🍎4/4 TEACHER tips EXECUTIVE FUNCTION: Learn the key SYSTEMS your students need.

Finally, teachers, in this final video about executive function systems, I want to give you some very practical tools that you can use to help your students.

I have an assessment for you that I’m going to go over shortly. You can print out this PDF and probably use it for years. I use it all the time. It really helps get down to the core of what’s going on with a student.

Before I discuss the systems, what’s really important to remember is that the brain is still developing. The prefrontal cortex — the front part of the brain that helps kids execute tasks and get things done — is still developing.

Again, there’s a difference between “they can’t” and “they won’t.”

If you believe students are being willful, lazy, unmotivated, undisciplined, or are “just procrastinators,” then that creates a very different story than understanding that they genuinely can’t do these things yet.

When we understand the “can’t” story, we recognize that students need support in building these skills.

This becomes very concrete in terms of what we can help them with.

I’m not going to go through this assessment in detail because you can print it out and explore it yourself. But what I will tell you is that you can:

– Have the student score themselves
– Score the student yourself
– Have a parent score the student
– Complete it together during a conference

You can also break the assessment apart into smaller pieces and adapt it however you need.

Rest assured that this assessment covers most of the important areas you need to understand in order to help these kids, and that’s a very reassuring feeling.

I’ve worked on this a lot over the years.

Again, if I haven’t said so already, my name is Seth Perler — though you probably know that already since you’re in video four.

So, I created these systems and this rubric, and I’m only going to read one section to you so you can get the overall vibe of it.

I wrote this rubric in language that both kids and adults can understand clearly. It explains specifically what’s going on and where we want students to be.

Ideally, we want students to score at a 3 or 4. Students with exceptional executive function skills are already functioning at those levels. Students who struggle are usually at a 1, 2, or 3 in different areas.

It’s okay if:

– You score the student differently
– The parent scores differently
– The student scores differently

The important thing is not that everyone agrees perfectly, but that everyone is having the conversation.

Finally, once we go through the whole assessment, I ask students:
“What is one thing you want to focus on that would have the biggest positive domino effect in your life?”

I may disagree with their answer, but that’s okay.

If a student says planning is the number one thing they want to improve, and they spend the next month or semester really focusing on planning, it can create a huge positive domino effect across many other areas.

I want students thinking about one thing at a time — not feeling overwhelmed by the entire assessment.

Now, here’s the first section of the rubric.

I call it the “Paper Management System.”

The question is:
“How well does a student organize papers?”

Basically, students usually manage papers using:

– Folders
– Accordion folders
– Binders
– Or a volcanic mess jammed into a backpack, locker, or desk

I honestly don’t care which system they use. What I care about is their executive functioning and whether they can reliably organize the papers in their life.

The rubric is organized like this:
1 = Nope
2 = A little bit
3 = Good enough
4 = Seriously, I’ve got this

A student at level 4 is the student who knows exactly where every paper is at all times.

Here’s how I describe the levels:

-1 — Nope

“I pretty much lose papers and stuff in my backpack, locker, etc. I can’t keep track of it all. I hate papers.”

-2 — A Little Bit

“I try to use binders or folders, but I’m mostly happy if I shove papers into something. Sometimes I can find what I need.”

-3 — Good Enough

“I use folders or binders fairly well. I misplace things sometimes, but I can usually find what I need. My system is pretty reliable.”

I use the word “reliable” a lot because when students have reliable systems, their executive functioning is usually functioning well enough.

-4 — Seriously, I’ve Got This

“I can reliably find any paper I need from any class at any time. My system is highly organized and completely reliable.”

So you can see how the rubric progresses from level 1 to level 4.

Again, I’m not necessarily looking for perfection. A level 3 is often good enough.

The assessment also covers other areas such as:

– Paper management systems
– Digital systems
– Managing portals and Google Docs
– Backpack organization
– Planning systems
– Understanding grades realistically
– Advocacy skills
– Study spaces at home
– Study skills
– Weekly overhauls
– Self-care
– Metacognition

It really covers most of the important bases.

So print it out and use it however you need.

That’s pretty much the main content of this video. I know this one was shorter than the others.

Again, my name is Seth Perler. I’m an executive function coach based in Colorado, and I help struggling students navigate education so they can have a good life.

Teachers, if you like what I’m doing, please share my work. I put my heart, soul, and everything into this. This is my life’s work and my service to humanity.

Please share it on Facebook, in teacher groups, anywhere you can. You can subscribe on YouTube, give me a thumbs up, and support the work that way.

I also host the Executive Function Online Conference called the Executive Function Summit. It’s designed for parents, but many teachers attend as well. It’s a free summit that I hold every year.

The speakers are amazing, and the best thing about the conference is that it comes from the heart. I don’t like conferences that feel overly rigid, contrived, or overly focused on marketing.

You can also check out EF 101 for Parents and Teachers. I’ll continue creating more teacher resources in the future, but that’s already a really good deep dive for educators.

I also have a YouTube channel and many other resources available on my website.

Thank you for your support.

And as always, thank you to the teachers, therapists, counselors, administrators, professionals, tutors, and everyone else watching this series.

Thank you for being of service to kids.

We need you.
They need you.

Thank you for choosing to spend your life energy serving kids.

Be well.
Be healthy.
Be kind to each other.
Be safe.

Take care.