DISTRICT STORY
How Cobb County School District’s Speech Language Department Retained 200+ SLP’s..
While Dramatically Improving District Outcomes
100% Staffed
Cobb County now has zero Vacancies. They’re fully staffed with SLP’s that are district hires (no contractors)
586 hours saved
SLP’s save time on lesson planning, caseload management, billing and IEPs.
$102K Material Value
Cobb County SLP’s utilized $102,012 worth of therapy materials.
291% ROI
Cobb County saw nearly 3X return on their investment in SLPNow, based on material utilization alone!
THE CHALLENGE
Keeping SLP’s Happy.. While Increasing Department Performance
As Supervisor of Cobb County School District’s Speech Language Department, Helen Upshaw oversees 200+ speech language pathologists. Her overarching priority is to keep the SLP’s happy, while maximizing their outputs.
Her responsibilities included:
- Helping SLP's achieve Work-Life Balance
- Ensuring Student Progress on IEPs
- Maximizing Speech Program Dismissals
- Cultivating Student Collaboration with Family & Staff
- Encouraging Effective Communication
- Ensuring 100% Legal Compliance
But Helen found SLP’s were missing the structured professional learning resources that they needed to stay on top of best practices and provide the highest quality care. She tried tools and software to remedy this, but her SLP’s did not engage with the features enough to generate ROI.
Things reached a tipping point when her district switched to a new digital platform for Individualized Education Programs (IEPs). The new system promised to be efficient, but it added more work for progress monitoring. Her SLPs struggled to manage and track student data while following strict legal rules.
Helen knew she needed a streamlined system to help her SLP’s with professional development, lesson planning, and creating IEPs. Otherwise, they’d continue to face significant stress and inefficiency..
School District Background
Cobb County School District (CCSD) is one of Georgia's largest and most diverse districts. They serve 106,703 students PK, K-12 in 112 schools. CCSD is committed to providing quality education with a focus on academic excellence and innovation. The district values a safe, supportive learning environment and emphasizes collaboration among educators, parents, and the community. CCSD works to ensure all students have the resources they need to succeed.
About Helen Upshaw
Helen Upshaw is the Supervisor for the Speech-Language Department at Cobb County School district, with over 30 years of service. She is an ASHA certified, licensed speech-language pathologist focused on Augmentative/Alternative Communication (AAC). Helen collaborates with leaders, teachers, staff, parents, and students to ensure all students have the tools they need to become independent learners. She has led professional learning sessions on AAC and assistive technology at local and state levels.
THE SOLUTION
Rolling out SLPNow – From ONE to 200 SLP’s!
The turning point came when Helen learned about SLPNow from one of her SLPs who had purchased it for her own personal use. Helen immediately saw the value and decided to explore the platform further.
Recognizing the advantages that so many SLPs are willing to pay for out-of-pocket, Helen envisioned bringing those benefits to her entire district – ensuring all SLPs could access these resources without personal expense.
She started with a small-scale trial. A group of SLPs tested the platform, and the feedback was overwhelmingly positive. The SLPs found the pre-made therapy materials incredibly useful. Especially because they’re all vetted, safe and best practice. Meaning, they’re ready to go as soon as you download them.
Encouraged by these results, Helen moved forward with district-wide implementation. SLP Now supported this effort by organizing “hands-on” training sessions to get every SLP up to speed.
- The built in data collection and caseload management tools immediately streamlined progress monitoring
- Her SLP’s finally had access to well-structured professional learning resources, without having to seek them out externally
Her SLP’s love the platform so much they’re trying to recruit other people from other districts locally; an indication of true satisfaction and happiness! Helen also made it a point to mention SLPNow as a support resource when interviewing new candidates, showcasing it as a significant benefit of working in the district. As a result, she has been able to retain all her SLPs and fill every vacancy.
We provide data every month to show how her people are using the platform; you can see an example of that below...
“A comprehensive bundle of resources, therapy materials that are vetted, best practices, with support built in. Very much worth the investment. The return on your investment is much more than you expect. "
THE RESULTS
Hundreds of SLP hours saved.. Happier SLP’s.. Triple-Digit ROI!
Increased Efficiency - 586 Hours Saved: SLPs reported substantial time savings in preparing therapy materials, allowing more focus on direct student interaction. The built-in tools for lesson planning, caseload management, billing, and IEPs saved a total of 586 hours across the department.
Enhanced Data Management - 100% Legal Compliance: The platform's data collection tools streamlined compliance with legal requirements and improved the monitoring of student progress, ensuring that all IEPs were managed efficiently and accurately.
Improved Professional Development - $102K Material Value: SLPs benefited from accessible and high-quality professional learning resources. The utilization of $102,012 worth of therapy materials provided structured learning and ready-to-use best practice resources, enhancing their skills and effectiveness.
Higher Retention Rates - 0 Vacancies: The district experienced a notable improvement in SLP retention, with zero vacancies and no need for external contractors. The support and resources provided by SLPNow contributed significantly to higher job satisfaction, making the district a desirable place to work. Based on their material utilization alone, they achieved a 291% return on investment.
Student Success - Improved Outcomes: With better resource availability and efficient data management, student outcomes improved, aligning with the district's primary goal of supporting student success.