Assessment That Informs Instruction: Don't Just Guess - Assess!

Upon completion of the session, participants will be able to:

• Identify elements of effective reading instruction as well as the impact of a visual impairment on reading and writing.
• Describe why monitoring of reading and writing progress is an essential part of teaching.
• List various approaches and tools for assessing student progress in braille reading and writing and how they relate to essential elements of reading.
• Describe strategies for collaborating with classroom teachers to ensure students are making progress in literacy instruction.

PRESENTER SUMMARY:
Frances Mary D’Andrea, Ph.D., is an instructor at the University of Pittsburgh and other universities, and an educational consultant specializing in literacy issues related to students with visual impairments. She has completed the reading specialist program at University of Pittsburgh and supervises reading interns for the university. Dr. D’Andrea began as a teacher of students with visual impairments in 1982. From 1995-2005, she worked at the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB), and helped establish their National Literacy Center.

She co-authored Assistive Technology for Students Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired: A Guide to Assessment; Instructional Strategies for Braille Literacy; Looking to Learn: Promoting Literacy for Students with Low Vision; and The Braille Trail books. She is currently Chair of the Braille Authority of North America (BANA), and has served as AFB's representative to BANA since 1998.