CVI and the IFSP/IEP: Expanded Core Curriculum

Every student with a visual impairment – including every CVI learner – must master two curricula: the general education curriculum and the Expanded Core Curriculum (ECC). In school, students engage with the general education curriculum (reading, math, social studies, science, etc.) no matter the service plan. For students with visual impairments, the general education curriculum does not provide the necessary skills for independent living. This is where the ECC comes in. Nine ECC areas must be considered for a student with CVI in the IEP (and outside of school, too). In an ideal world, the entire team – including teachers, therapists, coaches, and families –  takes responsibility for the ECC to ensure coverage during school, at home, and in the community. 

Why the ECC is essential for students with CVI

ECC skills are important for the quality of life, well-being, and independence of a student with CVI. By developing these skills, individuals with CVI have improved access to their academics, home life, recreation, community involvement, and professional life.

As with the general education curriculum, students with CVI require explicit instruction in these nine ECC areas, which provide “those essential independence skills needed for living and working. The ECC should be used as a framework for first assessing students with visual impairments, then for planning individual goals and objectives.”¹ 

How to get started with the ECC for CVI

The ECC was initially created for students with ocular visual impairment, so IEP teams must adapt assessment and implementation to meet the CVI needs of an individual. Start with a CVI-specific functional vision assessment (e.g., the CVI Range), which will reveal what accommodations and modifications the student requires over a day. (A CVI Schedule can remind the team what is needed). Then, conduct a learning media assessment (e.g., the Sensory Balance Approach) to find the learning modes – visual, auditory, and tactual – that are best for any given task or setting. Finally, adapt the ECC assessment to meet this student’s CVI needs identified in the reports.

ECC Assessments for CVI

Currently, the majority of ECC resources available are not appropriately adapted for the learning needs of students with CVI, but this does not change the fact that students with CVI require (and are entitled to) thoughtful, person-centered development and implementation of the ECC. For this reason, a small cohort of educators is developing a CVI-specific resource to address this gap. The resource would provide an overview of guidelines and considerations for ECC assessment, goal development, recommendations, and implementation of activities and adaptations supporting children and youth with CVI to succeed in each ECC area. (More on this soon!)

What assessments are available now?

• ECC Needs Assessment Screening Tool from the E.A. Rubric Project
• Expanded Core Curriculum Needs Screening Tool from the E.A. Rubric Project
• Expanded Core Curriculum Annual Needs Consideration from teachingvisuallyimpaired.com 
• Expanded Core Curriculum High School Readiness Checklist from Utah School for the Blind