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Anna Baylor
Post-Secondary Transition Plan
Spring 2016

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Student Summary
Anna is a 15-year-old student served by special education due to her other health
impairment (OHI). Anna has been diagnosed with ADHD, but is not currently on any medication
for it. At school, Anna is enrolled in resource classes for all major content areas and needs the
most assistance in reading, specifically with comprehension, vocabulary and fluency. She is in
ninth grade, but is at a third grade reading level. This, coupled with her inability to focus for long
periods of time, negatively affects her academic performance and decreases her interest in
school. She does not like to ask for help because she does not want others to know when she is
struggling.
During the spring of 2015, Anna took the STAAR Reading assessment on three separate
occasions. Her best score out of the three attempts was 1460, but this was not high enough to
meet standards. She also took the STAAR Math, Science and Social Studies assessments last
spring, scoring a 1487, 2648 and 2560 respectively. These scores did not meet the state or local
district standards for the assessments. Despite her scores on standardized tests, Anna has
exhibited capability of making good grades in her classes with the appropriate supports. Some of
the modifications that she is currently receiving include textbooks below grade-level, modified
tests, shortened assignments and note taking assistance. Anna can have tests read aloud to her
upon request and receive extra time if she feels it is necessary.
Her teachers describe Anna as a friendly student with a great sense of humor. Although
Anna is very social, her teachers have noticed that she is not always aware of what constitutes
appropriate social behavior. Anna s mother, as well as her teachers, worry that Anna s friends
are influencing her in these behaviors. Anna has admitted that she sometimes has difficulty
getting along with people her own age and has gotten in trouble at school for it in the past. In the

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classroom, her teachers have noticed that she avoids her work when it is challenging. When she
does not want to do an assignment, she typically engages in conversation with peers. This
sometimes causes a distraction for her teachers and other students. Despite this, her teachers have
witnessed Anna s ability to be respectful to others and remain on task. Her case manager
believes Anna would benefit from the high schools Career Investigations class during junior
year. In this class, Anna would learn social etiquette and professionalism skills to help her be
successful in the workplace.
Anna has many interests that contribute to her fun personality. She enjoys sports and
would like to play tennis her sophomore year, as she is not currently involved in any clubs or
school activities. She also enjoys watching basketball, her favorite team being the Los Angeles
Lakers. At home, she likes to watch television, hang out with friends, and sometimes draw. She
also enjoys going to the movies and shopping at the mall with friends or family. Currently, Anna
does not have a job and has not received any vocational training. She is interested in working
part time at the mall or at Krogers before graduation though.
Anna is the younger of two children. Her older sister is currently taking classes at Blinn
College and is living at home. This sometimes creates conflict in the house, since the sisters
occasionally struggle to get along. Anna 's parents are no longer together, so the girls live with
their mother. Their father is still in town, but Anna does not see him or talk to him very often.
Her mother, works long shifts at a local bank and is not home as often as she would like to be.
Anna s mother is close to her daughters and cares very much about their success. She recently
quit a second job so that she could be at home more in the evenings to help Anna with
homework. She does not always know the best way to help Anna though, and would like for
Anna to have a tutor.

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Anna is on the mimimum graduation plan and is expected to graduate in the spring of
2019. When thinking about life outside of high school, Anna has thought about pursuing a career
that involves fashion or styling hair. She is unsure how to make this dream a reality, but knows
that these options are what she is most interested in doing as a career. She has not made any
attempts to research possible schools she would like to attend yet, but she still has plenty of time
to accomplish this. She would like to move to Houston after high school, look for job
opportunities and pursue school. Although her mother believes Anna is capable of living
independently, she would prefer that Anna stay in College Station to further her education. Her
case manager worries that if Anna does not improve her reading skills it will be very difficult for
her to get into college. Her mother does worry that the work load in college may be challenging
for Anna , but believes her daughter is capable of achieving anything she sets her mind to. For
now, her teachers are going to focus on developing Anna s social skills, her ability to remain on
task, and raising her reading level so that she is able to pursue post-secondary education.

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Assessment Results Summary
Assessment 1: Learning Styles Questionnaire
Source:
Ross Pike Educational Service District (2016). Learning Styles Questionnaire. Retrieved from
http://www.rpesd.org/AgeAppropriateTransition.aspx
Summary:
This questionnaire has nine components. The first five sections are different categories
pertaining to learning such as memorization, studying and demonstrating knowledge. Beneath
each category is a list of things a student might do in that particular category. For example, while
memorizing material, a student might associate the content with something he or she already
knows, draw pictures or repeat it out loud in order to remember it. The student taking the
questionnaire rates each item according to how helpful the item would be to him or her. They
check "not likely, somewhat likely, likely or very likely." The second part of the questionnaire
asks specific questions related to the students perceived strengths and weaknesses. It also asks
the student to reflect on their ratings and determine what they may need to do in order to be a
more effective learner.
This assessment was used because it is important for Anna to think about the way she
learns best. This knowledge will help determine what supports Anna may need during high
school to achieve her post-secondary goals. The results will also help Anna determine ways to
self-advocate in her learning. Anna sometimes has difficulty asking for help because she does not
want others to know she is struggling. She has a very independent personality and likes to try and
figure things out on her own. This leaves her unsure of how to proceed with her work though and

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causes her to struggle more. This tool would help her see ways that she can assist her own
learning without necessarily having to ask her teachers for help.
Results:
After Anna completed the questionnaire, the results showed that she learns best when she
receives clear direction from teachers in the form of handouts, outlines or written lists. She likes
it when her teachers explain what they will be doing at the start of each class so there are no
surprises. She is a visual learner and likes to experience a variety of instructional methods such
as videos, in class presentations, doing experiments, discussing assignments in groups and
watching demonstrations. Anna wants to have options for classroom assignments and really
enjoys it when teachers allow her to choose material to study that she is interested in. When
memorizing material, she likes to repeat it out loud, write it down, visualize an image in her head
or talk about it with someone.
Reflecting on what does not help Anna , the assessment revealed that she does not learn
well from reading textbooks or taking notes. Reading is a struggle for her because she is low in
fluency and comprehension. Anna expressed that the vocabulary is usually too hard for her and
this makes it difficult for her to stay interested in what she is reading. She does not like
assignments where she has to read in excess because it takes her a long time. She also gets
frustrated during lectures because she feels that she cannot take notes fast enough. This causes
her to feel discouraged and stop paying attention.
Although Anna struggles with certain areas of learning, she believes she is a very
motivated and hardworking student. She tries her best to stay on task and enjoys learning when
the material is interesting to her. She believes that reading and writing are the hardest skills that
she uses in school. As a result, English is one of her least favorite classes. After reflecting on

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what she could do to be a more effective learner, Anna said she should study more, learn as many
vocabulary words as possible and practice reading.

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Assessment 2: What Matters Most to You?
Ross Pike Educational Service District (2016). What Matters Most to You? Retrieved from
http://www.rpesd.org/AgeAppropriateTransition.aspx
Summary:
This assessment is in two parts. The first part is a list of true/false statements that the
student must answer as it pertains to him or her. The second part is a rating scale. The student
rates a list of concepts/ideas as "really important to me, somewhat important to me, or not
important to me."
Anna is determined that she wants to pursue a career in fashion. She could not articulate
why this type of job was important to her though. This particular assessment was helpful in
making sure that the things in Anna s life most important to her matched her desire to do fashion
as a career. The planning process could not truly begin until it was determined that this was a
good match for her interests.
Results:
On the true/false section, Anna determined that she gets satisfaction from helping others
rather than from personal accomplishment. She would like a job that allows her to use her
imagination and be inventive. She is not a risk-taker and so she wants a career that offers little
risk. She enjoys working with other people rather than by herself and she would not be happy
doing the same exact thing all the time.
On the rating scale, Anna determined that the things most important to her are health,
fame, beauty, respect, accomplishment, seeing the world, power, individualism, and safety. She
noted charity, honor, intelligence and wealth as important to her as well. Anna determined that

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the things somewhat important to her were marriage/family, faith, love, fun and friendship. The
only thing that she decided was not very important to her was justice.
It was determined that what Anna deemed most important to her were very applicable for
what she wanted in a career. Her high interest in fame, beauty, respect, accomplishment and
individualism in particular support her desire for a career in fashion.

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Assessment 3: Transition Assessment Tool
Source:
Ross Pike Educational Service District (2016). Transition Assessment Tool. Retrieved from
http://www.rpesd.org/AgeAppropriateTransition.aspx
Summary:
This assessment is a rating scale with multiple topics: employment awareness,
independent living skills, content area strengths and social skills. This assessment is a three-part
process where a parent, a teacher and the student are assessed separately. The scores are then
combined onto the students original assessment and averaged for each item.
This assessment was used to compare the way Anna perceives her abilities/skills with the
way the adults in her life do. It was important to gauge her awareness of her strengths and what
she may need to work on to achieve her goals.
Results:
In regards to education, each person rated Anna with similar scores. Her average scores
for reading were very consistent. All participants agreed that Anna is capable in this area, but
needs support and modifications. This is especially true where lengthier materials are concerned.
Her average scores for math were lower, mainly because the teacher who was interviewed did
not teach this content area. The ratings between Anna and her mother for this subject are higher,
but still indicate that Anna would benefit from support. In the post-secondary education section,
all raters noted that supports have not yet been addressed for Anna s transition plan and Anna
cannot identify post-secondary training or learning options that match her career goals. Anna also
needs to work on self-advocacy where accommodations are concerned. She is fairly responsible
with her school work, but does benefit from support in this area as well.

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Under the home living category, Anna s average was low, but this is because the teacher
interviewed never sees Anna outside of school. She could not give a true rating and therefore left
zeros in each blank. If Anna s ratings are averaged with her mothers, it indicates that she is very
proficient in this area. This assessment did show that managing time effectively and money
management skills need to be examined in the development of transition goals.
Anna s scores are high for socialization, but low for recreation and leisure. Although she
has many hobbies, she is not involved in any community or school activities. This will be an
important skill for her to have in transition. She will also need to obtain her drivers license
before graduation.
The results also indicate that Anna needs support in areas such as relating positively with
peers during conflict. Anna rated herself as very proficient in this area, but her mother and
teacher rated her lower. Social skills such as communicating effectively and resolving conflict
will be beneficial for Anna to learn while still in high school.
This assessment also indicated that Anna has minimal participation in her own IEP
meetings. It would be helpful for Anna to learn self-advocacy skills through increased
participation in the IEP decision making process.

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Assessment 4: Student Transition Planning Interview
Source:
Original source unknown.
Retrieved from:
http://www.iidc.indiana.edu/styles/iidc/defiles/CCLC/transition_matrix/Transition_Matrix.html
Summary:
This assessment focuses on the student's occupational and career awareness as well as
independent living skills. It assesses the student's knowledge of appropriate and inappropriate
behavior in the work place, what the student is capable of doing independently at home, how the
student describes his or her work temperament, what the student's current expectations are for a
preferred work environment and what the student plans to do after graduation.
Anna wants to move to Houston when she graduates and pursue a two-year college. This
assessment was used to determine if her expectations of life after high school were realistic for
her abilities. It was also used to identify Anna s preferences related to working conditions and
determine if her preferences match the working conditions of her desired career.
Results:
Anna was very thorough and self-reflective in her responses to this assessment. The
results showed that she has a good understanding of what appropriate behavior looks like in the
work place. For example, Anna understands that an employer is looking for someone with a
positive attitude when they are hiring somebody. She voluntarily described how she struggles
with her attitude at times and that she would need to be conscious of this in a work environment.
She described her preferred working conditions as indoors and around people. She would
like to move about rather than stand or sit in one area. She would be fine with a work uniform, as

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long as it was comfortable. She would prefer to have a job that involves a variety of different
tasks, but one that has some supervision. Anna also expressed that she does not mind working
days, evenings or even nights. This matches what she would like to do as a career.
When asked to describe her work temperament, Anna said that she is punctual, well
groomed, likes to work with others, likes to learn new tasks, accepts responsibility at home and
accepts the consequences of her actions. She said sometimes she is not even-tempered and she
may not be dependable with her attitude. Social skills and professionalism training would be
very beneficial for Anna before she graduates.
When assessed on her independent living skills, she answered that she currently
completes chores at home. She does the dishes, cleans the dogs cage, cleans her room, organizes
her belongings and does her own laundry. She knows how to cook breakfast foods, but would
like to expand her abilities. She specifically would like to learn how to follow a recipe. Learning
to cook should be a skill that is addressed before she graduates.

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Assessment 5: Your Free Career Test
Source:
Campus Explorer (2015, June 9). Your Free Career Test. Retrieved from
www.yourfreecareertest.com
Rationale:
A career assessment was necessary to determine occupations Anna would excel in and be
interested in pursuing. Your Free Career Test determines percentage scores for various job types,
based off the students interests. The assessment includes 56 questions covering different job
tasks and activities. The student rates these based on level of interest.
Results:
Anna s results varied quite a bit between career types and are displayed on the next two
pages. This summary focuses on her four highest scores. She rated 75% in Education and
Training Careers due to the fact that she finds fulfillment in helping and teaching other people.
She scored 67% in jobs related to helping others, business and technology. From the questions
provided, this score rated high based on her interest in management and leadership opportunities.
The next highest percentage was 50% for culinary careers and multimedia careers. These include
jobs such as graphic design, web development, or being a baker. This shows Anna s interest
level in exercising her creativity. The next highest score was 42% measuring art related careers.
This includes jobs related to creativity as well, such as fashion design.
Although Anna did not score the highest in art related careers, she believes pursuing a job
in the fashion industry is still the best fit for her. This career will still provide her with
opportunities to help others and exercise leadership skills, depending on what direction she
decided to go in the fashion industry.

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Self-Advocacy Statement
Anna 's most pressing problem in school is her difficulty with reading and her
inattentiveness. She is aware of her learning disability and that she has ADHD. Most importantly,
she recognizes that it affects all areas of her education. It is difficult for Anna to ask for help
because she does not want others to know when she is struggling. She wants to figure things out
herself, but this is not always beneficial to her learning.
One of Anna 's strengths is that she loves to be social, but she recognizes that there are
times she has trouble getting along with her peers. When Anna is upset or angry, she sometimes
has trouble expressing those emotions in an appropriate way. This can negatively affect her
relationships with others. While still in high school, it would be beneficial for Anna to seek out
classes or school groups that would encourage her in social skill development. For example, the
Career Investigations class recommended by Anna s case manager would teach her valuable
skills related to professionalism.
After conducting research into what types of occupations exist in the fashion industry,
Anna determined that a degree in Visual Merchandising best fits her interests. When she
envisions herself working in fashion, she wants to create displays and dress mannequins in the
store. She can also see herself advising clients on clothing purchases. Anna plans to attend a twoyear college after graduating high school to pursue a degree in Visual Merchandising or some
other area of fashion. She also plans to obtain a part time job while going to school and live
independently with a roommate.

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Post-secondary education
Anna will need to register with disability services and provide documentation of her
disability. She will need to be able to explain to the disability counselor the supports she needs to
do the required work in the courses she is taking. In her classes, Anna will need to make requests
of needed accommodations to her professors. She will ask for extended time on tests if she feels
that she needs it and will ask for a copy of the class notes so that she does not have to stress
about taking them herself. If these accommodations are not available to her, Anna can request
usage of the testing center to take exams. A quieter environment may help her ability to focus.
She can also ask a classmate for a copy of the notes or record the lecture herself. If Anna does
not understand a concept or an assignment, she will need to contact the professor or a classmate
for clarification.
In high school she can practice being a self-advocate by requesting specific
accommodations from her teachers or asking what supports are available to her. Currently, one of
the accommodations she can ask for is having exams read aloud to her. It states in her IEP that
this is only available upon her request. Being able to ask for help is an important skill for Anna to
start implementing in regards to her learning. It would also benefit Anna to become more
involved in her IEP meetings. She should be aware of the decisions being made for her own
education and voice her opinions about these decisions.
Employment
After graduation, Anna plans to work part-time while she attends a two-year college.
Anna will need to dress and act professionally when interviewing for employment opportunities.
Once she is hired for a position, Anna will need to schedule her work hours around her class
schedule while also leaving enough time to devote to her studies. She will do this by

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communicating her scheduling needs to her employer and keeping track of her schedule in a
weekly planner. During employment training, it is possible that Anna will be given a training
manual to read. She will need to ask her employer to allow her extra time to read the manual or
ask for the employer to go over the manual with her.
In high school, Anna can practice her self-advocacy skills for employment by applying
for a part-time job related to her career goals. This will allow her to gain experience managing
her time and communicating her needs to employers and coworkers. She would also benefit from
requesting to take the Career Investigations class during her junior year. This will help her learn
valuable social skills, but also how to self-advocate in the workplace.
Independent Living
Anna will need to develop a budget to help her keep track of her money. She can do this
by using a budget planning app or developing a budget with her mother. During college, if she
struggles with this, Anna needs to reach out for family support.
To work on developing this skill, Anna can enroll in her high schools Money Sense class.
This class teaches students how to use a budget effectively. Once she gets a part-time job in high
school, she can work with her mother on developing a budget for the money she earns.
Recreation and Leisure
Anna is capable of participating in leisure and recreation activities without support. It
would be beneficial for Anna to exercise this skill during high school by becoming involved in
extracurricular activities or volunteering opportunities in the community that are related to her
interests. This will build her confidence, allow her to meet other people and exercise her
independence. Once she is in college, Anna will need to research opportunities in the community
that will allow her to pursue her interests in recreation and leisure.

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Transition Outcomes and IEP Objectives
Employment Outcome:
Anna will work part-time at a location of her choosing during high school and then obtain a full
time job in Visual Merchandising upon completion of an associate's degree at the college of her
choice.
Narrative Explanation:
Anna has expressed a determination to pursue fashion as a career. Multiple interviews
and assessments were conducted with Anna to determine her interests and what careers she
would be successful at. Interviews with her mother and case manager were also used to
determine employment outcomes Anna would be capable of attaining. The interviews and
assessments showed that Anna wants a career that allows her to exercise her creativity, be social
and follow her passions. It was not clear, at first, what area of fashion Anna wanted to be
involved with or if she even knew what types of careers were available in the fashion industry.
Upon research into the types of careers that existed, Anna determined that Visual Merchandising
is the career path that most interesting to her.
Anna s teachers expressed concerns about Anna attending a four-year college and
recommended a two-year program instead. They feel that due to her struggles with reading, the
workload may be too much for Anna to handle at a university. She is in ninth grade and reading
at a third grade level. They believe that a two-year college or vocational school would be better
suited to Anna 's needs and would allow her to be more successful. An education that is more
hands on and located in a smaller setting would be very beneficial to her.
Unfortunately, there are no schools in Bryan/College Station that offer a program in
Visual Merchandising and the search for a two-year program in this degree was expanded to

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surrounding cities. Anna had mentioned that she wants to live in Houston after graduating high
school and her mother expressed that this was about as far as she would feel comfortable letting
Anna move away to. For this reason, the search was made for schools located in the Houston
area. There were a couple of schools that offered a Visual Merchandising program, but the one
that sounded the best for Anna was Houston Community College. This option should be further
explored before Anna graduates.
It has been concluded that Anna 's desire to pursue a career in fashion is a realistic goal.
She understands that postsecondary education will be necessary to achieve her desired career and
is excited about what life after high school will be like.
As to her working part-time during high school, Anna expressed that she would like to be
able to earn some of her own spending money. She is considering finding a part-time job at the
mall or at the grocery store next year. This is included in her employment outcome because
having a part-time job will help her learn responsibilities necessary for life beyond high school.
She could learn valuable skills such as professionalism, budgeting and time management with
work experience.

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Supporting IEP Objectives:
By the end of the 2017-2018 school year, after attending the Career Investigations class, Anna
will exhibit independence for employment soft skills, meeting 7 out of 10 expectations for the
course as measured by the teachers evaluation tool.
By the end of the 2018-2019 school year, with support from her teachers and mother, Anna will
apply for at least two colleges of her choice.

Timeline:
Academic Year 2016-2017
o Research requirements and opportunities for employment related to Visual Merchandising by
connecting with someone in the desired field, using online resources and touring various schools
o

o
o

that offer the program.

Research part-time job or volunteer opportunities related to employment goals and how to apply
Academic Year 2017-2018
Take Career class to learn professionalism, how to interview and write a resume
Engage in part-time employment or volunteer to gain experience related to her employment

goals.
Academic Year 2018-2019
o Engage in part-time employment or volunteer to gain experience related to her employment
goals.

Education Outcome:
Anna will meet all the academic requirements for graduating high school and then obtain an
associate's degree after graduation at the college of her choice.
Narrative Explanation:

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Anna is on the minimum graduation plan. She is on a third grade reading level and will
require a lot of support throughout the rest of her high school years. Although her reading
difficulties have created challenges for her in every subject, Anna is capable of meeting all of her
graduation requirements and obtaining an associate's degree. Last year, she did not meet state
standards for the STAAR assessments. She has taken the STAAR assessments again this
semester, but will find out her results in May. The main concern in her overall education is her
reading skills and her ability to remain on task. This will be the main focus of the IEP objectives
developed to help Anna meet her education goals.
Supporting IEP Objectives:
By the end of each six weeks of the 2016-2017 school year, given a reading passage, Anna will
read as many words as she can in under a minute, improving reading fluency by 70%.
By the end of each six weeks of the 2016-2017 school year, given a reading passage and
comprehension questions, Anna will be able to answer 7 out of 10 questions correctly.
By the end of each six weeks of the 2016- 2017 school year, given a list of words read orally to
her, Anna will correctly pronounce and spell at least 7 out of the 10 words correct.
By the end of each six weeks of the 2016-2017 school year, given a task or assignment, Anna
will be able to stay focused with no more than three reminders from teachers.
Timeline:

o
o

o
o
o

Fall 2018
Sign up and take the SAT
Look into application requirements for college of choice
Spring 2019
Apply for college of choice by indicated deadline
Submit FAFSA by deadline
Apply for scholarships

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Independent Living Outcome:

After graduation, Anna will live with a roommate in an apartment.
Narrative Explanation:
Anna is hoping to move to Houston after graduation and attend a community college
there. She would like to live in an apartment either by herself or with a friend. Her mother
expressed the hope that Anna will have a roommate. She does not want Anna to be alone in a big
city. This would be beneficial for Anna because it will be important to have someone keeping her
accountable for school and work. It will also provide her with social interaction and support in
case she has an emergency of any kind.

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An assessment with Anna was conducted to gauge her current independent living skills.
She can successfully complete household chores such as doing the dishes, doing her own
laundry, cleaning and organizing her belongings. She has also had experience being responsible
for the family pet. Though she is skilled in these areas, it was determined from the results of the
assessment that there are other areas Anna needs to work on before she can successfully live on
her own. Anna is only fifteen, so she has not yet had the opportunity to learn skills such as
driving, budgeting or supporting herself with a part-time job. She also noted that she could cook
simple breakfast foods, but does not know how to follow a recipe. When she goes to college, she
may or may not have a car of her own. For this reason, it will be important for Anna to
understand how to use local transportation. Developing the necessary skills to live independently,
should be a target area in her education before she graduates high school.
Supporting IEP Objectives:
By the end of the 2016-2017 academic school year, with the support of her teachers, Anna will
be able to follow recipes correctly in 7 out of 10 trials.
By the end of the 2017-2018 academic school year, with the support of her teachers, Anna will
be able to identify the steps of using a budget with 70% accuracy.
By the end of the 2018- 2019 academic school year, given access to a computer, Anna will be
able to locate and understand how to use local public transportation with 70% accuracy.
Timeline:

o
o
o

Academic Year 2016-2017

Work on reading and following a recipe
Academic Year 2017-2018
Obtain learner's permit in the Fall
Academic Year 2018-2019
Obtain driver's license in the Spring
Work on being able to locate transportation services near college of choice.
Search for an apartment in the Spring and search for a roommate

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Recreation and Leisure Outcome:

Anna will independently participate in school and community opportunities of her choosing for
recreation and leisure.
Narrative Explanation:
For leisure activities, Anna enjoys shopping with friends, going to the movies and
listening to music. There are numerous opportunities in the College Station and Houston
communities for her to engage in something that will meet these interests. Anna is not currently
involved in any school clubs or sports, but has expressed an interest in tennis. She plans to try
out for the tennis team her sophomore year of high school. If this is something that she enjoys, it
may be a good recreation opportunity for her to get involved in after high school as well. Her
case manager mentioned that Anna would greatly benefit from an activity or club because it
would require her to exercise social skills. She believes that if Anna hangs out with other peer
groups, she will be able to pick up on and practice appropriate behaviors.

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It will be important for Anna to expand her horizons and involve herself in the
community. She will need to understand how to involve herself in activities once she graduates
high school and moves away because it will benefit her overall wellbeing and social skills.
Supporting IEP Objectives:
During the 2016-2017 school year, with the support of teachers, Anna will get involved in a
school recreation activity or club of her choosing, which will be measured by weekly attendance.
During the 2018-2019 school year, given access to a computer, Anna will be able to locate
recreation and leisure opportunities in the local community with 100% accuracy.

Timeline:
Academic school years 2016-2017, 2017-2018, 2018-2019
o Anna should be involved in a recreation/leisure activity of her choosing

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Job Analysis
Rationale
Anna wants to pursue a career in the fashion industry after high school. When various job
types in this field were shown to her, she chose visual merchandising as the career path most
interesting to her. She likes the idea of being able to arrange product in display windows and
choose outfits for store mannequins.
To conduct an interest related job analysis, a woman named Becca Vanek was
interviewed. Ms. Vanek has an associate's degree from the Fashion Institute of Design and
Merchandising in California. Ms. Vanek also received a bachelor's degree in apparel
merchandising from Baylor University. She currently holds a manager position at Converse, a
store near Arlington, Texas.
Although Ms. Vanek's current occupation is not specifically visual merchandising, she
has had a lot of experience in that area. She once held a position as a product lead, which is a
very similar position to visual merchandising. Ms. Vanek gave great information about what to
expect in this line of work and even some advice for Anna that might help her meet her goals.

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Job Summary
According to Ms. Vanek, a person in visual merchandising is responsible for making sure
product sells. They do this by strategically choosing and placing items around the store in an
effort to catch the eyes of prospective consumers.
There are two tracks that people in this occupation can take. A visual merchandiser can
work at the bigger designer stores, solely focusing on creating and staging displays, or they can
work retail. The first option requires a lot of experience and connections. Typically people who
go into this area have to move to large cities like New York, where fashion design is more
prominent. For this reason, it is a competitive field that is much harder to achieve. It can
definitely be done, but one would have to be driven and motivated to work their way up into the
designer world. One would also need to be very patient, as this could take a lot of time and
effort.
The other option is to work retail. Working retail would allow Anna to do visual
merchandising, but also gain experience in other areas of fashion such as management and
customer service. It would be easier for Anna to find a job in a location that she preferred and it
would give her a wider variety of options in case she ever decided to explore another area of
fashion.
Visual merchandising would require Anna to work weekdays and even weekends
depending on what job offer she takes. Employee benefits are offered at most retail stores such as
medical and dental, and the average pay is above minimum wage. Ms. Vanek, working as a
manager forty hours per week, makes a salary of about $19,200 a year after taxes. This salary
varies depending on what store an employee is at, what experience an employee has, and what

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responsibilities the employee is expected to handle. She said that most employees are paid at or
above minimum wage though, depending on their position.
If Anna pursued retail, she would be expected to do more than just visual merchandising.
She would need to restock store product, engage with customers and even occasionally run the
register if she is working at a smaller store. She would need basic math skills, good
communication skills, and would have to be a flexible and reliable employee.
Ms. Vanek's advice to Anna is to start gaining experience and making connections now.
She suggested that Anna work part time in retail before she graduates so that she has references
for future employers and learns necessary skills to help her be successful. It will also give her an
idea of what it is like working in that environment and if she truly wants to pursue fashion as a
career.

Match
After conducting the match assessment with Anna , it was determined that this occupation
would be a great fit for her, especially if she chose to pursue the retail track. Almost all of the
boxes were checked yes, as a match between what Anna wants out of a job and what visual
merchandising offers.
Anna wants to work in an environment where there are lots of people, where she can be
moving around, and where she can constantly be trying different things each day. Ms. Vanek said
that working in any area of fashion, the jobs are fast paced and fun. Styles are constantly
changing and there is always something new to learn. Anna would find it difficult to be bored in
this type of work environment.

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In her future job, Anna wants to have some supervision, but not so much that she feels
she cannot have freedom to be creative. Ms. Vanek said that if Anna goes into retail at a chain
store like Dillards or Macy's, visual design for displays is usually decided by corporate. Anna
would have to take the corporate designs and implement them in the store displays rather than
design them herself. If she wants to have more control over the actual design process, Ms. Vanek
suggested that Anna pursue a job as a visual merchandiser for a boutique or local clothing store.
This would give her more freedom to express her creativity and experience a more relaxed
environment.
Anna prefers to work indoors and find a job that can be located close to wherever she is
living. This will not be hard to accomplish if she pursues a job in visual merchandising,
particularly if she chooses to work retail for local boutiques or clothing stores. Anna would
prefer not to have to dress up for work, but understands that in the fashion industry she needs to
look professional. She also would prefer not to work weekends, but this may need to happen
depending on what store she works for.
After reflection on this interview and reviewing the match assessment, a career in visual
merchandising seems to be a perfect fit for Anna to pursue after high school.

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Student Progress Summary
Anna is finishing up her freshman year of high school. As this is her first year with a
transition plan, she still has the next three years to make progress towards her transition goals.
Although none of the specific timeline goals have been completed presently, Anna has made
advancement toward her transition outcomes.
This year, Anna has shown improvement in her education. With appropriate
accommodations she can be successful in her classes. Her reading teacher shared that Anna has
improved with fluency. One-on-one fluency assessments are conducted once every two weeks.
At the beginning of the year, her teacher used fourth grade passages to score Anna s fluency and
increased the grade-level as Anna met standards. Byrianna has progressed to practicing at the
eighth grade level, having scored 77 words per minute on the last assessment. She took the
STAAR accommodated EOC exam for English I, Algebra I, and Biology this year. When she
took the STAAR Math, Reading and Social Studies assessments in the spring of 2015 she did not
meet the state/local district standards for the assessments. She will find out her new scores at the
beginning of May.
In order to meet her education goals, Anna will need to continue to keep her grades up
and try to prepare herself for taking college entrance exams such as the SAT. It is recommended
that she access additional supports such as tutorials before or after school. She has made progress
in this area by participating in tutoring sessions once a week to work on her vocabulary and
comprehension skills. At school, she is currently attending the resource setting for English,
Mathematics, Science and Reading and will continue to do so next year. The accommodations
she is receiving have helped Anna make progress towards her IEP objectives.

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In regards to employment goals, Anna has not searched for a part time job yet. She is
planning to look for one during her sophomore year on account of her age. This is reflected in
her transition timeline. After conducting the career assessment and job analysis, Anna still wants
to pursue fashion as a career. By researching various types of jobs in the fashion industry, Anna
made progress in determining what specific job she would like to do in this field. She determined
that visual merchandising was most interesting to her. The job analysis was beneficial for Anna
because she learned that there are two avenues to pursue in this particular occupation. Out of the
two options, retail visual merchandising would be best suited to Annas interests.
Regarding progress towards her independent living outcome, Anna has been learning
essential skills at home such as cleaning, doing laundry and cooking. Anna will need to continue
to grow and exercise these skills. After conducting transition assessments, we determined that
she will also need to learn how to budget her money once she gets a job. This is accounted for in
her transition outcomes, but has not been addressed at this time. It has also been noted that Anna
will need to obtain her drivers license before graduating high school. This step in the timeline
will be met during her sophomore year and will allow her to exercise more independence.
For her recreation/leisure outcome, Anna is not currently involved in any extracurricular
activities or community pastimes. Next year, she does intend to try out for the tennis team. She is
encouraged to find an avenue of interest to pursue outside of school as well, as this will increase
independence, expand her horizons and allow her to engage with other individuals in the
community.
Although, specific timeline goals have not been met at this time, Anna has made valuable
progress towards meeting her transition goals. It is exciting to see the improvement Anna will
make towards these outcomes in the next few years.