28 Tests Designed for Blind and Low Vision Students

Overview

None of the standard tests given in psychology practice have normative data for blind and low vision students. Blind and low vision children are a highly variable group (so we will likely never have such norms!). In addition, on an everyday basis, blind and low vision children are being compared to sighted peers.

Adapted versions of tests have been produced to facilitate access. Standardization was conducted on the original test kits; thus, the standard scores do not reflect performance utilizing the tactile, braille, or large print versions. Additional items may need to be collected to administer the adapted tests; thus, adapted manuals and guides need to be carefully reviewed in advance. The following are tests that are available with adapted materials.

Adapted tests

Woodcock-Johnson IV (WJ IV)

The Woodcock-Johnson IV Tests of Cognitive, Achievement, and Oral Language (Form A) have adapted versions for large print and uncontracted and contracted braille (Unified English Braille-UEB with Nemeth and UEB Math/Science), which are available for purchase through the American Printing House for the Blind (APH, 2024). The user must have the original WJ IV kits to use the large print and braille versions as the adapted kits do not have all the materials needed for administration, such as audio CDs.

While the large print adaptation maintains the same test items and score clusters as the original WJ IV, changes were necessary on the braille adaptation to remove items or tests that were visually biased or when the test intent or task demands could not be maintained. The braille adaptation includes some modifications (e.g., tactile display), substitutions, and omission of items. The adapted versions of the tests use the general normative sample; however, “scoring tables and scoring software were developed specifically for the WJ IV-Braille, factoring in new clusters and item deletions and substitutions” (Jaffe, 2017, p. 27). Use the scoring software provided on the USB stick that comes with the braille adaptation kit.

To prepare for administration, read the Woodcock-Johnson IV Braille Adaptation Administration Guide and Resource Manual (Jaffe, 2017), and review the webinar Using a Team Approach in Evaluating Students w/ Visual Impairments Using  WJ-IV Braille Adaptation (Jaffe, 2022b) and accompanying handout (Jaffe, 2022a). The braille adaptation of the WJ IV must be administered and interpreted by an examiner team that includes a qualified primary examiner who is competent in administering the WJ IV to sighted individuals and an ancillary examiner who is competent in braille, Nemeth, and impacts of visual impairment on development and functioning (Jaffe, 2017). Jaffe recommends that “the examiners should have completed at least two practice administrations with individuals who are blind before administering the WJ IV-Braille for the purpose of using the scores and interpreting the results” (2017, p. 8). Using a team approach to testing braille readers is recommended for all of the following adapted tests.

Wide Range Achievement Test, Fifth Edition (WRAT5)

The Wide Range Achievement Test, Fifth Edition (WRAT5) is available in braille (UEB with Nemeth) and large print (APH, 2024). The user must have the original WRAT5 kit to use the large print and braille versions. APH’s Product Manager for Tests and Assessments shared,

The WRAT5 has not been normed to the VI population. The validity is largely maintained due to the process in which the adaptation was done. Print based questions were directly reproduced in either braille or large print. For questions that included visual components, best efforts, guided by BANA [Braille Authority of North America] rules for tactile graphics, were made to maintain the integrity of the questions. Questions that could not be meaningfully converted to tactile graphics were removed. (L. Randles, personal communication, February 24, 2022)

While the adapted WJ IV kits use Form A for the Tests of Achievement, the blue and green forms are available in the adapted kits for the WRAT5.

KeyMath3 Diagnostic Assessment

The KeyMath3 Diagnostic Assessment is available in uncontracted braille, contracted braille, and large print (APH, 2024). The uncontracted and contracted braille adaptations are available in UEB with Nemeth while the UEB with UEB math/science technical braille code adaptation is available only in contracted form. The user must have the original KeyMath3 kit to use the large print and braille versions.

Boehm-3: Test of Basic Concepts

The adapted versions of the Boehm-3: Test of Basic Concepts do not require the original test kit (APH, 2024). Standardized scoring is not an option. All the materials needed for administration are included in the adapted kits. The Boehm-3 K-2 Big Picture Kit and Boehm-3 K-2 Tactile Kit have protocols in English and Spanish. The Boehm-3 K-2 parent report is available in English and Spanish.

Similarly, the Boehm-3 Preschool adapted test kits do not require the original test kit for administration. Boehm-3 Preschool Big Picture Kit is available in English and Spanish while the Boehm-3 Preschool Tactile Edition is available in English. The Boehm-3 Preschool parent letter is available in English only.

Brigance Comprehensive Inventory of Basic Skills II (Brigance CIBS II)

The adapted criterion-referenced versions of the Brigance Comprehensive Inventory of Basic Skills (CIBS) II are available in uncontracted braille (UEB with Nemeth), contracted braille (UEB with Nemeth), and large print. The original Brigance CIBS II was created in 2010, including a criterion-referenced version and a standardized, norm-referenced version. Curriculum Associates stopped selling the standardized version in 2020 due to its age (T. Pica, personal communication, September 28, 2022). The original version of the Brigance CIBS II is needed and can be purchased from Curriculum Associates. The CIBS II examiner’s manual will no longer be available for purchase once they sell out of their limited inventory.

The Brigance CIBS II braille adaptations include two supplemental teacher manuals that list administration notes and alternative assessments for tests A  through L and tests M through R. For example, the examiner script was changed for some tests when the images were changed to different shapes and textures in the tactile graphic adaptation. While the braille adaptations include tactile graphics and math manipulatives (i.e., flat plastic shapes), examiners may need to collect additional items to facilitate the administration of some of the tests.

Aprenda: La Prueba de Logros en Español, Tercera edición (Aprenda 3)

Per the Aprenda 3 website, this is an academic achievement test for Spanish-speaking students in kindergarten to 12th grade assessing language, reading, math, science, and social studies that is available in braille and large-print (Pearson, n.d.). While APH adapted the tests listed above, APH did not create the adaptation for the Aprenda 3.

Slosson Intelligence Test, Fourth Edition (SIT-4)

During the field testing and standardization of the Slosson Intelligence Test-Fourth Edition (SIT-4), various populations were included, such as individuals with blindness, learning disabilities, orthopedic impairments, behavioral and/or emotional disorders, and intellectual disability (Slosson et al., 2017). The SIT-4 is a verbal cognitive ability screening instrument, which may be used in conjunction with a battery of tests. The SIT-4 alone cannot be used as a sole criterion for differential diagnosis. The administrative guidelines were modified to accommodate special populations including blind students; however, these are not standardized alterations but are accommodations provided for optimal results (e.g., using raised stickers that add a tactile component to a task that originally involved counting pictures) (S. Slosson, personal communication, June, 7, 2021).

Tests Created for Blind and Low Vision Youth

INSITE Developmental Checklist, Third Edition

The Assessment of Developmental Skills for Young Children with Sensory Impairments and Additional Disabilities: Instruction Manual for the INSITE Developmental Checklist, Third Edition contains the checklist and instructions for scoring and reporting and has been revised with updated information about evaluating, establishing goals, and planning early intervention (Dennison & Wakins, 2024). The INSITE Developmental Checklist is a criterion-referenced assessment tool that evaluates gross motor, fine motor, self-help, cognition, social, emotional, communication, vision, auditory, and tactile development in children with sensory impairments and additional disabilities from birth to age six. It is appropriate to use with individuals with multiple disabilities who are functioning at an earlier developmental level than their chronological age. Many items must be collected in order to administer the test. The manual provides a list of suggestions for materials. The INSITE Developmental Checklist Test Booklet 2024 Edition includes the checklist, quick administration instructions, and scoring and reporting forms.

Oregon Project for Preschool Children who are Blind or Visually Impaired, Seventh Edition

The Oregon Project for Preschool Children who are Blind or Visually Impaired, Seventh Edition is also a criterion-referenced assessment tool with behavioral statements in developmental sequence from birth to age six in the areas of cognition, language, social, vision, compensatory, self-help, fine motor, and gross motor (Southern Oregon Education Service District, n.d.). This seventh edition is fully online, including the manual, skills inventory assessment, and curriculum. Evaluation teams may choose to administer the Oregon Project together or select different portions for different specialists to administer and collaborate in interpreting and reporting the student’s performance.

Neuropsychological Assessment of Adults with Visual Impairments (NAAVI)

As mentioned in the Important Areas to Assess chapter, the NAAVI was developed to assess blind and low vision individuals ages 16 to 70 and older (Gallagher & Burnham, 2017). The NAAVI includes 10 subtests: Auditory Cancellation Test, Michigan Mathematics Test for the Blind, Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test, Tactual Formboard Test, Pattern of Search Test, Adapted Token Test, Pattern Board Test, Digital Symbol, Tactile Block Design, and Object Assembly. Normative data was collected for the NAAVI; however, the sample was limited to individuals in Michigan. While practitioners may cautiously reference the normative information, the test provides valuable clinical data about the examinee’s neuropsychological skills, including executive functioning, reasoning, spatial processing, and memory. Performance on the NAAVI can help to inform recommendations for academics and vocational needs.