Return-Path: <nifl-assessment@literacy.nifl.gov> Received: from literacy (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by literacy.nifl.gov (8.10.2/8.10.2) with SMTP id iANJvCQ02930; Tue, 23 Nov 2004 14:57:12 -0500 (EST) Date: Tue, 23 Nov 2004 14:57:12 -0500 (EST) Message-Id: <024601c4d196$123884d0$6501a8c0@PattiAALRC> Errors-To: listowner@literacy.nifl.gov Reply-To: nifl-assessment@literacy.nifl.gov Originator: nifl-assessment@literacy.nifl.gov Sender: nifl-assessment@literacy.nifl.gov Precedence: bulk From: "Patti White" <prwhite@MadisonCounty.NET> To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-assessment@literacy.nifl.gov> Subject: [NIFL-ASSESSMENT:760] Re: LD Assessment X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 6.00.2900.2180 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Type: text/plain; Status: O Content-Length: 6939 Lines: 135 Hi Andrea, Glad you got a soak in Hot Springs AND got to see a cotton field--an educational experience all around. Next time, check out NW Arkansas; my favorite part, but I'm biased. I'll try to answer your questions as best I can, how's that? I'm sure you're not the only one with the question about how to address the question of diagnosis without money. Actually, the first question I got this week concerned that issue, so bear with me while I cut and paste my initial response. This will explain what we've done in Arkansas, (and could be done in other states, too) and then I'll add some other ideas that may help until you get some kind of funding from the state. The funding we get for LD diagnosis is through our state leadership funds, and is only for adult education or literacy students whose goal is to pass the GED tests. Our previous state director, Mr. Garland Hankins, agreed to set aside some of those funds for this purpose to eliminate the barriers for those students in requesting and receiving accommodations on the GED. Most of our local programs have teachers/staff who have completed at least one training regarding screening adults for learning disabilities, which includes a comprehensive screening process, not just the administration of a particular screening tool. Volunteer tutors are not trained to conduct LD screening, although many of them have attended workshops to learn about teaching adults with learning disabilities. Students whose screening process indicates a need for further testing are referred to one of the 30 or so people we have trained to administer the Woodcock-Johnson test. If the student is unemployed, s/he is then referred to Arkansas Rehabilitation Services (ARS) to apply for services with that agency. ARS has agreed to conduct the WAIS test for potential clients who are working on their GED. Their in-house psychologist uses the WJ and WAIS scores to determine the presence of a learning disability and make recommendations for accommodations. If the student has a job but no resources to pay for private WAIS testing, we (the Arkansas Adult Learning Resource Center) have contracted with a number of mental health councils and private psychologists in the state to conduct the WAIS test for $150, which the AALRC pays for with those state leadership funds. This is all spelled out pretty completely on our website at http://www.aalrc.org/resources/ld/referralProcess.aspx if you want more specific information about the process. Some other potential resources for free or inexpensive diagnosis are: (1) Local mental health centers that diagnose on a sliding scale. (2) Some universities with graduate programs in psychology will conduct the evaluation free or on a sliding scale. The grad students do the assessments; the professor signs off as the certifying professional. (3) Sometimes you can find one or more local psychologists willing to do some pro-bono assessments. They can write it off on their taxes if you work for a non-profit, 501 (c)(3) organization. We had one such person walk into one of our local adult ed. programs and volunteer, completely unsolicited. She had done a lot of work for the public schools and is just one of those really neat people who likes to volunteer. (4) Some Speech & Hearing clinics at universities will do the assessment for a very reasonable cost, like $50. My experience has been that what works the best if you don't have a statewide way to deal with this issue is for local program directors to make presentations at civic organization luncheons, like Rotary or Kiwanis.....explain what you need and what you can provide in return for the community...and see what happens. Rotary has a huge literacy project underway and especially targets people with disabilities, so I'd start with them first. Regarding your TABE question: I'll probably get a lot of rolled eyes over this response, but gee, it really is what I think. I would never consciously do anything that would cause a student to walk out. If giving them a TABE test is going to make that happen, I would explain to the student that at some point soon, we'll have to do it because we are required to because it helps us know how to help them best, but I would let the student spend some time in a classroom first to establish enough trust that they are willing to bite the testing bullet. (This is where directors are rolling their eyes at me. I know. You can't count the hours until you TABE them. I've seen it pay off big in the long run, though.) In the meantime, I would start the LD screening process; i.e., be a really good observer of this student's learning behaviors. I would also ask the student if there is anything that could be done to make the test more user-friendly: More time? Private room? Audiocassette format? Read it to them? I would have that long-but-necessary discussion with the student about what makes testing hard/scary for them, and explain that if they take the TABE with and without accommodations (just the survey form), it will help me understand better how to teach them and help them reach their goals. This side-by-side comparison of accommodated/unaccommodated scores is one of the best indicators I've found for LD screening. Your last question about Pro-Lit measures vs. NRS, I really don't know. I never have done that research. But I have forwarded that question to someone who might know, and will post it when I get a response. If they don't know, I'll get busy researching, okay? Let me know if I haven't addressed your other questions as completely as you would like, or if I've only generated more questions. Patti White Disabilities Project Manager Arkansas Adult Learning Resource Center prwhite@madisoncounty.net ----- Original Message ----- From: AWilder106@aol.com To: Multiple recipients of list Sent: Tuesday, November 23, 2004 1:04 PM Subject: [NIFL-ASSESSMENT:757] Re: LD Assessment Hi Patti, I had the pleasure of visiting your state some years ago to recruit sites for a research project. First time I'd seen a cotton field. I visited Hot Springs and took a soak. OK, down to business. Yes, I have a couple of questions, but you may not have ready answers; however, I live in hopes. What do you recommend when a person needs a diagnosis but doesn't have the money to pay for one? And how do you handle a situation where students are allergic to taking a standardized test--TABE--yet federal funds are contingent on doing so? Allergic = they will walk out of the program. This has come up in a state where ProLiteracy CBO's are (or used to be) an integral part of the adult literacy landscape. What is the relationship of ProLiteracy literacy measures (criterion referenced) to measures allowed by the NRS? Is this situation reflected in other states? Thanks. Andrea Wilder
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