Educational Assessments

By: 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 Adaptation

A test must be administered in a format the student can use effectively. For example:
  • A student who has not yet learned contracted braille should be given tests in uncontracted braille.
  • A student unfamiliar with audio formats may be at a disadvantage if the test is audio-only.
  • If a computer-based test is used, the student must be familiar with the testing platform and ensure compatibility with assistive technology (screen readers, magnification software, etc.).
In some cases, test items may be too complex to convert. These items may need to be:
  • Replaced with similar, accessible items that assess the same skill, or
  • Omitted, with appropriate adjustments to scoring and interpretation.

Guidelines for Formal Testing

Toni 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:
  • Tests should be used for appropriate comparison purposes
  • Modifications must not significantly alter the test content
  • Interpretation must be cautious, relying more on a performance analysis than just test scores
Because students with visual impairments are typically not represented in standardization samples, adaptations can affect test validity. IEP and assessment teams must weigh the advantages and limitations of each tool and determine the purpose of the assessment.

Developmental Assessments

Many 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)
  • A criterion-referenced diagnostic tool that identifies a student’s strengths and weaknesses in specific skill areas.
  • Available in large print and braille from the American Printing House for the Blind (APH).
Callier-Azusa Scales, Editions G & H
  • Designed for children ages 0–10, especially those with deafblindness or multiple severe disabilities.
  • Includes subscales for visual, auditory, and tactile development.
DASH-3 (Developmental Assessment for Individuals with Severe Disabilities)
  • Measures specific skill levels in individuals of all ages with severe/multiple disabilities, including autism and intellectual disabilities.
  • Also appropriate for individuals with mild to moderate disabilities and children functioning at a developmental level of birth to 6 years.
HELP (Hawaii Early Learning Profile) – VORT Corporation
  • A comprehensive, family-centered curriculum-based assessment for infants and toddlers.
  • Widely used in early intervention settings.
Oregon Project for Visually Impaired and Blind Preschoolers ​
  • Designed for children birth to 6 years old who are blind or visually impaired.
  • Includes over 200 skill areas, such as cognitive, language, compensatory, vision, social, fine motor, gross motor, and self-help.
Reynell-Zinkin Developmental Scales
  • Designed specifically for young children with visual impairments.
  • Assesses mental development, guides intervention planning, and can help measure progress.

Intelligence Tests

Differential Ability Scales II – Second Edition (DAS-II)
  • Uses profile analysis to highlight strengths and weaknesses.
  • Supports IEP development and intervention planning.
Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC)
  • Measures both verbal and performance intelligence.
  • Includes subtests such as vocabulary, comprehension, matrix reasoning, and picture completion.
  • Administration time: 65–80 minutes; average IQ score is 100.
Woodcock-Johnson III: Tests of Achievement
  • Widely used for identifying learning disabilities and individual academic strengths and weaknesses.
  • Available in large print and braille formats from APH.
  • Suitable for individuals ages 2 and up.

Auditory Processing

Comprehensive Test of Phonological Processing (CTOPP)
  • Assesses reading-related phonological processing skills.
  • Widely used in both research and clinical settings.
Developmental Test of Auditory Perception (DTAP)
  • Measures auditory perception without requiring advanced memory or verbal reasoning.
  • Uses CD-based stimuli including both language and non-language sounds.
  • Appropriate even for young children.
Test of Auditory Perceptual Skills (TAPS)
  • Assesses how well a person processes auditory information.
  • Designed for use as part of a broader assessment battery by SLPs, audiologists, psychologists, and related professionals.

​Final Thoughts

Effective assessment of students who are blind or visually impaired requires:
  • Understanding of how vision impacts development and learning
  • Selecting or modifying tools appropriately
  • Interpreting results within the context of the student’s sensory and experiential differences
Assessment teams must be flexible, creative, and thoughtful when choosing and interpreting tools, ensuring the student's unique abilities and needs are accurately represented.
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