The Match Tool

The Match Tool:  An Ecological Assessment Approach to Enhancing the School to Work Transition of Students with Mild Disabilities is an assessment process designed for transition specialists, job coaches, special educators and rehabilitation counselors working with students with mild disabilities.

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Students with mild disabilities continue to struggle in accessing and succeeding within work sites. A primary cause of this development is the lack of fit or match between the student’s skills and behavioral characteristics cast against the expectations and required routines of work site supervisors and employers. Extensive research shows that this lack of congruence leads to high rates of failure and rejection of students with disabilities in today’s employment settings. The Match Tool is an assessment process designed to address this situation by forging a good fit or match between the student and work site placements by:

  • Carefully evaluating the student’s social-behavioral characteristics by educators in the sending school setting

  • Identifying critical work site expectations and required routines of the receiving setting

  • Preparing the student to enter work settings prepared to meet their minimal expectations and routines and

  • Collaborating with work setting personnel after placement to coach and assist the transitioning student in having success

The goal of this process is to affect a smoother and more successful transition for the student with a mild disability. The Match Tool contains a series of well-developed measures to address each of the above tasks along with criteria provided for evaluating performance on the measures. The Match Tool should be especially appealing to personnel in the roles of transition specialist, job coach, special educator and rehabilitation counselor.

The Match Tool was developed via a 4-year grant from the U.S. Administration on Developmental Disabilities. It has been extensively tested in school and work settings and produces a better transition from school to work.