Collecting Outcomes Data in Schools: Needs and Challenges.

The definition of treatment outcomes, its interpretive limitations, and the need for this type of information are discussed. The activities of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association's (ASHA's) Task Force on Treatment Outcomes and Cost-Effectiveness and the development of the National Outcomes Measurement System for Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology (NOMS) are reviewed, with an emphasis on the NOMS: K-12 (Education) component. How outcomes data can be used and the challenges its collection presents in school settings are also discussed.