School Psychologist

Job Description

Position Title: School Psychologist

Reports To: Director of Special Education

Licensure:

A valid license to serve as a School Psychologist in the State of Minnesota as provided by applicable state laws, rules and regulations.

Pre-referral/Interventions:  Provide interventions to support the teaching process and to promote educational success for students.  Interventions can include but are not limited to:

• Consult with general and special education teachers from Early Childhood to High School levels in the use of appropriate academic and behavioral interventions including suggestions for strategies, techniques, and methods for individual programming.

• Provide psychological counseling for children and families.

• Assist in the development of teacher implemented academic and behavioral interventions for students.

• Provide crisis intervention in collaboration with the District Crisis Team.

• Provide social skills training, behavior management and counseling to individuals and groups as needed.

• Consult with outside agencies involved with individual students (with parent permission) regarding diagnosis and educational planning, including assisting in appropriate referrals to outside agencies.

• Help to insure the integrity of Systematic Research Based Interventions (SRBI) through observations and consultation.

• Participate in home visits, as needed, for Early Childhood assessments, Distance Learning students and/or Homeschool students.

Problem Solving/Assessment:  Assess achievement, social/emotional behaviors and other constructs to identify educational needs, interventions, and determine possible eligibility for special education.  The assessment could include but is not limited to:

• Participate in the Child Study/Pre-referral Team process to assist general and special education teachers in the use of appropriate academic and behavioral interventions including strategies, techniques, and methods for individual programming.

• Assist in the collection of medical, developmental, family and education histories through interviews, file reviews, and reviewing reports from outside agencies.

• Conduct observations in the classroom and other school environments.

• Consult with and assist teachers in progress monitoring and other curriculum measurement based activities.

• Select appropriate instruments and procedures (standardized and non-standardized) to ensure nondiscriminatory assessment and account for the reliability and validity of the test.

• Administer, score, interpret and report on the results of psycho-educational assessments.  Assessments will be conducted as part of a multidisciplinary evaluation and could include cognitive, academic, communication, motor, sensory, health/physical, social/emotional/behavioral, functional skills and transition.

• Provide written reports and interpretation of assessment results and assist teams in determining the need for intervention and/or eligibility for Special Education services based on MN categorical criteria.

• Participate and consult in building level analysis of student academic and behavioral data (CBM, Progress Monitoring, MCA-II, NWEA, etc).

Research/Program Evaluation:  Assist in the planning, development and evaluation of educational programs to promote research-based practices.  These activities could include but are not limited to:

• Evaluate the effectiveness of individual student programming.

• Contribute to planning and evaluating school-wide reform and restructuring.

• Research curriculum, progress monitoring tools, mental health interventions, MCA data and continuing Federal requirements such as Multi-Tiered Systems of Support.

Additional duties:

• Participate in appropriate professional organizations, workshops, seminars, conventions, PLC meetings, independent study, and relevant Cooperative meetings.

• Maintain competence in the use of current technologies involved with assessments.

• Promote tolerance and diversity within the school setting child advocacy.

• Assist in writing special education staff development.

• Order district special education testing materials and assist district staff in determining the most suitable and up to date tools for assessments.

• Provide direction and assistance to administration, school staff, parents and others regarding State special education rules and due process procedures, as well as Federal regulations and requirements affecting special education.

• Assist with maintaining and improving student special education records documentation and ensuring the confidentiality of these records.

• When applicable, assist with hiring of special education staff and writing of interview criteria.

• Participate in Gifted and Talented assessments, early entrance assessments and preschool screening per district policies.

• Participate in District/Coop Staff Development and Data Teams.

• Assist in the development of prevention activities for at-risk students.

• Other duties as assigned by the district and/or Coop administration.