[blindkid] ITBS and COGAT testing in Braille

Patricia Renfranz dblair2525 at msn.com
Thu Sep 17 01:36:50 UTC 2009


Stephanie -
As required by our state for all students, my daughter has taken the Iowa
test in 3rd, 5th, and now in 8th grade in Braille. The tests are purchased
from outside the state. I bet it would be straightforward for your
district/state to order the Iowa for any level in Braille.
 
She was tested for a G/T magnet program in 2nd grade. The district typically
based their assessment on the Abbreviated Stanford Achievement Test at 2
grade levels above the candidates' current grade, the Naglieri Nonverbal
Ability Test, and the Cognitive Abilities Test.

She was able to take the above-grade-level SAT (in her case, the test
for 4th graders) in Braille. She subsequently took the out of level every
year, so it's definitely available in Braille.

The Naglieri and the CogAT tests (both highly visual; I think the CogAT is
at least 1/3rd pictures) were not appropriate. We worked with the district's
G/T program to determine a series of tests to replace the largely visual
tests: 
(1) Wisc4: only the non-visual subtests (8/15 tests were given). The results
were given with the explicit caveats that scores are standardized on a
sighted population and that certain "adaptive procedures" were required. The
district received all the subscores and such.
(2) ITVIC (Intelligence Test for Visually Impaired Children - Selected
Subtests). I do not remember the source of this test. Her scores were
compared to those of the "Braille-reading normal population." Five subtests
that best corresponded to the nonverbal-type of subtests on the WISC4 were
given: Perception of Line Figures, Figural Analogies, Block Design,
Exclusion, and Verbal Analogies. We specifically requested that these tests
be administered by a school psychologist who had experience administering
such tests to a blind child.

I think the most important thing was to work with the district, to order the
tests ahead of time, and to work out a reasonable procedure for how the
student is to mark answers on written standardized tests.

Hope this helps,
Pat Renfranz
--
dblair2525 at msn.com
801-582-2293 



> From: "Kieszak, Stephanie (CDC/CCEHIP/NCEH)" <sek7 at cdc.gov>
> Reply-To: "NFBnet Blind Kid Mailing List, (for parents of blind children)"
> <blindkid at nfbnet.org>
> Date: Wed, 16 Sep 2009 10:49:34 -0400
> To: <pibe-division at nfbnet.org>, <blindkid at nfbnet.org>
> Conversation: ITBS and COGAT testing in Braille
> Subject: [blindkid] ITBS and COGAT testing in Braille
> 
> My daughter's TVI just called to tell me that neither the ITBS nor the
> COGAT test will be available in Braille for my daughter this year. She
> is in 1st grade and these tests will be administered to all the other
> students.  Has anyone else run into this in the past, and how did you
> handle it?  From what I've heard, the state (Georgia) will waive the
> tests but our county will not. We don't want the tests waived anyway
> since we believe it sets a very bad precedent for our daughter.  In
> addition, we want her to be tested for the school's gifted program and
> one of the things they consider are scores from standardized tests. Our
> TVI is following up on this but I wanted to see what I might be able to
> find out as well.
> Thank you for any advice or suggestions.
> Stephanie Kiesak-Holloway
> 
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