DISCLAIMER: Raw, unedited transcript from webinar. No guarantees are made for the accuracy of the content. >> --"Please stand by for realtime captions." >> Okay. I am showing we are at the top of the hour. This is Robin bull with NCDB . I want to begin by welcoming everybody today. I will go through some housekeeping items before I handed over to Kristi who will kick off today's webinar, introducing today's speaker. To begin with, all phone lines have been muted to reduce background noise. The question-and-answer session will occur at the end of the presentation, however you can write in your questions in the chat box at any time during the presentation. It will be monitored throughout the webinar in preparation for the question-and-answer session. We want to let you know this webinar will be recorded for future viewing. And I'm going to start the recording now, Kristi when you hear the prompt that will be your Q to start. >> Good afternoon everyone. I just want to tell you thank you so much for joining us today. Thank you Rachel for doing this webinar for us. I saw her do this presentation at CC last year, and immediately approached her and asked if she would be willing to do a webinar for us. I am so excited for her to present this to you all. She has some great stuff to share with us. With no further ado I will hand it over to Rachel. >> Thank you. What I will be talking about today is how we can design an expanded core curriculum instruction for students with visual impairment and deaf blindness. My background is with visual impairment, TVI. I'm no longer in the area, getting my PhD. I brief agenda of what I will talk about is why we need to teach ACC -- ECC, what basic learning looks like and how we can use project and inquiry-based learning for our students. And some benefits and challenges for implementing student or folio goals around the ECC . One thing also I wanted to share, when I was with TVI, my last year, I worked at 10 to 13 schools, with 20 kids on my caseload. I absolutely loved it but it was not easy. What I will share with you today, that I found was a beneficial way to make the most of the time that I had with a lot of my students. Right up front I will say I don't think this is the right way to do this ECC for every student every year . But I think it's a nice way to shape it. >> So just a little bit of my background. With ECC , it is composed of those nine skill set areas. And I always manage to leave out one of them, so I will read them aloud. Compensatory and access skills, career education, independent living skills, orientation and mobility, recreation and leisure, self-determination, sensory efficiency skills, social skills and technology assistive technology. When we talk about the ECC, it was basically developed for students with visual impairment including Deaf-Blindness and additional disabilities. So when we talk about ECC , it is all. >> When we talk about why we teach the ECC, it's not because it's fun are you get to gout -- do fun things in the community, it is part of the federal law. IDEA mandates that functional performance outcomes must be addressed in the evaluation for IEP and the development of IEP. With visual impairment students, the functional outcomes component is the expanded core curriculum. It is so easy, sometime we become a tutor instead of a TVI. We don't get to really build into teaching the expanded core. The question really I found, struggling with a lot of TVI, is how to provide engaging and meaningful ECC instruction . >> What I found really worked well was project-based learning or inquiry-based learning, another term for that is portfolio assessment. What I really liked about all of these names we have for it is that it challenges students to stall the best souls -- to solve real-world solutions. And for the teacher we provide many lessons throughout the project to guide students on the content knowledge and work with them to allow them to develop a meaningful product. What I found so key for students with visual impairment was that it provided an authentic audience outside of themselves, outside of the mobility specialist etc., to learn about the ECC and learn the skills we wanted to share with them. And as a teacher, I learned because I said so is not a motivating educational tool for strategy. So again, having these real-world, relevant components is really helpful. And one component I really liked with project-based learning is this idea of having the 4 C's. Critical thinking, collaboration, communication and creativity. These are put out by the buck Institute which is one of the many resources available for teachers looking to implement project-based learning if you think about the 4 C's, critical thinking, collaboration, communication and creativity of these are components we want all of our students to engage with all the time. You challenge them to work with these components around the concept of their disability. I think it's a really beneficial thing. >> So, so what is this look like in action. The way you would present an activity is you would present the student with a writing question. The question I have to share today's you are finally on your own at college. How can you, a student with a visual impairment, communicate your needs to your professors and other school personnel while securing the accommodations and tools you need to succeed? This is a broad question and something we want all of our students to do post secondary. When we break this down, lessons might include ADA and testing accommodations, understanding dorm life and independent living skills, how to navigate the campus to utilize facility services. Using optical and other relevant technology. And then lastly identifying social opportunities. Not so much that you need to look out now, but a reference for a teacher is a quick little one sheet on references to conduct project-based learning instruction and why you need ECC . It's great to talk about how you can do the ECC better , but just some areas around the country were still struggling that we have to justify why. There's a little bit of support on that also. >> And before we can get started in ECC instruction in IE T, we need to make sure everything we are proposing is databased. In all special ed before you do anything first comes data. And a really key assessment we do is the essential assessments. The combination of the functional vision assessment, learning media and expanded core curriculum assessment. Those three combined, we talk about the three essential assessments. And with that we follow this model, ideally known as the RIOT model. For doing record reviews, interviews, observations and testing. If you're not familiar with that I highly recommend you check out EArubric.com . This is a compiled resource for anyone looking to conduct components or all of the essential assessments, and list for references for commercial available products and [indiscernible]. Go check it out if you are conducting your essential assessments. >> Okay, so we know these assessments take time. So find the time to conduct a thorough assessment, and then writing, and how we turn this into meaningful IAT instruction for a student. You're taking the data, what you have to think about is balancing immediate needs and long-term goals. Thinking about strengths and needs. Are there opportunities to collaborate while they are learning. That might be you and another service provider collaborating, or the student taking the opportunity to engage with someone else to collaborate on their own project. And something I will reference later on, the benefit of using high interest in motivating topics to work on areas of need. One resource I will get into more later as the "bank of activities", part of handout one if you conducted assessments, you determine the need for ECC but you're not sure how to target them . It's just a starting place for looking at where different skill sets within the ECC and how you can develop for your student-based data, how you can go about teaching them these areas. So without further ado I want to get into our first case study. This is a fourth-grade student, her name is Ginny and she has Albinism . She's in a general education classroom the whole day and her visual acuity is about 20/200. Legally blind. She is really advocating for herself, definitely not using the tools and accommodations. She is very upset about having Albinism . In both in terms of her needs and what things are involved. To say she was reluctant to work with me as a bit of an understatement. Sharing the story I have learned [indiscernible] that I really thought it was because of her visual impairment. When I walked into her classroom she could not see me. I learned it had nothing to do with her vision, she was blatantly ignoring me to delay working with me. Now we work together one hour a week for 230 minute sessions a week. When I inherited her case, her goals were self advocacy and [indiscernible]. It was so frustrating for her, for me, and what I finally remembered, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing again and again expecting different results. And so I realized, to keep doing this, locked in this pattern is not helping her and it's not beneficial on my part either. So we have to stop, drop and regroup. So I completed a brand-new essential assessment with her. That included observation, direct assessment, student pairing and teacher interviews. And my findings and the results of the assessment was she wasn't using her tools and devices because they did not work for her. I immediately recommended a clinical exam to hopefully get new tools prescribed to her. What I found was she had needs in all areas of ECC, but often times when we think about expanded core, it's we need to have an independent living skills are an efficiency goal. It didn't make sense for her because these little areas, the skill sets [indiscernible] ECC. I did know how to address it in a comprehensive IEP goal. And to mention before I continue, in the process of completing these assessments, it really initiated a change in Ginny 's attitude . A nine or 10-year-old girl in fourth grade that was thrown all these different technologies and tools, accommodations at her. No one had stopped to ask what she preferred. What worked for her. This is a girl who had three different kinds of boards available to her her, and listed on her IEP, but none of them worked for her because of the nature of her visual impairment. So I said doing the essential assessment, I know these didn't work for you, we need to test them out and you need to give me a sentence why it doesn't work. And I will make it go away. She really looked at me for the first time. And kind of didn't believe me but was also starting to like, maybe I have a say. That is the most powerful thing we can do for students is teaching them that they have the right to speak up, and absolutely must be the one to speak up to talk about what their needs are. >> Once I had that data, I took the essential assessment and develop this idea of a portfolio goal. Definitely check out the handout. If you look through that while I talk on the slider will be helpful. What I did, you will see there is activities in the rubric that I developed based on her needs, but also building on her interest. Specifically targeting her parents concerns. Some of the activities including developing a brief statement to explain her visual condition. That came straight out of the interview because she expressed a lot of frustration that every time she explained her visual impairment she felt like her fear ran away. So I explained to her what an elevator pitch was. That we could kind of figure out like an explanation that was short and concise that she could have in her back pocket and pull out any time she needed it. So she didn't feel like she had to go on a paragraph long novel. And another thing that came up and the teacher interview, was that quite often our students feel singled out because other kids might be looking at them. Or feeling that they are different and isolated in the classroom. But really everyone is kind of jealous of the cool technology they get to use. The classroom teacher and I talked about doing a class presentation, which she did the following year. Which was really exciting. And the other thing that came out, we know that Ginny is not the kind of person to talk to a stranger about what her needs are. But rather than when it comes to a substitute teacher, rather than having her sub -- struggle, have her write a letter she can give to her substitute teachers, so that she can advocate for her needs through the letter but not have to have the conversation. And another thing I have all of my students do before an exam or any doctors appointment, is have them write class -- right questions down for the doctor. On the rubric, I Ginny had four points . Not only did she have to write the questions but she had to ask the questions in advance. It was kind of surprising that even the most caring and assertive parent who wants to be the one to ask all of the questions, the doctor will stand back and let you explain to them, she needs to be the ask -- ask the questions. >> The last activity came out of the parent interview. Specifically it was about social skills. And what we kind of settled on was figuring out a way to talk about the impact of her visual impairment. Identifying compensatory skills. >> With that what I want to share with you is actually the letter to the substitute teacher that she wrote. I will read it aloud. It will be on the screen also. I will be reading it with the tone in which it was written. >> [Letter] hello, my name is Ginny and I have a visual impairment . Albinism. I wanted to tell you that just in case there is a book with pictures and I move up close, if there's something on the white board, AKA my monocular . If I don't move up close it just means I can see it and you don't need to remind me to go close-up. And one last thing I am also very smart, and pretty so you don't have to worry about anything. Sincerely, Ginny . >> A couple of slides back, when I inherited her case, her i.e. pills -- IEP goals were self advocacy and [indiscernible]. Writing that letter, she did it in a way, working on the typing and self advocacy, it was immediately relevant to her. She saw a reason to do it. It wasn't just practicing typing. And the cool thing, Ginny and I worked together for her fourth grade and fifth grade year . Her behavior increased as time progressed. And the projects we did always directly related to her interest, even though we were building on these areas and skills. Her fifth grade year, it was completely her, to demonstrate the knowledge she wrote a 10 play -- 10 page screenplay. It was fantastic, like Magic School Bus, jumping into [indiscernible], fun to read. And going back to the skills her parents were concerned about. She wrote and illustrated an original children's book about a girl that didn't want anyone to know she had a visual impairment and how she became comfortable with it. Re-ran out of time unfortunately but the end result wasn't just to write the book which she illustrated, but also to have her read it like a kindergarten class and engage with them. It ended up these two activities were, for another activity, she did bullet points of pros and cons. She felt like she was outsmarting me. Getting away with the least amount of work possible that she still met all of the requirements for the activity because thinking about the assessment-based or project-based, core-based learning, it's about the content and not about the end result. Whether she wrote a novel or a bulleted list, it was about her ability to convey the content. >> So before I continue I want to give a minute in case anyone has questions about Ginny 's case or anything I have said so far. I will wait like 10 seconds cut to give anyone a chance to type questions they might have. >> Okay, it looks like we don't have any questions so I will go one to the next case study. Nick. An 11th grade student. He's an honors and advanced classes, acuity 20/70, to 20/100. He advocates for needs in class, his tools are working well, the vision services are one hour a month pull out. And of course his IEP started with the year, and I completed informal and parent student interviews, to get to know him and see what his IEP goals should be. So the questions were focused on both long and short-term goals because he's an 11th grade. I wanted him to be competent to get through 11th and 12th grade but also focusing on postsecondary at this point. I used the ECC screening tool to guide the conversation. Even though I didn't complete the full on assessment like for Ginny , I have the ECC data we needed to make informed IEP goals. So for some of the activities that were proposed based on the data, was college planning and understanding disability services, understanding his eye report because he was 17 or 18 and never read his own report before bed and mentoring to a student with visual impairment and interviewing a professional in a career he was interested in with visual impairment, or a college student with visual impairment. One thing I kind of intentionally left out, was while we have this perspective of the TVI, on Nick's demographics and his needs, in addition to the village will impairment he has autism as well. So when I'm doing the activities with him, especially the college planning and disability services, I am working with him as a whole person. He's not just a kid with a visual impairment and only having a visual impairment. Because I am working with him as a whole person, we are focusing on all of his accommodations, not just the visual related accommodations. He will need to know how to advocate for himself and all of his needs as he continues through life. And so again to, the other question, not question so much but the things that come up why do we need to isolate this accommodation because this is vision and because this is autism. There is no benefit to that really in this project. So what we did, examples I want to show, is the accommodation preferences and preparation for the disability services application. The way I did this activity with students is I list all of the tools and accommodations available to him. Inevitably, all students I've ever done this with, they only end up listing about half to two thirds, less than a third of the accommodations that are actually available to them based on their IEP. At that point, if the student is able I give them their IEP. They'd never seen an IEP then we talk about it, the components are what they mean. And I have them go straight to the accommodation section and compare their list to their IEP. Anything they are missing on their list based on their IEP. What Nick ended up doing, he rode his accommodations into the categories of near vision, distance vision and technology. And he decided to organize them in order of preference. In the component and leading towards disability services. He had to include a rationale for use of each of the accommodations. And what was really nice, after he was done, he couldn't directly copy and paste but in the disability services application he could fill it in. Even though he was in the 11th grade, he knew what he wanted to do after school. So we pulled up the application for that college. And what I want to share with you is this, specifically the technology and assistive technology component. I have it on the right side of the screen. He noted that this technology he was going to describe was for academic and personal use. And that his number one tool was his tablet. He used it for notetaking, and his justification was it keeps all of his notes in one place and backed up. And the second reason was that allowed him to fill out assignments. Because his handwriting is messy no matter how much time he takes. And the last reason the tablet is the number one tool is for research. We decided the 21st century, you didn't need to justify why you use a tablet for research. >> I just want to step back and share, he wrote brief statements, not even full sentences. He was absolutely demonstrating knowledge and practicing that language. In this scenario, a full paragraph was not necessary, when were looking at a disability service application given all of his accommodations. Even though he's in the 11th grade he is still just learning the language to use, I hate to say to justify, but to explain his accommodations to others who might not understand why he needs them. So by using bullet points, it was a way that was functional to him and it capture that language. He completely met the requirement for the activity. >> And to wrap up next case, when we think about, talking about it from the beginning, his ECC needs were not clear because he was independent and successful in his academic classes. That we know when it comes to the ECC and working with students with visual impairment and deaf blindness , it's not just about academic success. So doing the informal excess assessment -- the informal assessment, only once a month, other students 10 through 12th grade with portfolios teaching students to be their own TVI. Whatever role you have with the student. Independent, postsecondary, whether in college, a job, whatever they do. That involves being able to explain what their visual and hearing impairments are, accommodations needed to professors and employers. Understanding their rights under the ADA law. And accessing both Voc Rehab /relevant resources wherever they are. If they move away from college, how do they get the resources there. On that note, that wraps up a couple of studies I wanted to share. I wanted to take some time to share a couple of more student examples. Different ways these activities can be used >> One of my favorite after activities. I include this on I think every rubric I've ever proposed. Based on the data cannot because it's fun, but allowing students to mentor and be men toward by other students of low vision. Whether deaf blindness or visual impairment. There is nothing that replaces that. So really mentoring allows our students to learn about the different accommodations and resources, from Piers like them, giving them that really authentic audience for their activities and a real reason, a person to talk to about disability and accommodation. What I have also seen as it's a much safer situation for them, more comfortable when it is someone like them. >> What I will share now is a video clip. You will see will who is a fourth-grade student. But it up with Thomas, as a first grade student. Thomas recorded in exchange about one exchange a month. Will with TBI -- TVI, they talk about different accommodations. A lot of the activities we did were, Thomas would plan in advance. Like we want to talk about this. In this situation, that came up later, late winter or early spring, is the timing worked out fantastic that Willie had just had a low vision exam. And Thomas was about to have his first low vision exam ever. This is the video of him giving Thomas advice and what to expect. The video is a couple of years old at this point. Hopefully it will play well. >> [Video playing] Video Transcript: http://cb4cb5aa6990be188aff-8017fda59b77ece717432423a4f3bbdf.r43.cf1.rackcdn.com/General/Transcripts/Will-Low-Vision-Exam-Transcript.html >> [Video end] >> Normally when I present in person I asked for a show of hands. But on whether you were Thomas, would you rather learn about low vision exam for the first time from him or from your TVI. Without a doubt usually everyone, myself included would rather learn about it from Will than an adult. He's in fourth grade and obviously had a great experience with Dr. Alibhai. He was able to explain really age-appropriate, to Thomas what to expect and to make Thomas feel safe. I don't think there's anything that can replace that. And so I could talk about Will's video all day , it was fantastic. >> The next sample is about IEP engagement and participation. This is a sixth grade student with Deaf-Blindness . His English literacy level was kindergarten or first grade. The way we develop the statement, his primary mode of communication was American sign language. I don't know ASL so we always had an interpreter when we work together. And the way we worked to develop the statement was I posed a question and he gave a kind of response through the interpreter. And I would write, he dictated to me and I wrote it in English and read it back. We had this iterative process until we developed this statement that he was comfortable with. He felt represented him. And so this statement was to be used on his IEP, the narrative section, front and center, and for him to read it at his, what would be his annual IEP meeting as well as transition to middle school meeting. He practiced this statement with his DHH teacher, his case manager . When he presented this during the meeting he used flashcards and prompting. And he did this to a fairly large group of people. The annual IEP meeting, triannual re-eval that a lot of people in there. I have it up on the screen. This is the statement that he developed for his IEP and read aloud. >> I am a Deaf-Blind student and I use sign language and optical devices to help me see and communicate . I also like to cook, draw, and go to art music classes. I also really like the Spanish language and soccer. Because of my vision I like to use the Ruby and Dell magnifier for reading. Because it is easier to see words and pictures. I like to use the monocular to see the words on the board. I use this during the IEP, meeting his future teachers and staff. It is allowing him to represent himself to adults that that's what we want for all of our students. Ultimately all of the time. I know what I have seen, and I've been guilty maybe a couple of times not thinking that's really needed the best not really needed until there an adult. But working with students like Ginny , like this student is starting in elementary school or younger, and allows them to develop their own preference, their sense of self and their own voice, when working with others. Communication is all about practice and having self-confidence for a lot of people. By getting them used to being able to speak up for themselves, it makes it a lot harder for them to be silent later on. >> With that said, my last one example I would like to share with you is this independence guilds activity. In this activity we are making Plato. It might seem like a fun use of ECC time -- what I have on the screen, we talked about different tablespoon measures, dry measures, and one or two cup liquid measures. The way this activity was done was that he had to use the optical devices to read the recipe. He had to select his preferred tools. It wasn't just making Plato. As much as I could for my own home, and different people around, I got three different options for what different tablespoon measuring spoons look like, and the wet and dry cup measures. So he could identify which measuring tools were easy for him to use and why. Because he was in the upper elementary school at the time, we new home economics was around the corner where we would have to be cooking at school. Getting this down ahead of time would allow us time to plan and for him to advocate like I need these because of X, Y, and Z. And while this was a very short, small activity, he was given the opportunity to repeat the opportunity later in the school year with a peer. And that way doing this again for fun, for practice measuring, there was liquid measures, he used all of these measuring tools. Doing it with a peer and allowed him to do communication and collaboration in the process. >> So to wrap up these activity samples, I want to touch on the fact that I know a lot of my students that I have served today are fairly academically situated elementary through high school. When we are talking about younger students, that can be from the time they start talking or walking, whatever they are doing. Any type of communication they are using, and starting maybe preschool for some kids, certainly all early -- early on in preschool, wherever they are at, just becoming aware they have a visual impairment, hearing impairment. I really feel strongly the instructional focus for ECC is about modeling appropriate language to explain and explore accommodation a lot of times, hopefully all of the time, we will use our data to make informed recommendations on what tools are best for the student. A lot of the time, that unfortunately [indiscernible] preferences are. We know if we don't like something we will not use it . so by teaching them from the young age, to not only know the tools but to explore. Handout number three, the link is in the dialogue checkbox, specifically handout number three is a Word document. I want you to take a run with it, edit it, we are all struggling to reinvent the wheel. There's no reason to do that. Handout number three is kind of a, it's like the first two pages are the accommodations worksheet. I can help answer questions about that when we get to the questions section. I certainly talked about students with multiple disabilities. And for students with more complex needs, you select activities as appropriate. Absolutely collaborate with other IEP members, educational team, to really think about the student as a person. Thinking about maybe all about me. There's no reason ECC's instruction , I know it was designed for students with visual impairment, but when we collaborate we can focus on the whole student. Thinking about these portfolio projects. And for students who are blind, using braille, or English as a primary mode of communication, ESL. These activities again like I said earlier, the final product, whatever demonstrates the students knowledge, it doesn't have to be something written down. For the purposes of IEP documentation, all I do is have a conversation with anecdotal notes to document this is what he said during the conversation, so he met this activity. Or on another thing you might want to do a video portfolio. Instead of having a written portfolio. I think what I forgot to share earlier, is the way I do this with students is over the course of the IEP, we keep their activities, whatever the final product is, and their next IEP meeting they share this portfolio they have developed with their parents, with the IEP team, depending on the student it might be something as little Avenue -- as little as handing a binder to their parent. And another student, ready in the gate, do a presentation of the whole IEP of what they learned that year. There are all different ways you can use portfolio projects for all of the students we work with. >> So I just remember the bank of activities resource from handout number one, that reference. A starting block place for all areas of ECC . If a starting off place, not a comprehensive list. If there's anything you have done with students that is helpful, shoot me an email. And when you're thinking about developing a rubric for your students, think about, remember based on your data, long and short-term needs. So the students are very likely to repeat activities, one or two times, three times, over the course of their school career. Their accommodations might change, they understand about themselves evolving. And little reminders, all IEP roles, there should be a portfolio goal. IEP goals are about measuring student progress. Traditional IEP goals like working on typing, but you need to measure the progress in a certain way, have the traditional IEP goals. And one thing I'm left out was [indiscernible] more emphasis needed to be placed on her typing. I told her straight up, do you want to work on your typing while you're doing activities, our work on it separately. And she said I know when you're giving hence I should be using keyboard commands. I don't want to do that. If I'm doing an activity I want to be working on my project. If it's typing I want to just work on typing. For the fifth grade IEP, Ginny had a portfolio goal, but also an explicit typing goal. Two ways to measure the progress we were targeting with ECC skills. >> To wrap up with the rubric should look like, you will see in the handout, a couple of blank roles at the end of the rubric specifically for future activity. I found it very helpful, as areas of concern arise over the IEP year, to build in a couple of things if they are relevant. Maybe something relevant in fourth grade but not meaningful in sixth grade anymore . I have been part of a lot of IEP teams. Some of them more contentious than others but I have never had a problem with anyone questioning the idea of having goals to add things in. That said if you propose a significant change, it should be done through an addendum. >> Kind of s'more last thoughts. Goals and the IEP. Always make sure to bring the draft rubric to the IEP meeting. He prepared to review each item deeply. Not just review it but be prepared to edit it. A lot of times drafts by people, say in a week in advance, different schools have different systems in place. What I do is I always have the IEP back by a week. If it's a school team that have never seen a goal like this before, I would send it home two weeks in advance if I could. A lot of times, because I've done my interview, I'm able to lay the groundwork that this is where I'm headed. Based on the conversation, what about saying something like this, would that benefit the student. Even though the structure of the goals is very different, it should never be a big surprise what you propose to the IEP right. >> One other thing I wanted to explain, by outlining the portfolio in the meeting, increase transparency and credibility, with what the TVI is teaching. A completely unexpected result for me, and my colleague, is the increased respect for the TVI time and effort. It's not like they are teaching and out of the school building, just being that person that no one really knows what you do. And similarly the TVI expectations are clear to the student. It depends on the student, do I share the rubric with the student. Some students I develop it with them prior to their IEP. Other students, I might give them a choice of what activity you want to work on first. But I don't show them the rubric itself because that would be overwhelming for them. And others I say okay, some kids don't really care about the planning, but when it comes to doing the activity itself I give them the rubric and say this is what you have got to do. And the funny thing, even though all of the students know that vision isn't on the report card they always try to work for the best [indiscernible] possible. [indiscernible] based on the rubric, the answer is absolutely yes. As the teacher, you never move on to the next activity until the student has mastered the skill. And so there is this critique and revise of project-based learning. So it is again an iterative process where they come up with a first draft and you get feedback. You give a little more instruction in an area they haven't grasps. And then put that through the formal conversation. >> And so yes. The last thing and then I will open it up to questions. Some real talk we will have. In the million dollar question a lot of times, in the IEP meetings is how do we determine appropriate service time with students, and later thinking about a goal like this, gauging how much time a student needs with him on the IEP. My big take away is to remember the IEP is a living document. It should reflect the students current strengths and needs, as well as balancing the long and short-term goals. Maybe in the sixth grade year there is a lot you want to prep them for in terms of the transition because they haven't quite gotten it in elementary school. But then when they transition in seventh grade you want to back off hours because you want to let them get situated. It really depends on that student and what is their data saying, what is the recommendation. And when you're thinking about service time, thinking about the goal you develop, specifically the rubric you develop, how many activities are you targeting and how much time do you think each activity will take. I will say the way I structure goals, you will see on the handout, I always propose more activities in the rubric then the goal is for. So if I'm seeing the student one hour a week I'm I propose we will do, depending on the student and the activity, maybe 6 to 8 activities over the course of the year. If I see the student only once a month, I will say we will do maybe three activities. But there rubric willing crude will include maybe six. I will let the student. What they do. And then always keeping in mind everything flexible. >> If you're in a school district that September to June, August to May, the first and last month of school without a doubt contains almost no instructional time no matter what we do. And that said we also basically, with December, you essentially you -- lose a month of time. In terms of direct instruction because of the holiday. You already have three months right off that you will not use or rely on for instruction time. And in May or June, I always have students write letters to their next year teacher, so that they can talk about their accommodations, their preferences, introduce themselves. So instruction time than would be focused on that. >> But that I want to thank you all so much. On the slide I have as a reminder, Lee's download and check out the handouts. I would like to open up for questions now. My email address is training -- is raschles@gmail.com . >> >> So Rachel, there is a question, do you evaluate the ECC yearly ? >> It depends on the situation and the student to be honest. I would say students that are unfamiliar to me, or have not had a recent assessment, I absolutely do at least the ECC assessment of some kind before the IEP meeting . I pretty much always do it before the triannual reevaluation. And it really depends, students I know well, and maybe have had a year or two, if I have enough data through my anecdotal notes and our instruction so far in the year, I have a really good idea of where things need to be headed and I use data to support that. So I don't do a formal assessment. I do still like doing sometimes a parent interview. That can be informal, parent-teacher conference. But having a conversation to make sure the parents are on the same page. It wasn't so much a question but someone also noted in the chat box, making sure the family is involved. That is absolutely critical above all else. So everyone is on the same team, same thinking and same page going into the meeting. >> The short answer is not always, but I always make sure I have the data to support what I'm recommending. >> Okay, any other questions before we close out? It doesn't look like we have any other questions. I just wanted to close this webinar by telling Rachel, thank you so much for presenting with us today. It was great information, very usable by practitioners and really excited to have you present that to us. Thank you so much for attending everyone. And Rachel thank you for doing a great job for us. Have a great day. >> Thank you. Goodbye. >> Goodbye. >> [Event concluded]