[Pibe-division] DIBELS TEsting
EricGuillory at aol.com
EricGuillory at aol.com
Thu Dec 1 15:16:54 UTC 2011
Greetings All,
Though I am far from expert in my understanding of all of the implications
for Braille learners in the completion of DIBELS, I offer the following.
In the state of Louisiana, Braille students are given the option of not
being assessed using DIBELS as are their k-3 peers. This is because, quite
frankly, most students, due to a variety of factors about which many sermons
could be preached, do not have a solid grasp of the Braille code nearly as
early as we would like. That, coupled with the timed nature and, at times
ponderous formatting of DIBELS, makes its administration problematic for most
students in this cohort.
With this in view, Louisiana has decided to allow for the utilization of
the Jerry Johns inventory for assessing one’s reading level, as well as for
the administration of the ABLS (Assessing Braille Literacy Skills) checklist
—developed by Region 4 in Texas. Though Braille advocates like me are
somewhat taken aback by this, as we all know that Braille is not a slower
medium than is print, the stark reality is, that in the early grades (the stage
at which DIBELS is administered), our Braille kids are often behind the
curve. This unfortunate, yet undeniable, reality prompted the Louisiana
decision, as did the fact that the Johns and ABLS approach will certainly provide
the desired data to the evaluators.
I hope this helps and that everyone isn’t going crazy in the flurry of
activities that characterizes this time of year. A great day to all!
Eric Guillory
PIBE President
Director of Youth Services
Louisiana Center for the Blind
“Learning is not attained by chance, it must be sought for with ardor and
attended to with diligence.”--Abigail Adams
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