[blindkid] TX School for Blind Assessment Braille Reading Rates??

Tue Mar 20 16:57:37 UTC 2012

Denise, I share your thoughts re Braille reading rates and will insist on using the print reading rates as the norm for Drake.  Again, I am fortunate to have a state law which I believe requires Drake's fluency rate to be the comparable to his sighted peers print reading rate.

At last year's IEP meeting we touched upon the fluency rate and I already know the administration's position on reading rates which is Braille is a slow reading medium, you can't use norms for print reading rates and my expectations are too high.   Drake's TVBI is great but I think she also subscribes to the belief that Braille is a slow reading medium - she just started with the district this past year and used to work for the university teaching future TVBI.  

Based upon the evaluation I think the  district is going to argue the norms sighted by the Texas School for the Blind is the norms they are going to follow. So I would like to know the Texas School for the Blind's authority for determining its norm rates. Did it reply upon other studies?  If so, which ones?  If it did its own study, how do I find it?  Is its study peer-reviewed?     These are questions I can pose to the district but I was hoping someone would have some insight re the assessment and reading rates.

Thanks.
Chantel

Chantel L. Alberhasky, Esq
419 Boonville Avenue
Springfield, MO 65806
417.865.4444

The Missouri Bar Disciplinary Counsel requires all Missouri attorneys tonotify all recipients of e-mail that (1) e-mail communication is not asecure method of communication, (2) any e-mail that is sent to you or byyou may be copied and held by various computers it passes through as itgoes from me to you or vice versa, (3) persons not participating in ourcommunication may intercept our communications by improperly accessingyour computer or my computer or even some computer unconnected to eitherof us which the e-mail passed through. I am communicating to you viae-mail because you have consented to receive communications via thismedium. If you change your mind and want future communications to besent in a different fashion, please let me know AT ONCE.

________________________________
 From: Dr. Denise M Robinson <deniserob at gmail.com>
To: Chantel Alberhasky <chantel at alberhaskylaw.com>; "Blind Kid Mailing List, (for parents of blind children)" <blindkid at nfbnet.org> 
Sent: Tuesday, March 20, 2012 11:34 AM
Subject: Re: [blindkid] TX School for Blind Assessment Braille Reading Rates??

Chantel

Basically you have researchers looking at what kids are doing and then they figure out the norms for what is actually going on--then they come up with reading rates--some research-- http://www.braille.org/papers/jvib0696/vb960312.htm
However, reading rates of course depend on the expectations surrounding the child. If everyone expects this child to read slowly---in general they will. If however, the same standards are applied to a blind child as sighted child, you will see the blind child reach the same goals. Of course these expectations must be met with a highly qualified teacher of the blind who can teach to the standards that are set for everyone else. Depending on the teacher's skills typically depends on how far the child will go or not go.

I use the same standards with my students as everyone else. If I get them and can start them at the same age as everyone else is learning the skills, they can stay with them or exceed them--esp when it comes to technology. If I get them later, it takes a lot more work, but if before middle school, they can reach these standards also typically by the time they graduate. If above middle school it becomes a lot harder, basically because there is so much bad thought in their own heads about what they can do. If you can get them over that and they work really hard they can get close and some surpass any low expectations that were set long ago.

The longer you wait...the harder it is to change those negative thoughts about blind skills and achievement. You are right in fighting the bad thought. Tell them you wish for your child to follow Jerry Johns norms--which are the standards the sighted kids use, versus the low norms of that assessment kit THEY created. Many people have created their own.

See link for Jerry Johns literacy norms and let them know these are the norms you want them to follow---the leading literacy expert in the field: http://www.yourtechvision.com/content/standards-reading-speed

Denise

On Tue, Mar 20, 2012 at 8:50 AM, Chantel Alberhasky <chantel at alberhaskylaw.com> wrote:

I just received the Braille skills evaluation report for my 8 year old son.  Drake is in 2nd grade.  His oral Braille reading rate for second grade level is 50 WPM,  36 WPM for 3rd grade level and 34 for 4th trade level. The report goes on to say that Drake is "on track to achieve the norms as identified by the Texas School for the Blind (TSBVI) Assessment Kit Braille Reading Rates."   The Texas School for the Blind's braille reading rate for 3rd grade is only 51 WPM and for college it is only 115 WPM!  For print reading a 3rd grader should be reading 110 WPM.  So college Braille readers should be reading at the same level as a third grade student?! 
>
>
>Can anyone give me information on the Texas School for the Blind Assessment Kit Braille Reading Rates?  How did they arrive at these rates as being the "norm" for the various grade levels?   I know there hasn't been any recent studies that would indicate the reading rates for Braille so how did Texas School for the Blind come up with these very low rates? 
>
>I will of course be arguing these rates are much too low.  I also have a great state law I will rely upon which requires schools to provide instruction so that a child can communicate effectively and efficiently in Braille at a level commensurate with his sighted peers of comparable grade level and intellectual functioning.   To rely upon the Texas School for the Blind reading rates would be inconsistent with our state law.
>
>In any event, any information anyone can give me regarding TX School for the Blind Assessment Braille Reading rates would be appreciated. 
> 
>Chantel L. Alberhasky, Esq
>419 Boonville Avenue
>Springfield, MO 65806
>417.865.4444
>
>The Missouri Bar Disciplinary Counsel requires all Missouri attorneys tonotify all recipients of e-mail that (1) e-mail communication is not asecure method of communication, (2) any e-mail that is sent to you or byyou may be copied and held by various computers it passes through as itgoes from me to you or vice versa, (3) persons not participating in ourcommunication may intercept our communications by improperly accessingyour computer or my computer or even some computer unconnected to eitherof us which the e-mail passed through. I am communicating to you viae-mail because you have consented to receive communications via thismedium. If you change your mind and want future communications to besent in a different fashion, please let me know AT ONCE.
>
>
>________________________________
> From: Dr. Denise M Robinson <deniserob at gmail.com>
>To: "Blind Kid Mailing List, (for parents of blind children)" <blindkid at nfbnet.org>
>Sent: Monday, March 19, 2012 10:51 AM
>Subject: Re: [blindkid] IQ testing
>
>The WWJIII is now in a braille format to access blind children and is
>adapted appropriately--You can get it from APH
>Denise
>
>On Mon, Mar 19, 2012 at 8:43 AM, Patricia <bcsarah.fan at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> As a blind aspiring counsellor who has my Bachelors in psychology, I
>> am familiar with these IQ tests and have always been curious, has
>> there been any attempt to make these tests accessible to blind and
>> visually impaired children? Or is the answer just "they're not, and
>> that's the way it is." I don't expect a definitive answer on this as
>> I'm sure no one here would know, but it's always been one of those
>> things that I've been curious about.
>>
>> Patricia
>>
>> On 3/19/12, Tom and Deb OConnor <toc6642 at charter.net> wrote:
>>
>> > Is a vision impairment a valid reason not to give a child a "complete"
>> > Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-fourth edition?  The final
>> > conclusion was that it would be inappropriate?  Given 5 subtests only.
>> >
>> > Thanks for any information on this.
>> >
>> > Tom & Debbie O'Connor
>> > toc6642 at charter.net
>> >
>> > _______________________________________________
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>> >
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>> >
>>
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>
>
>
>--
>Denise
>
>Denise M. Robinson, TVI, Ph.D.
>CEO, TechVision, LLC
>Specialist in Technology/Training/Teaching for blind/low vision
>509-674-1853
>
>Website with hundreds of informational articles & lessons all done with
>keystrokes: www.yourtechvision.com
>
>"The person who says it cannot be done, shouldn't interrupt the one who is
>doing it." --Chinese Proverb
>
>Computers are incredibly fast, accurate, and stupid: humans are incredibly
>slow, inaccurate and brilliant; together they are powerful beyond
>imagination.
>--Albert Einstein
>
>It's kind of fun to do the impossible.
>--Walt Disney
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-- 
 Denise 

Denise M. Robinson, TVI, Ph.D. 
CEO, TechVision, LLC
Specialist in Technology/Training/Teaching for blind/low vision
509-674-1853

Website with hundreds of informational articles & lessons all done with 
keystrokes: www.yourtechvision.com 

"The person who says it cannot be done, shouldn't interrupt the one who is
doing it." --Chinese Proverb

Computers are incredibly fast, accurate, and stupid: humans are
incredibly slow, inaccurate and brilliant; together they are powerful
beyond imagination.
--Albert Einstein

It's kind of fun to do the impossible.
--Walt Disney