Educational AssessmentsBy: Carmen Willings
teachingvisuallyimpaired.com Updated June 15, 2025 Conducting developmental, educational, and psychological assessments with students who are blind or visually impaired presents unique challenges. Standardized tests are often designed with visual components, and simply converting a test into braille, large print, or audio does not automatically make it valid or accessible. The appropriateness of an assessment depends not only on the test format but also on how dependent the content is on visual references.
Considerations for Test AdaptationA test must be administered in a format the student can use effectively. For example:
Guidelines for Formal TestingToni Heinze, co-author of Foundations of Education, Second Edition: Volume II – Instructional Strategies for Teaching Children and Youths with Visual Impairments, outlines important guidelines for adapting formal assessments:
Developmental AssessmentsMany assessments are based on typical developmental sequences for sighted children. However, children who are blind or visually impaired—especially those with additional disabilities—may follow different developmental pathways. Below are some specialized assessments for students with visual impairments:
Brigance Inventory (APH)
Intelligence TestsDifferential Ability Scales II – Second Edition (DAS-II)
Auditory ProcessingComprehensive Test of Phonological Processing (CTOPP)
Final ThoughtsEffective assessment of students who are blind or visually impaired requires:
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