How to Set Up a Tier 1 Intervention for Promoting Executive Skill Development:

Embedding Executive Skills into Daily Classroom Routines and Instruction

Peg Dawson, Ed.D., NCSP

When teachers attend my “Smart but Scattered” executive skills seminars, they often leave full of new
ideas that they can carry back to the classroom. But a question I am frequently asked is, “How do you
fully implement these strategies in the regular classroom so that they can be used to best effect?” They
often ask a follow-up question that goes something like this: “How can I get teachers who haven’t
attended your seminars on board so that they are eager and willing to add to their teaching practices,
too?”

Since my whole approach to designing executive skills interventions is to create step-by-step processes
(usually with some kind of visual to go with the process), let me use that same approach here. And I
should probably state up front the caveat that I communicate to parents and teachers about how long it
takes before they’ll see improvement in their kids’ executive skills: Progress is measured in years and not
months. The same caveat may apply to teachers who want to change their teaching to incorporate
executive skills. The good news is that teachers who make this investment invariably report that it
transforms their teaching practice. And they can see what an impact it has on the students they’re
working with, so it makes that time investment worthwhile.

So let’s get started.

Step 1: Familiarize yourself with what executive skills are and how they impact learning.

The short answer to that question is that they are brain-based skills, managed out of the frontal lobes of
the brain (the part of the brain right behind the forehead) that take 25 years to reach full maturation. A
concise description of what executive skills are: they are the skills that make goal-directed behavior
possible. Here’s another short description: they are the skills required to execute tasks.

Over the years, we have found that a useful way for teachers to familiarize themselves with executive
skills is to assess their own executive skill strengths and weaknesses. The appendix [ADD ESQ TO
APPENDIX] contains a quick questionnaire that can be used for this purpose. Here are some questions to
consider after you have completed the survey:

• Look at your strengths (your three highest scores). How do you use them on the job? Are they
skills that your job requires you to use frequently? Do they impact how you manage your home
or tasks outside of work?
• Look at your weaknesses (your three lowest scores). Do these make some aspects of your work
challenging? Have you figured out coping strategies to compensate for those weaknesses? Are
there strategies you think might help you improve those skills?

These are, by the way, the same questions we ask students to consider when we introduce executive
skills to them. If you want to learn more about executive skills in adults and how you might take
advantage of your strengths and cope with your weaknesses, you may want to take a look at The Smart
but Scattered Guide to Success (by Dawson & Guare).

At the same time that you are gaining a deeper understanding of your own executive skills profile, you
can start observing your students and looking for signs of executive skill strengths and weaknesses.
Table 1 lists each skill and provides a quick definition and description of the skill in action at different
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ages. The skills are listed in the order in which we believe they emerge developmentally, beginning
shortly after birth.
Table 1
Executive Skill Definitions

Executive Skill Definition Description

Response Inhibition The capacity to think before you act – this In the young child, waiting for a short
ability to resist the urge to say or do period without being disruptive is an
something allows us the time to evaluate a example of response inhibition while in the
situation and how our behavior might adolescent it would be demonstrated by
impact it. accepting a referee’s call without an
argument.
Working Memory The ability to hold information in memory A young child, for example can hold in
while performing complex tasks. It mind and follow 1-2 step directions while
incorporates the ability to draw on past the middle school child can remember the
learning or experience to apply to the expectations of multiple teachers.
situation at hand or to project into the
future.
Emotional Control The ability to manage emotions in order to A young child with this skill is able to
achieve goals, complete tasks, or control recover from a disappointment in a short
and direct behavior time. A teenager is able to manage the
anxiety of a game or test and still perform.
Flexibility The ability to revise plans in the face of A young child can adjust to a change in
obstacles, setbacks, new information or plans without major distress. A high school
mistakes. It relates to an adaptability to student can accept an alternative such as a
changing conditions. different job when the first choice is not
available.
Sustained Attention The capacity to maintain attention to a Completing a 5-minute chore with
situation or task in spite of distractibility, occasional supervision is an example of
fatigue, or boredom. sustained attention in the younger child.
The teenager is able to attend to
homework, with short breaks, for one to
two hours.
Task Initiation The ability to begin projects without undue A young child is able to start a chore or
procrastination, in an efficient or timely assignment right after instructions are
fashion. given. A high school student does not wait
until the last minute to begin a project.
Planning/Prioritizing The ability to create a roadmap to reach a A young child, with coaching, can think of
goal or to complete a task. It also involves options to settle a peer conflict. A teenager
being able to make decisions about what’s can formulate a plan to get a job.
important to focus on and what’s not
important.
Organization The ability to create and maintain systems A young child can, with a reminder, put
to keep track of information or materials. toys in a designated place. An adolescent
can organize and locate sports equipment.
Time Management The capacity to estimate how much time A young child can complete a short job
one has, how to allocate it, and how to within a time limit set by an adult. A high
stay within time limits and deadlines. It school student can establish a schedule to
also involves a sense that time is meet task deadlines.
important.

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 Executive Skill Definition Description
Goal-Directed The capacity to have a goal, follow through A first grader can complete a job in order
Persistence to the completion of the goal, and not be to get to recess. A teenager can earn and
put off by or distracted by competing save money over time to buy something of
interests. importance.
Metacognition The ability to stand back and take a birds- A young child can change behavior is
eye view of oneself in a situation. It is an response to feedback from an adult. A
ability to observe how you problem solve. teenager can monitor and critique her
It also includes self-monitoring and self- performance and improve it by observing
evaluative skills (e.g., asking yourself, others who are more skilled.
“How am I doing? or How did I do?”).

For a deeper understanding, read the early chapters of any of our books (e.g., Smart but Scattered or
Executive Skills in Children and Adolescents.

One approach used by many schools to introduce executive skills to teachers is to use a study group or
book club format. At Mountain View, an alternative high school in Fairfax, Virginia, for instance, Tim
McElroy, the head of special education, created a voluntary study group and gave every member a copy
of Executive Skills in Children and Adolescents. About 8 teachers signed up, and each month of the
school year, participants read and discussed a chapter of the book until they completed it.

Step 2: Learn to apply the executive skill terminology to student learning and behavior.

As you learn about each skill, you can stretch your understanding of the skill by looking for examples of
it in action in the classroom. Executive skills impact both learning and behavior. Table 2 shows some
examples.
Table 2
Executive Skill Learning Behavior
Response Inhibition Jumps into work without reading Blurts out hurtful things to peers or
directions classmates
Working Memory Forgets to put math book in Forgets rules for games
backpack
Emotional Control Gets frustrated and shuts down Lashes out at peers when
when doesn’t understand something at recess is upsetting
worksheet instructions
Flexibility Significant problems with creative Gets upset when a fun planned
writing assignments or other open- event or activity gets cancelled
ended tasks
Sustained Attention Gets distracted before completing Doesn't listen to instructions or
seatwork gets distracted on the playing field
and misses an important play
Task Initiation Dawdles before starting work May frustrate peers during group
activities because fails to follow
through on promised actions
Planning/Prioritizing Difficulty carrying out long-term Difficulty “thinking ahead” to pack
projects what’s needed for a fieldtrip or
activity with friends
Organization Loses papers; messy notebooks, Has trouble keeping track of play
backpacks equipment; may leave things
behind at school or on the playing
field
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 Time Management Fails to allot sufficient time to Late for school; keeps friends or
complete long-term projects family waiting for organized
activities
Goal-Directed Persistence Doesn’t set goals for the future or Lives “in the moment.” Makes
connect the present with those choices about how to spend time
goals (may want to go to college based on immediate needs and
but doesn’t invest the time to earn interests only.
good grades)
Metacognition Struggles with tasks that require Can’t see the impact of behavior on
analysis or abstract thinking others, or can’t see understand
why peers react the way they do

As issues come up during the school day, see if you can tag them to executive skills. But don’t just look
at problem situations or behaviors—be on the lookout for executive skill strengths as well.

This practice can also be incorporated into a study group. Study group members could keep logs where
they collect examples of executive skills in action to share with the rest of the group. If you see a
behavior or learning challenge that is a puzzle to you—does it reflect an executive skill strength or
weakness or not?—share that with the group as well, and together come to some decision. Obviously,
not all learning or behavioral deficits are associated with executive skill challenges, but you might be
surprised how many are.

Teachers will often ask me, what are reasonable expectations for executive skills at different grade
levels? I wish I could answer this question, but the ability to use executive skills is highly context-
dependent. If a first grade teacher works really hard to establish classroom routines that incorporate
executive skills (such as teaching the class to follow a morning schedule to help them get ready for the
school day promptly), her students may look very different to a second grade teacher than students
coming from a class that did not focus on embedding executive skills into daily routines. In both cases,
students may start the year looking similar, but the first group will probably be able to learn and
internalize the second grade teacher’s routines faster than the second group. In the absence of clear
grade level norms, I suggest you look at what the majority of students at your grade level are able to do
and assume that that’s the norm. To be honest, we don’t place a whole lot of emphasis on norms at any
age or grade level, because if you have a child with executive skill challenges you have to start with the
level the child is at. Your goal, then is to bring that child to the level where he or she doesn’t stand out
as markedly different from their classmates.

Step 3: Introduce executive skills (concepts, vocabulary, definitions) to your students.

Once you feel that you have a firm grounding in executive skills, can differentiate the different skills, and
can match behaviors with skills, you are now ready to introduce executive skills to your students. The
most typical way that schools or teachers do this is to present the skills one at a time across the school
year. Some teach one skill a week, others one every other week (which allows them to build in a little
more practice with each skill). An elementary school in New Hampshire introduced one skill each month,
creating a poster for each skill that was posted near the entrance to the skill and reminding students in
the daily announcements what the focus skill for the month was. Teachers developed different activities
and strategies for promoting each skill, which they gathered in a resource notebook that was kept in the
teacher’s room. How fast you roll them out depends on the age and developmental maturity of the
students you’re targeting.

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 How do you introduce the skills? Again, it depends in part on the age of the students you’re
working with. We’ve found young children respond particularly well to connecting each skill to an
imaginary character (sometimes referred to as a “superhero”). This approach was first developed by
teachers at the Montcrest School in Toronto, Canada. Teachers there have developed 10 superheroes to
represent the 10 executive skills they’ve chose to focus on. Each superhero is introduced with a script
and they each offer an array of strategies children can use if that executive skill is a challenge for them.
[provide example here]. More information about these superheroes can be found at
www.efs2therescue.com.

While the materials created by Montcrest School teachers are available for purchase, we have also
worked with schools to develop their own characters. The advantage to this approach is that going
through this process gave teachers the opportunity to think more deeply about the executive skills they
wanted to focus on and the strategies they wanted to encourage students to use. Below are a couple of
characters created by second grade teachers at Moharimet School in Madbury, New Hampshire.

Stopasaurus Focus Phantom

(Response Inhibition) (Sustained Attention)

Some elementary school personnel (school psychologists, behavior specialists, OT’s, special education
teachers, speech pathologists) have created lessons to introduce executive skills to students in a
developmentally appropriate manner. Some have done this as a Tier 2 Intervention, targeting small
groups of children identified by teachers as having significant executive skills challenges (often students
with ADHD). Others have embedded these lessons into the regular classroom, thus making it a Tier 1
intervention. Felicia Sperry, a school psychologist in the Oyster River School District in New Hampshire,
first introduced executive skills in a Tier 2 model but she realized that achieving generalization to the
general education classroom (where these skills needed to be deployed) was hampered by this pull-out
model. She has moved from working with small groups of targeted students to teaching whole
classrooms. Her curriculum can be accessed through a Dropbox folder:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/ndzznaz826s1cig/AADSdmGTVNlRbaXM6cPHYBuva?dl=0

Teachers at the middle school level in Bedford, New Hampshire created a Tier 2 Intervention for
students on IEP’s and 504 Accommodation Plans. While they use a pull-out model, their materials could
easily be adapted for whole-class use as a Tier 1 intervention. Their work can be accessed through a
google drive link: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B4kId0327lZdNk44eDdCS24yckE

At the secondary level, the most common approach is to introduce executive skills through a series of
short weekly lessons, which then get reinforced as each executive skill arises naturally in the course of
the lessons and assignments that are part of teacher’s curriculum for the week. This approach has been
developed and refined by teachers at Mountain View School. The components of this approach include:
• Introducing each skill through an activity or a funny YouTube video.
• Posing questions that encourage students to think about the meaning of the video or activity
and to understand the nature of the executive skill that’s the point of the lesson.

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 • Creating a “catch phrase” that can be posted on classroom walls to remind students of the
week’s executive skill.
• Providing concise definitions and brief examples of each skill, including examples of what the
skill looks like both as a strength and as a weakness. These, too, are posted on classroom walls
so that by the end of the lesson series, the entire array of executive skills is displayed, serving as
an easy reference that both teachers and students can refer to.
• Highlighting places during the course of the week where that particular skill presents itself in
lessons and assignments—while also referring back to skills presented in earlier lessons.
• Debriefing with students on Friday, focusing on what they’ve learned about themselves and
their understanding of the week’s skill.

Teachers at Mountain View have posted their lessons on their website (www.efintheclassroom.net), and
secondary level teachers are encouraged to look at their materials. On the homepage you will find a
google drive link that brings the viewer to a set of folders, one for each executive skill. Ina addition to
one lesson per skill, Mountain View has found it helpful to begin with a lesson on growth mindset, based
on Carol Dweck’s work, because they want to impress upon students that although it is common to have
both strengths and weaknesses, the weaknesses students have are not permanent and are subject to
improvement through targeted practice. The growth mindset lesson is also included in their curricular
materials.

Mountain View’s approach is to spend one week on each skill. In working with schools to adapt the
Mountain View approach to meet their needs, many schools opt to focus on fewer skills and to spend a
minimum of 2-3 week on each skill. At the elementary level, teachers often only focus on a few skills,
selecting those from the first six listed in Table 1, since these are skills that we generally expect children
to show progress in during the elementary school years. Adding metacognition to that list may also
make sense, because if we can help students reflect on their own executive skills and the strategies they
can use to build those skills, we are ahead of the game if we begin early.

Step 4: Find ways to illuminate where in a child’s life at home and at school executive skills present
themselves and give students the opportunity to make these connections on their own.

As you and your students expand your understanding of executive skills, you will find them popping up
throughout the school day. Students may even begin to bring in examples from home, and you can
prompt them to think about that (e.g., “What executive skill do you need to use when you’d rather play
video games than do your homework?”). Here’s a list of situations and settings that may serve as fodder
for class discussions about executive skills:

• Classroom lessons
• Independent seatwork
• On the playground
• In the cafeteria
• In the hallways
• On the school bus
• Playing sports
• With friends
• After school or summer jobs
• Doing homework
• Other situations at home (e.g., chores, getting along with parents or siblings)

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Here are a few examples of how students learn to apply these concepts independently after they have
been introduced to the vocabulary by teachers:

• A second grade teacher at a private school in Los Angeles described how she had to cancel a fun
activity the class had been looking forward to for weeks. It fell through at the last minute, and
on the day of the event, she had to announce to the class first thing in the morning that the fun
event had to be cancelled. A second grade girl in the class, on hearing this, sighed and said, “I
guess we’ll have to be flexible.”
• Teachers at Moharimet school in New Hampshire reported that after they introduced a
superhero named “Stopasaurus” to teach response inhibition, their students came in from
recess reporting how the superhero had saved them from getting in trouble on the playground.
• Students at a high school in Moultonborough, New Hampshire, after participating in a series of
lessons on executive skills were able to identify that emotional control was a critical skill in the
jobs they held after school.

Step 5: Incorporate executive skills into lessons, classwork, and homework assignments. Be explicit
with students about how the skill contributes to mastery of content and how they can identify
strategies to overcome obstacles that may get in the way of using those skills effectively.

Typically, any lesson or assignment we present to students requires one or more executive skills in order
to master the lesson or complete the assignment successfully. By integrating executive skill instruction
into these activities, we’re not adding to a teacher’s workload. We’re simply asking them to think a little
differently about how they teach. Here’s a 4-step process for transforming the way you teach:

1. Identify which executive skills are critical to the lesson or assignment.

2. Identify the kind of obstacle that might impede a student from using those skills effectively.
3. Help the student identify a strategy for overcoming that obstacle.
4. Help the student implement the strategy and reinforce them for doing so.
5.
Table 3 gives several examples of these steps as they are applied to some sample lessons and
assignments.
Table 3

Lesson/Assignment Executive Skill(s) Obstacle Possible Strategies

Math: Subtraction with • Organization • Poor spacing/messy • Use large-grid graph
regrouping • Working Memory handwriting paper
• Forgetting the steps • Use a template or
checklist with each
step numbered or
color-coded
English: Learning • Working Memory • Difficulty retaining the • Make up “silly
vocabulary words • Metacognition meanings (ineffective sentences” for each
study strategies) word
• Study with a friend
using flash cards

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 Social Studies: studying • Working Memory • Forgetting the quiz • Create a graphic
for a quiz or test • Response Inhibition itself, leaving the organizer; use Quizlet;
• Task Initiation textbook at school, use practice tests
• Sustained Attention forgetting the material • Use self-talk (“I won’t
being studied go on-line until I’ve
• Having other things to spent 30 minutes
do that are more fun studying for my quiz)
than studying • Make a plan with a
• Putting off studying too start time
late in the evening • Use Pomodoro to help
• Not spending enough with task persistence
time studying to ensure
mastery

This table can be turned into a planning sheet to help teachers think through the lessons and
assignments they teach. The form, which is included in the Appendix to this paper, could be used by
teachers initially, but eventually it may be helpful to get students to complete the form themselves,
since it reinforces the idea that everything we ask them to do in school requires executive skills and if
they run into snags, they can think their way to means to overcome obstacles.

Laurie Faith, a former teacher at the Montcrest School has done extensive work developing this
approach to embedding executive skills into classroom curricula and activities. More about her approach
can be seen at her website (www.activatedlearning.org).

Step 6: Post strategies in the classroom to use as a reference when obstacles are uncovered.

This step reinforces the “growth mindset” mentality that underlies executive skill development. Posting
strategies on the walls in classrooms reminds students that learning obstacles can be overcome, and it
gives them a readily accessible resource they can refer to if they find themselves stuck. Below are a
number of examples from schools in the U.S. and Canada.

Brookstone School, Columbus

GA

Montcrest School Toronto Canada Bracebridge Public School, Ontario Canada

From www.activatedlearning.org

Step 7: Periodically take a problem associated with an executive skill challenge and do a class
brainstorm for how to solve the problem.

Here’s how this might work: A few years ago, I was invited by a school in Georgia (the Brookstone School
in Columbus) to spend the day at the school talking with students in grades 6-12 about executive skills.
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Before I came I asked the teachers who worked in the Learning Center to have those students complete
a couple of surveys, the Executive Skills Questionnaire and the Executive Skills Problem Checklist. These
are available in the Work Smart Academic Planner, Revised Edition (Dawson & Guare, 2017) and in
Executive Skills in Children and Adolescents, Third Edition (Dawson & Guare, 2018). I then asked the
teachers to calculate the 5 weakest executive skills on average reported by their students and the 5
executive skill problems endorsed most by those students. Table 3 shows the results of that tabulation.

Table 3

Executive Skill Challenges Problem Situations

Response Inhibition 1. Having trouble doing homework when there are
more fun things to do

Emotional Control 2. Getting really irritated when a homework

assignment is hard or confusing

Task Initiation 3. Relying on deadline as activator or motivator

Sustained Attention 4. Rushing through work just to get it done

Working Memory 5. Internally and externally distracted

When I met with the students, we reviewed their choices and then we voted on which ones we wanted
to brainstorm strategies for, with different groups choosing different ones. I wrote down their
suggestions on my laptop (projected via an LCD projector), but the art teacher later turned them into
posters to put up on the walls of the Learning Center. Examples of the posters are below.

I was invited as an outside speaker, but this activity could well be employed by classroom teachers.
Topics for brainstorming are likely to present themselves naturally and students should be encouraged
to make suggestions, but if teachers are looking for ideas, the Executive Skills Problem Checklist includes
about 60 common problems associated with executive skills that students often encounter. A portion of
this checklist is shown in Figure 1.

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 Figure 1.

Step 8: From time to time, have students reflect on what they’ve learned about executive skills and
how their skills have improved.

Of all the executive skills, metacognition may be the most useful and most versatile. When students
work on this skill, they are learning when to deploy all the other executive skills effectively. This can be
done formally, by having students set goals and track their progress toward goals or it can be done
informally during classroom discussions and teacher/student conversations. The Work Smart Academic
Planner and the book Coaching Students with Executive Skills Deficits are both resources that support a
more formal goal-setting approach. But informal classroom conversations can also be effective in
reinforcing metacognition. In particular, when students successfully accomplish a task that may be
challenging for them, it is worth asking them questions such as What worked for you here? Or What
strategy were you using to help you get that done? With younger children, who have trouble answering
these kinds of open-ended questions, I’ve found it helpful to ask them What were you saying to yourself
to help you be successful?

Step 9: At the end of school year, help students think about how the next school or grade that they go
to may not offer the same supports you have provided. Help them identify how they can carry over
what they have learned about skills and strategies to a new setting.

When students pass from one grade level to the next or one school to the next, they often encounter
bumps in the road. Quite frequently, teachers at the next grade level have expectations that are higher
than some of their incoming students can meet. While teachers have an obligation to “meet their
students where they are at,” this transition does not always go smoothly. If you have spent the year
with your students helping them understand executive skills and the strategies they can use to
overcome obstacles, you can help with this transition by spending the last few weeks of the school year
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talking with your students about how they can use what they’ve learned in a new school or classroom.
You may want to point out (and have them reflect on) the progress they’ve made since the beginning of
the school year. You can share with them what the next grade level will be like and your understanding
of what next year’s teachers will expect them to do. With the class, brainstorm some strategies they can
use to help that transition proceed smoothly. In particular, you may want to help them come up with a
bulleted list of brief reminders or “catch phrases” that will help them remember the strategies that were
the most successful. Print them out on colorful paper, laminate them, and hand them out as an end-of-
year gift. You may also want to invite students to get back in touch with you in the coming years, both to
share their successes and to ask your advice.

Step 10: Take some time to reflect on what you’ve learned about teaching students about executive
skills.

We’ve had teachers tell us that building executive skills into their classroom transformed their teaching
practice. Take time to pat yourself on the back for your successes. Share them with other teachers. If
you began this journey by being part of a study group, have a celebratory party at the end of every year
to share your experiences with others. And invite another teacher to join you next year as you continue
the journey. You now have an expertise that others would benefit from!

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 APPENDIX
Executive Skills Questionnaire —

Peg Dawson & Richard Guare

Step I: Read each item below and then rate that item based on the extent to which you agree or disagree
with how well it describes you. Use the rating scale below to choose the appropriate score. Then add the
three scores in each section. Use the Key on page 2 to determine your executive skill strengths (2-3
highest scores) and weaknesses (2-3 lowest scores).

Strongly disagree 1 Tend to agree 5

Disagree 2 Agree 6
Tend to disagree 3 Strongly agree 7
Neutral 4

Item Your score

1. I don’t jump to conclusions
2. I think before I speak.
3. I don’t take action without having all the facts.
YOUR TOTAL SCORE:

4. I have a good memory for facts, dates, and details.

5. I am very good at remembering the things I have committed to do.
6. I seldom need reminders to complete tasks
YOUR TOTAL SCORE:

7. My emotions seldom get in the way when performing on the job.

8. Little things do not affect me emotionally or distract me from the task at hand.
9. I can defer my personal feelings until after a task has been completed
YOUR TOTAL SCORE:

10. No matter what the task, I believe in getting started as soon

as possible.
11. Procrastination is usually not a problem for me.
12. I seldom leave tasks to the last minute
YOUR TOTAL SCORE:

13. I find it easy to stay focused on my work.

14. Once I start an assignment, I work diligently until it’s completed.
15. Even when interrupted, I find it easy to get back and complete the job at hand.
YOUR TOTAL SCORE:

16. When I plan out my day, I identify priorities and stick to them
17. When I have a lot to do, I can easily focus on the most important things .
18. I typically break big tasks down into subtasks and timelines.
YOUR TOTAL SCORE:
19. I am an organized person.
20. It is natural for me to keep my work area neat and organized.
21. I am good at maintaining systems for organizing my work.
YOUR TOTAL SCORE:

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 Strongly disagree 1 Tend to agree 5
Disagree 2 Agree 6
Tend to disagree 3 Strongly agree 7
Neutral 4
Item Your score
22. At the end of the day, I’ve usually finished what I set out to do.
23. I am good at estimating how long it takes to do something.
24. I am usually on time for appointments and activities.
YOUR TOTAL SCORE:

25. I take unexpected events in stride.

26. I easily adjust to changes in plans and priorities.
27. I consider myself to be flexible and adaptive to change.
YOUR TOTAL SCORE:

28. I routinely evaluate my performance and devise methods for

personal improvement.
29. I am able to step back from a situation in order to make objective
decisions.
30. I “read” situations well and can adjust my behavior based on the reactions of others.
YOUR TOTAL SCORE:

31. I think of myself as being driven to meet my goals.

32. I easily give up immediate pleasures to work on long-term goals.
33. I believe in setting and achieving high levels of performance.
YOUR TOTAL SCORE:

34. I enjoy working in a highly demanding, fast-paced environment.

35. A certain amount of pressure helps me to perform at my best.
36. Jobs that include a fair degree of unpredictability appeal to me.
YOUR TOTAL SCORE:

KEY

Items Executive Skill Items Executive Skill

1-3 Response Inhibition 4-6 Working Memory

7-9 Emotional Control 10 - 12 Task Initiation
13 - 15 Sustained Attention 16 - 18 Planning/Prioritization
19 - 21 Organization 22 - 24 Time Management
25 - 27 Flexibility 28 - 30 Metacognition
31 - 33 Goal-Directed Persistence 34-36 Stress tolerance

Strongest Skills Weakest Skills

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 PLANNING SHEET FOR DESIGNING STRATEGIES
TO OVERCOME EXECUTIVE SKILL OBSTACLES

Lesson/Assignment Executive Skill(s) Obstacle Possible Strategies

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