Hearing Screening
Public and charter schools are required to complete a hearing screening for students in first, fourth, seventh, and tenth grades, as well as students transferring into the school and those suspected of having a hearing defect.
Vision Screening
Near and Distant Visual Acuity Screening Conducted by School
Public and charter schools are required to complete a vision screening for near and distance visual acuity for students in kindergarten or first, third, fifth, and eighth grades, as well as students suspected of having a visual defect.
Modified Clinical Technique (MCT) Testing Conducted by Licensed Eye Professional
In addition to the visual acuity screening conducted by the school corporation or charter school, a more extensive visual testing using the Modified Clinical Technique (MCT) performed by a licensed eye professional is required for students in kindergarten or first grade.
If schools are unable to locate an optometrist to perform the MCT vision testing, schools are encouraged to contact their regional optometry liaison. Under certain circumstances, Indiana state law does provide a waiver for the MCT portion of the vision screening. In order to be eligible for a possible waiver, schools must identify the reason(s) for the request on the waiver application and the extent to which they attempted to comply with the MCT requirement. If schools are unable to obtain the services of a licensed eye professional after making attempts to comply with the MCT vision testing requirement, a waiver can be requested.
The waiver only applies to the MCT portion of the vision screening. Schools cannot submit a waiver for the near and distant vision screening requirement. More information related to the MCT testing guidelines, locating an eye professional, or requesting a waiver can be found in the Vision Screening Memo posted above.
Hearing and Vision Screening Quick Reference Chart
| Grade Level | Kindergarten or First | First | Third | Fourth | Fifth | Seventh | Eighth | Tenth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Hearing Screening done by School or Designee | X | X | X | X | ||||
Near and Distant Visual Acuity Screening done by School or Designee | X | X | X | X | ||||
MCT Vision Testing done by a Licensed Eye Professional | X |
School Health Report
School personnel annually submit their hearing and vision screening data to the Indiana Department of Education by the last Friday in April. To access the School Health Report, school personnel will need to be assigned the role of “School Health” by their Security Data Coordinator and navigate to the report via the LINK Portal. School personnel are encouraged to work with their Security Data Coordinator to configure this role for those who will need access to the School Health Report.
Please note that schools cannot combine their reports and submit them as a corporation, as each school must complete their own report and submit it at the building level.
- Instructions for accessing and completing the School Health Report can be found here.
Additional resources regarding hearing and vision screening specifically for school nurses can be found in the School Nurse Community.