School-Based Speech-Language Pathologists' Adherence to Practice Guidelines for Assessment of English Learners.

You have accessThe ASHA LeaderSchool Matters1 Oct 2016From Rehab to RecessA former health care clinician shares insights into transitioning into a new position—or just beginning—as a school-based speech-language pathologist. Kylie Grace DavisMS, CCC-SLP Kylie Grace Davis Google Scholar More articles by this author , MS, CCC-SLP https://doi.org/10.1044/leader.SCM.21102016.34 SectionsAbout ToolsAdd to favorites ShareFacebookTwitterLinked In I recently began working at an elementary school after years of employment in skilled nursing facilities and hospitals providing adult rehabilitation and tracheostomy management. The funny thing is, I originally became a speech-language pathologist because I wanted to work with kids. During college, I worked as a full-time nanny and wanted a career focused on children’s literacy development. Speech-language pathology was a clear choice! However, during grad school I developed an interest in neurodegenerative disorders and dysphagia, so I completed my clinical fellowship with a rehab company in Denver working with adults. Six years of bedside swallows later, I decided to try working with kids again. My husband and I were relocating, and I was ready for a change. (And getting holidays and summers off sounded pretty nice, too!) I found my new work setting by first submitting my resume and a letter—describing my desire to begin working with kids again—to the ASHA Career Center. Shortly after, the Montrose County (Colorado) School District requested an interview. When I talked with them, I emphasized previous experience as a nanny and volunteer work for Read Across America. I also exceeded required school hours as a graduate student. The district offered me the job and assured they would provide mentorship. I accepted the position and soon realized I truly enjoyed working with kids as well as adults. The universal need for effective communication throughout a person’s life drives my passion for the field of speech-language pathology. Back to school I’ll admit: Making such a big change was intimidating. My previous caseload of around 10 patients jumped to treating 60 students. On top of familiarizing myself with each student’s goals, I needed to review typical school-age development and assessment protocols while establishing clear behavioral expectations for my students. Gradually, I learned about IEPs, eligibility and academic standards. However, the fundamentals stayed the same—modeling, errorless learning, scaffolding, providing feedback and reinforcement. All of these approaches remain important parts of any session, whether you’re treating an 80-year-old with dementia or a 6-year-old with a language delay. The supportive nature of our district, my SLP mentor and the enjoyment of getting to know my students made my first semester a great experience. Every day I leave school with something positive—the students’ enthusiasm is contagious. And I know I’m really making a difference to these students: A child develops critical language and literacy skills from kindergarten through fifth grade. Gradually, I learned about IEPs, eligibility and academic standards. However, the fundamentals stayed the same—modeling, errorless learning, scaffolding, providing feedback and reinforcement. One of the major perks of being an SLP is the opportunity to use our clinical expertise in diverse ways. Many SLPs—including myself—develop an early interest in a specific setting, but I challenge you to consider working with different ages and populations. The way my interests and skills expanded surprised me. Lessons learned Practicing in a school gave me the chance to learn new things and become a more competent SLP. Here’s what helped me most in making such a major transition: Get mentored: Look to more experienced SLPs in your district for direction. Observe them providing services at their school for a day. Have them attend IEP meetings with you at first. Collaborate with them to administer and score your first evaluations. Don’t be afraid to continue to receive support and ask questions. Be open to feedback and look for opportunities to improve. We can learn so much from each other! Build rapport: Take the time to get to know the kids. Play with them. Have fun! Spend a few weeks simply focusing on who they are as kids. Gaining their trust early yields great rewards in the long run. Collaborate: Take advantage of opportunities to talk to parents and teachers—you gain a better understanding of your students’ personality and behavior in class and at home. Maximize opportunities to work with teachers on integrating treatment into the classroom, which helps students progress toward functional goals and make the connection between communication and academics. Also, reach out to your school psychologist for students’ developmental history and cognitive assessment data. Use the curriculum: To support teachers’ work and children’s academics, develop strong knowledge of the curriculum in your state/school, and use it as a basis for treatment. Review: Brush up on typical development, phonetics and standardized testing protocols. Read through old notes, textbooks and lesson plans to get ideas for treatment. Online webinars also offer quick refreshers. Document: Get organized with a written schedule and list of your entire caseload, including service times and goals. Begin tracking attendance and minutes right away. Write down subjective notes and observations initially and add objective data as you become familiar with each student’s goals. Know your role: Ask your district for guidelines about your state’s eligibility criteria for speech-language services. ASHA’s statement on school-based SLPs’ roles and responsibilities gives detailed descriptions. Show your confidence: Remember, you are qualified. Let your knowledge of evidence-based practice inform your clinical decision-making. Trust your background and be proud of your CCCs! Author Notes Kylie Grace Davis, MS, CCC-SLP, works in the Montrose County School District in western Colorado. Her previous clinical experience includes skilled rehabilitation services, mobile modified barium swallow studies and tracheostomy management in long-term acute care hospitals in Denver. 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Objective: Anti-bullying initiatives provide support for school-based programs that change the school climate and involve all school personnel. This study examined school-based speech-language pathologists' (SLPs) contact with and exposure bullying, intervention strategies and preparedness for addressing bullying issues. Methods: A mailed survey consisting of four factors on bullying was completed by 418 school-based SLPs. The majority of participants were female (95.5%) with a mean age=43.7 years old; a mean of 18.3 years working and mean caseload size of 47.8 students. Results: The majority of SLPs (84.9%) thought bullying was a problem in the school(s) where they worked. More than half (65.1%) reported they had observed students being bullied in the last month and 14.6% reported a student had told them directly about the bullying incident in the last month. All SLPs (100%) indicated they would confront or stop the bulling immediately, report the episode administrators and offer support victims. 14.8% of the original sample reported addressing bullying issues was not in their scope of practice or job responsibilities. Conclusions: Most SLPs thought bullying was a problem and reported they would assist student victims in various ways. SLPs were undecided about using questionable strategies like telling the victim ignore the or to stand up for themselves. SLPs were less likely intervene with either the bully or bystanders when compared the victim. SLPs stated they received training in addressing bullying issues but did not necessarily feel prepared.

Purpose: The purpose of this research was (a) to examine school-based speech-language pathologists' (SLPs') implicit attitudes toward immigrants and how these relate to prioritization and use of best practices when assessing multilingual children and (b) to determine if key demographic factors relate to the use and prioritization of these best practices. Method: Eighty-six certified SLPs ranked how they prioritize and use best practices in multilingual assessments and completed an online immigrant Implicit Association Test. Results: The majority of participants exhibited a strong implicit bias against immigrants (median D-score of 0.84, interquartile range: 0.49), but no significant relationship was found between increasing bias and lower prioritization or use of best practices. Increased years working as an SLP and increasingly distant personal relationships to immigration were related to lower prioritization and use of some best practices. An unexpected association included increased reported use of interpreters with increasing implicit bias against immigrants. Conclusions: This research found a strong implicit bias against immigrants among participating school-based SLPs, consistent with previous work detailing health professionals' preferences for ingroups over outgroups. It adds to the call for further research into the impact of implicit biases on clinical practice, and the methods and merits of addressing implicit biases in targeted populations such as SLPs. This study also identified demographic factors associated with decreased prioritization and use of certain best practices when assessing multilingual children. More work is needed to learn how to mitigate these factors to ensure culturally sensitive clinical practice. Supplemental Material: https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.16799638

Purpose – To highlight and discuss a framework for promoting effective classroom assessment practice that supports the language and literacy development of English Learners (ELs).Design/methodology/approach – Though it includes some practical recommendations, it primarily synthesizes the work found in theoretical books on EL assessment.Findings – Provides information on the main issues teachers need to consider for engagement in effective assessment practices at the classroom levels, with particular attention to classroom-based assessment. It highlights the need for considering a multiliteracies approach.Research limitations/implications – It focuses on ELs in the U.S. K-12 system, therefore, it does not encompass all the possible types of ELs. It does not focus on high-stakes testing.Practical implications – A very useful source of information for both preservice and in-service teachers of ELs.Originality/value – This chapter offers an overview of essential elements involved in the assessment of special populations of students as is the case of ELs in U.S. public schools.

A is for Advocacy

Anxiety is one of the most important affective factors which effects students’ performance and participation in EFl classrooms. Anxiety can have a negative effect on the overall performance and communicative competence of secondary school level learners that are at an adolescent level, which is associated with high academic pressure and examination needs. This paper attempts to deal with anxiety-its sources, its effects and the classroom implications of this phenomenon among higher secondary students while learning English. The study used a convergent parallel mixed-methods research design. Quantitative data were obtained through a survey instrument adapted from the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale and 180 higher secondary students participated in the data collection. There was triangulation of findings as the qualitative data were collected through semi-structured interviews with students and teachers, in addition to classroom observations. The findings also show that students have moderate to high levels of English language anxiety. The factors that influence the respondents are the fear to make mistakes, test anxiety, speaking in English, lack of confidence and teacher pressure. The research also indicates sex difference is significant where female students feel more anxiety than their fellow male classmates. Anxiety was seen to have two effects: academic as well as psychological in nature, including reduced participation in the classroom, poor oral performance, low motivation and avoidance of communicative tasks. Observational data of classrooms also indicates that teacher feedback style and classroom interaction patterns are important determinants of learners’ anxiety. The results imply that English language learning anxiety is not only an individual learner problem but also a classroom-driven phenomenon shaped by pedagogical and assessment practices. The study emphasizes on the provision of supportive pedagogical strategies, learner-centered teaching and anxiety-sensitive assessment to encourage affective learning in English at higher secondary level.

Recent data indicates the growing diversity rift between student populations and teaching faculty as over 86% of current faculty are White, female, and under 40 years of age. This rift presents challenges to new teachers attempting to meet the needs of diverse students, including the delivery of rigorous academic content to individuals who are emerging bilinguals, designing appropriate supports to address challenging behaviors, and distinguishing cultural/linguistic differences from genuine disability indicators in struggling students. This chapter will review the establishment of the special education system and examine outcomes associated with traditional assessment practices, discuss the conceptualization of disability categories under federal legislation, and offer recommendations teachers can implement to better understand and address learning/behavioral needs in diverse populations.

Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) constitute a significant global healthcare challenge associated with increased morbidity, mortality and healthcare costs; however, there are concerns that ADRs are grossly under-reported by different categories of healthcare professionals (HCPs) in many countries. The main objective of this study was to assess the knowledge, attitude and practice of ADR reporting of HCPs working at the primary, secondary and tertiary levels of care in Ekiti State, Nigeria. This was a self-administered questionnaire-based study conducted among HCPs working in Ekiti State, South-west Nigeria. The questionnaire which was adapted from ones used in similar studies was reviewed for content validity by experts in the field. Healthcare professionals (medical doctors, pharmacists, nurses, community health extension workers, and other allied HCPs) working in the 3 tiers of healthcare participated in the study. The questionnaire consisted of sections on the demographics of respondents, their knowledge, attitude and practice of ADR reporting. Data analysis was done using SPSS (version 25) employing t test, ANOVA and chi-square as appropriate with P-value < .05 accepted as being statistically significant. Three hundred HCPs comprising of nurses (112; 37.3%), physicians (75; 25.0%), pharmacists (53; 17.7%), community health extension workers (40; 13.3%) and others (20; 6.7%) completed the questionnaire with 166 (55.3%) of them working in tertiary healthcare facilities. Male respondents (6.3 ± 1.7; P = .003), pharmacists (7.0 ± 1.6; P < .0001), HCPs and those from tertiary centers (6.2 ± 1.7; P = .028) had higher knowledge scores. While 228 (76%) respondents had observed incidents of ADR during their professional practice, only 75 (25%) have ever reported it. Only 113 (37.7%) of respondents had seen the adverse drug reaction reporting form with only 53 (17.7%) ever using it. The reporting methods preferred by respondents were through email/internet (102; 34.0%), phone/SMS (78; 26.0%) and using the hard copy of the forms (95; 31.7%). The attitude of respondents towards ADR reporting was mainly positive. There was significant variation in the knowledge of different categories of HCPs and facility levels about ADR reporting. Encouragingly, the overall attitude of respondents towards ADR reporting was positive. Based on the above, strategies are needed to build capacity of HCPs in the area of on adverse drug reaction and its' reporting.

Why should we care about academic language?

Advancements in digital communication technology (DCT) have significant potential to impact on language teaching and learning by providing new pedagogical opportunities accessible via the internet. Resources that support the design of English language learning and formative assessment have been seen as a fundamental component of the English language learning environments in English language intensive courses for overseas students (ELICOS) and the like. While its importance is universally recognized, the facilitation of a move from the traditional approach to languages learning to a more contemporary approach in keeping with social constructivist theory remains a challenge for both teachers and learners. Part of this challenge involves the need for teachers to reconceptualize the way that they teach to move away from the teacher as instructor to that of facilitator whose pedagogical approach ensures students have opportunities to use English for meaningful purposes. Since this demands an understanding of students' different proficiency levels and the ability to monitor improvement to ensure learning experiences are at the optimum level to facilitate growth, effective formative assessment practices are a vital monitoring tool. Thus, this chapter examines how internet resources can move pedagogy towards a social constructivist approach to improving English language learning bearing in mind the need for a framework to support formative assessment in the monitoring of improvements in proficiency.

ABSTRACTBackground: Resolutions of the World Health Organization and World Confederation for Physical Therapy declare health promotion a priority for health professionals including physiotherapists. Objective: To describe lifestyle-related risk factor assessment and intervention practices of Nigerian physiotherapists, their perceived barriers to such practices, and education needs. Methods: Physiotherapists (n = 650) were invited to complete a questionnaire with 23 questions about respondent demographics, lifestyle risk factor assessment, and management practices; barriers to such practices; and related education needs. Statistical analysis was descriptive. Results: Response rate was 69% (n = 451). Less than half of respondents indicated that they “always” advised smokers to quit or heavy drinkers to reduce alcohol consumption. Most respondents viewed diet and anthropometrics as risk factors that warrant being addressed, but few respondents did so. Physical inactivity and blood pressure were the commonest risk factors reportedly assessed. Perceived barriers to health promotion practices included time, knowledge, and access to other providers. Continuing education needs identified by respondents included methods for delivering advice regarding smoking cessation, diet, and alcohol consumption. Conclusions: Nigerian physiotherapists inconsistently assess lifestyle-related risks and intervene to address them. Continuing education is needed to address barriers to health promotion practices by meeting the perceived needs of Nigerian physiotherapists.

EFL (English for Foreign Language) refers to the teaching and learning of English in educational settings where the society does not use English as their first language. Most EFL teachers in Indonesian formal schools developed their formative assessment according to their own perception, whereas several studies had proven that formative assessment should be designed based on students’ perception. The aim of this study is to describe the students’ perception of formative assessment practices in EFL class, which use the formative assessment cycle as the conceptual model. The research design in this study is survey design. The subject of this study is 11th grader students in State High School 8, Malang, Indonesia. The study is held throughout the English subject in the odd semester of 2022/2023 school year. The data analysis techniques used is descriptive quantitative. The quantitative data distribution of five dimensions of formative assessment shows that all of the subject percept every indicator positively. The results confirm that designing a formative assessment based on students’ perception is highly needed, where along the process, teachers could reflect their quality of teaching, and in the same time, students are facilitated to improve their goals, reducing material-misconception, expanding understanding in strength and weakness, and also developing better students-teacher communication in learning.

Collaboration and school reform are current social-political issues that affect many individuals and school districts. In this series summary, the authors examine national goals, federal legislation, and local reform practices. A twenty-first-century perspective predicting the integration of collaboration and school reform may help to guide future teaching, research, and/or service efforts. How families and professionals work together today will affect how we educate students during the next century.

English is an international language and a tool for extensive communication. Learning English is conducive to the mutual communication and exchange of ideas, culture, economy, and many other aspects between different countries and ethnic groups, and is conducive to peaceful coexistence and common development among countries. Countries are increasingly cooperating and exchanging ideas in several sectors due to the broad implementation of current information technology and the rapid speed of globalization. As an international language, English is changing the way of communication. The shift in the emphasis of English language instruction from rote memorization to developing students’ listening and speaking skills will inevitably result in a shift in classroom instruction techniques. Neural networks may be used to assess collegiate English classroom teaching (ECT) techniques and practices, finally completing the following work: (1) Introduces several domestically and internationally related theories and literature on the enhancement of ECT methods and the teaching quality assessment, which will be discussed later. A neural network-based teaching assessment framework is constructed to provide a theoretical basis. (2) Big data technology was employed to obtain appropriate data samples for experiments and verification, which included an ECT technique and practice assessment system tailored to the specific needs of the school. (3) The ECT technique assessment system relies on the BPNN technology. The assessment approach based on the BPNN predicted college ECT and practice extremely well and delivered excellent outcomes, according to the findings of the study.

This study aims to systematically review self-regulated learning (SRL) assessment practices, key SRL strategies used by learners, and contextual factors that shape SRL in technology-enhanced English as a foreign language (EFL) higher education setting. Following the PRISMA framework, empirical studies were identified, screened, and systematically synthesized through thematic analysis. Findings from the review of 22 literature sources indicate that SRL research in the context of technology-mediated EFL relies heavily on quantitative and mixed-method designs, with standardized instruments such as the OSLQ, SOL-Q, and adapted SRL scales dominating the field. In terms of strategy use, goal setting, metacognitive regulation, and environmental structure emerged as the most prominent strategies, while cognitive-task strategies, help-seeking/social regulation, and affective-motivational regulation were less frequently emphasized. The review also identified four categories of influential factors: students, teachers, classrooms, and technology. Future research should adopt more diverse and methodologically robust approaches and explore how SRL is jointly formed through interactions between learners, instructors, peers, and digital tools, including through intervention studies that design and test pedagogical support to strengthen underdeveloped strategies.