RD417 - Advisory Board on Teacher Education and Licensure Report to the Board of Education on the 2009 Virginia General Assembly House Bill 2224 Regarding Braille Certification


Executive Summary:
The 2009 Virginia General Assembly enacted the following House Bill 2224 regarding Braille:

VIRGINIA GENERAL ASSEMBLY, HOUSE BILL 2224, CHAPTER 202

An Act to direct the Advisory Board on Teacher Education and Licensure, in consultation with the Department for the Blind and Vision Impaired, to make recommendations regarding the certification of Braille instructors.

[H 2224] Approved March 27, 2009

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

§ 1. That by December 31, 2009, the Advisory Board on Teacher Education and Licensure, in consultation with the Department for the Blind and Vision Impaired, shall make recommendations to the Board of Education and the Chairmen of the House Committee on Education and the Senate Committee on Education and Health regarding the certification of Braille instructors.

In consultation with the Department for the Blind and Vision Impaired, the Advisory Board on Teacher Education and Licensure (ABTEL) began discussions regarding Braille instruction, certification, and licensure. On March 16, 2009, the Advisory Board received a presentation from Mrs. Anne Wescott, assistant superintendent, Division of Policy and Communications, Virginia Department of Education, on the proposed legislation on Braille. On April 20, 2009, ABTEL received additional background information from Mrs. Patty Pitts, assistant superintendent for teacher education and licensure, Virginia Department of Education, and Mr. Glen Slonneger, education services program director, Department for the Blind and Vision Impaired. During the meeting on April 20, 2009, the Advisory Board approved a committee to research the policy issues and make recommendations to the full Advisory Board. Refer to Attachment A for the composition of the committee.

ABTEL’s committee on Braille convened July 8 and August 5, 2009. At the meeting on August 5, 2009, Dr. Edward C. Bell, director of the Professional Development and Research Institute on Blindness, Louisiana Technology University, and Mr. Michael Kasey, National Federation of the Blind, met with the committee to present information on The National Literary Braille Competency Test. The Advisory Board on Teacher Education and Licensure met on September 20-21, 2009, to review the committee’s report and make a recommendation to the Board of Education. The Advisory Board received the report of the committee including research on Braille instruction, authority regarding Braille instruction, licensure assessments, the current teacher work force with endorsements in visual impairments, Virginia’s consortium to prepare teachers of visual impairments, requirements of other states, and available Braille assessments.