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School-Wide Hearing Screening At the beginning of each school year, every student's hearing is tested (at the elementary school level) during the school-wide vision and hearing screenings. Students are given a "pure-tone" hearing test in which tones are presented in each ear at three different frequencies (pitches) through headphones. State guidelines require students to be tested at a volume level of 20 decibels (dB) for each frequency. If a student does not respond to hearing one or more tones at 20dB, they are re-tested immediately by the Speech-Language Pathologist during the hearing screening. If they are still unable to respond to hearing one or more tones at 20dB, they are added to a "re-check" list administered at a later date by the school nurse. These re-checks typically occur a few weeks after the initial screening. Reasons for students not passing the school-wide hearing screening can be due to: a child having a head cold during the initial screening (interfering with their ability to hear the tones adequately), or a child not being familiar with the procedure-or familiar enough with the English language- to follow the testing directions. If a child does not pass the hearing "re-check" administered by the school nurse, a letter is sent home to the parents recommending medical follow up with their family physician. The child's teacher is also notified so that the teacher can be sure to accommodate students that may be experiencing some hearing difficulty. Preferential Seating Suggestions for Teachers |
