School Psychologist

School Psychologist

Education: A minimum of a Master's Degree in School Psychology; however, Specialist or Doctoral level training is preferred.

Certification or Licensure: In Georgia, there are three levels of certification in School Psychology. At the fifth year (Masters) level there is the "Psychometrist"; at the sixth year (Specialist) level there is the "Associate School Psychologist" designation, and at the seventh year level (Doctorate) there is the designation "School Psychologist". In our system, all three levels are generally referred to as "School Psychologists", or just "Psychologists".

Skills: Must be highly knowledgeable regarding test administration and interpretation, child and adolescent development, learning, Response to Intervention (RtI), Positive Behavioral Supports, Consultation, etc.

Work Experience: One year or more of experience beyond the Internship is preferred. They must complete a training program that includes a 1200-hour internship and emphasizes preparation in the following: data-based decision-making, consultation and collaboration, effective instruction, child development, student diversity and development, school organization, prevention, intervention, mental health, learning styles, behavior, research, and program evaluation.

Primary Duty: This position is responsible for assisting children and youth to succeed academically, socially, and emotionally by collaborating with educators, parents, and other professionals to create safe, healthy, and supportive learning environments for all students that strengthen connections between home and school. School psychologists are highly trained in both psychology and education.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

1. Serve as a consultant on SST/RTI committees, providing intervention strategies (school and home), and data collection methods, and assisting with evaluating the effectiveness of the interventions implemented.

2. Provide direct support to classroom teachers by assisting in the use of Universal Screeners, benchmarks, baseline data, CBA/CBM results, state-mandated assessments, and other measures to determine individual needs of students as well as assist in monitoring schools' attainment of AYP objectives.

3. Conduct screenings and comprehensive psycho-educational evaluations to determine ability levels, academic achievement, social-emotional/behavioral issues, learning styles, adaptive behavior, visual-motor development, etc. to assist in designing interventions for the classroom/home and/or special education.

4. Provide timely crisis intervention support to students, faculty, and administrators.

5. Conduct classroom observations to assist in monitoring interventions, and collecting/analyzing data to assist in determining effectiveness and/or need for higher levels of interventions (Pyramid of Interventions).

6. Collaborate with Special Education by participating in eligibility/staffing meetings and redetermination meetings to present findings of psycho-educational evaluations, assist in determining needs; assist in developing academic/behavioral/emotional interventions.

7. Serve as a liaison/referral source for students to community agencies that assist children and families, with the consent of the child's family.

8. Serve on departmental, school, and system-wide steering committees as needed.

9. Participate in organizing, planning, and implementing professional learning activities for teachers and other school personnel/parents that will improve learning, social skills, and personal adjustment in all children and adolescents.

10. Update knowledge and skills and continue to grow professionally through reading relevant research, attending local and/or national conferences, participating in in-service/professional learning activities, etc.

11. Become familiar with and stay abreast of the laws regarding special education and the Georgia Rules and Regulations, etc.

12. Provide individual and/or group counseling in conjunction with guidance counselors, teacher requests and parents.

13. Design and consult on individualized instructional interventions using diagnostic teaching to determine the need for more intensive support.

14. Provide leadership and assistance to facilitate differentiated instruction and ensure that interventions are delivered with integrity at the appropriate level of intensity, and of adequate duration.

15. Orchestrate progress monitoring, data plotting, and evaluation of the effectiveness of interventions; design modifications to ineffective interventions; utilize targeted diagnostic assessment tools to aid in intervention development and improve educational outcomes.

16. Provide instructional and behavioral consultation for smaller groups of students who are falling below their peers in GPS.

17. Develop and evaluate targeted interventions for students not achieving at benchmark levels; orchestrate progress monitoring, data plotting, and evaluation of the effectiveness of interventions; design modifications to ineffective interventions; utilize targeted diagnostic assessment tools to aid in intervention development.

18. Must professionally conduct self, be knowledgeable of and follow codes of ethics of the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) and/or the American Psychological Association (APA).

19. The employee shall carry out such other and further duties, whether specifically listed above or not, as are assigned, or required by such employee's supervisor, other appropriate school personnel, law, board policy, administrative regulation, department handbook, as are reasonably necessary to the efficient operation of the school system and its mission.

Work Environment / Physical Demands: The work environment characteristics are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk and hear. The employee is frequently required to walk, stand, and sit.

Special Requirements: Must be able to work cooperatively with other Psychological Services staff as well as schools, parents, students, and the community.