25+ Strategies to Make 3:1
Service Delivery Work For
You
Presented by
Julie Lancia MS, CCC-SLP
Gabriel Noble MS, CCC-SLP
and Sean J. Sweeney MS, CCC-SLP
Get Administrators on board!
It is important to have support from your principals and
administrators before you begin.
Let them know you have an idea that, when implemented,
would allow you to better support not only the students on
your caseload, but all students and teachers as well.
Present them with research and resources.
Explain your next steps and ask for administrative support
when sharing this idea with parents and teachers.
Get Teachers on Board
It is important to get the teachers' support in order to implement the 3:1 model.
Remember, you may not get everyone's approval!
Introduce to teachers that you have researched a new and improved way to provide
speech and language therapy to the students in your school.
The 3:1 model focuses on collaborative services in addition to direct treatment.
Explain the reasons for the change, what the collaborative service week looks like,
how the students would benefit, and how the team would benefit.
Share research on the 3:1 model's success in other school districts (including Kansas
City, MO and Portland, OR).
Ensure teachers that their students will receive the same quality of service and then
some. The child will be seen 3 weeks in a row and then for 1 week the teacher and
SLP will collaborate and discuss each child's goals and progress.
Make Sure to Have Supporting Resources and
Documentation Available
Provide an informational parent letter stating details of the 3:
1 model.
teacherweb.puyallup.k12.wa.us/pss/odepartment/documents/psd_document.pdf
http://www.usd385.org/pages/uploaded_files/Tracy%20Flake%27s%20Newsletter.pdf
Provide research discussing other school districts that have
succeeded in implementing the 3:1 model.
http://www.asha.org/publications/leader/archives/2004/040302/040302a.htm
http://convention.asha.org/2007/handouts/1137_0509Keller_Lisa_108019_Nov15_2007_Time_100725AM.ppt
www.ohioslha.org/ContinuingEducation/08SpeakerHandouts/MS27-ProfIssues-Candace%20Rapking.pdf
Discuss workload vs. caseload documentation and why
it supports the 3:1 model.
http://www.asha.org/docs/html/GL2002-00066.html
http://surveys.asha.org/slp/schools/resources/schoolsresourcescaseload.htm
http://www.asha.org/NR/rdonlyres/96C3CEBC-3962-49D5-BA78-45620720F9B6/0/Schools08CaseloadTrends.pdf
Plan to transition to the model the
following school year
The prospect of meeting with or phoning all the families on
your caseload can be very overwhelming.
Starting in September, explain the model to families at each
IEP meeting as it is scheduled.
If they agree, you can write the service delivery grid with
specific dates indicating when you will be transitioning to the
model. An appropriate service delivery grid may look like:
A-Consultation-1 X 30-45 min per month
B-In-class- 3 X 30 min per month
C-Other settings- 3 X 30 min per month
Consider Other Service Providers
Occupational Therapists, Physical Therapists, and Special
Education Teachers may also benefit from implementing the
3:1 model.
The 3:1 model would allow all service providers time to
communicate with classroom teachers about key strategies
that would facilitate generalization for each student.
OTs and SLPs have particularly had success in transitioning
to the model simultaneously.
Create a Synchronized Schedule for
Consultation Weeks
Previous schools have chosen...
To use last week of each month
Short school weeks
Weeks that are not already heavily loaded with weekly meetings
Communicate with staff and secretaries for IEP meetings, Child Study
meetings, and other meeting dates.
Example indirect service schedule:
The indirect service weeks will be as follows (all non-Child Study Team weeks):
The week of…
October 12 th
November 16th
December 14th
February 1st
March 8th
April 12th
May 17th
June 14th (if needed)
Open communication
Develop a handout for parents, teachers, and other related
service providers. It may include:
A description of the 3:1 service delivery model
How you can be supportive to teacher during indirect
service weeks
Where they can find research
A schedule for indirect service weeks
Be sure to discuss and plan with all related service
providers that will be participating. Determine which weeks
will be indirect service and during those weeks let each
other know when and where you will be servicing students.
Be Prepared to Sell it!
Emphasize requests that cannot be granted due to time constraints, but that can be solved by
implementing the 3:1 model at your school
How do we see children and still do everything else (call parents, evaluate,screen for
suspected
disorders, make up missed sessions etc.?)”
“The paperwork is overwhelming!”
“I would like to do classroom observations and consult with my teachers but who has the time?
The 3:1 model will help improve classroom performance, improve use of skills in a variety of settings,
reduce time spent outside the classroom and possible shorter duration of therapy needed for
achievement of goals.
The 3:1 model will create a clearer link between classroom learning and functional speech and
language intervention
The 3:1 model will provide...
Type of service
Directly serve student in classroom (min.
1x/month)
3:1
Increase use of classroom work in therapy
X
X
Cancel fewer session for meetings and make
up missed sessions
more opportunity for direct parent
communication
X
X
Directly serve per IEP time-every week
quality teacher meetings to consider your
child's needs
Traditional
X
X
If parents don't agree...?
Some parents will view this model as a reduction in service
delivery.
Best to be prepared that this may occur, and suggest to
parents they might accept it at a later time, with more
specific evidence of how it has worked at the school for
other students.
Group non-3:1 students together if appropriate, or plan for
individual sessions with those students during indirect
service weeks.
Certain kinds of cases (phonology, more severe disabilities)
may require the continuity of weekly services.
Take a broader view of allocating your
time
Likely it is impossible to spend 30 minutes of consultation
time for each student individually.
You can spend 30 minute periods that benefit multiple
students...
-looking closely at treatment data for a -developing materials and projects for
group
group treatment
-informally assessing
narrative/expository language abilities
during snack or other classroom times
-meeting with a classroom teacher
regarding all of her students on your
caseload
-creating cross-session treatment plans -observing a group of students in class
-creating parent communication
regarding a range of strategies
Conduct make-up sessions during
indirect service weeks
Missed sessions are inevitable in the school setting (due to
class activities, assemblies, meetings, etc).
3:1 model brings us truly in compliance with IEP.
Keep track of missed sessions during direct service weeks,
and place them on your schedule (at their regularly
scheduled times) during the indirect service week.
Be visible in classrooms and document
all your time
Arrange times for observation if possible, but also "float"
between classrooms observing and interacting with
students.
Helpful for students and teachers to think of it as a "coach
week" (kids don't understand "indirect service week").
Vital time for you to become more familiar with teaching
styles, implementation of accommodations, and curriculum
content.
Can assess potential strategies and areas of application
within the classroom.
Transitioning to in-class service
delivery? Interested in prevention?
Indirect service weeks can provide a great opportunity to
explore classroom programming.
Approach teachers who may be open to pilot lessons
regarding language-based strategies.
Prevention model allows to infuse strategies into
classrooms; reduce need for later direct services.
Publicize success stories so that other teachers welcome
you into classrooms.
Make visuals for classrooms
All students benefit from visuals supporting social aspects of
classroom behavior, frequently used strategies, or essential
details of curriculum topics.
Examples: Story Grammar Marker/Thememaker (Mindwing
Concepts) posters, Social Thinking posters (Superflex ).
Possible Resources: Kidspiration/Inspiration and
DoubleTake or PosterRazor software (poster makers)
Begin or refine a graduate student
training program
Graduate student interns can extend your clinical impact considerably as
their need for supervision fades over the course of a semester.
Graduate students often receive initial training in articulation, and could be
tasked to implement short-term articulation interventions (e.g. 5-Minute
Kids ).
Also likely to enter your program with skills necessary to implement
structured therapy routines or computer-based activities.
Can use consultation time to troubleshoot feedback and conference
routines with your student and review data.
Interns are required to complete classroom observations in many casesdevelop data-taking forms so this time is valuable for you as well.
Schedule IEP meetings/updates during
indirect service week
Ensure that team members are aware of your schedule and
plan IEP meetings during indirect service week as much as
possible.
Often it is appropriate to schedule these meetings slightly
before their due date.
Students who require more frequent meetings can have
those scheduled during indirect service week.
In cases where this scheduling was not possible, you can
make up missed sessions during indirect service week.
Complete Evaluations/Pre-referral
Screenings
Use the indirect service week to complete evaluations.
Block off free time in your schedule instead of squeezing
it in when you don't have time.
Provide more comprehensive evaluations.
Complete reports at school instead of taking them home.
Use the indirect service week to complete pre-referral
screenings.
Observe the child in their classroom.
Screen them in your office.
Write the findings of your screening.
Discuss and provide the teacher with accommodations
and how to implement them within the classroom.
Reach out to supports
Other SLPs in your department or community can be good
resources. Form an affinity group for study of topics,
development of common assessments and lessons.
Research areas related to your practice, and create an EBP
binder with materials that you locate.
Develop a relationship with a local university for possible
placement of graduate interns, mentoring, or for your own
professional development.
Forge stronger connections between
your program and curriculum
Research curriculum standards and meet with curriculum
leaders in your building or district.
Analyze curriculum tasks for their language demands and
determine where strategies will be helpful.
Map your students' curriculum to guide which topics might
be useful contexts for your speech-language interventions
(e.g. 5 senses, weather, USA Regions, etc).
Take Professional Development Time
Attend conferences and workshops.
Research topics related to interventions, assessments,
disorders, etc.
Observe other SLPs in school settings. Learn some new
strategies, share ideas and techniques.
Schedule meetings with other SLPs in your district to
discuss important topics, concerns, cases.
Provide Teachers with the Necessary Tools to
Implement Modifications and Accommodations
Create visuals for the teacher to aide the child with various
activities.
Discuss and model how to implement modifications and/or
accommodations within the classroom.
Create open communication about when the
accommodations and modifications are too overwhelming to
implement.
Assist the teacher in modifying the curriculum or activity to
fit each child's ability.
Provide opportunities to problem-solve and collaborate
together.
Develop your own website
A website is a valuable consultation activity that can extend the impact of
your program.
Provide a parent "portal" to view general information about your program,
specific strategies you use, and links to resources.
Direct students to helpful links or activities via your website and train them
to use it (so they don't have to enter lengthy website addresses).
Post links to specific files (strategy sheets, graphic organizers).
User-friendly technology may already be implemented in your district, or
use easily accessed interfaces such as Weebly or Wikispaces.
Ask key staff to sign up for
appointments with you
"Face time" aspects of indirect service weeks can be
partially achieved by asking staff to sign up for times with
you.
This sends a strong message about your availability and
puts the ball in their court, reducing the time you will need to
"prepare" for consultation week.
Use a sign-up calendar on your door or a resource such as
Google Calendar that all can access.
As your week concludes, you will have a record of how your
time was spent.
Technology is your friend
Explore technology resources to integrate into your program to add
multisensory input and interactivity.
Use delicious or diigo to develop a web bookmarking library that
can be shared with teachers in consultation.
Use interactive websites in your direct sessions and share them
with teachers to offer students additional exposure.
"Assign" tech-based drill-and-practice for classroom completion
with teachers/paraprofessionals.
Identify helpful software, e.g. Kidspiration , Braincogs and
applications.
Plan for Project-Based Learning (PBL)
A PBL approach emphasizes curriculum ties, engaging
students in critical thinking, and creation of a larger project
such as a poster or presentation.
Students benefit from working in context and developing a
deeper understanding of a topic/strategies explored over
multiple sessions.
You will benefit by avoiding the excessive planning of standalone sessions and using the project as evidence (for
parents and teachers) of the students' progress.
See bestwebquests.com for just a few examples.
Optimize your schedule
Over the course of direct service weeks, aspects of your
schedule that are less than ideal, or worse, become
evident.
However, it can be difficult to find time to work with teachers
to address these issues.
Indirect service week can be used to optimize groupings
and scheduling.
Get Feedback
Getting feedback from teachers and service providers at the
end of the year will help you plan and make any necessary
changes for the following year.
Develop an online suvey and email to all teachers and
service providers. Check out websites such as www.
surveymonkey.com
Make sure surveys are clear and concise. You do not want
to overwhelm teachers at the end of the year, but you want
to make sure most of them complete the survey and provide
the necessary feedback.
Teacher Survey Results
2008-2009 Boston Renaissance Charter Public School
1st year of 3:1 implementation
18 special education and general education teachers responded:
Benefits
finding out how students
are doing in pull-out
sessions
flexible lesson planning
observing/learning for
service providers
writing progress notes
observe/clarify
class accomodations
having access to new
methods, strategies,
and materials
more consult time
clearer communication
more collaboration
OT whole class
movement breaks
Needs Improvement
scheduling consult time
(i.e. meet with SLPs +
OTs together, meet only
when you have a
concern)
more push in
whole class lessons
learning more
classroom strategies
kids "missed" therapists
difficult remembering
indirect service week need more reminders
Comments
80% feel maximally
supported by service
providers
the remainder feel
moderately supported
by their service
providers
98% noticed a positive
difference from previous
service models
3:1 model is more
organized, and effective
during indirect serice
weeks, service
prioviders consulted,
observed, and made
visual or fidget tools
fewer small group and
whole class lessons