Effective Instructional Continuum for Children & Youth who are Blind or VI

Karen E. Blankenship, Ph.D.

Vanderbilt University

Learning Goals

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Participants will have an rudimentary understanding in the ECC continuum from assessment to evaluation for students with visual impairments.

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Effective Instructional Continuum

Eligibility Ongoing Evaluation Assessment Instruction Program Planning 3 Karen Blankenship, 2013

Eligibility

 Two Prong Test(eligible/entitled)   Disability that meets state criteria (certification) Disability impacts educational programming (verification) 4 Karen Blankenship, 2013

Eligibility

 Part B  Does the student have a visual impairment based on current (within 12 months) eye report? (review medical/health records) (eligibility)  If the student has a documented visual impairment how does it impact general education (entitled)?

 Essential Assessments o FVA o o LMA ECC 5 Karen Blankenship, 2013

Eligibility

  Team gathers academic data Teacher of Students who are Blind or VI (TVI) responsibility  Interpret and share information from eye report   Use information to determine needed accommodations for the essential assessments (EA) Conduct EA and explain impact of disability and needed accommodations 6 Karen Blankenship, 2013

Effective Instructional Continuum

Eligibility Ongoing Evaluation Assessment Instruction Program Planning 7 Karen Blankenship, 2013

Assessment vs. Evaluation

  Assessment is the measurable process of documenting the student’s knowledge, skills, attitudes, and beliefs Evaluation is the measure of a student’s learning and the effectiveness of your instruction 8 Karen Blankenship, 2013

Assessment

 IDEA 2004: Eligibility/entitlement and 3 year re-evaluation  Use a variety of assessment tools and strategies to gather relevant functional (ECC), developmental, and academic information about the child, including information provided by the parent and other pertinent members of the team     Parent permission is required  Due 60 days from parent signature (part B)  Due 45 days from parent signature (part C) Use technically sound instruments Administered by knowledgeable persons Valid, reliable, & comprehensive 

http://www.lighthouse.org/for-professionals/practice-management/patient-management-pediatrics/assessment-compendium/

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IDEA 2004 Mandate

  300.305 Additional requirements for evaluations and re evaluations  Iii. The present levels of academic achievement and related developmental needs of the child 300.320 Definition of IEP   (1) A statement of the child’s present levels of academic achievement and functional performance including  (i) how the child’s disability affects involvement in the general education (2) A statement of measurable goals, including academic and functional designed to..

  A. Meet the child’s need that results from disability to meet general education B. Meet each child’s other educational needs that result from the disability 10 Karen Blankenship, 2013

RIOT Model

  Review of records   Medical Educational Interviews    Families Students Education personnel 11 Karen Blankenship, 2013

RIOT Model continued

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Observations

 Home  Community     Classroom Lunchroom Play ground Computer lab

Testing

 Formal  Informal 12 Karen Blankenship, 2013

Assessment

 Guiding Principles          Everything begins with assessment Routine based for students with significant disabilities Always include families and give them a prominent voice Adhere to RIOT model Different protocols, tools and strategies for varying age, acuity, and ability levels Collaborative Effort Valid and reliable for students with VI Conducted over numerous days with various times of the day and environments Family-centered and routine based for Birth-5 13 Karen Blankenship, 2013

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Assessment

Purposes of Assessments for children who are blind or visually impaired  Eligibility   Two prong legal mandate evidence (certification) of a disability o Eye health report   Documented impact (verification) on educational program Essential Assessments (EA) Completed every 3 years unless team decides some information is not necessary Instruction   Academic Functional  ECC screen tool priority areas lead to assessment  Conducted yearly for instruction Karen Blankenship, 2013

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Assessments

Essential Assessments  Functional Vision Assessment (FVA)   How well vision is used in performing daily activities in a variety of settings Learning Media Assessment (LMA), including a basic reading inventory  Primary learning and literacy media  Primary, secondary, & tertiary access to learning    Reading & Listening comprehension Reading grade level Words read per minute 15 Karen Blankenship, 2013

Effective Instructional Continuum

Eligibility Ongoing Evaluation Assessment Instruction Program Planning 16 Karen Blankenship, 2013

Instruction

       Assessment data drives instruction Quality content framework(long range) Quality lesson plans  Measurable learning objectives Valid curriculum Research-based instructional strategies Amount of time needed to meet learning goals Evaluation and ongoing probes required 17 Karen Blankenship, 2013

Explicit Instruction

      Holistic Integrates smaller leaning units into meaningful wholes Is not skill and drill Is developmentally appropriate In not boring and alienating Is not all teacher directed 18 Karen Blankenship, 2013

Quote

 The ECC allows persons who are blind or visually impaired to opportunity to be equal and the right to be different  Phil Hatlen, 1996 19 Karen Blankenship, 2013

ECC

 The ECC is not new, elements of it have been known for years. References to grooming skills date back to 1892. The need for social interaction skills appeared in literature in 1929 and again in 1948. Between 1953 and 1975, more than two dozen books and articles were written about daily living skills and visually impaired students. Much more has been written about orientation and mobility and career education.

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ECC Content Areas

Assistive Technology/ Technology Career Education, including transition Compensatory or Access Skills, including braille and communication Independent Living Orientation & Mobility Recreation & Leisure Self-Determination Sensory Efficiency Social Interaction 21 Karen Blankenship, 2013

Self-Determination

 A combination of skills, knowledge, and beliefs that enable a person to engage in goal-directed, self-regulated, autonomous behavior. An understanding of one’s strengths and limitations together with a belief in oneself as capable and effective are essential to self-determination. When acting on the basis of these skills and attitudes, individuals have greater ability to take control of their lives and assume the role of successful adults in society.

Field, Martin, Ward & Wehmeyer (1998) 22 Karen Blankenship, 2013

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Self-Determination

7 Constructs (Lane, Carter, & Sisco ,2012)        Self-Awareness Self-Advocacy Choice Making Self-Management Self-Knowledge Decision Making Goal Setting 10 teachable skills      Choice Making Decision Making Problem-Solving Goal Setting & Attainment Self-Observation, Evaluation, & Reinforcement    Self-Instruction, Self-Understanding, Self-Advocacy, & Leadership Positive Self-Efficacy and Outcome Expectancy Self-Awareness Karen Blankenship, 2013

Sensory Efficiency

 Sensory efficiency is a term used in the context of the Expanded Core Curriculum to refer to the functionality of each of the seven sensory channels. Efficiency describes how well each of them receives, transmits, and interprets sensory information from sources in the environment. Any sensory channel can be impaired in a way that causes it to function less efficiently, thus compromising the quality of information gathered by it. When one sensory channel is impaired, the efficiency of other channels becomes even more important. Professionals serving learners with visual impairments need to ensure that sensory information is available to the maximum extent possible through all viable sensory channels.  Millie Smith 2007 24 Karen Blankenship, 2013

Sensory Efficiency

     Auditory Visual Tactual Secondary Learning Modes    Primary Learning Modes Olfactory Gustatory Proprioceptive & Vestibular 25 Karen Blankenship, 2013

Effective Instructional Continuum

Eligibility Ongoing Evaluation Assessment Instruction Program Planning 26 Karen Blankenship, 2013

IDEA 2004

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Individualized Education Programs (IEPs)

 Written statement of the child’s present levels of academic achievement and functional performance (ECC)   How disability affects child’s involvement in general education curriculum Statement of measureable goals (academic & functional)   Progress in general education Other educational needs as a result of disability (ECC) o Severe cognitive disabilities • • Benchmarks Standards based IEPs 27 Karen Blankenship, 2013

Program Planning

 IEP  Access to general education   Type of service  Intensity and duration  Natural learning environment Amount of time      Present level of academic (functional) performance Measurable goals Benchmarks for student with additional disabilities Did you discuss braille, AT, behavior plans, & communication systems?

Align with Common Core Standards 28 Karen Blankenship, 2013

Addressing State Curriculum Standards

Standards State Assessment Curriculum/ instruction 29 Karen Blankenship, 2013

Instruction

 How to implement research-based instructional strategies to meet measurable IEP goals  Explicit instruction   http://aim.cast.org/learn/historyarchive/backgroundpapers/explicit_instru ction Evidence based practices   Repeated reading Marzano’s work 30 Karen Blankenship, 2013

Effective Instructional Continuum

Eligibility Ongoing Evaluation Assessment Instruction Program Planning 31 Karen Blankenship, 2013

Evaluations

  Summative- given periodically to determine at a particular point in time what a student knows and doesn’t know related to district standards

Formative-part of the instructional process provides information needed to adjust teaching and learning

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Formative Evaluation

 Combination of teacher observation, informal and formal testing, checklists, student rubrics 33 Karen Blankenship, 2013

Progress Monitoring

 IDEA 2004:  A description of how the child’s progress toward meeting the annual goals will be measured and periodic reports will be provided 34 Karen Blankenship, 2013

Formal Formative Evaluations

 Curriculum Based Measurements (CBMs)  CBMs: an assessment tool composed of a set of standard directions, set of materials, scoring rules, standards for judging performance    Similar activity that student is engaged in Tests what you teach Designed to help TVIs decide what and how to teach 35 Karen Blankenship, 2013

Formative Evaluations

 Three types of Curriculum Based Measurements (CBMs)    Skill based measures (SBM) Mastery measures (MM) General Outcome Measures (GOMS) or progress monitoring 36 Karen Blankenship, 2013

Effective Instructional Continuum

 One thing’s for sure: If we keep doing what we’re doing, we’re going to keep getting what we’re getting  Steven Covey 37 Karen Blankenship, 2013

Closure

 We must follow the effective instructional continuum to improve student outcomes which will in turn improve post secondary outcomes.

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Everything begins with assessment

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Instruction must be data-driven

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Must be able to demonstrate that what we are teaching makes a difference

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Resources

      Iowa ECC Resource Guides  http://www.iowa.gov/educate/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=576&It emid=1610 Classroom & Schools that Work- Marzano (2005) EVALs-Texas School for the Blind Quality Programs for Students with Visual Impairments @ qpvi.com

Results Based Accountability: http://www.raguide.org/RA/index.htm

Essential Assessments  Earubric. Com 39 Karen Blankenship, 2013