Braille and Refreshable Braille

Owned by Bruce Malone
Last updated: Sept 12, 2024 by Robyn Gammill
4 min read
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Assessments

For a student who meets the eligibility criteria, this designated support may be used on:

  • STAAR all grades/subjects and courses (for brailled test material)

  • STAAR grades 3–8 reading language arts, grade 8 social studies, English I, English II, and U.S. History (for screen reader support for refreshable braille displays)

  • TELPAS grades 2–12 reading (for brailled test material)

Description of Designated Support

This designated support provides brailled test materials or screen reader support for refreshable braille displays to a student with a visual impairment (VI).

Student Eligibility Criteria

A student may use this designated support if the student routinely uses braille materials or screen readers during classroom instruction and classroom testing.

Authority for Decision and Required Documentation

  • For a student not receiving special education or Section 504 services, the decision is made by the appropriate team at the campus level (e.g., Response to Intervention [RtI] team, student assistance team) and documented according to district policies. The decision should be based on the eligibility criteria and aimed at addressing a student’s consistent academic struggle in a specific area even after intensive instruction and remediation.

  • For a student receiving Section 504 services, the decision is made by the Section 504 committee based on the eligibility criteria and is documented in the student’s individual accommodation plan (IAP).

  • For a student receiving special education services, the decision is made by the admission, review, and dismissal (ARD) committee based on the eligibility criteria and is documented in the student’s individualized education program (IEP).

  • In the case of an emergent bilingual (EB) student with a disability, the decision is made by the applicable group in conjunction with the student’s language proficiency assessment committee (LPAC) and documented in the student’s permanent record file and IAP or IEP.

Examples and Types

This designated support includes only:

  • state-provided contracted and uncontracted braille test materials in Unified English Braille (UEB) in all STAAR grades/subjects and courses,

  • online screen reader support for refreshable braille displays in STAAR RLA and social studies assessments, and

  • state-approved contracted and uncontracted braille test materials in UEB for TELPAS grades 2–12 reading.

Special Instructions and Considerations

  • When scheduling administrations, district testing personnel should remember that all student responses for paper braille tests must be transcribed into the Data Entry Interface (DEI) by the end of the STAAR two-week testing window or the TELPAS testing window to be scored.

  • A student who uses this designated support may need to complete the test in a separate setting to eliminate distractions to other students and to ensure the confidentiality of the test.

  • Student responses cannot be scored unless they are recorded according to the procedures outlined in the Basic Transcribing and/or Complex Transcribing policies.

  • General information about administering braille tests is available in the applicable STAAR Test Administration Information or TELPAS Paper and Holistic Test Administration Information.

  • Online screen reader support for refreshable braille displays includes visually hidden content presented to the screen reader and refreshable braille display only. If a student requires assistance with online screen reader support for refreshable braille displays, including how to access visually hidden content, refer to the Job Access with Speech (JAWS) help screen in Available Tools during an online administration.

NOTE: For students using online screen reader support for refreshable braille displays who also require a paper braille test, district testing personnel must contact Texas Testing Support at (833) 601-8821 to order paper copies of test booklets.

  • A student taking STAAR using a refreshable braille display will not be able to use the speech-to-text (STT) feature. District personnel should continue to use the same process for transcription used in daily instruction in the classroom. For example, district personnel may use Dragon speech recognition software to transcribe constructed responses.

  • Secure test instructions for administering braille tests are shipped with the individual braille test booklets prior to testing. Test administrators must review these instructions prior to test day to ensure that the test is administered properly. 

  • For students taking STAAR in a paper braille format who are also eligible to receive content and language supports, including students using a refreshable braille display, district testing personnel should set the STAAR & TELPAS Paper Test Format test mode field of the Test Information Distribution Engine (TIDE) to “Braille Contracted w/Regular Print Embedded Support” or “Braille Uncontracted w/Regular Print Embedded Support” to receive STAAR with Embedded Supports materials in addition to paper braille test materials. Test administrators will be provided with instructions regarding the administration of content and language supports for students taking a braille test or using screen reader support for refreshable braille displays.

District testing personnel should contact the Student Assessment Help Desk with any questions.