National Agenda Goal #8, the Expanded Core Curriculum

National Agenda Goal #8, the Expanded Core Curriculum

This is a survey regarding the Expanded Core Curriculum and how we are presently meeting needs for students in Connecticut. The goal is to find out what is happening now specifically with regard to Goal #8 of the National Agenda, not necessarily what should or will happen in the future. Your answers should reflect what you are currently doing with your caseload.

Are you:

A BESB education consultant

An itinerant teacher hired by a town(s)

A CREC contractor

How many students are currently on your caseload? ______

How many have braille use or instruction in their IEP? ______

How many are visual learners? ______

How many are nonacademic children who are MH/DB? ______

These are the key elements of the ECC which we will be assessing in the survey:

Compensatory skills and communication

Orientation and Mobility

Social interaction

Independent living skills

Recreation and leisure

Career education

Use of assistive technology

Compensatory skills for students who are braille readers

Think of the total amount of direct service time you spend with braille reading students. Then look at the following direct service activities, and write in the blank the percentage of your total direct service time you generally devote to each item. Write N/A for activities you do not generally spend time on.

___teaching organizational skills

___teaching literary/Nemeth braille codes

___tutoring/assisting with homework for regular education curriculum

___teaching tape recorder use (or other devices like Victor Pro)

___teaching listening skills (Listen & Think, for example)

___preparing vision portfolio with student

___other major activities you spend direct service time on—be specific (be sure they are not covered under other areas of the ECC) ______

Think of the total amount of consultation time you spend with braille reading students. Then look at the following consultation activities, and write in the blank the percentage of your total consultation time you generally devote to each item. Write N/A for activities you do not generally spend time on.

___paraprofessional training (teaching braille, materials prep, etc.)

___Materials preparation (for student use in regular ed program)

___lesson preparation (for direct instruction in compensatory skills)

___observing student

___consultation with parents

___in-service training to teaching staff (formal and informal)

___consultation with staff (teaching staff, administrators)

___other major activities you use consult time for

In general, how much time do you PPT braille readers for:

Elementary student: Direct service______Consultation______

Middle School student: Direct______Consultation______

High School student: Direct______Consultation______

Students who are print or auditory readers

Direct service activities: (as before, put percent of your total time)

___teaching organizational skills

___tutoring/assisting with homework (for regular education subjects)

___teaching listening skills (Listen and Think, for example)

___teaching tape recorder use

___teaching handwriting

Signature only

General handwriting skills

___instruction in use of low vision aids (CCTV, magnifiers, etc.)

___functional vision assessments

Consultation time:

___lesson preparation (for direct instruction in compensatory skills)

___materials preparation (for student use in reg. ed. classes)

___paraprofessional training

___consultation with teaching staff

___consultation with parents

___in-service training you provide in the school

___observing student

Orientation and Mobility

Do you have students who are receiving mobility? ______

Are they receiving mobility from a certified mobility instructor? ______

If not, who is providing mobility instruction? ______

If you are providing instruction, are you dually certified in vision and O&M?___

Do you have students who need mobility but are not receiving services at this time?

______

Social Skills

Are you providing direct instruction for social skills? ______

Do you assist in writing social goals for the IEP? ______

Do you refer students to other resources for social skills development? ______

Are there resources that you need, but are unavailable? ______

Explain ______

Independent Living Skills

Do you provide direct instruction in daily living skills for your students? ______

Did your professional preparation program provide you with the skills and techniques necessary to teach adaptive daily living skills the students need? ______

Do you assist in writing goals in this area for the IEP? ______

Do parents participate in the instruction? ______

Do other team members participate in this instruction? ______

If so, who? ______

Recreation and Leisure

Do you routinely assess the engagement of your students in leisure activities? ______

Do you provide direct instruction in these areas? ______

Do your students have leisure skills goals in their IEP? ______

Technology

Do you feel qualified to give your students direct instruction in the use of assistive technology? ______

If not, is your student able to get instruction from a qualified person? ______

Do you teach touch typing? ______

What technology services would you purchase that you feel your students need and are not currently available? ______

Career Education

For your students who are transition age (14 and above), are they receiving transition services? ______From whom? ______

Do they have transition goals in their IEP? ______

Have your students participated in job shadowing? ______

Through VR? ______

Through the school/community? ______

For all areas of the expanded core curriculum, consider the following:

What outside resources do you use to assist you with meeting your students’ needs: Check all that apply:

Perkins Outreach programs/Carroll Center programs

Outside evaluators with expertise in blindness (Specify who you have used, and what they addressed)

______

______

______

Braille class for paraprofessionals

BESB in-service training for teachers and paraprofessionals

Hadley School courses? Which ones? ______

Community resources ______

School resources ______

Other services providers (OT, PT, etc)

What assessment tools or evaluation materials are you using to assess your students progress/needs in all areas of the expanded core curriculum?

______