Outcomes Matter in School SLP Programs

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Are you making a difference in students’ lives and school success? SLPs, educators, administrators, and parents want to know! The call for evidence-based education and treatment practices, systematic methods of measuring outcomes, and results-driven accountability has never been greater. This course introduces a unique three-pronged framework for assessing and reporting outcomes. You’ll learn to apply a dynamic set of practical tools that will enable you to highlight your successes, create meaningful relationships with educators and parents, modify your intervention practices, and launch new initiatives. Throughout the discussion, you will be encouraged to reflect on your own students, colleagues, and program.

Meet your instructor

Jean Blosser

Jean Blosser is passionate about creating systems that ensure school SLPs and educators can provide outcomes-based, educationally relevant services. To Jean, interprofessional collaboration is essential! As President of Creative Strategies for Special Education, she consults and provides workshops for schools, universities,…

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Chapters & learning objectives

1. Do My Services Make a Difference?

Schools must ensure that all students, including students with disabilities, are equipped with the knowledge, competence, and qualities needed to be successful after leaving the educational system. They must create methods to assess and ensure the effectiveness of efforts to educate children. This chapter discusses the current emphasis on outcomes and results in education and therapy. It provides an overview of the topics to be discussed during the presentation.

2. Education, Outcomes, and School SLPs

Therapists must develop a foundational understanding of the school curriculum, goals for learning, and expectations for performance. Schools measure student success by their classroom performance, grades, scores on district and state standardized tests, and school completion (graduation) rates. Educational results are as important for students with disabilities as they are for students without disabilities.

3. Measuring Outcomes in Speech-Language Pathology Programs

Outcomes measurement and reporting enables educators to be accountable and responsible for providing appropriate educational programs (including intervention) to meet the individual needs of students. This chapter introduces a unique three-pronged framework for understanding, gathering data, measuring, and reporting school outcomes. The framework is comprised of three interrelated components: (1) student outcomes, (2) partner collaboration outcomes, and (3) program and system outcomes.

4. Student Outcomes

The efficacy of special education programs, including SLP programs, can be verified by describing, measuring, and documenting students’ functional performance in high- and low-demand situations and by measuring and documenting their progress toward specific educational goals over time. This chapter highlights the importance of student outcomes and recommends ways to measure student outcomes.

5. Partner Outcomes

Creating effective interprofessional collaborative partnerships represents a philosophical approach to service delivery that ensures the provider (therapist), family members, educators, and other professionals work as a team to develop plans and strategies for helping children. Improved relationships with education partners and families leads to increased understanding of impairments and the impact on academic and social performance, as well as increased team coordination and competency to assist and support. Ideas for measuring partner success are suggested.

6. Program and System Outcomes

In this segment, we discuss how changes and improvements within the speech-language program and/or the education organization and system can result in greater efficiency, effectiveness, and services for students with communication disabilities. Participants are encouraged to consider aspects of their programs they would like to improve.

7. Seven Steps to Assessing and Proving Your Results

You may be wondering how you can fit into this three-pronged picture of outcomes. You can do it by taking seven practical steps. Upon completion of the course, you will have identified student, partner, and program aspects that you can measure and report to demonstrate your impact and success.

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