Including Students with Deafblindness in Large Scale Assessment Systems

Why Should Students with Deafblindess Be Included in Large Scale Assessment Systems?

Assessment Guidelines

Accommodation Study

Quality Indicators Study

Postsecondary Study

Project Staff

Reference Materials

Interdisciplinary Human Development Institute

The Interdisciplinary Human Development Institute-UCE at the University of Kentucky, is conducting a three-year (October 1, 1999 - September 30, 2002), multi-state investigation to study how students with deafblindness fare in large-scale assessment systems.  This project collaborates with federally funded deafblind projects in three states (Kentucky, Louisiana, and Tennessee) to verify the primary research objective: How do students with deafblindness fare in large-scale assessment systems? This inductive, theory-building study utilizes a descriptive and comparative design within a case study approach.  The following research questions guide the study:

1)  What are the exemption rates for students who are deafblind in large-scale assessments?

2)  How do student scores in both alternate and general assessment compare with their peers both with and without disabilities?

3)  How are accommodations for students participating in the general assessment determined, implemented and with what result?

4)  To what extent do the performance standards for the alternate assessment correlate with indices of best practices for students who are deafblind?

5)  To what extent do student scores in their final year of school correlate with positive outcomes upon graduation?

6)  To what extent are teachers of students who are deafblind modifying their curricular and instructional practices to align with the assessment?

    Our research design is based on the notion that inclusion of students with significant disabilities in large-scale assessment programs must be defined within the context of challenging standards, assessment, and public accountability for achieving higher levels of performance for all students. Students with deafblindness may require highly specialized accommodations and alternatives to meaningfully participate in large-scale assessment systems. Most importantly, however, assessment results information should assist schools and technical assistance projects in making informed decisions about appropriate instructional practices for students with deafblindness.