American Sign Language (ASL) Assessments

Students are assessed in both expressive and receptive ASL using several instruments. The KSD Visual Listening Assessment (VLAT) was developed during the spring of 1994 and updated in the summer of 2018. It was developed by the staff at the Kansas School for the Deaf for the purpose of assessing deaf students' visual attending comprehension in American Sign Language.

Students are administered the VLAT every three years as part of their Comprehensive Evaluation.

To measure a student's expressive competency in ASL, the Kendall Conversational Proficiency Rating Scale is administered. The assessment focuses largely on the child's expressive competencies in conversational situations across various settings, such as the hallway, cafeteria, and classroom. Students are given a rating on a scale from 0 - 7. Those students receiving ASL tutoring services are assessed annually using the P-Levels. Recommendations are made for teachers to recognize the visual attending skills that students need. Bilingual specialists analyze the results and create recommendations for the teachers. 

The VCSL (Visual Communication and Sign Language) checklist is also used with students to find specific communication skills that need improvement when ASL language development is in the range of birth to 5 years of age, regardless of the student’s chronological age.

After assessment, expressive and receptive communication goals are then developed for each student’s IEP and given to an ASL tutor to begin services. The goals are reviewed each quarter for benchmark completion and reviewed at the next IEP meeting.