DELTA/GREELY SCHOOL DISTRICT Speech Language Pathologist

JOB DESCRIPTION TITLE: Speech/Language Pathologist

QUALIFICATIONS: Certification: Must hold a valid Type C Specialty certificate from the State of Alaska Department of Education and Early Development with an endorsement for Speech/Language services.

Experience: Experience in working with children is required.

Knowledge: Solid knowledge in speech and language development; common speech and language disorders; remediation of common speech and language disorders; knowledge of hearing disorders and working with student who have hearing disorders to improve language; knowledge of assessing students speech and language skills both formally and informally; ability to interpret the results of formal assessments in an understandable manner for lay persons; knowledge of the laws surrounding the provision of services to students with disabilities.

Skills:

• Language Skills: Ability to read, analyze, and interpret documents such as test materials, professional journals, and instructional/teacher guides and manuals. Ability to write routine reports and correspondence. Ability to effectively present information to school administrators, faculty, parents and parent groups, and the general public.
• Mathematical Skills: Ability to add, subtract, multiply and divide in all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions and decimals. Ability to apply ratio, percent, probability and estimation concepts. Possess an understanding of, and the ability to interpret for others, statistical information.
• Reasoning Ability: Ability to apply common sense understanding to potentially technical situations. Ability to establish priority ordering of tasks necessary to complete a project and convey these understandings and priorities to others. Ability to employ logical sequencing, trouble-shooting, problem-solving and decision-making skills.
• Organizational Ability: Ability to organize required paperwork and meet established timelines.
• Other Skills and Abilities: Must have a working knowledge of computers and their capabilities. Must have a valid driver’s license.

Physical Requirements: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit, to stand, to walk, to operate hand controls, to use a telephone and to write. The employee must frequently lift and/or move up to 10 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds. This position requires accurate perceiving of sound, near and far vision, depth perception, handling and working with educational materials and objects, and providing oral information.

The employee should be able to use the following machines, tools, equipment, and work aids which may be representative, but not all inclusive, of those commonly associated with this type of work: tympanometers, audiograms, hearing aids and auditory trainers.

Other: Must have a valid Alaska driver’s license and travel between sites is required.

REPORTS TO: Site Principals

JOB STANDARDS: (Standards for Alaska’s Teachers)

• Describe the teacher’s philosophy of education and demonstrate its relationship to the teacher’s practice
• Understands how students learn and develop and applies that knowledge in the teacher’s practice
• Teachers students with respect for their individual and cultural characteristics
• Knows the teacher’s content area and how to teach it
• Facilitates, monitors, and assess student learning
• Creates and maintains a learning environment with which all students are actively engaged and contributing members
• Works as a partner with parents families, and community
• Participates in and contributes to the teaching profession

PERFORMANCE RESPONSIBILITIES

General Performance Responsibilities: The Speech/Language Teacher evaluates communication and hearing needs of preschool, elementary, middle, and high school students, and plans and carries out therapy programs to enable children with communication disorders to achieve in self contained, resource, or inclusive settings.

Responsibility to the District/School Site imposes the following obligations:

• Maintaining consistent and regular attendance
• Being reliable and flexible
• Having sufficient sense of organizational procedures to be able to accept discipline while working happily within the established structure and policies of the school
• Being willing to acquire skills needed
• Discussing any specific problems with the supervising staff member or the principal. Using discretion in commenting on school matters, including the performance of individual paraprofessionals or other school personnel 
•  Acknowledging that criticism of school personnel and/or school practices is an ineffective and unsatisfactory method of improving public education
• Understanding that regulations and procedures of the school are to be followed at all times
• Keeps current in the profession with regard to new information, strategies or technologies; maintains current Alaska Certification

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS: To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential function satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Assessments: 

• Conducts speech, language and hearing screenings to identify children in need of diagnostic evaluations
• Conducts diagnostic speech, language, voice, fluency, functional communication and augmentative communication evaluations to identify child's needs by administering formal and informal measures, observing child in classroom or natural settings, studying school records, consulting with parents and school personnel, and interpreting findings

Student Services:

• Plans for and conducts therapy with individual and small groups in self-contained, resource, and inclusive settings
• Works in collaboration with teachers, parents, instructional assistants, related service personnel, and students to implement Individualized Education Programs
• Advises parents, teachers and other school personnel on methods to enhance communication functioning in natural and structured settings
• Carefully documents student progress toward goals and objectives
• Routinely checks student assistive technology necessary for speech/language development (i.e.- hearing aids, augmentative communication devices)
• Plan for and oversee direct speech language therapy services provided by the SLP paraprofessional

Case Management Duties:

• Schedules and conducts case conference and annual case review meetings 
• Develops Individualized Education Programs for children with communication disorders in coordination with parents and school personnel
• Refers individuals to community agencies to secure medical or social services for the child or family
• Maintains appropriate documentation for Medicaid billing

Completes other duties as may be assigned from time to time by the principal

TERMS OF EMPLOYMENT: Based upon Professional Contractual Agreement between the Delta/Greely School District and the Delta/Greely Education Association.

SUPERVISION: The Speech Language Instructor is supervised by an assigned Site Administrator and will be evaluated according the District Certificated Staff Evaluation procedures.

For more information, please contact DGSD Human Resources at 907-895-4657 (#2).

Delta/Greely School District is an Equal Opportunity and Educational Employer