School PsychologyThis is a featured page

Brief description of the job: A School Psychologist works with children, parents, teachers and other mental health professionals to help students succeed academically, socially and emotionally. They work with all staff within the schools to create a healthy and supportive learning environment for students, faculty and the families. They help create a bridge between the school and home. The majority of their job is assessment and finding ways that each student can do well in school. They assess students by using such tests as the WISC-IV to evaluate children’s verbal comprehension, perceptual reasoning, working memory and processing speed. They take part in the Individual Education Plan (IEP) meetings for students with learning disabilities and help plan out the future of the student’s academic life.

http://nasponline.org/about_nasp/watisa.html

Job difference by academic level:
While all school psychologists will be involved with assessing the academic, behavioral and personal attributes of students, the nature of the tests they administer will vary. At the elementary level most psychologists will be doing early assessments of new students trying to identify students who might be at risk. They will also be working with classroom teachers to develop appropriate intervention plans and contributing to the IEP to ensure that each student is receiving the support he/she needs. In the middle and high schools the psychologists may deal with academic issues, but will also be focusing on developmental and social issues as the students mature. The nature of the academic assessments will also differ as the students are required to engage in more advanced studies that require a different set of cognitive skills.


Training that is required:
School Psychologists must be skilled in both education and psychology. The minimum requirement is a Masters degree that includes a year long full time internship. Most graduate schools require different undergraduate courses prior to entering a graduate program. The majority require Intro to Psych, some sort of psychology in education, child/adolescent, abnormal, counseling, behavioral and organizational psychology. Other courses that most schools require include experimental, statistics and a course in tests and measures. School Psychologists must attain a Masters but some do go further and get the EdS, EdD, PhD or PsyD degrees. With a doctorate school psychologists can also become licensed and open a private practice and do assessments outside of the schools.

http://www.allpsychologyschools.com/index/php

Differences by state:
The requirements for certification vary among states. In New York school psychologists need to be either certified or licensed by the state in which they are working. New York requires school psychologists to receive a license for private practice. The majority of the states require that in order to be licensed a school psychologist must complete an APA accredited doctoral program, complete an internship and pass an examination (School Psychologists (2005). Chronicle Guidance Publications, Brief 586). “A minimum of a master's degree is required to become a school psychologist, but many states require school psychologists to have training beyond a master's degree (EdS or education specialist's degree); some require the doctorate (PhD).” (Lloyd, M. A. (1997, August 28). Graduate school options for psychology majors. [Online]. Available: http://www.psywww.com/careers/options.htm.) This site discusses the differences between degrees, information about graduate programs in psychology, and psychology- related careers.

Salary range:
School psychologists earn about the same salary as teachers. However, earnings vary with level of education, experience, duties, employer, length of the contact year, and geographic location (School Psychologists (2005) Chronicle Guidance Publications, Brief 586.) Salaries differ for school psychologists depending on state and regional differences. (NASP PowerPoint). A starting salary might typically range from $25-35,000 per year, whereas top salaries in large districts may range from $70-90,000 per year. (School Psychologists (2005). Chronicle Guidance Publications, Brief 586.)
“According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, school psychologists earned an average of $61,040 a year in 2004. Overall, earnings ranged from a low of around $32,000 a year to a high of over $92,000 a year. Half earned between $40-70,000 a year.” (School Psychologists (2005). Chronicle Guidance Publications, Brief 586.) “Doctoral level school psychologists on average earn about $5,000 more annually than specialist level school psychologists.” (NASP PowerPoint).
The following yearly salaries are median responses of full-time practitioner school psychologists in different states:
California: $61,000
New Jersey: $60,000
Georgia: $53,092
Maryland: $52,500
West Virginia: $49,000
Arizona: $44,600
Iowa: $42,400
(http://www.nasponline.org/publications/cq285sal.html) This is the official website for NASP that offers salary information for school psychologists in different states.


Job forecast:
Named one of the top ten “hot professions” in 2002 by News and World Report. Employment growth of clinical, counseling, and school psychologists will grow faster than the average. (Psychologists. Occupational Outlook Handbook, 175-178.) “In 2004, around 37,000 school psychologists were employed in fields of learning and education.” (School Psychologists (2005). Chronicle Guidance Publications, Brief 586.) There is a reasonably high demand for qualified school psychologists. “According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, this occupation is projected to grow faster than the average for all occupations through 2012- creating thousands of new jobs.” (School Psychologists (2005). Chronicle Guidance Publications, Brief 586.) According to the NASP, not enough students are graduating from school psychology training programs in order to fill all the positions that will be created over the next few years. (School Psychologists (2005). Chronicle Guidance Publications, Brief 586.) “Many professionals in the field are nearing retirement—which will create new opportunities for future graduates, says William Pfohl Jr., PsyD, a Western Kentucky University psychology professor and president-elect of the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP).” (http://gradpsych.apags.org/jan05/schoolpsych.html). This site gives pros and cons of the job, information about degrees, earnings, and a section describing why the field is growing.
States with the most serious shortages of school psychologists are Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, Tennessee, Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas. (NASP PowerPoint).

Reference section of related articles:

Fagan, T.K. (2002). Trends in the history of school psychology in the United States. Best Practices in School Psychology IV, pp. 209-221

This article gives a good history of the different trends of gender, service ratios, settings, credentials, and clientele and so on. It gives problem solving strategies and a description of the roles and functions of school psychologist.

“The Role of Intelligence in Modern Society” Earl Hunt (1995)
http://www.americanscientist.org/template/AssetDetail/assetid/24538?fulltext=true
This article delves into the use of intelligence testing and how not as much emphasis should be placed on intelligence. “Mental Health Screening: Fact vs. Fiction” http://www.nami.org/template.cfm?section=Schools_and_Education This article gives a chart that gives the facts and fictions pertaining to mental health screening in the schools. It is good for school psychology because school psychologists are the ones who do the screening and for someone who is looking into becoming a school psychologist the article offers a good overview of what is to be expected when they are screening children. “The Role of School Psychologist in the Urban School System” Francis Mullen

This article explains the intricate role school psychologists have in developing a school environment that can easily adapt to change as well as developing educational programs that suite the needs of the students. The article explains how school psychologists fight the stigma of urban schools and the community’s low expectation of the students and faculty.


Links to good websites:

http://www.nasponline.org : Official website for the National Association of School Psychologists

Grad school search:
http://www.allpsychologyschools.com/index.php : this is a good search tool for graduate schools and what each has to offer and what training is required to become a school psychologist
http://www.gradschools.com/programs/school_pscyhology.html : this is another website that is a good search tool to find the right grad school that offers the program in psychology you want. It gives the pre-requisites for programs as well as a brief description of the training that you will acquire at each school.
(http://gradpsych.apags.org/jan05/schoolpsych.html). This site gives pros and cons of the job, information about degrees, earnings, and a section describing why the field is growing.
http://www.schoolpsychology.net : This website offers many articles and links for everything including graduate schools, assessment, laws and family resources, as well as articles pertaining to specific disabilities.

New York Association of School Psychologists
This website includes different links that went off of this web page that had a lot of helpful information. It’s easy to follow and highlight the main points from the articles. It provides information on what a psychologist does and programs that psychologists are involved in.
http://www.nyasp.org/

National Association of School Psychologists
This website gives specifics on what it is that a school psychologist does in their day to day schedule and on what NASP is and how they provide awards, grants and scholarships to certain psychology programs.
http://www.nasponline.org/about_nasp/whatisa.html

U.S. Department of Labor
Bureau of Labor Statistics
This website provides information about the nature of the work that a school psychologist does. It discusses a school psychologists training and qualifications. Also, provides background material on the working conditions in a school environment.
http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos056.htm

School Psychology
Alex Thomas, NCSP
On this website it gives a lot of background on the amount of money school psychologists make in the United States. It also provides surveys and statistics on the salaries of a school psychologist.
http://www.nasponline.org/publications/cq/cq282sp2000.aspx


Job description and career search:
http://facpub.stjohns.edu/~ortizs/spwww.html : This website was created by a school psychologist and offers many resources and links to help an aspiring school psychologist find out what it is like to be one.
http://www.psywww.com/careers/options.htm.) This site discusses the differences between degrees, information about graduate programs in psychology, and psychology- related careers.
http://www.apa.org/about/division/div16.html : this is the American Psychological Association website. It offers links to other websites as well as links within its website that give descriptions on all different kinds of jobs and careers in psychology.

Psychology related topics:
http://www.ed.gov/index.jhtml : when using this site you can simply search psychology or other topics related to it such as IDEA and it gives brief descriptions of policies and how assessment works. It is a good tool for a parent if they are doing some research on the topic and how they might need the help of a school psychologist.

http://www.dac.neu.edu/cp/consult/ : “The Global School Psychology Network is an innovative Internet community for school psychologists. It is dedicated to professional development, peer support, problem-solving assistance, and research. Its main goal is to develop and improve a true community in which participants advance their professional knowledge, provide and receive peer support, and actively involve themselves in developing the community.”

Professional organizations (Jane) :
Many school psychologists (about 21,000) are members of the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP). The official site for NASP is http://www.nasponline.org/. This site is full of information about the association itself and the career.

In order to be a candidate for the Nationally Certified School Psychologist (NCSP) designation, one must complete 60 graduate semester hours in school psychology, a 1,200 hour supervised internship (half of the hours must be done in a school setting), and obtain a passing grade on the National School Psychology Examination. (School Psychologists (2005). Chronicle Guidance Publications, Brief 586.)

Professional achievement is recognized by the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP), which awards specialty certification in several fields including school psychology. In order to be a candidate for ABPP certification there is a requirement of a doctoral degree in psychology, postdoctoral training in their specialty, five years of experience, professional endorsements, and a passing grade on an examination. (School Psychologists (2005). Chronicle Guidance Publications, Brief 586.)

Some psychologists are involved with the American Psychological Association Division 16- School Psychology. The Division of School Psychology consists of scientific-practitioner psychologists who have interests in children, family, and the schooling process. http://www.apa.org/ Related journals of interest: Members of Division 16 receive the journal School Psychology Quarterly (Rik Carl D'Amato, PhD, University of Northern Colorado, Greeley, CO) and the quarterly newsletter The School Psychologist (Linda A. Reddy, PhD, NCSP, Fairleigh Dickinson University, Hackensack, NJ). (http://www.apa.org/about/division/div16.html). This site gives a brief description of what Division 16 is and what its goals are. The actual APA site regarding Division 16 is http://www.indiana.edu/~div16/index.html. “Journal of Applied School Psychology”; Editor: Charles A. Maher
The journal, you'll find case studies, descriptions, and evaluations of evidence-based interventions and programs that can be put to immediate use in school settings. You'll also examine products, services, and systems that address the cognitive, affective, and related needs of students, staff, parents, and guardians. The journal even gives you guidelines to help you create effective new interventions and programs.
ISSN: 1537-7903 Electronic - ISSN: 1537-7911 SKU: J370v23
http://www.haworthpress.com/store/product.asp?sid=V6WPTUWKUWWK8M3PV3TVD9B2X3LSB5MF&sku=J370&AuthType=4

Other relevant journals are:
  • Journal of school psychology
  • School psychology review
  • School psychology, past, present, and future.

(http://www.apa.org/about/division/div16.html). Schools in New York state that offer graduate degrees in School Psychology: Information on schools awarding degrees in School Psychology may be found at: http://www.apa.org/ed/accreditation/schoolpsy.html Adelphi University: M.A. Alfred Univeristy: M.A., Psy.D. Certificate of Advanced Studies (C.A.S.) Brooklyn College: M.S. Education: School Psychologist, C.A.S. City University of New York: Ph.D. College of Saint Rose: M.S., C.A.S. Fordham University: Ph.D Hofstra University: Ph.D., Psy.D. Iona College: M.A. Long Island University (Brooklyn Campus): M.S. Long Island University (Westchester Graduate Campus): M.S.E.d. Marist College: M.A., Graduate certificate program Mercy College: M.S. New York University: C.A.S., Ph.D. Niagara University: M.S. Pace University: M.S.E.d (Bilingual school psychology), Psy.D. Queens College: M.S. E.d. RIT: Rochester Institute of Technology: M.S. St. John’s University: M.S., Psy.D SUNY Albany: C.A.S., Ph.D SUNY Buffalo: M.A. SUNY Oswego: M.S., C.A.S. Syracuse University: Ph.D Teacher’s College: Columbia University: M.A., Ph.D Yeshiva University: Psy.D.
This site was originally developed by: Jamie Comenale and Jane Spampinato with input from Samantha DiFato and Jenny Hinsdale for a course in Psychology in the Schools taught by Dr. Margaret Anderson at SUNY Cortland in Fall 2006. Additional information was also contributed by Tanisha Billy and Sarah Terek.


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