination skills and opportunities at school to exercise these skills of middle and high school students with mild to moderate disabilities. The assessment works across three areas: (a) choosing educational, vocational, and personal goals, (b) students’ involvement in their IEP meetings, and (c) students’ attainment of IEP goals, including developing a plan, implementing the plan, self-evaluation of plan progress, and adjusting any of the plan parts.
AGE GROUP: Middle School and High School
TIME: 30 minutes
Self-Determination Goals and Checklists: Transition to Postsecondary Pathways
Author: Toronto Catholic District School Board
The Self-Determination Goals and Checklists were designed to review skills that help with self-awareness, active participation in school-based meetings, self-advocacy, choice making, and self-management/self-regulation. The student and staff work together to complete the checklists. Each checklist begins with a goal to develop while in high school and ends with a goal to strive to achieve upon graduation from high school, as well as well as identifying next steps for planning future goals.
AGE GROUP: High School
TIME: 30 minutes – 45 minutes
