Pre-ETS Instruction Studio

The Pre-ETS Instruction Studio takes a practitioner from a ready-to-teach lesson to the hours report a vocational rehabilitation (VR) agency asks for, without rebuilding the month from memory. It covers all five required Pre-Employment Transition Services: job exploration counseling, work-based learning experiences, counseling on postsecondary opportunities, workplace readiness training, and instruction in self-advocacy.

Four steps, every week

1. Plan. Pick a lesson from the Library, choose the student or group, and set the time. The planner suggests the Pre-ETS service and core activity the Session counts toward.
2. Teach. Present the lesson full screen, hand out the worksheet, or export it to PowerPoint or PDF.
3. Document. Say who was there and how it went. Home lists every Session still waiting on documentation.
4. Report. Insights adds up hours by service and by student and exports the file for your VR agency. Every number comes from a documented Session with consent on file.

A dashboard that starts with today

The practitioner's Home screen shows today's schedule, the Sessions that still need documentation, and follow-ups that name the student they are about.

Analytics you can hand to your VR agency

Insights shows hours for each of the five required services with a clear flag when one is missing, hours by student month by month, and consent at a glance, with a spreadsheet export shaped for your state's reporting.

What else is inside

• A Library organized by readiness, not grade. Ready-to-teach lessons sorted by four readiness stages.
• Creator Studio. Generate a draft lesson from a topic, edit it, approve it, and line it up with your state's standards.
• Students without the diagnosis. Records hold a readiness stage, accommodation needs, and consent status, never a disability, a diagnosis, or medical information.
• A record an auditor can follow. Consent with the date the form was signed, an activity log, and a documentation backlog for administrators.

Who it is for

Community providers delivering Pre-ETS under a VR contract, special education transition coordinators, VR transition counselors, and schools serving students with disabilities ages 14 to 21. Configured today for New Jersey and Pennsylvania reporting. Accessible by design, and built by someone who has sat in transition and IEP rooms. Contact the team for a walkthrough, or read about the wider PathAble platform and our AI training for human services.

Pre-ETS questions, answered

What are the five required Pre-Employment Transition Services?

Federal rules at 34 CFR 361.48(a)(2) list five required activities: job exploration counseling, work-based learning experiences, counseling on opportunities for enrollment in postsecondary education, workplace readiness training to develop social skills and independent living, and instruction in self-advocacy, including peer mentoring. The list is the same in every state.

Who can receive Pre-ETS?

Students with disabilities who are eligible or potentially eligible for vocational rehabilitation (VR). A student does not need to apply for VR services to receive Pre-ETS. Each state sets its age range within federal limits at 34 CFR 361.5(c)(51): no younger than 14, and no older than 21 unless the state extends special education past 21. New Jersey's FY2027 provider contract serves ages 16 to 21.

Who pays for Pre-ETS?

The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act requires each state VR agency to reserve at least 15 percent of its federal VR allotment for Pre-ETS. Most states spend that money through contracts or fee-for-service agreements with schools and community rehabilitation providers, which is why providers carry most of the documentation burden.

What documentation do Pre-ETS providers need to get paid?

It varies by state, and it is usually more than attendance. In New Jersey, providers complete the DVRS Pre-ETS Progress Report (form RS-10f), which lists 22 learning objectives across four services and asks the provider to mark each one Met, Partially Met, or Not Met with a written rationale. New Jersey's FY2027 provider contract also requires monthly reporting on DVRS forms.

Is there an official Pre-ETS curriculum?

No. Federal rules define which activities count, not how to teach them. Most states publish service definitions, hours, and reporting forms rather than lesson plans, so each provider builds or buys its own instruction and then has to show that it covered what the state's forms ask about.

How does the PathAble Pre-ETS Instruction Studio help?

It carries a practitioner through four steps: plan a Session from a library of ready-to-teach lessons covering all five required activities, teach it, document who was there and how it went, and report hours by service and by student to the VR agency. Lessons are organized by readiness stage rather than grade, student records hold accommodation needs and never a diagnosis, and it is configured today for New Jersey and Pennsylvania reporting. It is made by PathAble AI, a disability-led studio in New Jersey. Book a 20-minute walkthrough to see one Session start to finish.