The purpose of this article is to support members of a student's multidisciplinary team to identify complex factors involved in providing valid classroom-based assessment data, including issues surrounding technology-based assessment for students who are deaf or hard of hearing (DHH). The diversity of this population creates unique challenges in creating guidelines for assessment. An overview of the diversity of DHH students is used to provide a framework for examining current assessment practices, including both effective and ineffective practices. Cognitive and linguistic learning differences and diverse language learning experiences in the population are discussed as they relate to assessment protocols. Paralleling technology-based learning experiences with comparable technology-based assessment experiences is also presented. Recommendations for planning for accessible and meaningful assessment include the use of innovative technologies to align instruction and assessment.

This study and discussion center upon the use of YouTube's automatic captioning feature with college-age adult readers. The study required 75 participants with college experience to view brief middle school science videos with automatic captioning on YouTube and answer comprehension questions based on material presented auditorily and/or through the automatic captions. Participants were divided into groups and presented with the captioned videos with or without sound. The videos, which all focused on the solar system, contained low and high instances of errors within the captions. The research found that comprehension of the automatic caption text varied significantly based on how the participants viewed the videos, with significantly more errors in comprehension for the group that viewed the high error video with automatic captioning only.

ADOLESCENT HEALTH and health literacy are critical health topics recognized in Healthy People 2020. Evidence indicates that adolescents who are d/Deaf have unique health-related needs, yet health communication efforts have not reached them. Despite the Internet's exponential growth and the growth of online health information seeking behavior among adolescents, reliable information devoted specifically to d/Deaf adolescents who communicate primarily in ASL is rare. D/deaf adolescent females face numerous challenges accessing web-based health information to enhance their decision making about important health issues such as body image, physical activity and nutrition, puberty, and relationships. A strong need exists for interdisciplinary professionals to investigate the health interests and online health information seeking behaviors of this group in order to effectively plan, implement, and evaluate a web-based health repository that delivers content in ASL. This Call to Action represents a first step in addressing that need.

An exploratory study was designed to describe Internet search behaviors of deaf adolescents who used Internet search engines to complete fact-based search tasks. The study examined search behaviors of deaf high school students such as query formation, query modification, Web site identification, and Web site selection. Consisting of two fact-based search tasks, the study was done in four regional day school programs for the deaf. As students conducted two search tasks, they completed task analyses of the selected Web sites and gave reasons for their selections. The research also identified the processes used by deaf students to compensate for limited English reading abilities while navigating search engines results that were typically written well above deaf students' average reading level. The results demonstrated that deaf adolescents were unable to initiate, conduct, analyze, or validate effective Internet searches in response to fact-based search tasks.

This exploratory study was designed to describe the Internet search behaviors of deaf adolescents using Internet search engines to complete fact-based search tasks. Because of the limited English reading skills of deaf students, and the complexity of Internet search results, effective Internet searching can be a challenging task. The study examined such Internet search behaviors of high school deaf students as query formation, query modification, Web site identification, and Web site selection. Supervisors from four regional day school programs for the deaf from throughout Texas allowed students to participate in the study. The study, consisting of two fact-based search tasks, occurred in the individual computer networks of each of the regional day school programs for the deaf. As students conducted two search tasks they completed a task analysis of the Web sites selected, and the reasons for their selections. Once all of the searches were completed, the researcher determined if there were any commonalities in the search behaviors of the research participants. The research also identified the processes used by deaf students to compensate for limited English reading abilities while navigating Internet search engines results that were typically written well above the average reading level of deaf students. Once students completed the search tasks, each of the task analyses were evaluated to ascertain if there were any commonalities among student behaviors while online completing the search tasks. The results demonstrated deaf high school students were unable to initiate, conduct, analyze, or validate effective Internet searches in response to fact-based search tasks.