School Psychologist (Bilingual Spanish/English preferred)

Job Description

Job Description

REDWOOD CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT

SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGIST

RCSD takes pride in our dedicated workforce and strong connection with our students, families, and community. Our highly dedicated and skilled team of professionals provides a safe and supportive, inspirational and rigorous, joyful and inclusive environment for all learners. We are looking to build our workforce with a staff who share this vision and want to instill passion in learning emphasizing student strengths and gifts for all learners: all abilities, all ethnicities and cultural identities, LGBTQ+ youth, and multilingual learners.

Job Summary

Under the general direction of the Director of Special Education and the administration leadership of the site administrator while performing services at the school site, provides psychological services to schools including testing, counseling, and consulting to assist them in meeting the educational needs of pupils.

Example of Duties

Conducts psycho-educational evaluations, when requested by school personnel, parents, or agencies, including individual assessment of intellectual, achievement, personality factors, and perceptual and motor development, analysis of assessment information and completes diagnoses, recommendations, and when appropriate, verifies certification for special education programs; prepares a written evaluation including an Individual Educational Plan for parent and teacher conferencing, regarding results and recommendations; conducts psycho-educational evaluations, as described above, with students in private and parochial schools, when requested, evaluates pre-school children with special needs, and finds appropriate programs to meet those needs; identifies and legally certifies students for in-district and out-of-district special programs, i.e., learning disabled, severe behavior disordered, mentally handicapped, visually handicapped, hearing impaired or deaf, developmentally disabled, physically handicapped, autistic or severely emotionally disturbed, and for gifted programs; arranges out-of-district placement for students unable to be accommodated within the school district, including location of appropriate facilities, making applications, transferring information, and recommending financial arrangements; re-evaluates annually all students participating in special education programs, to determine continuing needs, and recommends appropriate placement, in conjunction with an Individual Education Planning Team, including the parent.

Confers with parents regarding evaluation results, learning potential, achievement levels, personality adjustment, and recommends ways of helping students including suggesting appropriate available resources; consults with agencies and other professionals including psychologists, physicians, psychiatrists, etc., regarding individual students when such consultation is needed and appropriate; participates in school-level Child Study Team meetings to consider students individually who have special problems and needs, including recommendations for exemptions, nonpromotional, acceleration, and placement alternatives within the school; counsels, when appropriate, with individual students regarding test findings, academic problems, social or emotional problems and general educational/vocational goals; consults with teachers and other school personnel regarding classroom and playground behavior and adjustment of all students; serves as a consultant and liaison for special education programs at the school level, including program development, program evaluation and program adaptation; provides staff development inservice and parent education as needed and appropriate; provides direct, therapeutic contact, as needed and appropriate, with students and parents, to clarify problems and arrive at recommendations for remediation; in general, acts as liaison between school district staff and other persons/agencies which influence student educational development: teachers, principals, outside therapists, medical doctors, parents, and agencies; provides other services and duties as needed and assigned by Director and/or Assistant Director of Special Education.

Employment Standards

Training and Experience: completion of a college or university course culminating in the acquisition of a valid credential authorizing service as a psychologist in the public schools of California. Prior experience as a school psychologist preferred.

Knowledge: advanced training and specialized in-depth knowledge in the areas of pupil personnel services concepts and procedures, dynamics of individual behavior, counseling theory and procedures, measurement theory and procedures, education and career planning, research methodology, remedial and special education, laws relating to children and youth, the organization and function of pupil personnel services in the schools; knowledge of community educational resources and related services available to students.

Abilities: ability to work harmoniously and effectively with students, parents, regular and special education teachers, administrative personnel, classified staff, and outside agencies and professional staff; skill as a psycho-educational diagnostician; ability to communicate effectively in written reports as well as in oral presentations and conferences; bilingual in Spanish preferred.

License and Certificates: a Standard Designated Services credential, with authorization as a school psychologist and/or General Pupil Personnel credential authorizing service as a psychologist in the public schools of California.

An Equal Opportunity Employer

The Redwood City School District (RCSD) is an equal-opportunity employer that is committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace. We prohibit discrimination and harassment of any kind based on race, color, sex, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, genetic information, pregnancy, or any other protected characteristic as outlined by federal, state, or local laws.

This policy applies to all employment practices within our organization, including hiring, recruiting, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, leave of absence, compensation, benefits, training, and apprenticeship. RCSD makes hiring decisions based solely on qualifications, merit, and business needs at the time.

The Redwood City School District seeks to employ individuals who represent the rich diversity of cultures, language groups, and abilities of its surrounding communities.