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VISSPA Step-by-Step Instructions

Follow these instructions to download and enter information on the VISSPA

Purple VISSPA logo in the shape of the state of Texas with VISSPA written on it. To its lower left are two bluebonnets. To the right of the Texas image are the words Visual Impairment Scale of Staffing Pattern Analysis.

Download VISSPA

  • Download the VISSPA form and save it on the computer.
  • Open the VISSPA in Adobe Acrobat.
    • If Adobe Acrobat opens in a browser when you click on it, then go back and right-click on the downloaded PDF; then, select open with Adobe Acrobat.
  • Enter information into the VISSPA form. Hover the cursor on the information icon (little i) for an explanation of each item.

Completing the VISSPA

Documented-Time Activities

  1. Enter the time spent on each activity in this section. Do not make time notations using a comma. (e.g., 1000, not 1,000)
  2. Break down the time in this section by activity. Documented time activities are broken down into direct service time, collaborative consultation time, travel time, and duty-free lunch.
  3. Calculate the time spent on each activity in this section. You will need to estimate the amount of time you spend completing each activity in minutes.
  4. Enter the times for the Documented-Time Activities section as follows:
    1. Total minutes per week of direct service time from the VISSIT/O&M VISSIT results for all students on your caseload.
    2. Total minutes per week of collaborative consultation service time from the VISSIT/O&M VISSIT results for all students on your caseload.
    3. Total minutes spent on the job per week in travel time.
    4. Total minutes per week taken for a duty-free lunch (most states have a legal amount of time teachers should take for lunch each day- e.g., 30 minutes per day).

The VISSPA tool will self-calculate numbers in the final row of the section labeled ‘Total for Documented-Time Activities.’ Note: Click in the box or proceed to the next column or row for the number(s) to become visible.

Student-Specific Activities

  1. Enter the time spent on each activity in this section.
  2. Break down the time in this section by activity. Student-Specific Activities consist of Materials/Equipment Preparation and Procurement, IEP/IFSP Meetings, Planning/Participation, Braille Materials Preparation, Lesson Preparation, Evaluations, Medical Appointments, Accountability Reporting, Assistive Technology (AT) Support, Application for Other Services or Program Development/Participation, Preparation and Administration of High-Stakes Testing.
  3. Document the time spent on each activity using time in minutes per week, minutes per month, minutes per semester, or minutes per year. Refer to conversion table below.
Scroll
Hours Minutes
1 60
2 120
3 180
5 300
10 600
  1. Calculate the time spent on each activity in this section by estimating the amount of time you spend completing each activity in minutes. *Note: For each activity under this section, complete the following steps.
    1. Under the column labeled ‘Time in Minutes,’ enter the number of minutes into the blank.
    2. Under the column labeled ‘Time in Minutes,’ select the arrow to open the drop-down menu and select the time designation–week, month, semester, or year–that corresponds to the way you calculated your minutes.
    3. Under the column labeled ‘Range Selection,’ select the down arrow to open up the drop-down menu. Select the range number (0, 1, 4, 7, or 10) that contains the number of minutes per [week, month, semester, year] that was entered in the blank under the ‘Time in Minutes’ column. Move your cursor to the column that says ‘Range Score,’ and the range number will appear. A table with a list of Student-Specific Activities with columns that say "Time in Minutes," "Range Selection," and "Range Score."
  2. The VISSPA tool will self-calculate numbers in the final column labeled ‘Range Score.’ After data entry, you should see either 0, 1, 4, 7, or 10 appear in this last column. Note: You may have to click on this column or proceed to the next column or row for this number to become visible.
  3. Repeat steps 4a-c for all activities in this section.

Non-Student-Specific Activities

  1. Enter the time spent on each activity in this section.
  2. Break down the time in this section by activity. Non-Student-Specific Activities include: Technical Assistance/Training for Others, District-Required Meetings, Staff/Professional Development, Team/Staff Meetings.
  3. Calculate the time spent on each activity in this section by estimating the amount of time spent completing each activity in minutes. Document time spent on each activity using time in minutes per week, minutes per month, minutes per semester, or minutes per year. If necessary, refer to the conversion table above.
  4. In order to calculate the time spent on each Non-Student-Specific Activities, estimate the amount of time spent completing each activity using the same steps listed in step 4 under Student-Specific Activities.
  5. The VISSPA tool will self-calculate numbers in the final column labeled ‘Range Score.’ After data entry, you should see either 0, 1, 4, 7, or 10 appear in this last column. Note: You may have to click on this column or proceed to the next column or row for this number to become visible.
  6. Repeat steps 4a-c for all activities in this section.

Scoring Instructions

Upon completion of data entry for each of the three sections, the VISSPA will automatically calculate the score totals for each of the three sections, as well as a total based on a 480-minute work day and a 2400-minute work week. A range for the average amount of time spent on workload per week will be produced in minutes and hours. Range scores are used on the VISSPA because of the variability of a VI professional’s time each week. The VISSPA can still be used if working more or less than a 40-hour work week. See VISSPA FAQs for more information.