[blindkid] TX School for Blind Assessment Braille ReadingRates??
Heather Field
missheather at comcast.net
Tue Mar 20 18:23:06 UTC 2012
Hello chantel,
While I agree that knowing where the Texas School For The Blind came up with
their nonsensical reading rates might be useful, you have already described
how you believe the next meeting will go with the school personnel. I agree
with you. It comes down to an argument like "we choose these reading
standards and you don't think we've made a good choice. But, we're the
experts and so are the TX people. So, while we acknowledge your displeasure,
this is what we're going to do." You can argue with them back and forth for
months, not sign the IEP - so they'll just keep using the old one - question
their basis for the decision, which makes the TVI feel threatened and
dislike you, and on it goes...for months and months. Meanwhile, nothing
changes in the expectations or reading education being given to your son.
Or, you can try what I've started doing whenever I go as parent advocate to
IEP meetings. I take some videos of blind children doing whatever it is that
the school district people are saying can't be done by blind children. They
can't argue when they see several different blind children doing it. I
usually introduce the videos by saying something like "now I'd like to share
something that I'm sure everyone will be really please to see. I know that
we all want what's best for (name child) and this should enable us to agree
on what that best will look like for the next year." It's hard for teachers
to say "well, we don't think that doing what these children are doing is
best." Because they want each child to reach the highest outcomes possible.
Their problem is that they don't believe that blind children, or adults, can
reach outcomes on pa with the sighted. Videos usually work to raise their
expectations. It's usually easier to get goals changed after the entire IEP
team has seen that it's perfectly possible for your son to attain them. It
takes away from the mistique and the "expertism" ascribed to the TVI by the
rest of the team. She is then in the position of having to convince the
whole team why, when everyone just saw it was possible, it won't be possible
for your son.
Denise may already have some videos of her students reading braille at
age-appropriate rates. Or, if not, I'm sure she can direct you to some. I
think this will smooth the way for lifting their expectations of your son.
As an aside, I would also start having your son read at home for a set
amount of time every night with a view to increasing his reading speed.
Rewards are a great motivational tool as his age.
Keep us posted and please share the links to any great videos you track
down. there are so many parents fighting this fight all over the country. I
think we need to petition The Texas School For The Blind to recant on these
reading standards because they sure aren't realistic. I'm an adult blind
reader and I read in excess of 400 words a minute. At age eight I was
reading above my sighted peers; I know this because when tested at age six
my mum reports that I was reading at 9-years and 8 months as determined by
the sighted reading test norms, which they used because they didn't have any
for braille readers. Ahhh! How things change and how they stay the same.
Best regards,
Heather
-----Original Message-----
From: Chantel Alberhasky
Sent: Tuesday, March 20, 2012 11:57 AM
To: Dr. Denise M Robinson ; Blind Kid Mailing List,(for parents of blind
children)
Subject: Re: [blindkid] TX School for Blind Assessment Braille
ReadingRates??
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
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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
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computer or even some computer unconnected to eitherof us which the e-mail
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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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>
>
>
>--
>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
>_______________________________________________
>blindkid mailing list
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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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