[blindkid] Preparing for the PSAT & PLAN (Pre-ACT) - Seeking Insights - follow up...

[Debby B]

Another thing to watch for. Materials for the ACT were ordered in Braille for Winona (after the lengthy process begun LAST school year to get approval for Braille). Everything was sent, except the test! In spite of our vigilant TVI's efforts, the test arrived the Friday before the ACT on Saturday, so Winona was unable to take the test.

On a positive note,  rather than her taking it during school once it finally arrived (thus missing lots of instruction that week).we convinced them that they should let her take it on the next administration date at no charge for changing the date. Took some doing, but our TVI did it.


All the best to Vejas as he takes PSAT!

 
Debby
bwbddl at yahoo.com

~"Kindness is a language which the deaf can hear and the blind can read."~Mark Twain


________________________________
 From: DrV <icdx at earthlink.net>
To: "Blind Kid Mailing List, (for parents of blind children)" <blindkid at nfbnet.org> 
Sent: Wednesday, October 10, 2012 1:35 AM
Subject: [blindkid] Preparing for the PSAT & PLAN (Pre-ACT) - Seeking Insights - follow up...
 
Thanks to all of you who responded.
Based on what you shared over the weekend, I called the
www.collegeboard.com Monday morning to inquire about getting a Braille
copy of the pretest.
I was eventually transferred to a rep in SSD (service for students with
disabilities; 609-771-7137) & she confirmed that indeed a braille copy of
the pretest is typically included & gets sent to the school along with the
braille test.
The rep then offered to look up his particular case to confirm the braille
pretest had been sent, & she noted that although he has been approved for
testing in Braille, the Braille test itself WAS NEVER ORDERED.
She informed me that technically the deadline to order a braille version
had passed, but shared that if the school calls them directly, they should
still be able to get the test for him.
I then called the school & it turns out that indeed although they had
gotten the permission for him to take the tests in braille, they had not
actually taken the steps to order the actual tests in braille.
Needless-to-say the PSAT & PLAN were ordered later Monday afternoon & he
should have them.

Thanks again for sharing, for had I not been prompted to call by your
input, Vejas would have shown up for the test Saturday & imagine the shock
of learning their that there was no test!
What gets me is that last week he spoke to the TVI (who said she assumed
that the school district had taken care of it) & emailed his school
counselor (who was out last week but checking emails) & there was no hint
of any problem.

While at this point he won't have a chance to benefit from the brailled
pre-test materials, but this "practice run" has the district & VI program
(& us) on high-alert for next year.

Vejas found a pre-PLAN study book on Bookshare.

He also downloaded 2 Pre-SAT study books from Bookshare, but noted that
most, if not all, of the reading comprehension passages are missing & that
in addition, some of the multiple choice questions have their answers cut
off. ---> for example, b would be blank and you don't know what b is(
He notified Bookshare & got back the following responded: "Thank you for
contacting Bookshare.  This book is publisher supplied. Unfortunately, the
publisher has treated rendered large portions of text as images. I am
forwarding this to the person in charge of publisher content." Based on
past experience when the finger was pointed at the publisher, my concern
is that nothing more will happen.
If any of you know someone of influence at Bookshare, it would be nice if
they could make the books truly accessible - after all, performance on
PSATs & ACTs influence college options.

Thanks again everyone & good luck to all taking the tests!
Sincerely,
Eric 




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