Lessons from the National Outcomes Measurement System (NOMS)

Significant reforms in education are changing the way school-based speech-language pathologists document and provide treatment. Faced with resource constraints and new mandates for accountability, clinicians are being pressured to demonstrate the value and impact of their services. To assist clinicians with meeting these challenges, the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association developed the National Outcomes Measurement System (NOMS) as a way to determine the effectiveness of school-based speech and language services. Data collected from NOMS are used to discuss: the effects of speech and language intervention on a student's ability to perform in the classroom, the key factors influencing progress for preschoolers with articulation disorders, and the impact of a clinician's caseload size on the outcomes students achieve.