CMS School Psychology Strategic Plan
2016-2017
CMS Goal 1: Maximize academic achievement in a personalized 21st-century learning
environment for every child to graduate college- and career-ready.
Priorities:
 School psychologists will evaluate students to enhance parent, teacher, and student
understanding of their strengths and personalized learning needs.

Continue to enhance the knowledge and expertise of school psychologists for providing
behavioral health supports for students who have known mental health difficulties.
Strategies:
1. School psychologists will make it a priority to meet with parent and teacher teams when
student needs are discussed and a referral (DEC 1 or DEC 7) for evaluation is being
considered.
2. School psychologists will use a psychological report template that addresses specific student
needs and strengths and that utilizes parent-friendly and student-first language. The intent of
the report will be to provide recommendations for improved student learning. Psychological
reports will be shared at all appropriate meetings.
3. All CMS school psychologists will engage in a book study of The RTI Approach to Evaluating
Learning Disabilities by Kovaleski et al.
4. The MTSS PLC will identify practices known to be effective for preventing behavioral problems
within a Multi-tiered Systems of Support. The MTSS-B PLC will develop an in-service on best
practices in implementing a MTSS-B support system. The PLC will share progressive practices
for screening and early intervention, as well as evidence-based practices for Tier I, Tier II, and
Tier III that supports social-emotional health.
5. The MTSS PLC will share the results of its survey on the current implementation practices of
CMS schools related to best practices for MTSS-B.
6. Advocate for the utilization of Collaborative Student Services Teams (CSSTs) as a vehicle for
administrators, facilitators, and student services staff to conduct problem solving for academic
and behavioral concerns.
7. Continue to collaborate with CMS specialists in MTSS in advocating for an integrated model of
problem-solving with multi-tiered systems of support.
8. Support and communicate how the six psychologists who are participating in the MTSSBehavior grant training have supported schools in implementing MTSS-B.
9. Continue the work of the PLC created to study the current best practices for obtaining social
developmental information. The PLC will recommend strength-based practices and questions
for obtaining information from parents and students and will recommend revisions to our social
history questionnaires.
10. Continue the work of the PLC on Behavioral/Mental Health Assessment in order to identify
comprehensive practices for assessing social-emotional competencies and mental health
conditions. The purpose of the PLC will be to share best practices for evaluating students with
suspected Serious Emotional Disabilities (SED) and appropriate assessment methods for
determining mental health disorders through the 504 process.
11. Continue to provide group and individual Cognitive Behavioral Therapy as Tier 2 and Tier 3
supports for students.
12. Provide orientation to all school psychologists on the four year What Works mental health
grant for middle schools.
13. Support the involvement of school psychologists to provide increased mental health services to
eight middle schools. The support will include the involvement of 9 school psychologists and 2
lead psychologists in extensive professional development in Dialectical Behavior Therapy
(DBT) in September and February.
14. Collaborate with the EC department and social workers to improve the availability of
counseling as a related service for students with disabilities. Psychologists will develop
guidelines on the provision of these services. These guidelines will address when counseling
as a related service should be considered and how these services should be provided,
monitored, and evaluated.
15. Provide professional development to school psychologists on assessment and diagnosis of
anxiety and depression.
16. Provide professional development to school psychologists on application of Dialectical
Behavior Therapy (DBT) skills in schools.
17. Ensure the inclusion of school psychologists in the district’s initiative for appropriately
supporting transgender youth. Become involved in the CMS training initiative for “Welcoming
Schools.”
CMS Goal 2: Recruit, develop, retain and reward a premier workforce.
Priority:
The school psychology section of the Student Services Department will organize its work to ensure
comprehensive services for students and schools, while developing highly effective school
psychologists.
Strategies:
1. Recruit and select qualified school psychologists to improve the student to school psychologist
ratio, working toward the national goal of 1 to 750. Work to improve the current ratio of one
school psychologist to 2251 students.
2. Establish standards for the provision of school psychological services in CMS that are
consistent with the NASP Practice Model.
3. Utilize the NC School Psychologist Performance Appraisal Instrument to ensure the provision
of quality services for all students.
4. Finalize a quarterly report that is aligned to the North Carolina School Psychologist
Performance Appraisal Instrument (PAI) and that integrates quarterly SharePoint data.
Communicate the expectations for the report and determine its usage with school based
administrators.
5. Continue the involvement of Lead school psychologists in the professional growth process
through self-assessments and the initial, mid and final review of psychologists’ PDPs.
6. Implement a peer-assistance/mentoring process suitable to the full range of school
psychologist career stages- early career to veteran status. Utilize learning community meetings
to allow for case review, practice related questions, and ethical dilemmas.
7. Strengthen the support for newly hired and early career psychologists by assigning individual
mentors. Continue beginning of the year orientation sessions and quarterly meetings.
8. Recognize staff efforts and achievements that support system goals and the strategic plan.
9. Develop a viable means to sustain the professional development on Cognitive Behavioral
Therapy (CBT) for newly hired school psychologists and others who are interested in
advanced CBT competencies.
10. Lead psychologist representatives will participate in the district Cultural Proficiency initiative by
participating in survey, training, and individual debriefing.
11. Develop and present “Expanding the Provision of Comprehensive School Psychological
Services through Strategic Planning” at the 2016 NCSPA Fall Conference.
12. Lead psychologist representatives will participate in the district Cultural Proficiency initiative by
participating in survey, training, and individual debriefing.
13. Support the participation of CMS school psychologists in the NCSPA Leadership Collaborative.
CMS Goal 3: Cultivate partnerships with families, businesses, faith-based groups and
community organizations to provide a sustainable system of support and care for each
child.
Priority:
School psychologists will cultivate partnerships with parents and families to provide academic,
behavioral, and mental health support for students
Strategies:
1. Plan and implement parent training initiatives within each Learning Community. This would
include conducting a needs assessment among Learning Community principals regarding the
kinds of desired parent activities, e.g., parent training (1-2-3 Magic), parent presentations on
mental health topics; QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer) Suicide Prevention Gatekeeper
Training for parents or Parent Clinics.
2. Continue the PLC on Strength-based Social History development in partnership with the CMS
school social workers.
3. Partner with Metrolina Association of Psychologists in Schools and the Mental Health America
of the Central Carolinas to empower parent advocacy for improving student success.
CMS Goal 4: Promote a system-wide culture of safety, high engagement, cultural
competency, and customer service.
Priority: School psychologists will use their knowledge of psychological principles to ensure that all
schools are safe places where every child feels welcomed, engaged, and nurtured.
Strategies:
1. Collaborate with CMS Crisis Specialist to implement effective crisis response and
recovery. Assist schools in preparing for high incidence crisis events, such as staff or student
deaths so that schools have a tool kit of essential knowledge and checklists for preparing,
responding and recovering from common crisis events.
2. Support the teams who have developed expertise in serving specific student populations
including, English Language Learners, students with Autism Spectrum Disorder, and students
with Traumatic Brain Injury.
3. Support the continuing professional development of the TBI Registry psychologists.
4. Provide in-service to psychologists and compliance facilitators regarding the appropriate
referral and evaluation of students with TBI.
5. Continue the PLC on best practices standards for assessment of English Language Learners.
The PLC will continue to identify best practices for Tier I education of linguistically diverse
learners, as well as Tier III processes.
6. Encourage the use of standards for engaging and communicating with school staff and
parents. School psychologists will use business cards, letters of introduction, Weebly sites, QR
codes, posting of schedules, and expressions of gratitude in order to effectively communicate
with others.
CMS GOAL 5: Optimize district performance and accountability by strengthening data
use, systems, and processes.
Priority: School psychologists will implement a performance- review system to monitor progress
toward a standard of excellence for delivering comprehensive services.
Strategy:
1. School psychologists will input SharePoint data and will provide regular reports to enhance
accountability for services.
2. Review SharePoint data each quarter to identify areas of improvement and areas of exemplary
service.
3. Create an annual CMS school psychological services report
CMS Goal 6: Inspire and nurture learning, creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship
through technology and strategic school redesign.
Priority: School psychologists will enhance their 21 century technology skills.
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Strategies:
1. Continue training in technology applications that will innovate the way school psychologists do
their work.
2. Each lead psychologist will develop proficiency in Canvas by taking the Canvas Challenge.
3. Utilize Canvas to deliver continuing professional development to school psychologists.
4. Provide representation to the CMS Early Warning Indicators Workgroups in order to facilitate
the development of the EWI and provide input into how data can be used.