Workload Analysis

Question 1

Role of School SLP

Answer 1

• Working across all levels (K-12)
• Serves a range of disorders
• Ensure educational relevance

—- Address all factors that impact education (social/emotional, academic, personal, and vocational)

• Curriculum contributions

—- Offer support on how to approach the curriculum with students with disabilities

• Language/literacy

—- Work on skills that improve literacy

• Culturally competent services

—- Ensure that CLD students receive proper services

Question 2

Range of Responsibilities

Answer 2

• Prevention

— Helping to prevent academic failure

• Assessment

— Does a student need speech language services?

• Intervention

— Provide age and goal appropriate services

• Program design

— Collaborative classroom based intervention or pull out model?

• Data collection and Analysis

— Gather and interpret data to see if student is making progress

Question 3

Other roles of SLPs

Answer 3

1. Collaboration
   Students

School professionals

Families

Community

2. Leadership

Advocacy

Professional development

Parent training

Research

Question 4

1. Caseload

2. Workload

Answer 4

1. Caseload: the number of students with IEPs or IFSPs served directly and indirectly by school SLPs; may also include students without identified disabilities receiving pre-referral intervention and other services
2. Workload: all required and performed school-based SLP activities
   - The total workload activities required and performed by school SLPs must be considered when setting caseload standards
   - A workload analysis approach ensures that students receive the services they need instead of the services SLPs have time for

Question 5

A Workload Analysis Approach for Establishing Speech/Language Caseload Standards in the School: Position Statement

Answer 5

• Approach principles: essentially, each student added to the caseload increases the SLPs workload; caseloads must allow for an SLP to complete their workload within working hours; education agencies must implement a workload analysis approach to setting caseload standards
• Large caseloads restrict the SLPs ability to engage in all necessary roles
• Large caseloads are related to poorer student outcomes (impeding the intent of IDEA in terms of services tailored to students’ individual needs and collaboration between professionals)

Question 6

ASHA 2012 School Survey

Answer 6

• 79% of clinical service providers used a caseload approach

— Defined as based only on the number of students served

• 21% of clinical service providers used a workload approach

— Defined as based on the number of students served PLUS one’s additional duties

• In Kentucky, 85.7% of respondents reported using a caseload approach and 14.3% reported using a workload approach

Question 7

Factors Affecting School SLP Workloads

Answer 7

• Caseload
• Idea Mandates
• State and local regulations
• State certification requirements
• Student Factors
• Unfunded mandates
• State and local budgets
• School Policies
• Professional Influences

Question 8

Steps of workload analysis

Answer 8

Step 1: Analyze the current workload relative to the needs of students receiving services

Step 2: Is the workload balanced?

Step 3: Collaborate with SLPs, teachers, administrators, union representatives, parents, and others to address workload issues

Question 9

SLP Workload in Public Schools 1

Answer 9

• Direct services: 20 to 30 minute therapy sessions
• Indirect services: Session notes, planning
• Evaluations/Screenings/Observations: Testing, scoring
• Phone Calls and emails
• Writing reports: IEPs and evaluations
• Pre-referral Meeting, Evaluation Meetings, and IEP meetings

Question 10

SLP Workload in Public Schools 2

Answer 10

• Compliance and District Paperwork: notifying parents, sending IEP reports, and caseload updates
• Preparation of AAC: schedules, social stores, communication boards
• Scheduling students / rescheduling: it can be difficult to work around class schedules
• School specific requirements
• Work completed at home

Question 11

KY Caseload Laws

Answer 11

SLP who works

• 5 days a week- 65 students
• 4 days a week- 52 students
• 3 days a week- 39 students
• 2 ½ days a week- 32 students
• 2 days a week- 26 students
• 1 day a week- 13 students
• Median KY caseload is 52 students

Question 12

Challenges with Caseload

Answer 12

• Time Management: We have a lot of work to do in a little amount of time
• Hard to serve students appropriately in such large groups
• There is no federal mandate on caseload sizes so the matter is up to the state (number can go up)
• ASHA has recommended that caseloads should not exceed 40 students

Question 13

Strategies for workload management

Answer 13

• organization
• create/find activities that can be reused
• field trips
• educational computer games

Question 14

Different Intervention Techniques 1

Answer 14

1. Complementary Teaching: SLP provides services in classroom
   - Pros – allows curriculum based instruction, shared instruction, least restrictive environment, streamlines collaboration between teacher and SLP
   - Cons – limited to one student at a time
2. Consultation: SLP works outside classroom to analyze, adapt, modify or create appropriate instructional material (for one or more students in a classroom).
   - Classroom observations; SLP and teacher plan, monitor student progress, and make decisions about materials together
   - Shared intervention responsibilities
3. Team Teaching: SLP, other special education specialists, and regular education classroom teachers work in teams on same IEP goals
   - Shared intervention responsibilities

Question 15

Different Intervention Techniques 2

Answer 15

• Resource Room: SLP teams with other special education specialists provide language, academic, and study skill support in a resource room one to two periods per day instead of students going to study hall. Special educators integrate the IEP goals into curriculum-based support as the students complete homework assignments.
• Speech Club: SLP assigned to lunchroom duty specific days and uses this time to monitor students on the caseload who are in carryover stages of their programs. Each student invites a classmate to join them at the Speech Club table and SLP monitors communication skills in unstructured setting. Note: this is not the SLPs lunch break.
• Teaming for Reading Instruction: SLP teams with other special education specialists for coordinated language and reading programs for students on caseload.

— Shared intervention responsibilities

— Each specialist focus on their area of intervention