Program Accountability for Students who are Visually Impaired

Abstract

Administrators across the country are collecting and analyzing program and studentspecific data to meet the requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act ( 2001), Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (2004), and state performance plans. Although most states are not required to disaggregate data for students who are visually impaired (that is, those who are blind or have low vision), educational programs that serve this population are mandated to analyze these data for the effectiveness of programs. One such process is results-based accountability, which Friedman ( 2005) described as a disciplined way of thinking and taking action that can be used to improve the performance of programs, agencies, and service systems. Multiple data points are required to meet the mandates of the federal and state requirements, such as data on students' achievement in both academics (reading, math, and science) and functional outcomes or instruction in the Expanded Core Curriculum (ECC) content area (Hatlen, 1996), least restrictive environment, timely and accurate assessments, and use of research or evidencebased instructional strategies.

Development and Initial Validation of the O&M VISSIT for Orientation and Mobility Specialists to Determine Service Intensity

“…In 2013, the Service Intensity Subcommittee of the Texas Action Committee for the Education of Students with Visual Impairments (a Texas Education Agency-endorsed stakeholder group tasked with ensuring appropriate educational services for students who are blind/vision impaired) carefully examined available service determination tools (Toelle and Blankenship, 2008;Durkel and Miller, 2009; Michigan Department of Education, 2017) and found these tools lacked the guidance needed to determine service type, time, and intensity recommendations. The tools either did not address all skill areas related to individual needs or included aspects unrelated to student need (e.g., practitioner's workload, material preparation, and travel).…”