[SE-Dir] SLP/SLPA School District Shortage Survey - Please share with staff

[SANDBERG Ruby]

TO:  All District and ESD Special Education Directors

The message below is being sent to you on behalf of:


Sarah Drinkwater, Ph.D.
Assistant Superintendent
Office of Learning/Student Services
______________________________________________
January 7, 2016


The Oregon Department of Education (ODE) recognizes the shortage of Speech and Language Pathologists and Speech and Language Pathology Assistants available for employment in Oregon's public school and Early Intervention/Early Childhood Special Education settings.  ODE works collaboratively with local and national universities, the  Board of Examiners for Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology, the Oregon Speech & Hearing Association, among others, to address this shortage.

In 2007, the Oregon State Legislature passed HB3141, providing $150,000 each biennium to support SLPs and SLPAs in pursuit of licensure to serve in Oregon's schools (this includes EI/ECSE). Recent legislative changes have led to the elimination of the Teachers Standards and Practices (TSPC) credential for new SLP graduates and there has been an increased capacity for Oregon's universities to issue Master's Degrees in Speech and Language Pathology. These changes, among others, necessitate an updated understanding of speech-language pathology services in school districts and EI/ECSE programs.

The following survey is brief, 5-10 minutes: http://goo.gl/forms/QU0BWIYfH2

 We are not collecting demographic information that will identify you personally, therefore your identity is anonymous.

The information will be used to:
1) Determine the need (or lack of) for more licensed SLPs & SLPAs to serve in Oregon's school and EI/ECSE programs
2) Determine the degree of need by region or other demographics
3) Determine how to use the $150,000 available each biennium to support Districts/ESDs and Speech and Language Pathology Professionals in the years to come.

Please take the survey and please consider forwarding it to your Speech-language Pathologists and Speech-Language Pathology Assistants: http://goo.gl/forms/QU0BWIYfH2

We sincerely appreciate your participation by February 8, 2016.  If you have any questions, please contact Robin Shobe at robin.shobe at state.or.us<mailto:robin.shobe at state.or.us>.




Ruby Sandberg, Executive Assistant
Oregon Department of Education
Office of Learning l Student Services
503-947-5738 l FAX: 503-378-5156 l ruby.sandberg at state.or.us<mailto:ruby.sandberg at state.or.us>

The Oregon Department of Education is an equal opportunity agency and employer.
Messages to and from this email address may be made available to the public under Oregon law.

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