Assessment Needs Survey 2007: New Directions--Summary of Results
Summary
The survey was posted after the American Printing House for the Blind (APH) Annual Meeting in October of 2006. Information about the survey was circulated via APH News to various listserves such as AERnet, braille-n-teach, and Vhassessors;to our Ex Officio Trustee mailing list; and by word of mouth. We received 146 online responses and one response by U.S. mail. Persons from 25 states and Guam participated. The following states boasted the highest number of participants: Indiana (19), Texas (16), South Carolina (16), Virginia (12), Missouri (10), and Kentucky (9). Participants ranged from Test Coordinators to Teachers of the Visually Impaired to Department of Education Program Directors. Respondents reported that test scores were utilized in a variety of ways across the states: NCLB compliance, tracking Adequate Yearly Progress, establishing IEP goals, program placement, interventions, and accountability, etc.
Accessible Tests Department Staff have contacted respondents in order to further clarify some answers. Preliminary survey results were posted online in the April 2007 APH News. Results indicate that we are on track (and have been since 1999) with our identification and selection of priority needs for the assessment of visually impaired persons using achievement tests and diagnostic measures (see table III below). As for needs in the assessment of cognitive ability and behavior, survey results indicated that respondents often felt pressured to provide IQ scores. These IQ scores were used for purposes of program placement and to satisfy parental demands, etc. As a result of this survey, issues surrounding IQ testing of persons who are visually impaired will be addressed fully in an upcoming APH position paper.
The full text of the survey is reproduced below, followed by tables giving results by category. APH would like to thank all survey participants for their time and informative responses.
Survey Participant's Form
Name:
Title:
# Years taught:
School/Agency:
School/Agency Address:
Work Phone #:
Work FAX #:
Home Phone # (Optional):
Email Address (s):
Your position or role (mark or choose 1):
- TVI
- Test Coordinator/DAC
- General Ed teacher
- Rehab counselor/TVI
- O & M specialist
- Rehab administrator/VI
- Special Ed supervisor
- General rehab Professional
- Education administrator
- Personnel prep Professional
- IMC Staff member
- DOE staff member
May our staff contact you to discuss or clarify your responses?
- yes
- no
Instructions: Read the questions below and give your answers, explanations, and comments.
- List the individual achievement or diagnostic tests your school districts request in braille, large print or audio formats. Give details.
- List the psychological tests your school districts request in braille, large print or in audio formats. Give details.
- For what purpose are the scores/results of these diagnostic and psychological tests used?
- Which of these tests would you like APH to consider making available in accessible formats?
- Who is the best person to contact in your state or school to get information about tests used and/or mandated by your state or school district?
- List anyone you would recommend that APH use as a reviewer or consultant for our test related projects?
Tables of Results
Table I: States Responding
| State | # Persons Responding |
|---|---|
| Alabama | 1 |
| Alaska | |
| Arizona | |
| Arkansas | 1 |
| California | 5 |
| Colorado | |
| Connecticut | |
| Delaware | 1 |
| District of Columbia | |
| Florida | 2 |
| Georgia | 4 |
| Guam | 1 |
| Hawaii | 2 |
| Idaho | |
| Illinois | |
| Indiana | 19 |
| Iowa | 4 |
| Kansas | |
| Kentucky | 9 |
| Louisiana | |
| Maine | 1 |
| Maryland | |
| Massachusetts | 1 |
| Michigan | 1 |
| Minnesota | |
| Mississippi | |
| Missouri | 10 |
| Montana | |
| Nebraska | |
| Nevada | 1 |
| New Hampshire | |
| New Jersey | 3 |
| New Mexico | 1 |
| New York | 3 |
| North Carolina | |
| North Dakota | |
| Ohio | 4 |
| Oklahoma | 1 |
| Oregon | |
| Pennsylvania | |
| Puerto Rico | |
| Rhode Island | |
| South Carolina | 16 |
| South Dakota | |
| Tennessee | |
| Texas | 16 |
| Utah | |
| Vermont | |
| Virgin Islands | |
| Virginia | 12 |
| Washington | 6 |
| West Virginia | 5 |
| Wisconsin | |
| Wyoming | |
| Unknown | 2 |
Totals: 132
Table II: Job Title of Survey Respondents
| Job Title | Number Responding |
|---|---|
| Teacher of the Visually Impaired | 86 |
| Special Education Supervisor | 10 |
| Unspecified | 9 |
| Personnel Preparation Staff | 8 |
| Education Administrator | 8 |
| Test Coordinator/DAC | 8 |
| DOE Staff Member | 4 |
| Rehab Administrator (VI) | 4 |
| O & M Specialist | 2 |
| IMC Staff | 1 |
| Rehab Teacher | 1 |
Total: 141
Table III: Achievement/Diagnostic Tests Requested (top 10 requests)
| Instrument Requested | # of times |
|---|---|
| **Wechsler Individual Achievement Test (WIAT II) | 8 |
| **Woodcock-Johnson III: Tests of Achievement (WJ III) | 7 |
| Wide Range Achievement Test (WRAT 3/4) | 7 |
| *Kaufman Test of Academic Achievement (KTEA-II) | 3 |
| *KeyMath | 3 |
| ?Blind Learning Aptitude Test (BLAT) | 2 |
| **Brigance Diagnostic Comprehensive Inventory of Basic Skills, Revised (Brigance Green) | 2 |
| California Achievement Test (CAT) | 2 |
| Diagnostic Achievement Battery, 2nd Edition (DAB-2) | 2 |
| Peabody Individual Achievement Test, Revised (PIAT-R) | 2 |
*already approved as an APH project
**in active development or completed at APH
? out of print
Table IV: Psychological and Cognitive Tests Requested (top 10 requests)
| Instrument Requested | # of times |
|---|---|
| Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children IV (WISC IV) | 9 |
| Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS II) | 3 |
| Wechsler Pre-School and Primary Scale of Intelligence III (WPPSI-III) | 3 |
| Tests of Nonverbal Intelligence-III (Toni III) | 2 |
| Slosson Intelligence Test Revised (SIT-R) | 2 |
| Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scales-5 | 2 |
| Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test | 2 |
| Adaptive Behavior Assessment Scale (ABAS II) | 2 |
| Piers-Harris Self Concept Scale for Children II (Piers-Harris II) | 2 |
| Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale (Also receiving 1 request were: ?Blind Learning Aptitude Test (BLAT); Reynolds Intellectual Assessment Scale (RIAS); Scales of Independent Behavior (SIB-R); Woodcock-Johnson III: Tests of Cognition (WJ III Cog); and Multi-Dimensional Anxiety Scale for Children. | 1 |
? out of print
Table V: Purpose/Use of Score Results
| Purpose |
|---|
| Academic disability not related to VI |
| Academic Placement (HS graduation with academic degree) |
| Accountability |
| Achievement |
| Aid |
| AYP Calculations |
| Compare Districts |
| Compliance with NCLB |
| Diagnostic for Teaching Purposes |
| Diagnostic to determine if curriculum is being mastered |
| Eligibility |
| EOCEP (=20% of Student's Grade w/end of course exam) |
| ESE Program Placement |
| Evaluation and Re-Evaluation |
| Expanded core curriculum recommendations |
| Functional Competencies for progress & growth |
| General Source of Information |
| Graduation (state law) |
| Identification |
| IEP Goals and Objectives |
| Learning Style, Preferences, Strengths/Weaknesses |
| Manifestation Determinations |
| MAPS (where student is and where student is going) |
| Measure Standards for math, ELA, SS, and Science |
| Multi Disabled and non readers Needs/Qualifications |
| NCLB and IRE Issues of IDEA '04 |
| On and Off Campus Evaluation requested by staff, parents, outlying school districts, other individuals |
| Placement |
| Plan for Transition and Higher Education |
| Progress |
| Psychological tests to determine cognitive, psychomotor skills |
| Psychological to see if students qualify for Special Ed |
| Psychological used to create appropriate interventions to assist staff and student due to inappropriate behaviors |
| Psychological Tests to determine additional services including gifted and talented |
| Report Cards |
| Requirements (State/Federal/District) |
| Scheduling |
| Scholarship Obtainment |
| Service Needs |
| Skills Assessment |
| Special Education Classification or re-evaluation |
| Speech and Language Assessment |
| Students Needs and Services |
| Three Year Evaluations for Individual Education Plans |
| Tracking AYP |
| Triennial Reviews Testing |
| Verbal IQ to determine need for other services besides VI |
| WISC-IV Integrated useful for diagnostic info w/students who have language, other impairments in addition to VI |
©2007, American Printing House for the Blind, Inc.
