Calling all SLPs who are longing for an easy way to manage their speech therapy caseload... and all of the job responsibilities that go along with it 🙋♀️ I love a good organization system, but I do not love shelling out money on a monthly basis for such things... especially such work-related things.
Since I avoid paid subscriptions like the plague, I set out to create a spreadsheet to help organize, manage, and track my school speech therapy caseload. While building the tool took almost a year, choosing a platform took no time at all.
Using Google Sheets to Organize a Speech Therapy Caseload
I chose Google Sheets to build the SLP caseload organizer for several reasons.
First of all, most people are already familiar with the application and it's free to access for anyone with a Google account.
Plus, nobody does it like Google, am I right? Google Sheets offers tons of features and customization. There are a multitude of options of fonts and colors (and isn't color-coding what it's all about?). It can house endless information is a visually appealing way.
Google Sheets can also integrate with Google Classroom, which can securely store caseload information. And since it's web-based, it can be accessed from anywhere. Files can be shared with a supervisor, for example.
The process of creating the tool opened my eyes to what is possible with Google Sheets using advanced integrations and automations. Let's take a look at how all these features look in an SLP caseload tracker.
Components of an SLP Caseload Organization Spreadsheet
Within the Google Sheets file I created, there are actually multiple spreadsheets... each in its own tab. The tabs are "connected" in that the information in the cells transfers to cells in other tabs (i.e. a lot less typing for you). The spreadsheets organize the following information:
Caseload Overview
The "Student Details" tab provides a general overview of the students on your speech therapy caseload. It includes each student's name, birthdate, contact information, school, grade, teacher, IEP dates, and speech therapy minutes. All the other tabs pull information from this main tab.
IEP and Case Management Information
In the "IEP Details" tab, there's more specific information about each student's IEP. This includes the IEP case manager, disability category, due dates, accommodations and modifications, speech therapy minutes, and checkboxes to designate consult or ESY services. It also includes columns to note an abbreviated version of a student's IEP goals.
The "Case Management" tab lets you select (using a drop-down menu) only the students for which you are the case manager of the IEP. The color-coded cells alert you to upcoming annual and 3-year IEP dates, and the clickable checklists ensure you stay on top of each case management duty.
Evaluation and Progress Report Tracker
Use the "Evaluations" tab to track the list of students who are in the process of receiving a speech-language assessment. A drop-down menu allows you to quickly select the student and, when you do, much of the information automatically fills.
Once you've added the evaluation due date, the cell color changes as the date approaches. The checkboxes can be used to track your progress on completing of each step of the assessment, from getting the signed permission to sending a copy of the finished report.
The "Progress Reports" tab formulates a list of your students so you can track completion of progress reports throughout the school year. Enter your school's progress report due dates across the top and the columns below those dates change color as the date approaches and you write and send each report.
Sessions Plans and Data
The caseload organizer can also be used to plan session activities and track data. A tab is automatically created for each student, where each column represents one session. Whether you print these student-specific sheets or use them digitally, you can use them to write or type your lesson plans. For example, you may jot down names of activities or paste website links in the spreadsheet.
Similarly, each student's spreadsheet has spaces to enter (or write) a summary of the data for each goal addressed in the session. This makes it easy to see students' performance over time when writing progress reports.
SLPs that work with students in groups might prefer to have the goals of all the students in the group on one tab for easy viewing. Group tabs can be set up with just a few clicks be selecting students using a drop-down menu and watching their goals automatically fill in.
Attendance Monitoring
The "Attendance" tab uses the entries on the student-specific tabs (discussed above) to calculate how many sessions and minutes of speech therapy a student has had each month.
Google Sheets offers a versatile and customizable way to manage a school speech therapy caseload. The ability to have multiple tabs allow SLPs to quickly switch between their various job tasks. Automation eliminates repetitive data inputting. Color-coding ensures that due dates don't sneak up. Checklists keep you on track for each responsibility.
Want to manage and track your speech therapy caseload with Google Sheets, but don't have the time (tech skillfulness) to create something?
Make a copy of this one! Once you enter your caseload information you can let the spreadsheet work its auto-magic in making all of your SLP duties more doable and less tedious.
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