During the 2014-15 school year, all students in grades 3-8, and 11 are now required to take on-line performance tests which are aligned with the Common Core State Standards. Making on-line testing accessible is a daunting task requiring possible new equipment, updated software, training for test administrators, and additional student time away from the classroom. Because of this, SBAC is offering hard copies of both braille and large print versions of the test for this year and the following two years. This gives everyone time to practice, obtain the necessary equipment, and work out the accessibility issues, so that testing in future years goes smoothly. In the spring of 2014, a small group of teachers of the visually impaired (TVI’s) from the Bureau of Education & Services for the Blind (BESB) met with Joe Amenta, from the CT State Department of Education, to explore possible ways to make the SBAC tests accessible for our students who are blind or visually impaired and need braille or large print formats. A proposal was made to the state department, outlining accessibility-related challenges for our students and suggesting what might be necessary to appropriately address them. This included equipment needs for each student, training needed for staff administering the tests, and a suggested timeline for implementation. The proposal was submitted to Smarter Balanced, both at the state and federal level, where it was well-received. The end result was that our team of teachers was asked by the State Department of Education and the SBAC to join a consortium of TVIs from Vermont, Maine, and New Hampshire to explore ways to make SBAC testing On January 26, the teachers traveled to Perkins School for the Blind for a workshop by Scott McCallum of Oregon. Oregon has done in-state, on-line student assessment for some time and Mr. McCallum was able to show teachers how to configure
During the 2014-15 school year, all students in grades 3-8, and 11 are now required to take on-line performance tests which are aligned with the Common Core State Standards. Making on-line testing accessible is a daunting task requiring possible new equipment, updated software, training for test administrators, and additional student time away from the classroom. Because of this, SBAC is offering hard copies of both braille and large print versions of the test for this year and the following two years. This gives everyone time to practice, obtain the necessary equipment, and work out the accessibility issues, so that testing in future years goes smoothly. In the spring of 2014, a small group of teachers of the visually impaired (TVI’s) from the Bureau of Education & Services for the Blind (BESB) met with Joe Amenta, from the CT State Department of Education, to explore possible ways to make the SBAC tests accessible for our students who are blind or visually impaired and need braille or large print formats. A proposal was made to the state department, outlining accessibility-related challenges for our students and suggesting what might be necessary to appropriately address them. This included equipment needs for each student, training needed for staff administering the tests, and a suggested timeline for implementation. The proposal was submitted to Smarter Balanced, both at the state and federal level, where it was well-received. The end result was that our team of teachers was asked by the State Department of Education and the SBAC to join a consortium of TVIs from Vermont, Maine, and New Hampshire to explore ways to make SBAC testing On January 26, the teachers traveled to Perkins School for the Blind for a workshop by Scott McCallum of Oregon. Oregon has done in-state, on-line student assessment for some time and Mr. McCallum was able to show teachers how to configure