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Getting Ready: A Self-Assessment

The following is a self-assessment that can be used by you, your adolescent, and members of the high school transition team. By completing this assessment, you will gain a better understanding of your adolescent's postsecondary needs. Here are some questions your adolescent needs to ask himself/herself.

1. How good is my academic background compared to the students with whom I will be competing?

• Am I enrolled in regular college preparatory courses, modified courses, or individualized courses?
• If I am in a special class or resource room, am I getting the same experiences as everyone else?
• Am I doing the same assignments, participating in the same laboratory exercises, having the same opportunities to use a computer, and learning the same body of information as everybody else?

2. What are my individual strengths and weaknesses?

• Is it easier for me to remember information given during a class lecture or when the material is read from the text book?
• Which high school subjects are easier for me and which are more difficult?

3. What are my short term and long term goals?

• oAre there academic areas in which I am trying to improve or need some remedial course work?

4. How much time is provided to help me by a tutor or resource room teacher?

• In what subject areas?
• What kind of help am I used to receiving from these sources?

5. What is my reading level?

• Do I find that reading is a frustrating task?
• Do I have difficulty decoding unfamiliar words, understanding reading assignments, or completing reading assignments within a reasonable amount of time?

6. Do I have difficulty with written language?

• Do I know the process for gathering and organizing information for lengthy compositions like term papers?
• Do I have trouble with using correct punctuation and sentence structure?

7. Do I have a hard time with verbal expression, i.e. retrieving the appropriate words, understanding what others are saying, and using words in the correct context?

• Do I need a tutor?

8. Do I have an eye-hand coordination problem such as finding certain information on a page or performing tasks which require fine motor coordination?

9. Do I find that I often misspell words?

• Do I mix up the sequence of letters when spelling words or get confused when trying to spell irregular words that are not spelled as they phonetically sound?

10. Do I have difficulty doing mathematics?

• Has it been harder for me to master the basics such as multiplication tables and fractions?
• Do I forget the sequence of steps when answering various mathematical questions?
• Do I use a calculator to assist me?

11. What kinds of tests am I used to taking to assess what I have learned?

• Multiple choice? Essay tests? Oral exams?
• Do I need extra time when taking tests?
• Do I need a quiet room?

12. What are my study habits?

• Do I pay attention in class for an extended period of time or do I get easily distracted?
• Are assignments often not completed because I need more time?
• Do I take good notes or is important information left out?

13. How clear is my handwriting?

• Are assignments difficult to read?
• Do I need a typewriter or word processor?

14. What are my social goals?

• In what type of activities and clubs have I participated?
• What are my hobbies?
• What do I like to do to relax and to have fun?

Adapted from Life After High School: More Than Just a Job, [Brochure] by Roberta Gajewski and Sylvia Panzer. 1994, Indiana: Indiana Division of Aging and Rehabilitative Services and Crossroads Rehabilitation Center.