The Vermont Coalition to address personnel shortages in speech-language pathology convened five meetings between 9/26/06 and 10/10/07 to define causes of the shortage, prioritize strategies, and begin to implement solutions. Twenty-three stakeholders representing school administrators, policy makers, consumers, and speech-language pathologists attended the initial coalition meeting, out of which three committees worked on the plan. The committees focused on the top three prioritized strategies for solving the SLP shortage in VT educational settings: 

1. increasing the annual number of Masters level SLP graduates from Vermont programs; 
2. improving effective/efficient use of SLPs by increasing knowledge of/training on best practice service delivery models; and 
3. improving recruitment/retention efforts by understanding the effect of compensation and other work aspects on job satisfaction. 

Feel free to view the following documents:                        See survey results:

Coalition Summary Document                                         SLP Compensation/Job Satisfaction 
Malinda Hartwell Research Paper                                     School Vacancy Data/Incentives
 

The Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), U.S. Department of Education (ED), has clarified a number of issues of importance to ASHA members who work in school settings. This will further aid members in the interpretation of the 2006 IDEA Part B final regulations that implement changes in the newly reauthorized Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEA 2004). This is in response to ASHA's November 2, 2006 letter to the U.S. Department of Education seeking clarification on the following topics:

*  eligibility for speech-language services when the student is not failing a course or grade, and reaffirm a letter issued in May 1980 that clarified when a speech or language impairment "adversely affects educational performance"

*  how to handle missed sessions due to the child's absence from school, cancellation for a class or school activity such as a field trip or an assembly, or absence of the SLP due to illness or family emergencies

*  the continuum of service delivery options to be considered for a student

The full text of ASHA's November 2, 2006 letter to OSEP stating ASHA members' concerns and OSEP's March 8, 2007 letter of guidance in response are available on ASHA's IDEA Action Center Web site at http://www.asha.org/about/legislation-advocacy/federal/idea/default.htm.  ASHA will also be developing issue briefs on missed sessions and the continuum of service delivery which will also be posted on this Web site. If you have questions or would like further information about the IDEA final regulations, please contact Catherine Clarke at cclarke@asha.org or by phone at 800-498-2071, ext. 4159. For practice-related IDEA issues, please contact Kathleen Whitmire by e-mail at kwhitmire@asha.org or by phone at 800-498-2071, ext. 4137.

 
The state legislatures of Oklahoma, West Virginia, and Rhode Island have recently approved a salary supplement for SLPs working in public schools that hold their CCC. They join 7 other states and many local districts around the nation in recognizing that the rigorous standards and processes for certification by ASHA are equivalent to those by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) given to teachers. Supplements have generally ranged from $1000 to $5000 annually for SLPs who hold their ASHA license. A couple of SLPs in Vermont have expressed interest in pursuing a salary supplement within their districts, but there has been no move to pursue a state-wide legislative act, due to the arduous process involved (2-4 years of persistent effort) and Vermont’s general preference for local control. If individuals would like more information on obtaining salary supplements, contact Kari (kari@fabrizio.us) or search for “salary supplements” on the ASHA website.
 

ASHA was recently recognized by the International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET*) as an IACET Licensed Standards User (LSU). ASHA is one of the first organizations to receive this designation from IACET. This recognition by IACET serves to further the recognition and acceptance of ASHA CEUs by licensing and certifying agencies regulating speech-language pathologists.

For more information go to: http://www.asha.org/about/continuing-ed/iacet_lsu.htm 

Vermont SLPs will need to investigate whether this announcement will lead to districts recognizing ASHA CEUs as equivalent to obtaining college credits in order to move along the salary schedule.