Case Study: Synergy Academies achieves renewed student engagement and IEP success with PresenceLearning

Charter School’s Test for One Reluctant Student Becomes Successful Online Speech Therapy Program

Synergy Academies, a Los Angeles charter school that accepts and serves students with special needs, faced a major challenge when a local shortage of certified speech‑language pathologists left it using interns whose small‑group sessions often weren’t aligned to students’ IEP goals. The situation came to a head when a high‑school student began refusing in‑person speech therapy, prompting the district’s special education director to look for a new delivery method.

Synergy piloted PresenceLearning’s online speech therapy for the reluctant student and found the remote SLPs provided well‑planned, individualized, and engaging sessions. The pilot’s success led Synergy to expand the program to middle and high school students; dozens now use online therapy, are making measurable IEP progress, IEP meetings are up to date, and the district has virtually no compensatory time backlog.

Synergy Academies

Sommer Jones

Director of Special Education and Student Services