This article explains how data from the new related services log options are pulled into the Special Education Vendor Management DV to track start dates for related services as well as number of minutes offered in the last 30 days.
Student Logs in the Pearson Online Classroom have recently been updated to add a new Related Services Area/Category. This category has additional check boxes for the following most common related services:
- Occupational Therapy (not LiveOT)
- Counseling
- Social Work Services
- Physical Therapy
- ABA/Autism Services
- Hearing Services
- Vision Services
- Nursing Services
- Orientation & Mobility Services
- Other Speech/Language Services (not LiveSpeech)
- Other Related Service
Watch the video below to see how to create a related services log using one of the new Related Services log options.
Understanding Successful Start Dates
In previous years, therapists had to manually enter the start date for related services. Now that new log categories have been added, successful start dates will populate for Occupational Therapy, Counseling, Social Work, Physical Therapy, ABA/Autism Services, Hearing Services, Orientation & Mobility Services, Nursing Services, Vision Services, Other S/L Services, and Other Related Services (not specified).
- Occupational therapy's successful start date can be found in the Occupational Therapy section of the Vendor Management DV.
- Counseling, Social Work, Physical Therapy, ABA/Autism Services, Hearing Services, Orientation & Mobility Services, Nursing Services, Vision Services, and Other Related Services (not specified) successful start dates can be found in the Other 1 section of the Vendor Management DV.
- Other S/L Services' successful start date can be found in the Speech/Language section of the Vendor Management DV.
Since these log options were not added until after the first day of school, you may notice that the start date listed is later than when you actually began services. This is because the field is an extended field which pulls in the first date when a therapist used a specific log category, for example, the OT Successful Services Start Date (24-25) pulls the first date when a log was created using Related Services > Occupational Therapy - (minutes interval).
A "successful" start date means that the student was marked in attendance for a face to face or LiveLesson session. In the screenshot below, 09/11/2024 is the first date when a log was created using the Counseling option and indicated that the student was in attendance. Since these dates now automatically pull into the log, you no longer need to manually update the "Date this service started (2024-2025) field. If you've already filled this field in, that is okay and does not need to be removed.
Understanding Offered Services in the Last 30 Days
New calculated fields have been added for occupational therapy, counseling, social work, and "other related services" log options. These fields update daily to track the number of service minutes offered to the student according to the log. This means that the minutes will be tracked even if the student is not in attendance as log as the therapist offered the service and logged correctly. Calculated fields for the other options such as ABA/Autism and O&M will be added later this semester.
In the screenshot below, the student has been offered 30 minutes of counseling services within the last 30 days according to the log.
Reminders & Best Practices
- "Related Services" log options should only be used for therapy sessions, not for evaluations (there are separate evaluation options already)
- Double-check the date when you are creating log entries. Logs should not be future-dated. You may edit existing log entries if you realize that a log has been dated incorrectly.
- "Successful start date" in the Vendor Management Data View refers to the first date that a log was created this school year using the new log options and the student attended the face to face or LiveLesson session.
- If you have been working with a student since August but did not begin using the new log options until October, the "successful start date" calculated field would have an October date listed.
- If a student switches therapists mid-year there will not be a new start date calculated in the Vendor Management Data View. The only exception to this would be a student who was assigned to a therapist but never attended, and then the new therapist had a successful session with attendance logged.
- Counseling and Social Work may be defined differently depending on the school or IEP team. If you are logging correctly but still notice missing start dates or services offered, check to see how the service is listed on the IEP. For example, if you are using the "Counseling" option but the student's IEP lists "Social Work," you would need to create "Social Work" logs in order for a start date to populate in the Social Work field. Check with your school's special education director if you are unsure of which to use.
- Occasionally, students with Section 504 plans receive related services. You will still use the Related Services options to log therapy for these students.
- If you have already manually entered the start date for a related service this school year, please begin using the new log options now.