1. Quick Start
Purpose
The workload dashboard is a conversation tool. It represents objective time-related workload factors that can be seen in district systems or entered as approved manual factors.
Not the whole truth
It does not capture every local reality: building schedules, difficult logistics, parent intensity, unusual student needs, or all informal meetings.
Main action for staff
Check whether your Phoenix, ESI, and supervisor-entered information reflects your actual work. If something is missing or inaccurate, start with your supervisor/AC.
Main action for committee
Use patterns and repeated questions to improve factors, training, threshold visibility, and data-entry practices without creating unnecessary documentation burden.
2. Prerequisites and Access
- Access to the SSD workload monitoring dashboard through Gateway or a supervisor-provided link.
- Awareness of the provider’s Phoenix services, goals, case management, meetings, buildings, and travel responsibilities.
- Supervisor/AC access for ESI Provider Maintenance changes when manual factors or provider setup need correction.
- Current SSD/Phoenix/ESI procedures should be used as the authoritative source for system navigation and policy decisions.
2. Intended Audience
- SLP staff and other providers: understand your own workload dashboard, identify missing data, and know what to discuss with your supervisor.
- Area Coordinators and supervisors: review provider data, adjust manual factors, and use the dashboard as a starting point for supportive conversations.
- Workload monitoring committee: identify system improvements, training needs, factor definitions, and threshold display improvements.
- District leaders: understand why the dashboard is useful but should not replace professional judgment.
3. Principles from the Walkthrough
3.1 The dashboard is objective, not experiential
The dashboard is built from criterion-referenced conditions: student counts, service minutes, case management, travel, manual time factors, and other observable data. It cannot fully represent the lived experience of a schedule or assignment.
For example, two SLPs with similar minutes may have very different workload realities if one has a restrictive building schedule, frequent student movement, or a high number of meetings not captured in Phoenix.
3.2 The dashboard is a representation of current understanding
The assumptions and factors are new and should be improved over time. The system was intentionally designed so that factor weights and logic can be adjusted as better information becomes available.
3.3 Conversation remains required
Supervisors should ask: What is the data showing? What is the data missing? What can be adjusted in systems? What local conditions need supervisor support?
4. How the Dashboard Works
The provider view begins with the staff member’s contracted weekly minutes. In the SLP walkthrough, this was described as 2,250 minutes per week.
- Start with contracted weekly minutes.
- Subtract objective workload components that consume time.
- Apply any adjustment factor assigned to that component.
- Sum the adjusted values.
- Apply the relevant equation/path for role, level, service model, and setting.
- Produce the workload rating/label, such as low, medium, or high.
Key terms
| Term | Meaning | Staff check |
|---|---|---|
| Component value | The raw value coming from Phoenix, ESI, or manual entry. Example: number of case-managed students, buildings, minutes, or open evaluations. | Does the number match what you know about your assignment? |
| Adjustment factor | The weight/time value applied to that component. | If the factor feels wrong, committee review may be needed; staff usually cannot directly change the formula. |
| Adjusted value | The result after the component value and adjustment factor are applied. | Use this to understand which components are consuming the most represented time. |
| Workload rating | The low/medium/high label produced after role-specific equations are applied. | Use as a conversation prompt, not a final judgment. |
5. Main Data Sources
Phoenix
Provides IEP/service-related data, provider relationships, minutes, goals, case management, meeting visibility, and student orbit information. Data refreshes frequently; the walkthrough described refreshes about 24 times per day, often within about an hour after an IEP is locked.
ESI / Provider Maintenance
Used for provider setup and manual factor adjustments. Supervisors/ACs may adjust relevant manual components such as duty, plan time, travel, RTI/testing time, or program/district associations.
Supervisor-entered factors
Some workload elements cannot be pulled automatically and must be represented through supervisor conversation and manual entry.
Future/committee improvements
Meeting counts, Phoenix calendar connections, evaluation involvement beyond chair role, and student mobility may become stronger objective indicators.
6. Student “Orbit”
A student may be counted in a provider’s orbit when the provider is connected to that student in one or more of these ways:
- case manager,
- service provider,
- goal manager.
This matters because many workload components are calculated based on the students in the provider’s orbit.
7. Components Discussed in the Walkthrough
The walkthrough identified many factors that may affect represented workload. Some are calculated from Phoenix or other systems; others are manual factors that require supervisor input.
Calculated or system-visible components
- IEP/service minutes: total service minutes where the provider is listed in Phoenix.
- Total students: students in the provider’s orbit.
- Case management: students for whom the provider is case manager.
- Open evaluations: open evaluation cases; the walkthrough referenced a weekly weight during the evaluation window.
- Closed evaluation chair cases: cases chaired during the prior year.
- BIPs: students in the provider’s orbit with behavior intervention plans.
- ELL students: students whose language/translation context may add workload.
- Homebound: students for whom staff prepare information while the student is on homebound instruction.
- Individualized nursing care: may create scheduling and coordination overhead.
- Total buildings/districts: multiple locations affect workload.
- Service model and level: elementary, secondary, self-contained, resource, push-in, and pull-out contexts may affect how values are interpreted.
Manual factors discussed
- Duty time: adjust if actual duty responsibilities are not represented.
- Plan time: should not be less than 250 minutes; some staff may need more because of block schedules or other circumstances.
- Data team time: may require manual entry if a provider attends more than typical meetings.
- RTI/testing time: described as a manual factor.
- Travel time: especially important when staff move between buildings during the day.
- Gen-ed care team/behavior meetings not in Phoenix: should be discussed with the supervisor because they may not be objectively visible.
8. Known Blind Spots and Cautions
| Blind spot | Why it matters | Recommended response |
|---|---|---|
| Expired or not-yet-initiated IEPs | Students may not appear correctly if an IEP is expired or the next IEP is not initiated/locked. | Check Phoenix status and follow up through normal IEP/data correction channels. |
| New move-in students | There may be a delay before the IEP is articulated into Phoenix. | Use supervisor conversation during transition windows. |
| Service plans/reciprocity placements | Service plans may not tabulate like IEPs. | Flag unusual cases with supervisor/AC. |
| Meetings not in Phoenix | Gen-ed care team meetings or informal meetings may be invisible. | Use manual factor conversation rather than creating excessive new documentation. |
| Building restrictions | Local schedules may reduce the time available to deliver services. | Supervisor may need to clear barriers with building leadership. |
| High parent contact or complex family dynamics | Real workload may not be objectively visible. | Discuss with supervisor; document patterns as appropriate. |
| Old or incorrect provider/program connections | Example: old SNAP or district connections may distort displayed values. | Ask AC/supervisor to review ESI/provider maintenance setup. |
9. Staff Checklist: How to Review Your Own Dashboard
- Open the dashboard. Use Gateway and search for “workload,” or use/bookmark the direct link provided by your supervisor.
- Confirm you are viewing the correct district/program. If you see old or unexpected connections, ask your AC/supervisor to review your setup.
- Check total weekly minutes. Make sure the Phoenix services you provide are assigned correctly.
- Check your student orbit. Confirm students for whom you are case manager, service provider, or goal manager.
- Review case management count. Verify students for whom you schedule/lead IEP responsibilities.
- Review evaluation data. If you participate in many evaluations but are not chair, note that this may be an area under improvement.
- Review manual factors. Duty, plan time, RTI/testing, data teams, travel, and other recurring responsibilities may need supervisor adjustment.
- Check building/district assignments. Multiple buildings and in-day travel should be represented accurately.
- Identify invisible work. Make a concise list of workload realities not represented in the dashboard.
- Talk with your supervisor. Bring specific factors and examples rather than only the overall rating.
10. Supervisor / AC Guide
10.1 Use the dashboard to start the conversation
When a staff member appears high, low, or near a threshold, ask what the data means in the local context. Do not assume that the rating alone describes the whole assignment.
10.2 Review manual factors
Manual factors should be adjusted when the provider’s recurring responsibilities are not visible in Phoenix or other systems.
- Duty time
- Plan time above the minimum when justified
- RTI/testing time
- Data team involvement
- Travel between buildings
- Recurring care team/behavior meeting responsibilities not captured elsewhere
10.3 ESI adjustment path from the walkthrough
- Go to ESI.
- Open Provider Maintenance.
- Find the individual provider.
- Scroll to the relevant workload factor.
- Click Edit next to the factor that needs to change.
- Save the adjustment and confirm the dashboard refreshes after the normal data-refresh interval.
11. Phoenix Practices That Improve Visibility
The system can only use data that exists. The walkthrough emphasized that several future improvements depend on staff being connected to meetings and services in Phoenix.
11.1 Services and goals
- Make sure the correct provider is assigned to services.
- Use the Phoenix provider assignment tools consistently, including the relevant service/provider indicators.
- Consider whether consult services that are already being provided should be reflected in the IEP when appropriate.
11.2 Meeting visibility
- Meetings in Phoenix can appear on a provider’s Phoenix calendar when the provider is invited/connected to the meeting.
- Being connected to meetings may help future workload calculations reflect REDs, IEP meetings, and evaluation participation more accurately.
- In Phoenix meeting properties, staff can be added to the meeting where appropriate.
- This is possible now, but the walkthrough noted that it may not yet be reflected in the dashboard.
12. Workload Monitoring Committee: Recommended Improvement Agenda
- Threshold display: Add visibility showing the high/medium/low ranges or how close a provider is to a threshold.
- Evaluation participation: Improve recognition of evaluation work when the provider is not the evaluation chair.
- Meeting participation: Develop a practical approach for REDs, IEP meetings, behavior meetings, and team meetings without creating excessive documentation burden.
- Student mobility: Replace or supplement high-risk zip code/district proxies with actual mobility-related data, such as transfers and meeting volume.
- AAC/AugCom: Continue separate recognition of responsible programming work and impacted-provider work.
- SNAP/outside-contract work: Review whether SNAP should be excluded from workload visuals because it may distort contract-time workload views.
- Manual factor guidance: Publish clear examples for duty, plan, travel, RTI/testing, and data team adjustments.
- Training: Create short staff and supervisor guides for checking data, correcting assignments, and preparing for workload conversations.
- Feedback loop: Maintain a structured method for staff and supervisors to submit dashboard concerns and improvement ideas.
13. Suggested Workload Conversation Protocol
Step 1: Start with data
Look at the major adjusted values. Which components are driving the rating?
Step 2: Check accuracy
Are student counts, minutes, buildings, districts, case management, and manual factors correct?
Step 3: Add context
What important workload is invisible to the dashboard?
Step 4: Identify action
Can the supervisor adjust a manual factor, fix a data connection, remove a building barrier, or redistribute support?
Helpful questions
- What part of the dashboard feels accurate?
- What part feels inaccurate or incomplete?
- Which invisible responsibilities are recurring rather than occasional?
- Are there building-level schedule restrictions affecting service delivery?
- Are there students or meetings missing because of Phoenix setup?
- What is within the supervisor’s control to change?
- What should be elevated to the workload monitoring committee?
14. FAQ
Is the dashboard the official truth about my workload?
No. It is the best current objective representation of visible workload factors. It must be interpreted through conversation.
Where does RTI time come from?
In the walkthrough, RTI was described as a manual factor. If your RTI/testing work is not represented, discuss it with your supervisor.
Why is my evaluation work understated?
The current system more clearly sees evaluation chair work. Participation in evaluations when not chair was identified as an improvement area.
Why are my meetings not counted?
Meetings must be visible in Phoenix to be objectively available. Gen-ed care team meetings or informal meetings may require a manual factor conversation.
How often does data refresh?
The walkthrough described Phoenix-derived data refreshing about 24 times per day, typically within about an hour after an IEP is locked.
What if my dashboard shows an old program or district connection?
Ask your AC/supervisor to review ESI/provider maintenance. Old connections, such as a prior SNAP association, may confuse the display.
15. Implementation Checklists
For staff
- Bookmark the dashboard.
- Review your dashboard at least at major workload checkpoints.
- Confirm Phoenix services, goals, case management, and meeting connections.
- List recurring invisible work before meeting with your supervisor.
- Ask for manual factor review when needed.
For supervisors/ACs
- Review manual factors at the start of the year and after major assignment changes.
- Teach staff how to recognize data issues without requiring unnecessary documentation.
- Use the dashboard to support, not blame.
- Watch for staff near thresholds, not only staff already labeled high.
- Report recurring dashboard problems to the committee.
For the committee
- Prioritize high-impact blind spots.
- Publish threshold explanations in plain language.
- Maintain a change log of factor improvements.
- Review whether new factors improve fairness without increasing staff data-entry burden.
- Create quick-reference guides for staff and supervisors.
15. Verification: Is the Dashboard Ready for a Workload Conversation?
- The provider is viewing the correct district, building, and assignment context.
- Phoenix service provider, goal manager, and case manager relationships appear accurate.
- IEPs/evaluations that should be visible are locked or otherwise accounted for in conversation.
- Manual factors have been reviewed for duty, plan time, RTI/testing, data teams, and travel.
- Known blind spots are documented as conversation notes rather than treated as dashboard errors.
- Any incorrect ESI/provider maintenance associations have been referred to the AC/supervisor.
16. Troubleshooting
| Problem | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Student or service minutes missing | IEP not locked, provider not assigned, or service not visible in Phoenix | Review Phoenix setup and follow normal correction channels. |
| Workload seems too low | Manual factors or invisible work may not be represented | Prepare examples and discuss with supervisor/AC. |
| Workload seems too high | Old assignment/program connection or duplicate context may be showing | Ask supervisor/AC to review ESI Provider Maintenance. |
| Meeting work not counted | Meeting is not visible in Phoenix or not yet part of dashboard logic | Connect to Phoenix meetings when appropriate; use supervisor conversation for gen-ed/non-Phoenix meetings. |
| Threshold meaning is unclear | Current display may not show ranges or proximity | Committee should prioritize threshold/range explanations. |
16. Source Notes
This guide was drafted from the Otter.ai transcript titled “Mehlville SLP Dashboard Walk through”, dated May 12 at 2:00 pm, duration 1 hour 4 minutes. Source transcript/share page: Otter.ai shared transcript. The transcript focused on a walkthrough of the districtwide workload monitoring dashboard for SLP staff, with discussion of Phoenix, ESI/provider maintenance, manual factors, objective workload components, and committee improvement needs.
Because automated transcripts may contain recognition errors, staff should verify procedural details against current SSD/Phoenix/ESI guidance before using this as a formal policy reference.