Summer break is over and it’s time to get back to work! Sometimes it is hard to get back into the swing of things. Here is a checklist to help make life easier!
Caseload
First obtain your caseload from the district. Then review it to make sure that all of the students on the caseload attend your school. Also, add any students who are new to the school/district that have speech services. The front office usually let’s SLPs know about new transfer students. Click here for a helpful case management spreadsheet.
IEP Calendar
Every school is different, but a lot of schools that I’ve worked for have an “IEP day” once a week. If your site doesn’t that’s okay, you’ll have the freedom to schedule on any day. I either schedule all of my speech-only IEPs at the end of the previous school year, or at the beginning of the new school year. I schedule them out for the entire year and invite guests closer to the meeting date. Also, add reminders to your google calendar to send home assessment plans and meeting notices.
Lists
Make two lists. One for annual due dates and one for triennial due dates. I make myself a note if the annual will be held early with the tri. This way it is easy to see whose meetings are coming up. Include the entire caseload on this list. That way, when another case manager inevitably forgets to invite you to a meeting you’ll be prepared anyway and you can gently remind them to send you an invitation. I highlight speech-only students so that I know who I am responsible for case managing. If you know when triennials are due you’ll be able to follow up with the case manager to see if the assessment plan has been signed so that you can start assessing the student as early as possible.
Organize Caseload
Organize caseload by grade and teacher. Then print out the student’s IEP at a glance and distribute it to their teacher. Send an email to all of the teachers who have speech students and ask for their “do not pull out times” and preferred times for pulling the students out of class. Get a copy of the lunch schedule times. All of this will help you when you’re ready to make the speech schedule. I manage my caseload and schedule on SLP Toolkit.
Make a Speech Therapy Schedule
Once you have your caseload and teacher input, it’s time to create your speech therapy schedule. This schedule will be forever changing throughout the year but at least you’ll be able to start seeing the students and determine what works and what doesn’t. For tips on how to make a speech schedule click here.
