What is the Learning Media Assessment (LMA)?
A learning media assessment is mandated in the State Board of Education Rules for each student who is referred for an initial evaluation to determine eligibility as visually impaired. It is also required every three years as part of the reevaluation process to maintain eligibility. Best practices indicate that the learning media assessment should be an ongoing process and it should be updated as often as needed, sometimes annually for very young students or those whose needs and abilities change. All students who are referred for evaluation or reevaluation to determine eligibility as visually impaired must receive a learning media assessment conducted by a certified teacher of students with visual impairments. It must include: • Recommendations for the use of visual, tactual, and auditory learning media. • A recommendation for ongoing assessment when it is needed. • A determination of the student’s primary learning medium to decide whether the student is functionally blind.
