Speech and Language Services are offered at all schools across all grade levels serving students from age 2 to 22 years. The SLP position is an itinerant position, which may require the SLP to travel to more than one school to provide services. Speech and Language Services are offered at the alternative high schools, the Juvenile Detention Center, and to students receiving home-based and homebound instruction. SLPs may also provide evaluations for special education students placed in Virginia private day schools. During the summer months, SLPs support students attending Extended School Year (ESY) services, conduct assessments, and participate in compliance-related activities through the FCPS Special Education Summer Clinic.

Analysis of Speech and Language Services student profile data indicates that all types of speech and language disorders (speech sound disorders, voice, fluency, and language impairment) occur across the grade levels and may coexist in all disability categories.

In determining whether a student demonstrates a speech/language impairment under special education regulations, the assessment process must be thorough and balanced and include multiple data sources, both decontextualized and contextualized. One component, norm-referenced tests, administered individually by the SLP, rely on testing procedures that measure discrete skills under controlled conditions and yield standard scores. However, due to the decontextualized nature of these measurements, the test results do not align with the curriculum nor indicate the educational impact of the Speech/Language Impairment. These inherent limitations of standardized tests call for additional, more functional information when determining special educational eligibility.

School-based data and speech-language-specific information together provide a contextualized lens for viewing a student’s functional speech and language skills in relation to their ability to access the academic and/or vocational setting. A variety of assessment tools and strategies are available to gather this data, including checklists, observations, interviews, criterion-referenced measures, dynamic assessment, language sampling, and speech intelligibility probes. This multifaceted approach focuses on the student’s performance and interactions across the daily school environment whereby parents, teachers, and other staff members, along with the speech-language pathologist, contribute insights regarding how the student uses his/her communication skills in school.  

Multiple data sources are considered when determining whether the student meets the criteria for Speech/Language Impairment defined in the Basis for Committee Decision:

1. There is documentation of significant speech/language impairment that is significantly discrepant from typical communication skills.
2. The speech/language impairment is not primarily the result of socio-cultural dialect, delay, or difference associated with the acquisition of English as a second language or within the purview of established norms for articulation and language development;
3. The speech/language impairment adversely affects the student’s educational performance, and
4. The student requires specially designed instruction as a result of the speech/language impairment.

SLPs access a combination of communication-specific and curriculum materials to provide the basis for IEP goal-focused instruction in therapy. Student-specific practice materials and activities are accessed and/or developed by the SLP to reinforce specific skill-building sets throughout interventions.

As SLPs focus their services on supporting students with oral communication impairments across the county, there is a need to ensure consistency in the delivery of high-quality, evidence-based services to more than 11,000 students and families annually.   

Consistency in delivery requires not only professional knowledge but also multiple opportunities for leadership/collaboration in building strong teams. A current area of focus for Speech and Language Services, and in accordance with IDEA 2004 Statute: Part D; § 1450. 5-7 is to provide an adequate number of qualified personnel who receive high-quality comprehensive professional development to ensure they possess the necessary skills and knowledge. Furthermore, the models of professional development should be scientifically based and reflect successful practices including strategies for recruiting, preparing, and retaining personnel.

Changes in legal mandates, research-to-practice findings, and LEA initiatives to improve student outcomes impact the body of knowledge required to provide high-quality speech and language services in school settings. These factors require responsive, timely, multifaceted professional development opportunities to assure SLPs remain current and responsible team members ready to support student access to the curriculum.   

The Communication Disorders Program embraces the mission that professional development for the SLPs will be high-quality and comprehensive ensuring that the team possesses the skills and knowledge necessary to address the educational and related needs of students.  Professional development is provided through a combination of county-wide in-services, regional meetings, topic-specific cohorts, collaborative learning team discussions, and mentor-mentee collaboration.  Additionally, a comprehensive induction program, Great Beginnings, is available for new FCPS SLPs.

Based on research methodology reported by Anderson and Krathwohl, (2001) Speech and Language professional development opportunities are designed to align learning outcomes with active learning activities, such as peer-reviews, reflections, and small group discussion to ensure SLPs are implementing current research and practices within the framework of the school setting. 

Speech and Language professional development goals in 2022-2023 school year targeted both newly hired staff and veteran SLPs focusing on: Special Education Procedures, Portrait of Graduate initiatives, specific evidence-based practices in the areas of Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) and Speech Sound Disorders.  Newly hired SLPs participated in the Great Beginnings Institute held before the school year officially began.  This cohort of new SLPs also participated in monthly classes throughout the school year designed to promote knowledge and skills aligned with school-based responsibilities.

 Future Focus

The professional development focus on AAC and Speech Sound Disorders during SY 2022-2023 will continue to be refined and adjusted focusing on implementation to meet student needs in SY 2023-2024.

Goal 1

By June 30, 2024, 80% of program staff will participate in two or more professional development opportunities focused on Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) offered through the Communication Disorders Program.   These opportunities will focus on implementation of evidenced based teaching strategies for AAC users, as well as language sampling to establish present level of performance (of AAC users) to inform goal writing and progress monitoring.  This will be measured by program data collected during the school year.

Goal 2

By June 30, 2024, 50% of program staff within the Summative evaluation cycle will identify and participate in a professional growth focus related to language sampling for AAC users or varied treatment approaches for Speech Sound Disorders as measured by Communication Disorders Supervisors through the SLPs evaluation cycle data collected during the given/specific school year.

In 2014 FCPS adopted Portrait of a Graduate, a countywide initiative to assure that ALL students develop those attributes and skills needed to be “life ready” upon graduation. Component areas include the student becoming a Communicator, Collaborator, Ethical and Global Citizen, Critical Thinker, and Resilient Individual. In school year 2022-2023 FCPS established a goal that all schools and departments would have an Improvement and Innovation Plan aligned with Portrait of a Graduate. Recommended actions require implementation of scientific-based professional development strategies using a variety of modalities and venues.

All people with a disability of any extent or severity have a basic right to fully participate in communication interactions. (National Joint Committee for the Communication Needs of Persons with Severe Disabilities (NJC) Communication Bill of Rights). www.asha.org/njc. At the core of the educational services provided by SLPs is upholding the human right to communicate.  FCPS SLP survey information identified that many SLPs feel inadequately prepared to meet the needs of AAC users.  Barriers to AAC service provision suggest the presence of a gap between prior coursework (knowledge) and skill development in actual practice.

The Communication Disorders Program is committed to implementing research-based practices and utilizing program data to drive decisions regarding professional development needs. The following information represents a snapshot of SY 2022-2023 professional development opportunities designed to expand SLPs' knowledge and skills in supporting students with oral communication impairments.  

Strong communication supports all student achievement goals identified in the Portrait of a Graduate, including Communicator, Collaborator, Ethical and Global Citizen, Critical Thinker, and Resilient Individual.

In support of Portrait of a Graduate (POG) - Communicator Portrait of a Graduate Goals: (1.) Speaks in a purposeful manner to inform, influence, motivate, or entertain as well as (2.) Uses technology skills and contemporary digital tools to explore and exchange ideas.  

Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC):

Goal 1: During the school year 2022-2023, the Communication Disorders Program will provide at least three professional development opportunities to SLPs in an effort to expand their knowledge and skills in service delivery to students using AAC devices.

• The following presentations and opportunities were offered to the SLPs throughout the 2022-2023 school year:
• Participate in a countywide PRC LAMP training, offered through Assistive Technology Services (ATS) demonstrating the importance of collaboration between SLPs, special education teachers, and ATS Specialists.
• The Communication Disorders Program developed a series of learning opportunities designed to link knowledge and skills in the provision of services to AAC users.  FCPS supported SLPs’ access to ASHA’s Learning Pass, which provides practical evidence-based continuing education courses. The four-week series highlighted (1) AAC Intervention as Language Building on What You Know, (2) AAC and Core Vocabulary Implementation and Secrets to Success, (3) Effective Engaging AAC Instruction, and (4) Setting Goals for Students Who Use AAC. Small group discussions and mentoring allowed each participant to write unique goals to meet individual AAC user needs. Sixty-eight SLPs participated in the courses and feedback from those SLPs was overwhelmingly positive.  
• An AAC SL Materials Lending Library was developed using PRC Literacy Guides.  These guides contain books with AAC implementation lesson plans and creative innovative materials to target individualized goals and objectives and engage students in literacy-based language development.   Approximately 50 SLPs access this lending library on a monthly basis.

Speech Sound Disorders Assessment and Treatment:

SLPs treat speech sound disorders using individualized approaches based on the student’s needs. A recent study found that SLPs have knowledge of different speech sound disorder approaches but tend to utilize only a few in the school-based setting (Cabbage, 2022). At the beginning of the 2022-2023 school year, the SLPs were polled regarding treatment approaches they regularly implement for students with speech sound disorders. The results suggested that most SLPs demonstrated treatment patterns like the findings in the Cabbage et. al,  research study. Research has shown that when SLPs have the knowledge and can apply a wider range of treatment approaches students may benefit. 

Goal 2:  Given current research on Speech Sound Disorders treatment in schools and observed trends in rising numbers of students demonstrating Speech Sound Disorders, increased efforts will be focused on expanding the knowledge and relevant selection of a variety of treatment approaches utilized by FCPS Speech Language Pathologists to assure student outcomes.

The following presentations and opportunities were offered to the SLPs throughout the 2022-2023 school year:

• Completion of coursework/webinars provided through the ASHA Learning Pass.
• Collaborative Learning Team meetings with focused discussion allowing the SLPs to share case studies with colleagues and problem-solve situations where new knowledge may be processed, organized, and applied using adult learning strategies.   
• Countywide SLP in-service presentation focused on assessing and selecting treatment approaches with the greatest efficacy specific to the type of speech sound disorder.
• Countywide SLP in-service presentation by a nationally recognized Speech Sound Disorders specialist focused on the Cycles Approach for phonological process disorder. 

In support of Portrait of a Graduate (POG) - Ethical and Global Citizen

Portrait of a Graduate Goal: Acknowledges and understands diverse perspectives and cultures when considering local, natural and world issues.

Goal 3:  During SY 2022-2023, SLPs will demonstrate increasing cultural competence through participation on school teams and implementation of practices that reflect the principles of the new FCPS Teacher Performance Standard 6/Culturally Responsive and Equitable Teaching Practices.  Additionally, ASHA, the professional credentialing organization, requires SLPs to participate in two hours of professional development every three years focused on cultural competency, cultural humility, culturally responsible practice, or diversity, equity, and inclusion. https://www.asha.org/certification/prof-dev-for-2020-certification-standards/

The Communication Disorders Program supported professional growth regarding cultural competence through the following opportunities:

• Back-to-School Countywide SLP Professional Development presentation: Diversity and Inclusion in Children’s Literature, by nationally recognized and published SLP specialist offering strategies to implement cultural responsiveness and representation through selection of books in literacy-based therapy.
• SLPs demonstrate knowledge and respect of cultural differences by sharing information with school teams.  This information informs teams on differences versus disorders to prevent the overidentification of culturally diverse students.
• In alignment with Virginia Regulations, SLPs assess a student’s skills in the native language and English to provide a holistic representation of the student’s communication skills.  These assessments are completed by a bilingual SLP or in collaboration with a trained interpreter. 

Great Beginnings (GB) - A Comprehensive Induction Program for New FCPS SLPs

In addition to clinical skills required by the Virginia Board of Health Professions, Board of Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology (BASLP), SLPs working in the public school must be knowledgeable about special education regulations and FCPS practices.  To meet this requirement, FCPS offers Great Beginnings, including the summer institute and monthly classes.  FCPS hires approximately 30 new SLPs annually.

Goal 4: During SY 2022-2023 the Communication Disorders Program will offer a year-long professional development program focused on supporting newly hired SLPs’ capacity to grow professionally in the field of school-based SL service delivery.

This program, led by Communication Disorders Supervisors, utilized both in-person and virtual formats including knowledgeable FCPS resources, mentors, and the leveraging of active learning strategies to target those tasks based on knowledge as well as skills in deriving best student outcome solutions through creative problem-solving.  The following data provides the topics highlighted at the Cohort Sessions.  Feedback from the participants included their appreciation of being able to learn from one another’s questions as well as the shared experience of being newly hired within a large school system to fulfill responsibilities encompassing both general and special education regulations.    

Data

  Great Beginnings (GB) Institute and Cohort Sessions

References

_{American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. (2023). Code of ethics [Ethics]. Available from www.asha.org/policy/}

_{American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (n.d.) Speech Sound Disorders: Articulation and Phonology. (Practice Portal). Retrieved, October 17, 2022, from www.asha.org/Practice-Portal/Clinical-Topics/Articulation-and-Phonology/.}

_{Anderson, L.W. and Krathwohl, D.R., et al (Eds.,) (2011) A Taxonomy for Learning, Teaching, and Assessing; A Revision of Bloom’s Taxonomy of Educational Objectives. Allyn & Bacon, Boston, MA (Pearson Educational Group)}

_{Brady, N. C., Bruce, S., Goldman, A., Erickson, K., Mineo, B., Ogletree, B. T., Paul, D., Romski, M., Sevcik, R., Siegel, E., Schoonover, J., Snell, M., Sylvester, L., & Wilkinson, K. (2016). Communication services and supports for individuals with severe disabilities: Guidance for assessment and intervention. American Journal on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, 121(2), 121–138.}

_{Cabbage, K., Farquharson, K., & DeVeney, S. (2022). Speech Sound Disorder Treatment Approaches Used by School-Based Clinicians: An Application of the Experience Sampling Method. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 1-14.}

_{Fairfax County Public Schools, (2014). Portrait of a Graduate. https://www.fcps.edu/about-fcps/portrait-graduate}

_{Fairfax County Public Schools, (2022-2013), Portrait of a Graduate Program Improvement and Innovation Plan, Relevant details and data for the Portrait of a Graduate Program.}

_{Approaches Used by School-Based Clinicians: An Application of the Experience Sampling Method. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 1-14.}

_{McLeod, S., & Baker, E. (2017). Children's speech: An evidence-based approach to assessment and intervention.}