Challenges of Administering MI-Access To Students with Visual

Challenges of Administering MI-Access To Students with Visual and Hearing Impairments Presenters: COLLETTE BAUMAN DEB RAKAS Supervisor, Michigan Department of Education-Low Incidence Outreach Consultant Deb Rakas Productions

Visually Impaired and Hearing Impaired students deserve to participate in assessment.

How to administer MI-Access Functional Independence assessments to students with visual impairments?

Assessing VI Students • How to administer MI-Access Functional Independence assessments to students with visual impairments? – Student Braille Booklet – Assessment Administrator Booklet for Braille – Enlarged Print Booklet – Audio CDs and tapes

MI-ACCESS VI CHALLENGE • How to develop items that work for Braille and enlarged print? – APH Workshop – Michigan School for Deaf and Blind – Review items • Can item be Brailled? • Will students with low vision be able to read text/graphics?

MI-ACCESS VI CHALLENGE • How to develop items that work for Braille and enlarged print? – Simplify artwork • Remove unnecessary details • Use simple line drawings – Line weight (thickness) • Thicker line weight is easier to see

MI-ACCESS VI CHALLENGE • How to develop items that work for Braille and enlarged print? – Shading • Use shading only when needed • Make sure shading has separation from lines – Size and spacing of graphics Shading example

MI-ACCESS VI CHALLENGE • How to develop items that work for Braille and enlarged print? – Labels • Tactile readers need labels or explanations of graphics – No chance of instant recognition – Labels assist in reading tactile graphic

MI-ACCESS VI CHALLENGE • How to develop items that work for Braille and enlarged print? – Labels • Label all graphics that are allowed • Omit graphics that are unnecessary

MI-ACCESS VI CHALLENGE • How to develop items that work for Braille and enlarged print? – Some adaptations need to be made for Braille • Symbols used to represent pictures

MI-ACCESS VI CHALLENGE • How to develop items that work for Braille and enlarged print? – Some adaptations need to be made for Braille • Keys may need to be added

MI-ACCESS VI CHALLENGE • How to develop items that work for Braille and enlarged print? – Some adaptations need to be made for Braille • Labels may need to be moved outside of graphic

MI-ACCESS VI CHALLENGE • How to develop items that work for Braille and enlarged print? – Some adaptations need to be made for Braille • Orientation of keys and compasses may change • Pictures/graphics may be substituted with descriptive text

MI-ACCESS VI CHALLENGE • What is the process for producing accommodated versions? – Items developed – Items reviewed internally – Items reviewed by Sensitivity Review Committee (SRC) • Made up of teachers and parents • Review items for bias and sensitivity issues

MI-ACCESS VI CHALLENGE • What is the process for producing accommodated versions? – Standard print booklets approved – Work with American Printing House for the Blind (APH) –send transcription notes to be used as reference – Braille and enlarged print booklets proofed by APH and outside sources

MI-ACCESS VI CHALLENGE • What is the process for producing accommodated versions? – Accommodated booklets approved – APH sends Transcription notes – Assessment Administrator Booklet for Braille is produced to be used with student Braille booklet

MI-ACCESS VI CHALLENGE • What is the Assessment Administrator Booklet for Braille? – Standard print booklet with assessment administrator notes – Visual depiction of changes and/or assessment administrator notes describing adaptations.

MI-ACCESS VI CHALLENGE • What is the Assessment Administrator Booklet for Braille? – Grade 3 English Language Arts – Word Recognition • Picture items required substitute items for Braille booklet • Item stems are only in Assessment Administrator Booklet for Braille and are to be read aloud to student

MI-ACCESS VI CHALLENGE • What is the Assessment Administrator Booklet for Braille? – Assessment Administrator Booklet for Braille MUST be used with student Braille booklet – Standard print booklet is used with enlarged print and audio versions – Do NOT use with the student Braille booklet

MI-ACCESS VI CHALLENGE • How to administer Functional Independence Science assessment? – Science uses many graphics – All graphics in item stems and answer choices that can be are labeled – Unnecessary graphics are omitted – Graphics that cannot be labeled are replaced by descriptions of the artwork

Participation and Supported Independence assessments • How to administer P/SI ELA, mathematics and science to students with visual impairments? – No accommodated versions for P/SI – P/SI uses activity-based observation items – New selected-response items are picture items

Participation and Supported Independence assessments • How to administer P/SI ELA, mathematics and science to students with visual impairments? – Selected-response items • 81/2 by 11 picture cards are provided • Field test items for 07 -08 school year • Students not graded on field test items

Participation and Supported Independence assessments • How to administer P/SI ELA, mathematics and science to VI students? – Be sure to check the inside cover of each booklet for “Do Not Read Aloud” items – Review the items and their scoring focuses

Participation and Supported Independence assessments • How to administer P/SI ELA, mathematics and science to VI students? – Become familiar with Extended Grade Level Content Expectations (EGLCEs) and Extended Benchmarks (EBs) for each item. – Can help in determining if actual items can be substituted for picture items, or items more familiar to students can be used.

Participation and Supported Independence assessments • How to administer P/SI ELA, mathematics and science to VI students?

Participation and Supported Independence assessments • How to administer P/SI ELA, mathematics and science to VI students? – Need to decide on a student-by-student basis. – Examples in items are just that, EXAMPLES. Different/substitute items or locations can be used if doing so doesn’t change the item construct.

Participation and Supported Independence assessments • How to administer P/SI ELA, mathematics and science to VI students?

MI-ACCESS HI CHALLENGE • How to administer assessments to students with hearing impairments? – Visual cues have been fine for students with hearing impairments – New items will affect students with hearing impairments

Participation and Supported Independence assessments • How to administer P/SI ELA, mathematics and science to students with visual and hearing impairments? – Options being considered for future assessments: • Tactile picture cards for students with visual impairments • Special scoring for students with visual impairments and hearing impairments

Standard vs. Non-Standard Accommodations • How were MI-Access Assessments developed? – MI-Access assessments were developed using universal design principles. – Many of the P/SI items use an activity-based format, because traditional paper and pencil tests were not considered appropriate.

Standard vs. Non-Standard Accommodations • How were MI-Access Assessments developed? – P/SI selected-response items use picture answer choices because most P/SI students are not fluent readers and picture identification is a typical part of their instruction.

Standard vs. Non-Standard Accommodations • How were MI-Access Assessments developed? – FI assessments are written specifically to accommodate reading levels and interests of students being assessed. – Assessment administrators are allowed to read questions and answer choices aloud (with some exceptions).

Standard vs. Non-Standard Accommodations • What if a student still needs accommodations to participate fully and meaningfully in MI-Access? – Under General Information in manual – a section on Assessment Accommodations. – Appendix C in manual – State Board of Education approved Assessment Accommodations Summary Table.

Standard vs. Non-Standard Accommodations • What is the Assessment Accommodations Summary Table in Appendix C? – Outlines standard and non-standard accommodations for MI-Access. – Table updated to include science. – Full table is available on MI-Access Web page under “Resources” section.

Accommodations Decisions • Accommodations decisions must – be made by student’s IEP Team. – be documented in the student’s IEP (by content area). – reflect what the student routinely uses or responds during instruction. • Not appropriate to introduce a new accommodation just for the assessment.

Thank You!