Timelines for Transition of State Assessments to Unified English Braille
February 2017
SPECIAL EDUCATION FIELD ADVISORY
To:
District Superintendents
Superintendents of Public Schools
Principals of Public, Nonpublic and Charter Schools
Superintendents of State-Operated and State-Supported Schools
Executive Directors of Approved Private Schools
Public School Administrators
Charter School Administrators
Nonpublic School Administrators
Directors of Special Education
Directors of Pupil Personnel Services
Chairpersons of Coommittees on Special Education
Teachers of the Visually Impaired
Organizations, Parents and Individuals Concerned with Special Education
From: Angelica Infante-Green
Subject: Timelines for Transition of State Assessments to Unified English Braille 
The purpose of this memorandum is to provide information to school personnel regarding the timeline for the transition of State assessments to Unified English Braille (UEB) as well as to provide information on the ordering of textbooks and instructional materials in UEB code.
The New York State Education Department (NYSED), Office of Special Education release a field advisory in October of 2015 detailing background information regarding the transition to UEB, along with training resources and the production of instructional materials in the UEB format. That advisory can be found at:
The Offices of Special Education and State Assessment have been working
together to create a transition timeline for both the elementary- and intermediate-level State
assessments and Regents Examinations. The timeline presented below ensures that students will have
more than two full years of instruction utilizing UEB materials
prior to taking State assessments in the UEB format.
UEB State Assessment Transition Timeline
• 2017-18 and 2018-19: No change to State assessment formats. All State assessments will be
provided in the traditional English Braille American Edition (EBAE) only.
• 2019-20 school year and thereafter: New York State (NYS) Grades 3-8 English Language Arts and
Mathematics Tests and Grades 4 and 8 Science Tests provided in UEB only.
• 2019-20 school year and thereafter: Grades K-8 New York State English as a Second Language
Achievement Test (NYSESLAT) provided in UEB only.
• 2019-20 school year: NYS Grades 9-12 NYSESLAT will continue to be provided in EBAE only.
• 2019-20 school year: Regents Examinations provided in EBAE only.
• 2020-21 school year: Regents Examinations provided in both EBAE and UEB.
• 2020-21 school year and thereafter: Grades 9-12 NYSESLAT provided in UEB only.
• 2021-22 school year and thereafter: Regents Examinations provided in UEB only.
Information on requesting State assessments in braille formats can be found in
the Office of State Assessment’s School Administrator’s Manuals on the NYSED
website at https://www.p12.nysed.gov/assessment/manuals/.
For many students who are blind and visually impaired, braille is necessary for
the development of literacy. These students must receive instruction in reading UEB and have the
opportunity to practice and refine this skill prior to their participation in State assessments in
the UEB format. To do so, school administrators and teachers of the visually impaired must order
textbooks and related core instructional materials in UEB format in a timely manner. Information
regarding Accessible Instructional Materials (AIM) and how to obtain materials can be found on the
NYSED website at
https://www.p12.nysed.gov/specialed/aim/.
Questions regarding this memorandum may be directed to the Special Education
Policy Unit at 518-473-2878 or the Office of State Assessment at 518-474-5900. To ensure
dissemination to appropriate individuals within a school district, I ask Superintendents to please
share this memorandum with individuals such as Directors of Special Education, School
Psychologists, Committee on Special Education and Committee on Preschool Special Education
Chairpersons, Directors of Pupil Personnel
and Parent Teacher Associations.