Grow Your Own School-Based SLP or SLPA Programs
What Is a Grow Your Own Program?
A grow your own (GYO) program is a partnership between a university and its local or state education authorities. The goal is to support the development of clinical skills of speech-language pathologists (SLPs) and/or speech-language pathology assistants (SLPAs) working in schools across the United States. GYO programs create a recruitment pipeline.
ASHA held a virtual focus group with seven professionals who have established successful GYO programs for SLPs and SLPAs in Arizona, Maryland, and Texas. The purpose of this focus group was to obtain information regarding
- the process for initiating a GYO program;
- the barriers encountered during program development; and
- different strategies and tools that facilitated success.
The GYO programs that were represented have existed for 10–30 years. Most of the professionals we spoke with began their program in response to a need for more SLPs and SLPAs in schools. They did so by creating partnerships between school districts, their state’s Department of Education, and/or nearby universities.
Benefits
Two common benefits for GYO program participants include (1) getting paid as a school district employee while enrolled in a communication sciences and disorders program and (2) receiving tuition support.
Participating in a GYO typically leads to securing employment opportunities immediately after completing the program. Some GYO programs have a post-graduation requirement to work in the county or school district for a certain period (e.g., 1–3 years).
Also, some GYO programs prioritize bilingual applicants and provide bilingual SLP supervisors for their graduate extern experiences.
Challenges
Funding
Participants identified funding (e.g., grants from the U.S. Department of Education and the state department of education; local education authority budgets; donations from foundations) as the biggest challenge when starting their GYO.
Sustaining and Maintaining Relationships
Sustaining their GYO programs requires building and maintaining relationships with leaders in schools, departments of education, and universities.
Maintaining these relationships requires communication regarding
- the program’s needs,
- graduate clinicians’ performance, and
- the identifying and training of supervising SLPs (among other things).
This requirement can be challenging as staff members leave an organization and as relationships with new staff are formed.
Established GYO Programs for SLPs and SLPAs
The following states have been successful in establishing GYO programs for SLPs and SLPAs:
| State | Type of Partnership | SLPA Contact | SLP Contact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona | Informal partnership with the Arizona Department of Education, Northern Arizona University, and the Yuma School District |
Jeff Meeks, Assistant Clinical Professor and SLPA Certificate Coordinator, Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Northern Arizona University (NAU) |
Sandra Stewart, Coordinator of NAU’s Summer Track for SLPs |
| Kansas | Formal agreement between Fort Hays State University and Southwest Kansas Area Cooperative District; informal agreement to cover tuition costs for any public university in Kansas. | Jason Wright, Assistant Director, Southwest Kansas Area Cooperative District | |
| Maryland | Partnership between the University of Maryland and Montgomery County Public Schools |
Kristin Slawson, Clinical Associate Professor and Director of Clinical Education in Speech-Language Pathology, University of Maryland, and Shelley A. McAuliffe, Supervisor of Speech and Language Services for Montgomery County Public Schools |
|
| Ohio | Partnership between the Mid-Ohio Educational Service Center and the University of Toledo | Jennifer Crum, Director of Student Services, Mid-Ohio Educational Service Center | |
| South Carolina | Collaborative partnership with the South Carolina Department of Education, local education agencies, and 15 colleges |
Joe Sutton, Director of the Centers for the Re-Education and Advancement of Teachers in Special Education and Related Services Personnel (CREATE) |
|
| Texas | Partnership between Dallas Independent School District, The University of Texas at Dallas, and the Callier Center for Communication Disorders | Jessica Carter – University of Texas | |
|
Texas |
Partnership between Texas Woman’s University and various school districts who wanted to sponsor a student |
Cynthia B. Gill, Professor and Department Chair, Department of Communication Sciences and Oral Health, Texas Woman’s University |
Looking to Start a GYO Program in Your Area?
Step 1. Review how GYO programs got started and continue today.
Resources include the following:
- Take Action! This webpage from the National Center on Personnel Shortages in Special Education and Related Services, offers strategies, policy recommendations, recorded presentations, and success stories highlighting GYO programs related to school staff shortages.
- Incentives to Launch SLPs-to-Be Into Unfilled School Slots This ASHA Leader article features partnerships between universities and schools that offer waived tuition or other assistance to recruit more students into graduate school and address SLP shortages in schools.
- Can You “Grow Your Own”? This ASHA Leader article shares what one veteran learned about what it takes to add more training slots to a graduate program.
Step 2. Understand important considerations for (a) paying or providing stipends to student clinicians and supervisors and (b) employing graduate students as SLPAs.
Here are some important questions to consider:
- Can a graduate student be paid for practicum? As noted in Issues in Ethics: Ethical Issues Related to Clinical Services Provided by Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology Students , it is acceptable to charge for services provided by students. Thus, it is acceptable to pay students in practicum settings. Payment should not influence the level of supervision or the services provided.
- Can a graduate student work as an audiology assistant or a speech-language pathology assistant (SLPA) while in graduate school? Yes, but the roles of “student” and “assistant” must be clearly separated. Assistants have a limited scope of practice, whereas graduate students may provide broader clinical services under supervision. If a student works as an assistant and also completes practicum hours—especially in the same setting—then clear communication among the student, academic program, employer, and supervisor is essential. In doing so, you avoid role confusion and ensure proper supervision. See Issues in Ethics: Ethical Issues Related to Clinical Services Provided by Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology Students .
Additional resources include the following:
- Issues in Ethics: Supervision of Student Clinicians
- Issues in Ethics: Speech-Language Pathology Assistants
- SLP Graduate Student Supervision
- Supervision
- Scope of Practice for the Speech-Language Pathology Assistant (SLPA)
- Advocacy Template Letters: Stipends for SLPs in Schools for Supervision of Graduate Students and Clinical Fellows
Step 3. Gather data to show why your area needs a GYO program.
To present the idea of establishing a GYO program to your administration, build a case for its need:
- Use the ASHA Workload Calculator to provide data on how many SLPs your school setting may need.
- Or, if you’re a lead SLP and you’re only providing supervision, consider using the Supervision Workload Calculator instead: It provides data on the amount of time spent supervising graduate students, clinical fellows, and/or speech-language pathology assistants.
- Share this resource on Recruiting and Retaining Qualified SLPs. This webpage helps administrators understand the impact of a multi-pronged approach to addressing shortages. Growing more SLPs is one prong. Another is school districts’ need to focus on providing
- a supportive and collaborative work environment,
- competitive salaries and benefits,
- professional development opportunities, and
- recognition of the SLP’s expertise to attract new—and retain current—SLPs.
Step 4. Reach out to potential GYO partners, and set up an interest meeting.
Finding potential programs and partners is a critical step in this journey. Here are some suggestions to use as a starting point:
- School districts can use ASHA’s EdFind, an online directory for undergraduate and graduate degree programs in communication sciences and disorders, to locate nearby university programs.
- Universities and school districts can contact state departments of education to determine interest and funding opportunities.
Step 5. Discuss and determine what problem(s) your GYO partnership can address.
Start with an honest discussion. As the discussion evolves, develop a focus: Pinpoint some specific problems that the proposed partnership can address.
For example, perhaps you can address the declining pipeline of SLP candidates in a school district and ways to defray graduate school costs for SLP students. Brainstorm components of the GYO partnership.
Here are some possibilities and sample scenarios:
Schools may be exploring how to
- improve their pipeline of SLP and SLPA candidates,
- start a multi-tiered system of support (MTSS) program,
- improve literacy skills,
- develop a feeding and swallowing team, or
- improve resources for students who are Deaf/Hard of Hearing.
Support from university researchers and graduate students can help with the above efforts and track data.
Universities may be looking to defray tuition costs for one or both of these student populations:
- speech-language pathology graduate students
- undergraduate students—some of whom might consider becoming SLPAs
Step 6. Investigate funding sources.
Look into the various avenues that exist for funding including your state department of labor and/or your state department of education. For example, see the two suggestions below.
- Consider applying for a grant. Here are some sites to get you started:
- Consider sharing the program costs between partners. For example: The university provides clinical supervisors in the school setting, and the school district provides stipends or tuition assistance for graduate student clinicians.
Step 7. Determine partnership expectations, and create a memorandum of agreement/understanding (MOA/MOU) between the GYO partners.
It’s important to set down, and agree upon, some shared understandings and expectations among all parties. To do so, create an MOA/MOU that all GYO partners can turn to for consistency and standards.
- See this sample MOU/MOA [PDF] to get you started.
Step 8. Share your GYO partnership success story with ASHA!
If you’ve seen success, don’t stop there: Tell us about it! We’d love to feature you and share your efforts with our members.
Questions? Know of any additional GYO programs? Email us at schools@asha.org.
