Success Story: Equating ASHA CCC With NBPTS Certification for Salary Supplement

Joye McLeod, SLP
Papillion-LaVista School District, Nebraska

What did you do?

Teachers in my district with National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) certification were awarded an annual 5% of base salary supplement. The SLPs approached the administration requesting compensation for our national certification (ASHA CCC). Since it was not possible to alter our contract at that point, we decided to meet with our teachers' union and administration to garner their support. We were able to obtain a supplement for ASHA-certified SLPs and audiologists, which was written into our contract the following year.

What were your greatest challenges?

Fortunately, our administrators were very supportive. They recognized the value of our national certification and felt that awarding a supplement to the speech-language pathology and audiology staff was "the right thing to do." Our union president was not as supportive. She did not believe that the CCC was equivalent to NBPTS certification, but nonetheless encouraged us to pursue our goal. Our challenge was to gather facts and information about our certification process in order to make a compelling case. We obtained information on ASHA requirements for the CCC, compared the NBPTS and ASHA certification processes, and utilized information from legislation passed in Mississippi granting school-based SLPs and audiologists a $6,000 annual salary bonus. We then developed sample contract language for our union representative.

What was the outcome of your efforts?

ASHA-certified SLPs and audiologists in our district receive a 5%-of-base annual salary bonus. The district recognizes the ASHA CCC as equivalent to the NBPTS certification for teachers. In addition, the district developed guidelines for other professionals seeking a salary bonus in recognition of their national certification.

SLPs in my district are very satisfied with recognition of the CCC and annual compensation. We appreciate the visionary leadership in our district.