Exploring the PAES Lab: A Gateway to Future Careers

The Practical Assessment Exploration System, or PAES lab, is a transformative initiative at both Lakota East and West high schools. Now in its second year, the lab provides students with disabilities the opportunity to gain valuable job training before they become eligible for the District’s transition to work program.

When students step into the PAES lab, they leave their student identities at the door and become workers. They pick up a timer and job card, which directs them to the box of items they will use to complete their tasks. This immersive experience is designed to simulate a real work environment, helping students develop essential job skills.

Lakota West teacher Laura Mason highlighted the biggest benefit of the PAES lab: helping students discover which categories of jobs they enjoy. “They’re sometimes surprised by what they like,” she said. The ultimate goal is for students to join Lakota’s Transition to Work program after their PAES lab experience.

Before diving into their tasks, students take a pre-assessment test to identify their interests. This step is crucial as it helps match students with jobs that align with their preferences, although sometimes they discover new interests they hadn't considered before. For instance, a student might think they would enjoy a particular job, only to find out through hands-on experience that it's not the right fit for them.

Once equipped with their materials, students set the timer and get to work. They can repeat each job as many times as they wish, striving to meet a predetermined “competitive work pace” – a standard that employers look for when hiring. After the timer goes off, students check in with their teacher, who grades their work based on quality, speed, interest and the level of assistance needed. Each task must be completed multiple times to ensure proficiency.

The PAES lab features six levels of tasks for each job, with increasing difficulty. As students master one level, they move on to the next, more challenging task. Examples of jobs include alphabetical filing, typing and even construction work that requires fine motor skills. Mason shared that students find one of the most challenging tasks to be learning to string a bobbin for a sewing machine. Lakota’s intervention specialists, whose classes use the labs, completed an online training course to learn how to implement PAES into their curriculum. 

“Being able to offer students at both East and West High School the opportunity to work in the PAES’ Lab has been awesome,” said Lakota’s Special Services Director Jaclyn Cruse. “The PAES labs offer a supported and safe environment for our students to learn how to be more independent, problem solve, process job tasks and develop many needed employability skills.”

The lab has already made a significant impact on students. Jake, for example, was wrapping hamburgers as one might do at a fast food restaurant for the first time. “I like the entirety of it,” he said about the PAES lab. 

Aiden, another student, enjoys working with a camera to take pictures of specific items. “I like that I get to use a camera,” he said, noting that he took Photography I last year and is currently enrolled in Photography II. Nyela’s favorite task has been wrapping pegs with rubber bands, which utilizes fine motor skills

“The PAES labs identify and build on what our students can do, versus what they cannot do,” Cruse said. “We have seen our students gain confidence and skills (through this program).”