A “functional vocational evaluation” may be conducted before your child enrolls in vocational education.^[1] The assessment process should help assess the student’s vocational interests, aptitudes, achievement, and potential. A functional assessment measures a student’s level of performance in a particular type of occupation through work samples, on-the-job observation, simulated work stations, manual dexterity tests, career interest inventories, and aptitude tests. Vocational aptitudes (such as manual dexterity, eye/hand coordination, fine motor skills, and general intelligence) are examined in order to blend a student’s career interest and vocational strengths and limitations.

Vocational interests can be determined through the use of career interest inventories and interviews with students, parents/guardians/other education rights holders, and previous teachers. Prior experiences, hobbies, and career exploration activities are helpful in determining the student’s interest in particular career fields. Functional assessments may be particularly helpful for students with more significant disabilities who have limited communication capacity or for whom traditional vocational tests are not valid.

1. 20 U.S.C. Sec. 1401(34)(C); 34 C.F.R. Sec. 300.43(a)(2)(v)[↩]