Return-Path: <nifl-ld@literacy.nifl.gov> Received: from literacy (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by literacy.nifl.gov (8.10.2/8.10.2) with SMTP id j41NPRG01081; Sun, 1 May 2005 19:25:27 -0400 (EDT) Date: Sun, 1 May 2005 19:25:27 -0400 (EDT) Message-Id: <LOBBICLOAFKBEPDBHIAJEECGFOAA.l.cuttler@comcast.net> Errors-To: listowner@literacy.nifl.gov Reply-To: nifl-ld@literacy.nifl.gov Originator: nifl-ld@literacy.nifl.gov Sender: nifl-ld@literacy.nifl.gov Precedence: bulk From: "Lucille Cuttler" <l.cuttler@comcast.net> To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-ld@literacy.nifl.gov> Subject: [NIFL-LD:4746] RE: Should instruction, and high-stakes assessments offer text to speech software? X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook IMO, Build 9.0.6604 (9.0.2911.0) Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Type: text/plain; Status: O Content-Length: 2850 Lines: 67 Hi friends, So what's new? Auditory learners will "get it" when they hear it. Lucille Cuttler -----Original Message----- From: nifl-ld@nifl.gov [mailto:nifl-ld@nifl.gov]On Behalf Of David Rosen Sent: Sunday, May 01, 2005 1:22 PM To: Multiple recipients of list Subject: [NIFL-LD:4745] Should instruction, and high-stakes assessments offer text to speech software? NIFL-LD, NIFL-Technology, NIFL-Assessment and AAACE-NLA Colleagues, Today's Boston Globe's Education section http://www.boston.com/news/education/k_12/articles/2005/05/01/ hear_words_see_a_difference/ has an article about how Massachusetts high school students with reading disabilities use text (or print)-to-speech [ http://wiki.literacytent.org/index.php/Text-to-speech ] software to help them improve their reading and writing skills, and to take high-stakes and other standardized tests. Massachusetts is not the only state that allows this practice. "Teachers liken the effect to runners who train with faster athletes to get used to a quicker pace. Students who used to get bogged down in chapter one can now read books cover to cover. It's because they can focus less on what the words are and more on what they mean." "A growing body of research indicates these reading programs help students make significant strides, and under special education law, schools are required to consider buying reading programs that might help students with disabilities." I have several questions for you: 1. What is the "growing body of research" on this? Can anyone give us citations? (Are any on-line?) 2. Do your students with reading disabilities (or reading difficulties) use text-to-speech? What do you think of this practice? 3. Are adult education programs in your state required by law to consider buying reading programs like this for students with reading disabilities? If not, should they be? 4. Should adult literacy education standardized tests (TABE, CASAS, BEST, BEST PLUS and others) be required to have this option? Should states be required to make it available? 5. Should reading be re-defined to include the use of text-to-speech, just as increasingly mathematics now includes/allows the use of a pocket calculator? If so, what are the implications for the field of adult basic literacy? I expect there will be a lot of response to these questions, especially the last one. I have posted this on four e-lists because I think it raises issues of concern to readers on all these e-lists (and maybe others). To avoid confusion, and to give everyone a chance to see the entire discussion, I propose that we have this discussion on one list, NIFL-LD. If you are not subscribed to this e-list, you can easily and quickly subscribe by going to http://www.nifl.gov/lincs/discussions/nifl-ld/ learning_disabilities.html David J. Rosen djrosen@comcast.net
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