SLPA SUPERVISION – AN EVER-CHANGING MODEL

Patricia Forget, MS, CCC-SLP

Sharon Jamison, MS, CCC-SLP

Bridget Stauring, MA, CCC-SLP

Nicole Schommer, MS, CCC-SLP

Colorado Springs School District 11

FIGURING IT ALL OUT

Adaptation

Change

TRIAL AND ERROR

Evolu

tion

Refinement

HISTORY

School Year 2007-2008 Seven full time SLP open positions  $320,000 spent on contractors with no

accountability

School year 2008-09 $176,000 spent on contractors, three open SLP

slots Feasibility of hiring/utilizing SLPAs?

HISTORY

School year 2009-10 Ten SLPA's hired With bachelor's degree/equivalent in

communication disorders  Ten different part time supervisors (NOT

recommended) Developed a weighted rubric formula for

allocation of SLPs and SLPAs Some SLPAs assisted SLPs and some had

own buildings Provided modules training

HISTORY

School year 2010-11 Six SLPAs assigned to own buildings Two full time and two part time supervisors School year 2011-12 Five SLPAs New minimum requirement BA/BS and

completion of SLPA course Continued to have two full time and two part

time supervisors

HISTORY

School year 2011-12 Five SLPAs New minimum requirement BA/BS and

completion of SLPA course Continued to have two full time and two part

time supervisors

School year 2012-13 (To be discussed more later) Eleven SLPAs Four full time supervisors

MODEL

Development of SLPA model Development of SLP/SLPA rubric SLPA Placement:

Primarily in larger buildings STAR programs DHH SIED Severe needs

CHOOSING SLP SUPERVISORS

Organization Time management Navigate multiple personalities Multiple building expectations Strong advocacy skills Strong knowledge of law and need for

documentation

SUPERVISION FORMS – STATE RESOURCES

SLP-A Fast Fact http://www.cde.state.co.us/cdesped/FastFacts.asp Updated Feb 2012 and several parts were

changed due to Colorado Educator Licensing Act of 1991

Great resource for parents, teachers, and administrators who are wondering what the role of the SLP-A is and what supervision requirements are in place.

SUPERVISION FORMS - PERSONAL

Attendance

SUPERVISION FORMS - PERSONAL

Supervision documentation

SUPERVISION FORMS - PERSONAL

Activity planning/data collection

LOGISTICS

District/Administrative Level ESP (Educational Support Professionals) but not

EA (Educational Assistant) – Authorized by CDE Staffing Coordinator meetings

Department Level Monthly supervisor meeting PLCs (Professional Learning Communities) for

SLPAs

SLP-A PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Allowed 30 min. of consultation with supervisor per week. Not a sufficient amount of time for training

District required PLCs for all staff so we worked with principals to have SLPAs PLCs separately.

Started PLCs in 2011-12, making use of district expertise. Spring 2012 – we started inviting the SLPs to attend

This year, we are offering a certificate of attendance for participants to use for continuing education purposes.

WHERE ARE WE NOW??

Currently employ 26 fully certified SLPs, 11 authorized SLP-As, and 4 full time supervisors.

These employees cover 15 elementary and 1 middle schools.

Total student caseload covered by SLP-As = approximately 445

FUTURE CONSIDERATIONS

School closures and consolidations Continued budget constraints Consistency & stability Supervisor workload Staff retirements

Supporting SLP-As in getting certified Communication concerns Public relations Monitoring effectiveness of SLP-As and

supervisors

CONTACTS:

For general questions: Bridget Stauring - staurbm@d11.org

For administrative questions: Kim Lovelace - lovelkm@d11.org