[Mdabs] FW: [Mdpobc] Requesting your help in finding blind teenagers

[Melissa Ann Riccobono]

Hello everyone,
Here is a chance to help with the accessibility of PARCC. I understand a lot
of you on this list are all ready in college, and therefore don't qualify
for this study, but I would appreciate you getting the word out to anyone
who does qualify.
Thanks,
Melissa

-----Original Message-----
From: Maurice Peret via Mdpobc [mailto:mdpobc at nfbnet.org] 
Sent: Wednesday, May 20, 2015 3:26 PM
To: 'Maryland Parents of Blind Children List (mdpobc at nfbnet.org)'
Cc: Maurice Peret
Subject: [Mdpobc] Requesting your help in finding blind teenagers

Subject: Requesting your help in finding blind teenagers

Dear NFB Friend:

As you should be aware, the NFB is in a settlement agreement with PARCC to
make sure that the online high-stakes tests are accessible to blind kids. I
have been working on one of the subgroups over the last year to help make
sure this is done quickly and effectively.

The folks at Pearson, (who are the ones actually developing the test
platform) are working to do field-tests, or CogLabs, to try out how the
online testing works with real blind kids. They are working to conduct some
of these trials over the next couple of weeks in Baltimore, and are running
into difficulty finding participants for the research. I know that with
school being over, and everyone sick of standardized testing, the last thing
anyone wants to do is more testing, however, if we want to ensure that this
online testing is accessible and useful for blind kids then we need to help
to make sure that we get youth to participate in this testing effort.

When: They are scheduling testing between May 30 and June 3 at the Maryland
School for the blind.
Who: We need blind/VI kids in 6th to 11th grade who have working familiarity
with JAWS.
How Long: I believe the testing takes about 1.5 hours in total.
Assistance: Pearson is willing to help parents with transportation
assistance, and is scheduling on the weekend, evenings, and  any time that
is convenient.
Contact: Please help reach out to parents in your area with this request for
assistance. You will want to have them contact:
Joshua Irzyk, Ed.D
Maryland State Department of Education
(O) 410-767-0812<tel:410-767-0812>
joshua.irzyk at maryland.gov<mailto:joshua.irzyk at maryland.gov>
Or
410-444-5000 x 1410<tel:410-444-5000%20x%201410>
joshuai at mdschblind.org<mailto:joshuai at mdschblind.org>

Please let me know if you have any questions, and I sincerely thank you for
your help.


Edward C. Bell, Ph.D., CRC, NOMC
Director, Professional Development and Research Institute on Blindness
Louisiana Tech University
210 Woodard Hall
PO Box 3158
Ruston LA 71272
Office: 318.257.4554                       Fax: 318.257.2259 (Fax) Skype:
edwardbell2010
ebell at latech.edu<mailto:ebell at latech.edu>
www.pdrib.com<http://www.pdrib.com>
**************************************************************
"I am somehow less interested in the weight and convolutions of Einstein's
brain than in the near certainty that people of equal talent have lived and
died in cotton fields and sweatshops."
-- Stephen Jay Gould

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