Preparing for the Event

Age Groups

The Braille Challenge has the following age groups:

Apprentice—1st and 2nd grades
Freshman—3rd and 4th grades
Sophomore—5th and 6th grades
Junior Varsity—7th, 8th and 9th grades
Varsity—10th, 11th and 12th grades

Does your braille reader need to test below grade level? That's okay! Students are allowed to participate in the event below grade level. However, it is important to note that only students who take the preliminary contest in contracted braille that corresponds to their age-appropriate academic grade level will be eligible to be invited to the Finals. However, to encourage full inclusion and maximum participation in the preliminary round, a student may take any level of contest. Also, the Apprentice preliminary contest is offered in uncontracted braille and also can be taken by students of any age.

Who takes what?!

Different age groups participate in different events. Below you will find who takes which category.

Apprentice

Spelling
Proofreading
Reading Comprehension

Freshman

Spelling
Proofreading
Reading Comprehension

Sophomore

Speed and Accuracy
Proofreading
Reading Comprehension
Charts and Graphs

Junior Varsity

Speed and Accuracy
Proofreading
Reading Comprehension
Charts and Graphs

Varsity

Speed and Accuracy
Proofreading
Reading Comprehension
Charts and Graphs

Categories

Speed and Accuracy

In this event, contestants listen to a recorded story and must transcribe it into Braille/Doc. Contestants are ranked from lowest to highest, based on the number of correct words (including punctuation) they transcribe from the page. Two points are subtracted for each word that contains one or more mistakes, including missing or extra words.

Spelling

Contestants are asked to spell Braille/Doc vocabulary words correctly. Points are earned for each correctly spelled word. Points are awarded for correctly brailling the uncontracted and contracted versions of the word correctly.

Proofreading

Contestants read a series of braille sentences or words. Contestants are asked to choose the correct answer from multiple-choice options.

Reading Comprehension

Contestants read a story in braille and then answer multiple-choice questions. Contestants are ranked in order based on the number of questions they answer correctly.

Charts and Graphs

Contestants read raised-line images called tactile graphs and earn points by correctly answering a series of multiple-choice questions about the content.

Braille Challenge Resources

The Braille Challenge has released previous years' testing materials for use in preparing students for the event. Click here to be redirected to their sample contests page.

If you have questions or comments, please contact us at jhooper@schools.nyc.gov.

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