by Anne Page | Mar 15, 2016 | Reviews, SLP Time Hacks, Technology, The Organized SLP
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Last week in” SLP Time Hacks: Streamlining Progress Reports Dream or Reality?”, I talked about SLP Toolkit, a web based software program that was created by two speech language pathologists. Lisa Kathman and Sarah Bevier. In case you missed it,
click here. [spacer height=”20px” id=”2″]
You can use SLP Toolkit to screen, baseline test, progress monitor, and write goals for students. Last week I tested it out specifically for progress monitoring. I have to tell you, I love it![spacer height=”20px” id=”2″]
First I set up my caseload, which was really easy and didn’t take too long at all. Just input student’s name, IEP date, evaluation date, case manager, teacher and grade. A really helpful feature is the ability to sort by any of the fields. For example, I like to write my progress reports by grade level. I can just click on Grade and oila! my caseload is organized by grade level. This makes my list-building organized SLP heart very happy. [spacer height=”20px” id=”2″]
The progress monitoring feature has a speech sound production area which includes articulation (with all sounds) and a phonological process area. Other areas include subheadings of cognitive, social language, expressive receptive language, fluency, and voice/resonance.[spacer height=”20px” id=”2″]
Within each of these areas there is an extensive list to choose from. For example, I have a student that has a goal to compare and contrast grade level vocabulary. Here’s what I did:
Click expressive/receptive language
Click semantics
Click Compare and Contrast
Click Level 2
A screen comes up with a list of 10 word pairs, I ask student to tell me one way the words are alike and one that they are different.
I click thumbs up or flag.
When finished I click “record data” (which resets for the next time)
I am taken back to the progress monitoring screen where the score is shown.[spacer height=”20px” id=”2″]
The screen is user-friendly with a sidebar for the menu and features are easy to click.[spacer height=”20px” id=”2″]
Although I haven’t used the social language feature yet, it looks really interesting and there are many rubrics. What I like is that the rubrics are “clickable”. You click on the area that fits the student’s current level of competence and the score is placed in the bar at the bottom of the screen. Also the correct description is included with the score ready to be copied and pasted into your progress report. [spacer height=”20px” id=”2″]
The progress monitoring tool is leveled (which is awesome). The stimulus items chosen for each of the different levels were selected considering a combination of research, academic standards, grade band Tier 2 vocabulary, and developmental milestones. So important to me to know that all of these items were taken into consideration. The levels are: Level 0-preschool, Level 1-kindergarten, Level 2-grades one and two, Level 3-grades three through five, Level 4-grades six through eight and Level five-grades nine through 12. [spacer height=”20px” id=”2″]
I’m not going to walk you through this step-by-step because SLP Toolkit has several tutorials that do a great job of that. I’ll put a link at the end of this post for you.[spacer height=”20px” id=”2″]
I do want to highlight what I like most about using SLP Toolkit for my progress reports.[spacer height=”20px” id=”2″]
1. It’s really easy. No shuffling papers and digging for data sheets. Everything I need is on my computer screen. (And it syncs across devices, so I can use my iPad too).[spacer height=”20px” id=”2″]
2. It’s user-friendly and easy to navigate.[spacer height=”20px” id=”2″]
3. I’m using new materials that the student isn’t used to, so I can see if the skill is carrying over across different materials and situations.[spacer height=”20px” id=”2″]
4. I like that I can click on the student’s name, see the goals at a glance, select the progress monitoring tool I want and then go. It’s very time efficient. Depending on the number of goals a student has, the whole process is quick. I’d say 15-20 minutes per student.[spacer height=”20px” id=”2″]
5. As I said earlier, I am really happy with the fact that it is leveled and that the leveling is based on research and standards.[spacer height=”20px” id=”2″]
6. It’s affordable. $19 a month (or $180 annually) to not only keep myself organized and efficiently monitor progress but to write goals, keep a goal bank and baseline test is a bargain.[spacer height=”20px” id=”2″]
7. When it is time to do the next round of progress reports, I will be able to compare them side by side with the progress monitoring I just completed to view progress across time. I love that feature.[spacer height=”20px” id=”2″]
The whole process was so smooth and stress free for me compared to my old way of doing things. I really am kind of looking forward to doing my progress reports next time, so I can compare them to the ones I just did. I’m also looking forward to having a goal bank at my fingertips and to using the present level assessments.[spacer height=”20px” id=”2″]
My recommendation to you is to check it out.
Click on this link where you can get a free trial for up to five students. Do a little test drive, look at all the awesome features. I really think you will be as impressed as I am. [spacer height=”20px” id=”2″]
Disclaimer: I did receive a no-cost six month subscription of SLP Toolkit, so I could review it and give feedback. All of the opinions expressed are strictly my own.[spacer height=”20px” id=”2″]
Did you like this post? If you did please let me know in the comments below. Make sure to join my email list for more posts like this and for a monthly free therapy product.[spacer height=”20px” id=”2″]
No more dreading progress reports!
P.S. Here is a link to the progress monitoring
tutorial.
by Anne Page | Mar 6, 2016 | Reviews, SLP Time Hacks, Technology, The Organized SLP, Uncategorized
Progress. Reports. Two words that strike the heart of every school SLP with dread and trepidation. They’re tedious and many times we feel like we don’t have enough information to give a clear picture of each student’s communication skills. We end up shuffling post-its and digging for data sheets. No wonder we procrastinate doing them. [spacer height=”20px” id=”2″]
Have you ever asked yourself why doesn’t someone create an accurate, effective way to report progress? [spacer height=”20px” id=”2″]
Guess what? Somebody has. [spacer height=”20px” id=”2″]
Sarah Bevier MS, CCC-SLP and Lisa Kathman MS, CCC-SLP are two school-based SLPs that had a great idea and did something about it. They are passionate about streamlining SLP workloads so we can spend our time where it counts – with our students.The result is
SLP Toolkit, a web-based software program that might just be exactly what you and I have been looking for.
When Sarah and Lisa invited me to test SLP toolkit with a six-month subscription, I have to admit I was thrilled. When I realized we live in the same city, I knew we had to meet in person. We agreed on a time and place for lunch. Even though it was kind of like a blind date, we immediately recognized each other from Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. [spacer height=”20px” id=”2″]
Sarah and Lisa are both lovely. So easy to talk to, they are extremely knowledgeable, professional and forward thinking. Last Saturday, sitting on a sunny patio, over salads and bruschetta we talked about how SLP Toolkit came to be.[spacer height=”20px” id=”2″]
Let’s back up to three years ago, Lisa and Sarah, both Arizona State University (ASU ) graduates, were working in the Mesa Public Schools program. They bonded over EET, (The Expanding Expression Tool) talking about how well it was packaged and how it fills a need. While meeting on weekends in Sarah’s craft room to create therapy products, talk soon turned to progress monitoring tools. The original idea was based on collecting data efficiently and accurately. Sarah says it grew from all the things they wished they had when they were starting their school SLP careers.[spacer height=”20px” id=”2″]
Lisa tells how they spent the next three years tirelessly researching vocabulary selection and standards as well as careful consideration of developmental milestones. The resulting SLP Toolkit is a comprehensive, leveled progress monitoring tool covering the areas of cognition, speech sound production, expressive/receptive language, voice/resonance, fluency and social language.[spacer height=”20px” id=”2″]
Fast forward to January 15, 2016… SLP Toolkit is launched. I asked Sarah and Lisa how they felt on the big day, here is their collective reply..[spacer height=”20px” id=”2″]
“Excited, anxious, overwhelmed, relieved, amazed, afraid, elated and proud. We had poured everything into this…and it has been an emotional journey. Prior to starting we had printed out several quotes to remind us to never to let doubt get in our way. Our favorite was ‘It always seems impossible until it’s done’, yet we were still shocked that we had actually done it. It’s a terrifying experience but we genuinely believe in SLP Toolkit and the positive impact it can have for SLPs. We would do it all over again.”[spacer height=”20px” id=”2″]
“What would you say to a new or seasoned SLP who’s thinking about getting SLP Toolkit?” I asked. “You’re welcome” Sarah humorously replied with a laugh. “We did all this work for you. Go on there, explore, use it. There’s no limit to the free trial. You have access to all the tools for up to five students to get a good picture of how it works.”[spacer height=”20px” id=”2″]
Lisa added “It’s about less paper, less anxiety…we created this for you, we are just sharing it.”[spacer height=”20px” id=”2″]
Are you intrigued? I know I am.[spacer height=”20px” id=”2″]
The amount of research, knowledge and love that have gone into the creation of SLP Toolkit is impressive. I have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know Lisa and Sarah; I love our SLP community. [spacer height=”20px” id=”2″]
So here’s what’s next…
Click on this link to see for yourself what
SLP Toolkit is all about. This is where you can get your free trial for up to five students, kind of like driving a car before you buy it. . A full subscription is $19 a month or $180 annually. [spacer height=”20px” id=”2″]
The
SLP Toolkit blog is also full of information and video tutorials, so go look into that as well.You’re going to be excited when you see what it can do. So far, I have created my caseload and used the goal bank, (which is so user-friendly). But I’ll talk more about that next week.[spacer height=”20px” id=”2″]
In the second part of this series, I’ll report back to you all about my experience using SLP Toolkit to do this quarter’s progress reports. I’ll also be posting little videos on Twitter, Facebook and
Instagram so make sure to follow me by clicking on the links.[spacer height=”20px” id=”2″]
Did you like this post? Make sure to join my email list for more posts like this and for a monthly free therapy product. [spacer height=”20px” id=”2″]
Can’t wait to report back to you!
P.S. (Disclaimer: While Lisa and Sarah gave me a six month subscription at no cost, all of the opinions here are strictly my own).
by Anne Page | Feb 17, 2016 | Inspiration
We speech language pathologists (SLPs) work really hard. We put in long hours, manage billing, write evaluations and keep up with our continuing education. That’s reality.[spacer height=”default”]
What keeps us coming back for more every day? For most of us it’s a love story. The ability to help children communicate is a huge gift. From correcting a list to expanding vocabulary to fostering communicative intent, it’s all golden.[spacer height=”default”]
I love that I get hugs and high fives everyday. Kids are so real and authentic. I love hearing a previously nonverbal boy say “my turn” in context for the first time. I love hearing a student say “Hi Miss Anne” when he used to say “Hi Mits Aaa”. I love hearing a parent say “Thank you for helping my child.” Most of all, I love the feeling that the work that I do really matters.[spacer height=”default”]
Tell me in the comments below why you love your job![spacer height=”default”]
Make time for what you truly want,
by Anne Page | Feb 2, 2016 | Inspiration, SLP Like a Boss
How do you SLP like a boss? Someone who SLPs like a boss, is professional, compassionate, organized and inspirational. An SLP boss gets things done![spacer height=”default”]
In this series I’m interviewing SLP boss women who work by day as speech language pathologists, but at night (and on weekends), they are business builders. I’m talking about running websites, writing blogs and creating therapy materials for their fellow SLPs and teachers. They not only serve as advocates for their clients (students); they are advocates for our profession. These are the strong, amazing women that I admire and who inspire. [spacer height=”default”]
I am thrilled to kick off this series with the amazing Kim Lewis from the award winning blog
Activity Tailor. Just two short years ago, Kim was my introduction into the magical world of blogging and Teachers Pay Teachers. Her products are innovating, creative and kids love them. Kim consistently writes articles and posts that are thought-provoking, helpful and supportive of our SLP/teacher community. She inspires me to strive for the utmost professionalism, to write creatively and to be generous. So let’s dive right in to my interview. [spacer height=”default”]
Tell me about yourself in seven words: “Creative, passionate, determined, hard-working, big picture.”[spacer height=”default”]
Where did you go to grad school?: University of Virginia[spacer height=”default”]
What are your top three SLP must haves (other than your own amazing materials)?: “I use miniatures, little plastic animals and common objects all the time. Play-mobile Advent calendars and the bins at Party City are two of my resources. I use them with a big tupper-ware container full of magic sand. I do use the iPad a lot for articulation drill and for motivation. But I try to limit the screen time and not just use the iPad during the session.” Here are Kim’s most used TPT materials:
Listening Skills Resource Pack by Crazy Speech World,
Therapy Popcorn R Articulation by Speech Therapy 101,
Articulation for Reading and Conversation by Nicole Allison,
Articulation Menus by Speech Musings, and
Fluency Treatment Pack by Lauren LaCour.[spacer height=”default”]
What do you love most about what you do?“The kids that I see are all mildly to moderately impaired. I like tweaking what I’m doing with each child to fit their needs and interests. These are kids that really need to know how to advocate for themselves.”[spacer height=”default”]
Tell me your advice for the newly minted SLP: “Keep learning. Read. Attend a lot of CEUs. Keep asking questions.”[spacer height=”default”]
Tell me about your blog: “I get a lot of pleasure and relaxation in writing. I’ve had the opportunity to do a lot of writing for the ASHA Leader. This is a fun, creative outlet…it’s a mix of musings and easy to implement activities.”[spacer height=”default”]
Tell me about your TPT store: “I focus on products that I need and use regularly. There’s not a lot of cutesy stuff, the kids I work with don’t want items they think are “babyish”. I try to avoid a lot of visual distractions because of my kids with attention difficulties. I like visually clean materials.”[spacer height=”default”]
What SLP-boss inspires you?: “Amy at
3DSLP. She is so passionate about what she’s doing. Her subscription boxes have great attention to detail. She’s a true entrepreneur. And what she’s doing is so different from what I do. She works with voice and even does endoscopies.”[spacer height=”default”]
What is your favorite children’s book?:“I can’t pick just one. I like a lot of the young adult books. Secret Garden. Charlotte’s Web; I read that till there were practically no pages left. Mandy is a book by Julie Edwards, who is THE Julie Andrews. I was trying to remember the book to recommend to my daughter and I loved it when she discovered it on her own.”[spacer height=”default”]
What about picture books? “Chrysanthemum and Lily’s Plastic Purse are some of my favorites.”[spacer height=”default”]
Inspirational right? Thank you so much to Kim for taking to time to chat with me and continuing to inspire me. I’m am looking forward to when our paths cross again. [spacer height=”default”]
Who inspires YOU to be your best? Leave a note below in the comments, I’d love to know.[spacer height=”default”]
SLP like a boss,[spacer height=”default”]
P.S. Did you like this post? Subscribe to my email list so you don’t miss out on any of the fun.
by Anne Page | Jan 26, 2016 | Blog, Inspiration, SLP Time Hacks
I know a lot of SLP’s that work at their day job, have families and have second jobs as SLP bloggers/TPT sellers. How do we manage big caseloads and endless reports at work and take care of our families and find time to write a blog and create therapy materials? Can I just say I probably have more questions than answers? [spacer height=”default”]
It can be quite a balancing act with no perfect right answers. These are questions each SLP just has to answer for herself.[spacer height=”default”]
What I can do is provide some ideas and battle plans that have worked for others. I can get pretty scattered here so I had to choose my top seven. [spacer height=”default”]
1. Be crystal clear on your priorities.
For me my spiritual foundation comes first, that has to be in place and nurtured for me to be able to give to others. Next is my family, spending time with them and letting them know they are loved is everything to me. The rest is a little harder to separate. Health and fitness. Work. Adventure. Friends. More work. Following my dream. It’s kind of like the Stephen Covey rocks in a jar example: spirituality and family love are the rocks and the rest is the sand.[spacer height=”default”]
2. Perfection is the enemy.
I really battle with perfectionism. I consciously and daily ask myself “Does it need to be perfect or does it need to be done?” Don’t give me wrong, I have high standards, I just choose my battles. My bed probably doesn’t need to be made perfectly every time, so it’s okay if my husband makes it (haha).[spacer height=”default”]
3. Schedule everything
Make your list and then write the items down in your calendar. That is how they get done. There is some kind of magic in taking this action. Schedule little chunks of uninterrupted time to write blog articles and create TPT products. If you’re like me, this time is hard to come by. Guard it from the time-wasters.[spacer height=”default”]
4. Ask for support.
Don’t try to do it all yourself. If you’re working really hard on a deadline, ask your husband to make dinner or get takeout. Hire a housekeeper. I did that last year and it has been one of the nicest things I have ever done for myself. If you are stumped with a problem at work, reach out to your SLP colleagues. There are some really supportive Facebook groups link here and SLP Instagram community is very supportive as well.
Click here to read my post about Facebook groups.[spacer height=”default”]
5. Think outside the box.
Do you always do laundry, groceries and errands on the weekend? What about throwing in one load on Tuesday night when you have an hour to blog? Try online order and delivery. I used Prime Now for the first time this weekend and saved myself three trips and probably an hour of time for a seven dollar delivery fee.[spacer height=”default”]
6. Use social media-don’t let it use you.
Cut back on social media time. Noooooooooo! We SLP’s are social creatures, it’s so easy to just pop over to Facebook to check if someone replied to our post or to see what’s new on a group board. I started limiting my social media time to certain times of day and I give myself a time limit. As a result I feel less scattered and I can concentrate on what I’m doing. I love connecting but now I do it on my own time (turn off notifications, you can do it!)[spacer height=”default”]
7. Take care of yourself!
If you don’t do it no one else will. Save some time just for you. I know this is probably the hardest one but it’s the most important. You have to fill the well. Write it down, negotiate it with your people, beg borrow or steal it, but do it. Give yourself that time to dream, reflect and just be.[spacer height=”default”]
These are my tips gleaned from wise friends, life experience and countless books. Take what resonates for you and leave the rest behind.[spacer height=”default”]
And from the bottom of my heart kudos to all of you for having the desire and determination to push through boundaries and follow your dreams.[spacer height=”default”].
You make the world a much brighter place,
P.S. Did you like this post? If you did sign up for my email list to be the first to know about new products, freebies and sales. Also follow me on TpT to receive exclusive monthly freebies only available to TPT followers.
Hey there I’m Anne Page. I help heart centered SLPs and educators put the fun in functional communication. 