The Braille Brain Foundations Assessment may be used by teachers to inform them of students’ skills using some informal processes. The reading levels used to describe skill sets are based on a developmental grade-level scope and sequence. Based on research and created using a systematic process, read more here to learn about the science behind these tools.
Each individual who embarks upon a tactile literacy journey has many contributing skills leading to reading comprehension. Identifying the strengths and assets (e.g. cultural and linguistic experiences and background) of an individual can lead to better instruction and an understanding of the skills needed to become proficient readers. The Braille Brain Foundations Assessment was developed as an informal approach that may be used to inform teachers about contributing factors related to the student’s reading. However, the assessment is currently not standardized or validated. Therefore, it is intended only to provide teachers with graded level material and an informal practice to be used to gather pertinent information about how a student engages in the reading process.
Learning to read in braille is a process requiring foundational literacy skills, language comprehension, sensory efficiency, and access. Authors of Braille Brain highly recommend that formal assessment techniques and other evaluative and diagnostic language and literacy assessment methods are used to create a detailed literacy profile of each individual. Moreover, factors related to sensory efficiency and access must also be evaluated when considering literacy instruction for a student with visual impairment. Each student should undergo a comprehensive evaluation by a qualified and licensed teacher of students with visual impairments, to ensure that language, literacy, sensory efficiency, learning media, and access needs are all considered in a holistic and integrated manner. Such an evaluation will provide the IEP team with a thorough understanding of the strengths, assets, and areas of improvement for each individual with regard to literacy. Comprehensive evaluation is needed to develop the best and most appropriate literacy program suitable for each individual.
Content found in the Braille Brain Foundations Assessment are organized by developmental reading level. They are designed to become increasingly more difficult beginning with a graded reading level of 1st grade and continuing through 12th grade. Methods used to identify the developmental levels for each component are described below:
Word lists: Several sources were used to generate the content represented in the word lists. For the pre-k through sixth grade lists, Fry’s word list of high frequency words (Fry, et al., 2006), the New Jersey Tiered System of Support sample Phonics/Word Analysis Scope and Sequence (NJTSS, 2019), the Wilson Reading System® (WLS, 2024) were used as the primary sources. Graded lists 6th-12th were developed using the Middle School Vocabulary List (MSVL; Greene & Coxhead, 2015), and Secondary Vocabulary List (SVL; Greene & Lambert, 2018) were the basis of generating these lists.
Short and Long passages: Short and long passages were developed and leveled using the ATOS readability scale (Citation needed). The short passages were written by a team of Teachers of Students with Visual Impairments as part of the previous iBraille Challenge Mobile App. Each passage was developed to include two reading comprehension questions. Long passages were written by a team of educational consultants. Five comprehension questions were written for each passage and aligned with common core state standards.
Dictation: The writing dictation exercises were written by a team of Teachers of Students with Visual Impairments as part of the previous iBraille Challenge Mobile App. Each set of prompts tests spelling and progressively increases in difficulty. Prompts at the upper grade levels include sentences and short paragraphs, allowing for a broader examination of the students’ use of grammar and punctuation. Items in writing dictation were leveled according to the common core standards and controlled for contractions appropriate to the corresponding developmental grade level.
Multiple Choice: The multiple choice questions were written by a team of Teachers of Students with Visual Impairments as part of the previous iBraille Challenge Mobile App. Common Core standards for writing content knowledge were used. The braille contractions were controlled for aligned with grade level expectations for vocabulary and sight words. Additional questions were developed to test students’ knowledge about the rules governing specific braille contractions.
Coxhead, A. (2016). Reflecting on Coxhead (2000), “A New Academic Word List.” TESOL Quarterly, 50(1), 181–185. https://doi-org.mimas.calstatela.edu/10.1002/tesq.287
Coxhead, A. (2000). A New Academic Word List. TESOL Quarterly, 34(2), 213–238.
Fry, E.B., Ph.D. & Kress, J.E., Ed.D. (2006). The Reading Teacher’s Book of Lists 5th Edition. San Francisco, CA: Jossey Bass.
Gardner, D., & Davies, M. (2014). A New Academic Vocabulary List. Applied Linguistics, 35(3), 305–327.https://doi-org.mimas.calstatela.edu/10.1093/applin/amt015
Green, C., & Lambert, J. (2018). Advancing disciplinary literacy through English for academic purposes: Discipline-specific wordlists, collocations and word families for eight secondary subjects. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 35, 105–115. https://doi-org.mimas.calstatela.edu/10.1016/j.jeap.2018.07.004
Institute of Education Sciences, 2010. What Works Clearinghouse: Wilson Reading System®.https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/Docs/InterventionReports/wwc_wilson_070110.pdf
New Jersey Tired System of Supports (NJTSS, 2019). Sample phonics scope and sequence.https://www.nj.gov/education/specialed/programs/additionalsupports/dyslexia/docs/NJTSS%20Sample%20Phonics%20Scope%20and%20Sequence.pdf
Wilson Language System (WLS, 2024). Experts in structured literacy and the Science of Reading.https://www.wilsonlanguage.com/why-wilson/experts-in-structured-literacy/
