[nobe-l] Woodcock Johnson

[Ashley Bramlett]

Caitlin,

A few ideas but the school probably will not allow it.
Can you organize the visuals so you know what they are?
To administer the test, can students show you what they are pointing to? 
Maybe then describe what they see?

I'm also wondering if someone can come in and assist you such as a parent. 
You would still be in charge of the test, but the parent could just tell you 
what is happening.
Also, if you cannot braille the material, can you at least put some tactile 
labels on the testing materials so you know what they are?

I hope you find a solution!

Ashley

-----Original Message----- 
From: Caitlin Hernandez via NOBE-L
Sent: Wednesday, February 28, 2018 10:02 AM
To: nobe-l at nfbnet.org
Cc: Caitlin Hernandez
Subject: [nobe-l] Woodcock Johnson

Hi All,
I'm a totally blind, Braille-reading, first-year Resource specialist
for fifth and sixth graders in San Francisco. For students' triennial
IEPs, we use an assessment tool called the Woodcock Johnson, and I've
been looking into a way to make this accessible for the past year or
so. We've just heard from the company itself that even Brailling the
test or my administering it alongside a credentialed sighted person
who can assist with the visual bits (students need to do a lot of
silent pointing, for example) is not possible and will compromise the
validity of the test.
Up to this point, I've simply been swapping duties with the other
Resource specialists we have on our K8 campus; I run pull-out groups
for them while they do my assessments. This has worked fine, but the
district is saying that they can't allow this to be an official
accommodation, since it adds job functions to someone else's job.
They're also saying that, since I technically cannot perform an
executive function of the Resource Specialist position, they want me
to move to a general-education classroom next year: something I don't
particularly want to do at this time, and for which I'm not
appropriately credentialed.
I'm doing my homework on all this, and my Union representative is in
the process of getting an attorney. Further, in the job description
for Resource Specialist, it doesn't specify that the teacher must be
capable of administering the Woodcock Johnson. However, I promised to
ask around among my fellow blind teachers to see if anyone has run
into this issue or has another workaround for the Woodcock Johnson, or
any other similar modes of assessment which are largely visual and
unusable for blind educators.
Thanks so much for any advice.

All best,
Caitlin

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