Another school year is sneaking up on us. While this blog is not exclusively for school-based clinicians, it has always been inspired by my current caseload which is K-5 at this time. I will be sharing a few tools for SLPs in this series of blog posts, click here to access the others as they are added. Make sure to read to the end of each review, including this one, for freebies and exclusive discounts!
To kick us off, I’ll talk about one of my all-time favorite SLP tools, SLP Toolkit (aptly named, eh?). When I first met “Tool” and “Kit” (Sarah and Lisa being their given names) I loved their energy and after seeing their product was even more impressed. I was not sure how much I would use the Toolkit but after over a semester of using it, I’m sure I’d would never like to go back! Read on!
What is SLP Toolkit?
To find out all of the sweet specifics, check out their website or this video that SLP Toolkit put together which covers so much about the product… they do it much better than I could, so take a look:
SLP Toolkit Intro Video from SLP Toolkit on Vimeo.
What SLP Toolkit offers – Quick & Dirty:
- Present Level Assessments: Quick, thorough screening tools to assess a student’s strengths and needs.
- Progress Monitoring Tools: Criterion Referenced Tests and rubrics for a variety of speech and language skills.
- Goals: Measurable and customizable goals for targeted skills, levels of cueing, criteria for mastery, assessment methods, and assessment frequency.
- Caseload Management: Sortable record of your students’ demographics, IEP/Evaluation dates, service times, and treatment areas.
- Strategies: Tips to enhance speech and language skills. Used as accommodations in a student’s IEP.
- Daily Data option.
- Scheduling Tool.
- Ability to send student files to other SLPs using SLP Toolkit.
- Storage of all paperless information on a HIPAA-compliant server.
How I WANTED to use it:
You know SLPs, I wanted to use it with 100% of my caseload on minute number one of walking back into my therapy room after signing up. I wanted to get present level assessments on EVERY student immediately. I wanted to add their goals and accommodations into their profiles and have the information in there to utilize seamlessly and right away. I wanted an A+ in SLP Toolkit… but in reality I probably got a C in my first semester…
How I ACTUALLY used it:
I began using SLP Toolkit in December of last year. I definitely can’t wait to start using it at the beginning of a year instead of mid-year as it will give me some time to update levels, integrate new students into the caseload, etc. Some of the main features I used SLP Toolkit for in my first semester using it were:
- the goals
- progress monitoring
- present level assessments. (I sort of have a crush on the present level assessments.)
I used the present level assessments for a few things including annual IEPs and initial evaluations. I loved these for those tricky little nuggets who have scores and skills all over the place. When there is no cut and dry goal, SLP Toolkit helps me to identify skill areas that students are most lacking and what may be most impacting their access to the curriculum. While I do not use Toolkit to qualify students, it is often what I use for RtI or as additional informal information that can be included in the evaluation and/or IEP. I was able to utilize the strengths/ weaknesses from these in IEPs and then in writing goals. I was also able to write very specific and clear goals based on present level assessments and progress monitoring. I felt very comfortable and prepared in my IEP meetings. Recently, after they added some great updates, a coworker was able to send me the “file” of a student who is moving from her school to mine! In a district with as many transient students, this is an incredible resource!
How I WILL use it this year:
Like I said above, I am so excited to use this from day one this year. I will have all students in my caseload and can add new students. I will be utilizing the scheduling tool to make those first 46 drafts of my therapy schedule a bit easier to navigate. I can also utilize the sharing feature to send the files to SLPs in my district to start their year off well! I’m excited to use more progress monitoring for my students from last year and to share more beneficial strategies and tips with classroom teachers and parents as well this year!
Is it worth it?
Yes, yep, duh, of course, why not, oh yeah! Why is it worth it? It makes me more confident, organized, and diligent. It makes it EASY to be good at progress monitoring and writing great IEPs and Evals! If I was a new SLP I would spend almost everyday hugging my computer if I had SLP Toolkit (Great graduation present for new grads!). But… you should probably just check it out for yourself. You are able to sign up for a free trial where you have access for 5 clients so you can dig in and see if it is right for you.
You can also use this sweet code, SUBLIME17, to get 1 FREE MONTH OF FULL ACCESS or $19 off of an annual subscription! So go on with your bad SLP self and sign up!
You can also catch Sarah and Lisa of SLP Toolkit when they present their FREE course “5 Mistakes to Avoid in Data Collection” at the upcoming SLP Summit!
SLP Toolkit is a great Tool for SLPs and Speech/Language Therapy… I hope this little lovefest (aka review) was helpful to you. If you have other questions/comments, add them below and/or contact SLP Toolkit!
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