History of the PACE of Speech‐Language Pathologists

Performance Assessment of Contributions and Effectiveness (PACE)

The Performance Assessment of Contributions and Effectiveness of Speech‐Language Pathologists (PACE) was produced by ASHA's Value‐Added Project Team in response to member requests and rapidly developing state‐level policies regarding accountability measures for school‐based SLPs. The objective was to identify a value‐added model designed for SLPs or one that specifically accounted for the unique contributions of SLPs. During the development of this resource, the Value-Added Project Team reviewed literature, attended seminars, and conducted a peer review to obtain input from related professional organizations, members, pertinent stakeholders, and researchers on value‐added models and assessments.

A large segment of the reviewers were in agreement with the concept that student test scores should not be a component of the SLP's evaluation process. Another segment indicated that a data point, such as student test scores, should be a component of the evaluation. As a result of this dichotomous feedback, the team renewed its efforts to find research or other documentation to support evaluating SLPs based on student scores on high stakes tests. No evidence was found to support this practice. Continued efforts will be made to review new research, and the document will be updated as new information warrants.

Members of the Value‐Added Project Team also met with representatives from the U.S. Department of Education, who indicated that the department did not have any plans to develop a value‐added assessment system for teachers or other school professionals. Because the Value‐Added Project Team was unable to locate a value‐added model for SLPs, they developed PACE, the tool for evaluating the performance of school‐based SLPs. A glossary is included to help clarify terminology commonly used when addressing this issue. ASHA will continue to monitor and provide updates on newly published research and changes in educational policy and practices pertaining to value‐added models and their applicability to SLPs.