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 j43A58G23020; Tue, 3 May 2005 06:05:08 -0400 (EDT) Date: Tue, 3 May 2005 06:05:08 -0400 (EDT) Message-Id: <002201c54fc7$4540fba0$a730be44@Christopher> 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: "Christopher Lee" <christopherlee@mindspring.com> To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-ld@literacy.nifl.gov> Subject: [NIFL-LD:4757] RE: Should instruction, and high-stakes assess 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: 8655 Lines: 194 Susan - have you tried the premier (voice our ATT and much better) http://www.premier-programming.com/ ----- Original Message ----- From: "Susan Jones" <SUJones@parkland.edu> To: "Multiple recipients of list" <nifl-ld@literacy.nifl.gov> Sent: Monday, May 02, 2005 6:34 PM Subject: [NIFL-LD:4755] RE: Should instruction, and high-stakes assess > Students with the right documentaiton here can take the college assessment > test with accommodations, and (at least hypothetically) get materials read > to them, so for these people, reading has been "redefined" as including > hearing it. I'm not sure it's really being redefined, since the students > are getting meaning from written text. > Unfortunately, articles like this lead many people to the conclusion > that, say, if I have TextHelp! in my computer lab here at the college, > that a whole lot more students will be a whole lot more successful. > Anybody who's been down the road knows otherwise. The infrastructure has > to be there to support the software. WHen a whole system has made an > investment into the software, they've also made an investment in that > infrastructure * or, at least, I pause to consider cynically, enough > investment to have somebody for a press release. Could even be that that > student brought motivation and language skills to the picture that many > students don't have, and that despite the description, many students are > laboriously proceeding through a process that has little or no meaning to > them (except the part about "you have to do this 'cause it's school, don't > expect it to make sense, that's for smart people" * one of my least > favorite meanings). > > Most of the students who try TextHelp! here are disappointed in the > quality of the reading; it's not somebody reading the text aloud. They > would have to (as they would with text) interpret the words and if they're > strong auditory learners maybe even have to "translate" the words into > another more prosodic voice. For the software to help them, they would > need to learn to do this. > Then there's that other elusive factor * the perception of the learning > as something just a little bit independent of The Assignment... the idea > that you learn about something (listen to the book, digest it, think about > it) and then use that knowledge to complete the assignment. Most of the > folks I see honestly want the most efficient way to Complete The > Assignment, and * even if the thing's already scanned in for them, which > wouldn't always be possible * hearing the text isn't the most efficient > way to do it. > I don't know that the law would require consideration of purchase of > any specific product; the laws (as should our thoughts and plans) are > geared more towards meeting the student needs with reasonable > accommodations. I do know that we've got lots of text-to-speech > options... and have for some time, as it's been a need for some time. > It's expanding the "need" definition to include those who can see that's > the change. > > > Susan Jones > Academic Development Specialist > Academic Development Center > Parkland College > Champaign, IL 61821 > sujones@parkland.edu > Webmastress, > http://www.resourceroom.net > >>>> Steve.Noble@ky.gov 5/2/2005 9:33:17 AM >>> > A "bibliography" of sorts is available at the following website: > http://kamc.louisville.edu/kyecontent/Documents.htm > (Scroll down to the list of articles and other studies.) > > The state of Kentucky has had a statewide Universal Design for Learning > (UDL) project in place now for a number of years. We now have about 95% > of > all K-12 schools in the state using text-to-speech software. The state > negotiated a special agreement with TextHelp to obtain school site license > for TextHelp "Read and Write" software at a much reduced rate. This > software includes not only software for reading, but also writing, web > surfing, etc. It is also used for the state assessment, as long as it is > written into the student's IEP or Section 504 plan for a reading > accommodation. > > If you would like more background on the Kentucky UDL project, there is an > article on the NASDSE website detailing the work of Kentucky, New York, > California and Ohio in implementing UDL principles. This article is a bit > dated now, but gives some good background. It is at > http://www.nasdse.org/publications/udl.pdf > > Best regards, > Steve Noble > Policy Analyst > Kentucky Assistive Technology Service Network > 8412 Westport Road > Louisville, KY 40242 > Voice: (502) 429-4484 x268 > Toll-Free: (800) 327-5287 > Fax: (502) 429-7114 > Steve.Noble@ky.gov > Board of Directors, Learning Disabilities Association of America (National > Board) > Board of Directors, Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic (KY Unit) > Vice-President, Learning Disabilities Association of Kentucky > Editor-in-Chief, Information Technology and Disabilities > > -----Original Message----- > From: Janice Komisor [mailto:jkomisor@projecteaston.org] > Sent: Monday, May 02, 2005 9:59 AM > To: Multiple recipients of list > Subject: [NIFL-LD:4747] RE: Should instruction, and high-stakes > assessments offer text to speech software? > > > > The Annals of Dyslexia has published studies on efficacy - some of them > can be found at the Kurzweil link below or through the International > Dyslexia Association. Although there are many text to speech systems I > believe the Kurzweil system is the oldest and best. It goes way beyond > text to speech - providing auditory and visual feedback and a suite of > study skills tools. > http://www.kurzweiledu.com/proof_research.asp > > Janice Komisor > Director of Language and Literacy > ProJeCt of Easton, Inc. > Easton, PA 18042 > > > -----Original Message----- > From: nifl-ld@nifl.gov [mailto:nifl-ld@nifl.gov] On Behalf Of David > Rosen > Sent: Sunday, May 01, 2005 1:21 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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