New York
Winter 2007, Volume XXV number 2
SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGIST
A publication of the New York Association of School Psychologists
Serving children, their families, and the school community
An affiliate of NASP
Conference School Psychologists:
Moving Forward with
Children in Mind
FROM THE EDITOR
Happy New Year I hope this issue of the NY School Psychologist finds you rested from the hol
iday break and ready to begin with energy and enthusiasm In this issue you will find compre
hensive coverage of the NYASP Conference in Syracuse where acclaimed speakers presented on
a variety of topics in our field In the following pages you will find articles on the implementation of
RTI for academics and behavior peer tutoring the use of social stories as well as articles on medically
based issues such as concussion and ADHD
This issue would not have been possible without the help of the numerous graduate students
who covered workshops and submitted articles In addition many thanks to Ruth Steegmann Nancy
Evangelista Suzanne Graney and Bill Robelee for helping to facilitate workshop coverage
For those of you who were unable to attend this year’s NYASP conference I hope this issue
provides you with information that you can use in your daily practice as well as inspires you to attend
next year’s conference The professional development opportunities at the NYASP conferences are
fantastic as are the opportunities to network within our field Conference is scheduled for
Albany mark your calendars for November Happy New Year!
Sincerely
Kelly A Caci
kcaci@newburghknyus
Lake Rd
New Windsor NY Submission Guidelines
Preferred document size is words (review) or words (article)
Submissions are accepted via email attachment or on cd with revisions and corrections already made Please include a short bio
about the author as well as your mailing address in order to receive extra copies of you published article
Photos cartoons and drawings should be submitted as a tiff file when possible We will make every attempt to return hard
copy submissions of art and photography
MEMBER PROFILE: We would love to share the following information about our members: Name contact info training/creden
tials position favorite tool biggest challenge greatest success and any other interesting information Pictures (digital or hard
copy) are encouraged but not mandatory
CORRESPONDENCE: Unless specifically noted by the sender we will assume consent to publish correspondence addressed to the
editor Letters and email addressed to NYASP Executive Board members along with response may be published with the con
sent of both parties
NY School Psychologist Volume XXV volume TABLE OF CONTENTS
FEATURES
Implementing RTI in Schools: Strategies for Success
Written by Meredith Whalen & Diane Schlee
Data Based Decision Making Using RTI Including Learning Disability Identification
Written by Maria Furgiuele
Peer Tutoring:
Students Responding to Feasible ResearchBased Interventions
Written by Pia Weston
Using Response to Intervention/Instruction
With Students Who Exhibit Behavior Difficulties
Written by Jessica Frost
Guided Social Stories
Written by Stephanie Grella
Using Brief Experimental Analysis to Determine
Effective Interventions in Applied Behavior Analysis Case Studies
Written by Susan Sapek
Concussion and the Role of School Psychologists
Written by Courtney Wheeler
The Use of Rating Scales & Objective Measures on Treatment Planning for ADHD
Written by Jessica Skillings
A Proposal for Evaluating School Psychological Services:
A “Mental Health Report Card”
Written by Anthony Pantaleno John Kelly John Ochoa Jay David Gassman Kristen Raju
Lindsay Pettine Suzanne Visone Natasha Somwar Jennifer Cammarato & Kristin Fiumefreddo
IN EVERY ISSUE
From the Editor
i
President’s Message
T: Tom’s Tech Talk
NYASP at Work for You
Congratulations You’re Hired
Book Review
Student Corner
Chapter Rep/Executive Board Directory
NY School Psychologist Volume XXV volume PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
John Kelly
Professional development; some school psychologists love it;
some school psychologists view it as a necessary evil. However,
most school psychologists can agree that the longer you work in
the field, the more you realize that there is still so much to learn.
shops on how we can implement
RTI within our school districts. Carl
DiMartino, current President of
NASP, expanded the discussion of
RTI beyond the academic areas and
Assessment batteries change, new approaches to student supports
helped participants to understand
are developed, and research on learning and cognitive processing the use of these models of problem solving and student supports
is always emerging. Practicing school psychologists often have within behavioral areas. However, the conference committee recdifficulty finding the time to read professional journals or other ognized the full range of activities that school psychologists are
publications that inform us of these changes and updates. Many engaged in and brought in other top names to provide workshops.
school districts limit the number of days that they will allow Keith Conners, the premier expert in assessing and understanding
school psychologists to attend workshops or conferences. There the needs of ADHD children, presented a seminar on using assessalways seems to be other things that become a “priority” over pro- ment for planning interventions. Elaine Fletcher-Janzen, provided
fessional development. Therefore, it becomes important for us to a detailed workshop on current brain research with children diagcarefully choose the opportunities that we take to further our nosed within the autistic spectrum and implication of this research
knowledge and develop vital skills, making
for assessment and interventions with these
You Learn Something children. Cecil Reynolds discussed assessing
us more proficient and effective professionals. I have found the New York Association
and remediating problems with study and test
New Every Day
of School Psychologists’ Annual Conference
taking strategies. Mixed in with these nationto be the perfect opportunity to learn from some of the leading al experts were many of your NYASP leaders and colleagues, who
experts within the field of school psychology. NYASP has devel- offered their expertise in areas such as reducing tests anxiety,
oped an exemplary reputation for bringing many of the leaders in depression and suicide awareness programs, helping children with
our field to present seminars and workshops at the annual confer- oppositional defiant disorder, and understanding changes in preence. In fact, NYASP is now in a position where many national school assessment. All of the major test publishing companies
experts, publishing companies, and authors are approaching our were present in the exhibit area, allowing participants to learn
conference committee with proposals for presentations at the about current and new assessment instruments or simply ask quesannual conference.
tions about particular tests that are used.
This year’s event, held in Syracuse, is a fine example of the quality and stature of the experts that have become typical of the
NYASP Conference. Led by our conference chairperson, Susan
Markel and her hearty bunch of colleagues in the Syracuse area,
participants were exposed to the highest caliber of workshops.
Response to Intervention was obviously a “hot topic” at the conference, with the likes of Dan Reschly conducting a keynote
address, as well as an advanced workshop on data based decision
making. Experts within New York State, such as Suzanne Graney,
James Wright, and James McDougal, presented a variety of work-
In this issue of The New York School Psychologist, you will read
summaries of some of the workshops and presentations that
occurred at this year’s conference. In addition, NYASP members
can access copies of conference material for some of the presentation within the “members only” section of our website
(www.nyasp.org). Hopefully, as you read through this publication
or access the material online, you will realize that we all “learn
something new every day!” Ψ
NYASP Mission Statement
The New York Association of School Psychologists (NYASP) is the
statewide organization that represents the profession of school
psychology NYASP serves children their families and the school commu
nity by promoting psychological well being excellence in education and
sensitivity to diversity through best practices in school psychology
NY School Psychologist Volume XXV volume 3 T: Tom’s Tech Talk
written by Tom Kulaga
Each year, hundreds of school psychologists attend the NYASP
annual conference. But why do so many of us take the time out of
our busy schedules to do so? Of course, as professionals we are
all interested in honing our skills and keeping up with the latest
research. We want to provide the best we can for children, their
families, and our school community. But I suspect that there are a
number of school psychologist out there who, like myself, have a
some additional reasons to attend.
supervisor of all practica and internship students for the district,
and adjunct faculty at Adelphi University. I am writing to tell you
how much I enjoy your Tech Talk articles. As you appear to welcome tips, I have several for you.
Dear Tom,
My name is Jay Gassman and I am a school psychologist at
Middle Country Central School District on Long Island, the
Sincerely,
Jay David Gassman, Ph.D. Ψ
There is a wonderful website called 100-downloads.com - they
offer a host of freeware. As someone who gets lots of e-mail with
attachments, I have found Open Office to be invaluable. The program, available from 100-downloads and from OpenOffice.org, is
Let me be the first to confess that I have always been what some open source software meant to mimic Microsoft’s Office Suite.
now politely refer to as a “lifelong learner”. As a youngster, I was The advantage to Open Office is that it can open virtually all word
the kid who took the clock or bike apart to see how it worked. processing (one notable exception is Microsoft Works), presentaAlthough I occasionally got into trouble, most of the time I was tion, and spreadsheet programs. Additionally, it can save in virtuable to put whatever-it-was back together. It was tough being so ally any format (including rtf). When I receive an attachment that
curious, and it’s still tough. Last year, my mechanic mentioned is not accessible through Microsoft, I can open it in Open Office.
that he thought one of my cars had a leak in a cylinder head gas- If necessary, I can save the file in any of the formats that Open
ket so I took the engine apart myself. Luckily,
Office supports. As it is open source, it is comI was able to get everything back where it
pletely free (and no ads).
Why Do We Attend
belonged and, as a matter of fact, the car is
Conferences?
still running.
At 100-downloads.com there are a host of free
programs (including some wonderful geek
So, what I had planned to do for this article was to explain how to stuff and games-for those with interests that lean to either or both
buy a cheap computer and get all the software for free. areas). As keeping one’s computer virus-free is such a big issue,
Unfortunately, soon after I loaded a free operating system (Linux) AVG and Avast (disclaimer: I’ve been using AVG for sometime
on an old laptop, the laptop screen died. Maybe it was a sign. But, now and am very impressed) are both available for free download.
let’s get back to conference attendance. Aside from learning the Free spyware and registry cleaners are also available.
latest tools of our trade, why do we attend the NYASP annual conference.
I recommend to my students that they purchase a USB flash drive
with a minimum of 2 GB. Memory is cheap these days. When
Here’s one for you “lifelong learners” out there – If you really they are at their placements they can upload and download inforwant to learn something, try and teach it. For me that typically mation important to them. Additionally, Open Office has a version
translates into researching something about something that might made for flash drives (available at portableapps.com - again, at no
help my colleagues, and then presenting that something at the charge and no ads). This is especially valuable for that Power
conference. But, lifelong learning aside, I have to admit that the Point presentation that was planned, but the computer assigned
most important reason for my attendance at the annual conference for the task does not have Power Point loaded.
is to be with a group of nice people, who share the goal of helping others. Sometimes I even meet people at the conference who Although I believe that the items mentioned above are more
I’ve only known through email. At the recent conference, for appealing to the cash-strapped graduate student, some of the items
example, I had the pleasure to meet Jay Gassman. Jay sent me an at both 110-downloads and portableapps may have an appeal for
email a few months ago with tips about free software. With Jay’s those of us already in the field.
permission, I have copied his email below. And, I thank Jay for his
kind words (as well as for writing the remainder of this article).
Thanks for all you do.
E–mail your tips or questions to
Tom Kulaga: [email protected]
NY School Psychologist Volume XXV volume Conference School Psychologists: Moving Forward with Children in Mind
Congratulations to Conference Award Winners
School Practitioner of the Year Diane Marasciulo
Legislative Award Senator Thomas Libous
Friend of Children Linda Brown
Leadership in School Psychology Robin Raphael
Presidential Service Susan Markel Lacy Rezek
Ted Bernstein Award Winners
Brandiann Hughes
Kathleen Martin
Kevin Regueira
Jennifer Foster
Edythe Russell
Shoshana Dachs
Lauren Wastchak
Melissa Laracuenta
Jessica Tolman
Scott Barrett
Florence DeGennaro
Paula Wilson
Ellenge Denton
Mary Salustri
On the following pages are summaries of numerous workshops from
Conference courtesy of NYASP graduate student members Many thanks
to the students who submitted articles for this issue as well as to Ruth
Steegmann Nancy Evangelista Suzanne Graney and Bill Robelee for helping to
facilitate workshop coverage
NY School Psychologist Volume XXV volume Implementing RTI in Schools
Strategies for Success
written by Meredith Whalen & Diane Schlee
Jim Wright, MS, CAS, Assistant Director of Special Education in
the Baldwinsville School District presented on strategies for
implementing the Response to Intervention (RTI) model at the
2006 NYASP conference.
Mr. Wright began by asking his audience to discuss challenges
that schools face in implementing RTI. After some discussion, the
audience determined the greatest challenge to be the lack of
research-based interventions. To this, Mr. Wright offered a solution: http://jimwrightonline.com/php/rti/rti_wire.php. This free
website offers an extensive list of RTI resources that are available.
Mr. Wright went on to provide a brief overview of RTI and its
advantages. One advantage is that RTI allows schools to provide
early interventions to meet the needs of struggling students.
Another advantage is that RTI allows teachers to identify instructional strategies that are most beneficial to specific students.
Unlike the discrepancy model that it replaces, RTI does not
require student failure prior to receiving support services. Instead,
RTI implements frequently monitored research-based interventions that are used to determine whether or not a student’s academic skills are improving. Under the RTI model, a lack of academic skill improvement is believed to evidence a true learning
disability.
If a student is performing at a level far below peers, Mr. Wright
suggested that schools follow a five-step approach for implementing RTI. The first step is to estimate the academic skill gap
between the target student and typically performing peers. Mr.
Wright suggested three methods for estimating a typical level of
academic performance: local norms, research norms, and criterion-referenced benchmarks. Local norms can be estimated by
screening a sample of the school’s students using CurriculumBased Measurement (CBM) probes to create norms at any grade
level. Research norms are derived from research samples that are
applied by schools to their own student populations. Similar to the
estimation of local norms, research norms can be created by
screening a sample using CBM probes. Criterion-referenced
benchmarks can be defined as proficiency levels required for later
school success. Commonly used criterion-referenced benchmarks
include DIBELS and AIMSweb. Regardless of the method used,
an academic skill gap between the target student and typically performing peers must be estimated in order to implement the RTI
model.
Once this gap has been estimated, Mr. Wright suggested that
schools determine possible reasons for the student’s poor academic performance. Such reasons may include skill deficits,
“fragile” skills, and performance/motivation deficits. Skill deficits
indicate that the student lacks the skills necessary to adequately
perform an academic task. A student with “fragile” skills may possess the necessary skills to perform a task, but is not able to produce these skills fluently and automatically. In contrast, a student
with a performance/motivation deficit possesses the necessary
skills, yet lacks the motivation to successfully complete the academic task.
After possible reasons for poor academic functioning have been
identified, it is time to select a research-based intervention that is
likely to improve the student’s academic performance. Mr. Wright
suggested that in choosing an intervention, the school not only
provide scientific evidence to support it, but also have some justification for why the intervention was picked. He went on to discuss two different approaches for implementing interventions:
scheduled intervention and contingency-driven intervention. A
scheduled intervention is a planned part of the student’s routine
and is measured as the duration in minutes that the strategy is
used. Mr. Wright gave the example of paired reading between a
student and a tutor. A contingency-driven intervention is not a regularly scheduled event, rather it is dependent upon the presence
(or lack thereof) of the target behavior. This intervention is measured as the percentage of time that the strategy was implemented
in situations where it was required. Mr. Wright offered the example of a student earning a reward for every half-hour in which a
predetermined amount of seatwork was completed.
Once the intervention has been implemented, Mr. Wright provided tips for monitoring student progress in order to assess the
impact of the intervention. The RTI model requires that academic
progress be monitored frequently, usually weekly, in order to
determine any short-term gains that have been made. If a school
wishes to measure gains in basic academic skills, Mr. Wright suggested using CBM probes. For measuring academic and general
behaviors, Teacher Behavior Report Cards (TBRCs) and direct
classroom observations are the best evaluators of student
progress. Mr. Wright demonstrated how TBRCs can be used to
document RTI and directed the audience to his Behavior Report
Card Manual and Generator at www.interventioncentral.org. This
easy to use template allows teachers and support staff to generate
personalized TBRCs and monitor student behavior on a daily or
weekly basis. The program also offers a template for graphing student progress to document a student’s response to an intervention.
The final step in Mr. Wright’s approach is a referral to Special
Education. Under the RTI model, a student should only be
continued on p Meredith Whalen and Diane Schlee are school psychology graduate students at Marist College
NY School Psychologist Volume XXV volume Data Based Decision Making Using Response to Intervention
Including Learning Disability Identification
written by Maria Furgiuele
Dr. Dan Reschly, PhD, Professor of Education and Psychology,
Peabody College, Vanderbilt University presented on using formative evaluation within an RTI model to make educational decisions for all students.
Monitoring progress and graphing the results is critical to implementing RTI in general, remedial, and special education.
According to Dr. Reschly formative evaluation includes frequent
assessment of progress as well as reference to goals. While benchmarks set by programs such as DIBELS and Aimsweb provide
comparisons to national norms, it may also be beneficial to look
at individual state requirements. Setting benchmarks based on the
requirements of your state’s high stakes test allows for variation
between state expectations to be taken into account. Rules should
be in place regarding modification of goals or instructional programs and all decisions about student needs and instructional
intensity should be based on the student’s response to intervention
techniques. Direct measures of the student’s skills should be conducted in a natural setting. The measure used should be reliable,
cost effective, sensitive to small increments of growth, and socially valid. Curriculum based assessment is one tool used to monitor
student progress and meets the criteria mentioned above.
Timed reading passages are a good example of frequently used
curriculum based assessment. Some criticism surrounds using
CBM because it focuses on fluency and accuracy rather then comprehension. However, Dr.Reschly pointed out that oral reading
fluency does relate to comprehension. Research shows that a correlation of .8 exists between fluency and comprehension.
Curriculum based measurement is a valuable tool to assist in universal screening of all student progress.
Universal screening allows for students who may be at-risk for
academic failure to be identified early on, and receive intervention services prior to being classified in special education. For
general education students it is recommended they be assessed
using CBM measures once in the fall, winter, and spring of the
school year. This process should begin in kindergarten and continue throughout their education. Based on the results of these
screenings, students may receive different levels of support in the
three-tired model of RTI. Students who meet benchmarks will
remain in tier I where they would receive instruction in the general education classroom. More intense instruction and monitoring should be given within the classroom for students who are not
meeting benchmark goals. This instruction may include putting
students into groups, adding more academic engaged time to the
curriculum, or providing more one-on-one intervention services.
One suggestion for allocating resources to allow for more one-on-
one time is to train paraprofessionals to teach some academic
skills. For students who are not reaching benchmark goals assessment procedures should be increased to bimonthly. If these students do not respond to the more intense intervention after one
semester, a move to tier II should be considered.
While in tier II students should receive 30-35 minutes of supplemental instruction daily and be monitored weekly. If students are
below benchmark after two weeks of the more intensive intervention, the program being used should be changed. After 10-20
weeks of instruction with no progress it may be time to discuss
moving to tier III. Comprehensive evaluations must be done to
determine if a student could benefit from special education services. Dr. Reschly explained some components involved in determining if a student has a learning disability.
As of 2004, only nine states require a student to have a processing deficit in order to be classified as having a learning disability.
A more comprehensive evaluation is suggested that includes
assessment related to the suspected disability. These areas may
include health, vision, hearing, social and emotional status, general intelligence, academic performance, communicative status,
and motor abilities. School psychologists are encouraged to first
examine the student’s performance across these domains. They
are looking at large performance differences when compared to
peers and benchmark expectations. They are also looking at differences in rate of learning when compared to same aged peers. If
there is evidence to suggest deficits in domains, then there is need
for further assessment. Dr. Reschly then expanded on his explanation of the three-tired model to include behavior as well. A student’s behavior can be assessed in much the same format used to
monitor academic response to intervention.
When assessing behavior in level I the focus should be on the
classroom and the individuals. All students should be screened for
behavior related skills, performance, and emotional regulation.
Identification of aggressive behaviors, social isolation, and bullying at an early age could prevent behavioral problems later. The
initial screening tool should use a nomination technique that
allows the teacher to nominate students they feel may be having
behavior problems. Interventions in level I should include a
school wide positive behavior plan. At a classroom level, interventions should focus on organization and behavior management.
If the students continue to have difficulty, they should move to
level II.
A more individualized approach to assessment is used in level II.
A standardized measure such as the BASC-II might be used to
continued on p Maria Furgiuele is a school psychology graduate student at Alfred University
NY School Psychologist Volume XXV volume Peer Tutoring:
Students Responding to Feasible ResearchBased Interventions
written by Pia Weston
Dr. Seth Aldrich, bilingual school psychologist and NYS licensed
psychologist, presented on the success of Peer Tutoring programs
at the 2006 NYASP conference.
Dr. Aldrich began by discussing an example of a peer tutoring session. He was very detail-oriented in identifying the steps of training for peer tutors, who must be responsible and socially adept.
According to Dr. Aldrich, proficiency of these domains, in addition to the exact seating arrangement of the tutor and tutee, the
introductory conversation between the two, and the lesson plan
play a great role in the success of the actual tutoring session.
A main focus of peer tutoring in Dr. Aldrich’s elementary school
is to address reading difficulties. According to Dr. Aldrich, the key
to effective reading intervention is the Instructional Hierarchy:
Acquisition - methods use to teach reading skills (i.e. modeling,
demonstration, prompting, cueing)
Fluency - ability to read easily and accurately
Generalization - display across contexts/materials
Adaptation - Skills adapt to novel demands/situations
Peer tutoring is designed to address this hierarchy and provide a
useful strategy in eliminating difficulties associated with reading.
Many problems exist with current interventions, such as ambiguity, few resources, and lack of integration. Tutors as young as 7
years old are trained to model correct academic responses,
increase opportunities for guided practice with immediate feedback, provide immediate positive reinforcement and increase
opportunities for correct academic responding. Peer tutors and
their tutees are instructionally matched, meaning that weak and
advanced readers are paired together. The program addresses
skills ranging from phonemic awareness to reading comprehension through interventions that are delivered by peer tutors. These
interventions include sound games, drills and practice, and choral
and repeated reading.
Not only does peer tutoring benefit the tutor and tutee academically, but it also elicits many social benefits; firstly, it is an inadvertent social skills training lesson. The tutoring session teaches
social skills such as personal space, eye contact, conversational
skills, complimenting and nonverbal communication. In addition,
tutors learn to empathize with other students who are struggling,
learn what it is like to be a teacher, identify themselves as role
models, and are granted the opportunities to possess a pro-social
leadership role. Tutees benefit from the sessions as well; their
self-esteem is likely to be enhanced, as is their reading ability
Many forms of research have been conducted on this cost-effective method of academic improvement. Dr. Aldrich reported that
peer tutoring elicits an average of two-words-per-week progress,
a significantly higher number when compared to adult interventions alone. The results of this research in addition to the myriad
of benefits, illustrated the importance and success of this program.
Overall, Dr. Aldrich made this program seem easy to implement
in any school and useful for staff and students alike. Ψ
Pia Weston is a school psychology graduate student at Rochestor Institute of Technology
NY School Psychologist Volume XXV volume Using Response to Intervention/Instruction
with Students Who Exhibit Behavior Difficulties
written by Jessica Frost
Dr. Carl DiMartino, president of NASP, presented his workshop
on how to use response to intervention (RTI) with students
exhibiting behavioral difficulties at the NYASP annual conference
in Syracuse. He started off with the quote “It is easier to prevent
a behavior from occurring than to deal with it after it has happened.” This quote set the tone for the rest of the presentation.
Dr. DiMartino outlined behavioral framework by using the A-B-C
model (antecedent, behavior, consequence), as a reference point.
Antecedence implies the fast or slow triggers of the behavior, the
behavior itself is the form or the function, and the consequence is
the reword or punishment that follows the behavior. In regards to
the antecedent, before the target behavior occurs, the adult working with the child should provide specific and direct instruction.
The student should then be given appropriate time to respond, and
compliance should be praised promptly. If the student does not
comply, give the command a second time, and if this does not
work, use a mild preplanned consequence. Understanding this
framework is essential to begin to manage a classroom or individual child’s behavior. When regarding behavior, it must be defined
as an observable and measurable act of an individual. For example, if a teacher complains of a child’s “bad attitude”, the “bad
attitude” must be defined such as the child constantly disrupts my
class. Finally, the consequence should be implemented immediately, and consistently in a calm fashion. Above all, the consequence should always fit the “crime”.
Dr. DiMartino then described the way in which schools can implement the three tiers of RTI in each individual classroom. The first
tier deals with the assessment of behavior and is applied to all students. At this level, classrooms are screened for skills, perform-
ance, emotional regulation, aggressive behaviors, social isolation,
bullying, and classroom related social skills or academic enablers.
Direct instruction, classroom organization, and behavior management are crucial to student success. Good behavior games were
also found helpful at this level of intervention. Any students who
are at risk, and in need of further guidance, may need to be
referred to tier two.
Students at the second level of RTI receive peer and adult mentoring programs. These groups might focus on social skills training, anger-/emotion-/self- control training, and or attention control
training. These training groups focus on overcorrection, group
contingencies, and/or cognitive behavioral strategies. The problems these students face will dictate the type of group training
they receive.
At tier three, specific individuals in the classroom are targeted for
individual intervention. These interventions may consist of one on
one counseling, behavior therapy, cognitive behavior strategies,
relaxation therapy, desensitization, and continuum of care programming. In some instances, segregated environments for the
child are recommended.
Dr. DiMartino’s presentation was packed with relevant information, useful examples, insightful exercises and educational
resources to further examine the implimentation of RTI with student, who exhibit behavioral difficulties. Within my experience in
the public schools, as a practicum student, I can see how the practical application of Dr. DiMartino’s RTI methods can truly help
schools manage difficult behaviors. The application of the ideas
in this presentation will prove valuable in the years to come. Ψ
Jessica Frost is a school psychology graduate student at Marist College
NY School Psychologist Volume XXV volume Guided Social Stories
written by Stephanie Grella
Children with Asperger Syndrome (AS) face many challenges
within social environments. The difficulties in pragmatic language ability and social skills frequently create stressful situations
inside schools. One intervention used to remediate these issues
and help children with AS is an individualized short story known
as a social story. Social stories are used to teach children with AS
productive ways to cope with stressful situations. There are many
commercial individualized social story programs that school psychologists have at their disposal. These traditional social stories
normally teach children with AS a new skill such as appropriate
listening. However the skill is often not internalized and after the
treatment is completed the skill is lost. In addition many school
psychologists are under time constraints; therefore utilizing group
techniques may be a better option. Andrew Livanis provided a
framework for achieving this through his presentation on guided
social stories for a group.
Mr. Livanis began by discussing the role of school psychologists
in the treatment of AS. He explained that although the prevalence of AS is low it is highly stressful for school psychologists
to remediate the symptoms of AS. Consequently, effective programs are needed to help children with AS successfully function
in schools. Typical symptoms of AS include impairments in social
functioning, motor clumsiness, and repetitive and stereotyped patterns of interests and behavior. In regards to ability, AS children
tend to have better developed Gc (crystallized knowledge), Glr:
MM (meaningful memory), Gv (visual processing) and Grw: RD
(reading decoding). Common weaker abilities include the following: executive functions, Gf (fluid reasoning), Ga (auditory processing), Gs (processing speed), Gsm (short tem memory), Glr
(long term memory storage and retrieval) and Grw: RC (reading
comprehension).
This profile helps to conceptualize why children with AS have
such difficulties managing their environment. Mr. Livanis
explains a cycle that begins with AS children misinterpreting their
environment. In response the environment misinterprets the
child. This leads to an adverse situation with AS children correctly judging certain environments as being uncaring. Social stories are used to prevent this misinterpretation and teach AS children how to effectively deal with the environment. A goal is to
make AS children aware that the environment can be supportive
and caring. Research on social stories has found that they
increase communication and life skills and proper social interactions while decreasing disruptive behaviors. There are a couple
issues regarding the traditional individualized social stories.
First, research has shown that after removing the intervention the
skills are not generalized and, second developing individualized
stories is time consuming. Thus, Mr. Livanis introduced guided
social stories modules that are planned for groups (no more than
four) and intended to teach long term skill acquisition.
The neuropsychological profile of children with AS was an important component in the development of guided social stories. By
understanding the areas of weaknesses and capitalizing on the
strengths of AS children (Glr: MM and Grw: RD), Mr. Livanis
was able to effectively develop this intervention. A guided social
story includes a model who is struggling to attain a skill. After
systematic repetitions and support from individuals in the environment, the child ultimately acquires the skill. He then explained
that using coping models are more effective than using mastery
models. Mastery models are flawless reproductions of the situation and are accomplished effortlessly. In contrast coping models
demonstrate the anxieties of the observer, show that the process of
skill acquisition is not effortless and illustrate that repeated trials
will lead to success. Coping models are more realistic and work
to help the AS child internalize and acquire the skill. Group
arrangement of the modules allows children to work as models for
each other. Lastly, Mr. Livanis emphasized the importance of
telling the children that the new skill will be successful the majority of the time but not always.
Since children with AS have better developed Grw: RD abilities
and weaker Grw: RC abilities, it is important to make sure the
child is not passively reading the stories but is active during the
learning process. Mr. Livanis explained that the learning environment can be adjusted so that the student maintains a constant
association with the material and receives immediate feedback on
his or her progress. This process begins with writing a story,
which is repeated nearly verbatim. Then the students complete a
worksheet pertaining to the story using a cloze procedure. The students are actively engaged by searching the cloze passage for the
answers and accordingly reviewing the material. The answers are
then reviewed. Lastly, the students observe the skill then practice
it during the session and for homework. Mr. Livanis provided a
case example that can possibly be used as a framework for school
psychologists to implement in their own schools. In the first session the students were allowed to bring their favorite activity and
freely play in the therapist’s office, to establish that this was a safe
environment. In the second session the students were given
instructions to do a brief “show-and-tell” of their items. Prepared
questions were used to reduce anticipated anxiety. The third session included a group activity and continuation of “show-andtell”. In the fourth session the guided social stories were introduced. After reading the story the discussion was guided to
revolve around the group’s similarities to the model. The answers
to the passage were reviewed and the students were given feedback. The fifth session began by introducing a different social
story regarding another module. In the sixth session a behavioral
component was introduced. The students observed the therapist
and a confederate demonstrating the skill and the students practiced the skill with one another. Homework assignments were
given based on the skill and behavioral continued on p Stephanie Grella is a school psychology graduate student at Marist College
NY School Psychologist Volume XXV volume Using Brief Experimental Analysis to Determine
Effective Interventions in Applied Behavior Analysis Case Studies
written by Susan Sapek
Brian Martens, Ph.D, a professor of psychology at Syracuse
University and four graduate students, Jennifer Silber, Leah
Phaneuf, Cynthia Rogers and Derek Reed, presented at the
NYASP conference in Syracuse this past October. They presented
several case studies where Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA)
measures had been utilized to assess whether they would be successful in modifying various problem behaviors. Their presentation was extremely interesting and yielded promising results for
the use of Brief Experimental Analysis with children with learning problems. Many interventions used in their case studies are
practical for use in school settings, as they are relatively short,
empirically supported, and yield promising results.
Leah Phaneuf first discussed her use of ABA to train initial letter
sounds through prompting procedures with an eight-year-old boy.
During the initial classroom observation, the teacher verbalized
letter sounds and the children were asked to write the corresponding letter. The child being studied was unable to write a single
corresponding letter correctly. To remediate this problem, prompting procedures using a Progressive Time Delay (PTD) schedule
and a Constant Time Delay (CTD) schedule were utilized and
compared. In the PTD schedule, the experimenter would first wait
one second to tell the child the correct letter sound, then three seconds, and so on. In the CTD, the experimenter consistently waited five seconds before giving the child the answer. During preassessment, the child could not identify a single letter correctly. At
post-assessment, the child identified 95% of the letters correctly
and was able to generalize the skills. It was concluded from this
case study that a CTD prompting schedule was most effective.
Next, Jennifer Silber compared two reading interventions in a
brief experimental analysis structure. The subject here was an
eight-year-old girl referred for reading difficulties. During a problem identification interview with the girl’s teacher, it was found
that the student’s greatest difficulties were in decoding and blending words and vowel sounds. Baseline data showed that this second grade child was functioning at a pre-primer to primer level
and showing great difficulty comprehending first grade words. To
remediate these problems, the child was given direct instruction in
vowel sounds and modeling, practice, and reinforcement were all
utilized. It was found that gains were achieved in all areas, including fluency and vowel sound knowledge. The researcher also
mentioned that a “beat-your-score” reinforcement contingency
helped to keep the child motivated. The child was able to earn a
reward of her choice if she beat her previous reading passage time.
Thirdly, Cynthia Rogers compared the use of a cover-copy-compare procedure versus Direct Instruction to increase math fluency.
The child here was a nine-year-old fourth grader who was func-
tioning at a second-grade math level. Although this child had a
very high motivation level, he demonstrated problems with word
problems, abstract concepts, multiplication, subtraction, and number sense, although his greatest difficulty appeared to be in subtraction. During assessment, it was discovered that the child was
“practicing errors” because no corrective feedback was given and
he also appeared to lack knowledge for rules of subtraction. At
baseline, the child was able to achieve 15 digits per minute correctly. After implementation of the cover-copy-compare intervention, the child was able to attain 17 digits correct per minute.
Conversely, after implementation of direct instruction, the child
was able to achieve 27 digits per minute correctly. Clearly in this
situation, direct instruction was more useful in ameliorating this
particular child’s subtraction difficulties.
The fourth and final case study discussed was conducted by Derek
Reed. He conducted a brief experimental analysis with a 38-yearold severely mentally retarded woman who demonstrated self
injurious behaviors. In particular, this woman’s use of breathholding was being targeted for change. Breath-holding is a rare
problem among adult populations, but is sometimes found in
those diagnosed with MR. Over the previous three years, this
woman had held her breath to the point of passing out numerous
times. The staff at the group home in which she lived were worried she would engage in this behavior while alone and that she
would fall and injure herself. Use of the Motivation Assessment
Scale (MAS) concluded that the patient was engaging in breathholding behavior for attention. She understood that when she
would hold her breath, she would receive attention from the staff
members. When she was behaving well, she received no attention.
She had been inadvertently conditioned to hold her breath to
receive any kind of attention. In order to resolve this problem, it
was necessary to develop reinforcement for the absence of breathholding. Treatment options included physical redirection, Fixedtime schedule, and Differential Reinforcement of Other Behavior
(DRO). It was concluded that physical redirection combined with
DRO was most effective in reducing the breath-holding behavior.
Although this combination of treatments did succeed in reducing
the behavior’s occurrence by half, it was not reduced to a zero
level.
Dr. Brian Martens concluded the presentation with a discussion of
Brief Experimental Analysis (BEA) and its use in the four above
mentioned case studies. He explained how a BEA begins with a
descriptive assessment, followed by a model linking assessment
to intervention, then identification of at least two evidence-based
interventions. These are the necessary factors for a successful
BEA. Each experiment clearly defined the problem at hand, targeted a specific behavior for change, and continued on p Susan Sapek is a school psychology graduate student at Marist College
NY School Psychologist Volume XXV volume Concussion and the Role of School Psychologists
written by Courtney E Wheeler
Dr. Brian Reiger of the Concussion Management Program: CNY
Sports Concussion Center at University Hospital in Syracuse gave
a presentation on how school psychologists can better understand
concussions and what role we can play in the evaluation and management of a concussion.
Dr. Reiger began by explaining that a blow or jolt to the head
causes a concussion and it may or may not lead to loss of consciousness. He stressed that the CT scan is usually normal, but
function is disrupted. In order to be considered as having a
Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) in the school setting it must be an
acquired condition. This could include having a brain injury, a
tumor, stoke, anoxia, or encephalitis. It is important to note that
the severity of the concussion indicates how life threatening it is
at the time of injury and does not indicate the ultimate effect of
the injury. Typically a concussion is a functional injury that has
rapid onset of symptoms and a full recovery in seven to ten days.
There are 1.5 million brain injuries per year in the United States,
of which 75% are considered mild. The Center for Disease
Control estimates that up to one million additional injuries happen
that aren’t reported. School psychologists should be educated
about concussions and TBI since the age group that is at the highest risk for these types of injuries is 15-24 year olds. While concussions related to sports injuries get the most attention, they only
account for 20% of the cases. Typically the most common causes
of concussions are falls, motor-vehicle accidents, and assaults.
Caution should be taken not to have a second concussion before
the symptoms of the first disappear or the child is risking permanent damage or extended damage as a result.
Dr. Reiger stated that fatigue and lack of energy are hallmarks of
a concussion. Other common physical problems include
headache, clumsiness, blurred vision, ringing in the ears, and
lightheadedness. There are also common emotional/behavioral
problems after a concussion that include extreme moods, feeling
easily overwhelmed, outbursts, lack of motivation, anxiety, and
irritability. Some children may experience post-concussion syndrome (PCS), though little is known about the prevalence and
duration of it in youth. This is when the symptoms of a concussion persist for days, months, or indefinitely.
In the classroom, the student may seem easily confused, have
trouble putting thoughts into words, scrambled speech, slowed
processing, poor mental stamina, or have poor organization. Dr.
Reiger explained that as the brain tires through out the day the
symptoms of a child with a concussion will worsen. It is important that after a concusision the child return to his or her daily routine as tolerated. Dr. Reiger stated that he often sees children that
have been re-injured in crowded hallways or stairwells.
Accommodations, such as rest breaks in a quiet location and
reduced courses and workload should be explored for a child
experiencing concussion symptoms. If difficulties with symptoms
continue, the student can be provided accomodations such as a
copy of class notes or sunglasses if he or she has light sensitivity.
The role that a school psychologist plays is largely yet to be determined. However, one of the goals of the job should be to communicate with the parents and teachers and educate the staff
regarding concussions. We may be asked to coordinate the documentation of the symptoms for the doctor to determine if they are
getting better. Also, if the concussion was severe or post-concussive syndrome is present we may need to explore the different
accommodations that can be provided with an IEP or a 504 plan.
Counseling may also be necessary to help the student deal with
the symptoms that they are experiencing.
Additional Resources:
www.upstate.edu/concussion
Courtney Wheeler is a school psychology graduate student at Rochester Institute of Technology
NY School Psychologist Volume XXV volume The Use of Rating Scales & Objective Measures on
Treatment Planning for ADHD
written by Jessica Skillings
C. Keith Conners, PhD, a professor of medical psychology at
Duke University Medical School and author of the Conners’
Rating Scales, presented on The Use of Rating Scales and
Objective Measures on Treatment Planning for ADHD.
Dr. Conners began his presentation by asserting that the proper
diagnosis of ADHD is critical and impacts our role as school psychologists. Although diagnosis is not part of our role, appropriate
diagnosis of our students will allow us to understand the natural
course of the disorders our students are experiencing. It will allow
us to advocate for and obtain appropriate related services. It will
also lead to proper treatment planning, and assist in the understanding of medical legal concerns such as manifestation meetings.
Dr. Conners proceeded by outlining some of the key historical figures and events significant to the definition and diagnosis of
ADHD. Specifically, he highlighted the first clinical description
of ADHD by Sir George F. Still which included a quote by
William James. The description emphasized the breakdown of the
will, and deficits in the areas of cognitive processes and attention.
Dr. Conners also cited the first reference to stimulant medication
and the first syndromatic list of behaviors indicative of what is
now known as ADHD.
Next, Dr. Conners reviewed the diagnostic criteria for ADHD as
identified by the DSM-IV. The five essential criteria for diagnosis
of ADHD are: symptomatic criteria, age of onset and course, pervasiveness, impairment, and differential diagnosis. Conners proceeded by asking the audience how many criteria there are for
ADHD. The first response was 18; the second was five. Conners
responded by asserting that there are five essential criteria and 18
symptomatic criteria. He suggested that it is critical to focus on
the five essential criteria rather than the symptomatic criteria. This
is because if one concentrates on the symptomatic criteria it may
become more difficult to identify the diagnosis since many disorders share similar symptomatic criteria. This is a key point since
differential diagnosis is such an essential component of proper
diagnosis.
Dr. Conners proceeded by reviewing the five essential criteria.
First, he stated that the age of onset usually occurs sometime
before the age of seven. He argued that children usually present
with symptoms much earlier then seven, but stated that the disorder often goes unrecognized until a child has been in school for
one or two years. The course of the disorder is also crucial. The
course of ADHD is not cyclical. ADHD has an uninterrupted
course. This is an essential point because this is one aspect of the
disorder that clearly distinguishes itself from normal childhood
issues. Conners also contended that ADHD does not disappear in
adolescence as many claim. Instead, he argued that children generally learn to adapt to their disorder and as a result their previous
hyperactivity is observed more as an inner restlessness rather than
observable hyperactivity.
The third criterion is pervasiveness. The pervasiveness of ADHD
is extreme. In order to be diagnosed with ADHD an individual
must exhibit symptoms at home and at school. In other words,
symptoms must occur in multiple settings. Similarly, impairment
caused by ADHD must occur across multiple settings. In other
words, impairment must be demonstrated in life functioning,
which includes social as well as academic areas.
Finally, the last criterion is differential diagnosis. Dr. Conners
argued that this is perhaps the most important criterion. He argued
that differential diagnosis is the cause of both over and under prescription of medication. Conners contended that ADHD without
other comorbid disorders, such as oppositional defiant disorder
and/or conduct disorder, is recognizable and treatable. However,
there are those who do struggle with multiple disorders and it is in
these instances that differential diagnosis becomes so critical.
Conners argued that it is the job of the medical professional to
help decide which disorder is primarily affecting the child, and to
treat the child based on this determination. Conners also emphasized that as school psychologists, we aid professionals to understand what is truly happening in school and what appears to be the
main concern. Our input and knowledge may help doctors to
understand which disorder is primarily affecting a child, and
therefore appropriate treatment can be administered.
Dr. Conners continued his presentation by addressing each of the
18 symptomatic criteria and highlighting any pertinent information. He also addressed the three DSM-IV subtypes for ADHD.
He highlighted that the most common type of ADHD is the combined type. In addition, he mentioned that the inattentive type is
also very prominent, especially in females. In fact, Dr. Conners
argued that many females suffer with ADHD-inattentive type but
are not recognized and treated.
Dr. Conners also reviewed some of the DSM-IV language with
regard to diagnosis and highlighted some of the difficulties with
proper diagnosis. For example, the DSM-IV states that ADHD can
be identified when “…persistent pattern of inattention and/or
hyperactivity-impulsivity that is more frequent and severe than is
typically observed in individuals at a comparable level of development.” Conners argued that this is not an easy task. He assertcontinued on p Jessica Skillings is a school psychology graduate student at Marist College
NY School Psychologist Volume XXV volume A Proposal for Evaluating School Psychological Services
A "Mental Health" Report Card
written by Anthony Pantaleno John Kelly John Ochoa Jay David Gassman
Kristen Raju Lindsay Pettine Suzanne Visone Natasha Somwar Jennifer Cammarato
& Kristin Fiumefreddo
This is the second of three installments of A Proposal for
Evaluating School Psychological Services based on the authors’
work and research on Long Island. Part 3 will be published in the
spring issue of the NY School Psychologist
Levels of staffing required for mental health needs fall with rising
budget costs, and this represents the real tragedy. It is true that
school costs are outpacing the cost of living. The reasons for this
state are many. There are those costs that are outside the control
of the public school system. Thankfully, there are costs that can be
reduced using a prevention rather than reaction model.
date from voters, school boards are forced to continually evaluate
what can be reduced or eliminated entirely from school budgets.
It is no surprise that in the mindset of those who fashion school
budgets that school psychologists, as well as other support staff
such as guidance counselors and school social workers are sometimes unfortunately "the first to go". In the April, 2006 issue of
The New York Teacher, it was reported that 44% of the school
counselors, social workers, and psychologists in the Yonkers
school district have lost their jobs in the last three years. This very
sobering number results in a qualified mental health staff that can
only function within a reactive rather than proactive mode.
Remedial and special education costs continue to rise. The
demands of No Child Left Behind require no less. With one in ten
children in our state having an emotional disorder and almost 80%
of these children going without needed mental health assistance,
one must ask what would happen to school budgets and academic achievement if that number were halved. It is our contention
that the number of students placed under the special education
umbrella and the number of students failing to perform on a satisfactory level using state benchmarks will fall given the appropriate mental health interventions.
As the political and economic landscape of these times unfolds
with the public demanding the most from every one of its tax dollars, it behooves the professional guild associations of school
mental health providers to applaud those school districts who have
recognized the long term positive impact of preventive childhood
mental health services. While no one can argue the long research
trail extolling the benefits of small class size, the size of the class
may ultimately prove not as good a predictor of adult adjustment
and happiness.
So how does all this tie together with school report cards? The
answer is a simple and straightforward one: the school report card
in its current form tells parents nothing about the mental health
"wellness" of their school district. As all adults know, one’s ability to function successfully on the job is a direct manifestation of
one’s mental health. On a "good mood" day, life is sweet and work
is productive; on a "bad mood" day, the reverse is true. If we simply translate this universal truth to the world of school-age children, the road is clear: in order for our children to become efficient and effective learners, we must do our best as parents and
school professionals to provide for their mental health. A very tall
order in a world at war and one in which the mental health of
many adult citizens is in question. However, address it we must,
with our schools and our school psychologists on the front lines of
the struggle for childhood mental health every single day.
In May of 2005, Long Island school districts faced the defeat of a
record number of 45 school budgets. When residents in those districts voted a second time, as is provided for under state law, they
still rejected 21 school budgets. With a passage rate of only 64%,
that resulted in almost one third of Long Island school districts
operating on reduced contingency budgets for the 2005-2006
school year, the highest number since 1978. In the wake of being
forced to cut programs and services in order to deal with this man-
Daniel Goleman, in his book Emotional Intelligence, details the
research that indicates that an individual’s ability to get along with
others, solve problems, and cope with emotional challenges is a
better predictor of adult success than academic grades and
achievement. Those districts who "fight the good fight" to provide
a wide range of preventive mental health services, as well as a
timely set of interventions that will prevent small interpersonal
and family problems from mushrooming into full blown crises,
are making an investment in their children and in the future of
their communities.
In an effort to expand the utility of the traditional School Report
Card, we offer a new spin -- that of creating a School Mental
Health Report Card that would permit interested citizens the
opportunity to compare school districts on an entirely different
dimension than merely academic achievement statistics. As a
crude rubric for the development of such a reporting system, the
data at the end of this article are offered which compare the total
student enrollments of Long Island, New York (Nassau and
Suffolk) county school districts with the number of full-time
school psychologists employed in each district. This information
was obtained from the NYS Education Department web page for
Elementary, Middle, Secondary and Continuing Education,
Information and Reporting Services, under the link for Teacher
continued on p NY School Psychologist Volume XXV volume NY State Office of Mental Health’s
Child and Family ClinicPlus Initiative and Schools
written by John Kelly
Investing in Children’s Mental Health
The New York State Office of Mental Health’s (OMH) Child and
Family Clinic-Plus initiative represents an unprecedented opportunity for collaboration between schools and County Departments
of Mental Health. Clinic-Plus, is part of OMH’s “Achieving the
Promise for New York’s Children and Families” and represents
the largest, one-year, new investment in children’s mental health
services in the State’s history. Through Achieving the Promise,
OMH will systematically identify emotional issues early through
screening and provide enhanced access to evidence-based services in community settings.
many are still growing up with untreated emotional health needs.
Clinic-Plus is designed to be proactive and systematic in recognizing emotional health issues early in children and engaging families with flexible, culturally relevant services that have been
shown to be effective. Research tells us that if we can identify and
intervene early, we are more likely to:
Keep issues from affecting emotional, intellectual, or physical
development;
Keep issues from lasting a long time or from getting worse;
Improve school performance and personal relationships with family and friends.
As part of the Achieving the Promise initiative, Child and Family
Clinic-Plus commits $33 million to transforming the local mental
health clinic into an active program that will intervene and recognize a child’s symptoms early on and provide evidence-based
interventions in the child’s home or other family friendly community settings, including schools. Clinic Plus is a confidential, early
recognition and intervention program funded by OMH and operated at a local level by County Mental Health Departments
through a Clinic Treatment Provider.
School psychologists have long expressed the desire to be able to
more effectively refer youth in need to effective mental health
services. Achieving the Promise and Child and Family Clinic-Plus
is an initiative that can help.
What does Child and Family Clinic-Plus Offer?
Screening: offered in natural settings like schools, health centers,
and other community locations to reach children early who may
have emotional needs;
Assessment: comprehensive, to pinpoint needs and strengths of
both child and family;
In-home services: convenient, to make sure interventions work in
“real-world” settings like at the dinner table;
Expanded clinic services: easier access to traditional clinic services when necessary; and
Evidence based treatment: interventions that have been shown to
work
Child and Family Clinic-Plus and Schools - A Partnership for
Student Success
Improving student performance is the primary focus of school districts. We know that solid student performance is associated with
children that come to school regularly, are on task and ready to
learn. Emotional health issues can affect how well a child does in
school, how he relates to family members, and his ability to make
friends. Clinic Plus can help schools more effectively address
these issues by providing services and supports that will assist
families and school professionals. This is accomplished by an
increased capacity of the community to serve children identified
as in need of mental health treatment and improved access to services through Clinic-Plus. Just as importantly, Clinic-Plus
providers will partner with schools and families to screen children
for early signs of emotional issues. While some children may be
identified by their families, friends, and teachers as needing help,
While Clinic-Plus is able to address many needs, it is also important to recognize that Clinic-Plus is not a crisis intervention program that can be used by schools, or others, to refer children and
youth to when they are in crisis. There are other programs for children and youth in crisis and schools and county providers should
be working together to make sure the referral process to such services is understood.
Clinic-Plus and Parents
All aspects of Clinic-Plus are voluntary. Screening is voluntary
and is available only with the signed consent of the
parent/guardian. The results of screening and recommendations
for follow-up are shared only with the parent, unless they request
that this information be shared with others. Comprehensive
assessments and any follow-up services also require the consent
of the parents. We are strongly encouraging providers and school
professionals to assist parents in understanding the value of sharing certain information so that they may make an informed decision on involving a range of professionals in assisting their children to succeed in school and the community.
Where is Clinic-Plus Available?
Most communities will be participating in Clinic-Plus. In the
Upstate area (north of New York City) County Mental Health
Directors have the primary responsibility for this program and
should be your point of contact. There are a range of target populations identified including early childhood, juvenile justice, child
welfare and school-aged youth in partnership with schools. While
the system will be working with a large number of schools, it currently cannot accommodate all schools. However, the proposal
process is fluid and schools are encouraged to contact their
County Mental Health Directors to make them aware of the
school’s interest in working together. Beyond direct linkage with
Clinic-Plus, there are also other collaborative programs that are
continued on p NY School Psychologist Volume XXV volume NYASP AT WORK FOR YOU
John Kelly
At the core of NYASP’s efforts to support school psychologists
throughout the state are the activities of the nineteen Chapter
Representatives and alternate Chapter Representatives within
each region of the state. The Chapter Reps and their alternates are
the local connections for school psychologists to access information about NYASP, as well as serve as a conduit for information to
flow from the state level to the local level. Our Chapter Reps have
become very creative and innovative at developing communication strategies within their areas. Despite many challenges that
serve to hamper this communication, significant activities have
been undertaken to share vital information and promote effective
practices of school psychology. NYASP would like to welcome
our newest alternate chapter reps, Samantha Hiotakis (Chapter
D), Amy Piper (Chapter G), and Rayna Shapiro (Chapter L).
This column will focus on several examples that highlight the
work of our Chapter Reps.
on. Of special note is that Mary Kay was able to get a proclamation recognizing school psychologists published in the local
newspaper. Maggie Nugent, the Chapter I Rep and ISPA Liaison,
has taken an active role in the Southern Tier Transition
Leadership Team. This group provides assistance to districts in
updating their high school transition planning system. They utilize
research produced by Cornell University to formulate these plans
for the local districts. Maggie has also been involved as the
Director of the Chenango Forks Early Intervention Program,
the only school district that operates as an approved Preschool
evaluator and provider of services. Linda LoGallo, Chapter I
Alternate Rep, continues to be an advocate for lower functioning
students and developing innovative techniques to assist with their
integration into the mainstream setting. Linda serves to teach educators in her area the importance of providing modifications to
facilitate this adjustment.
Jeanne Gold, Chapter L Rep, will be hosting a presentation on
suicide awareness and a panel discussion on implementing
models of RTI. Jeanne will be using the SPEAK workshops
developed by NYASP, in conjunction with the NYS Office of
Mental Health, for the suicide awareness presentation. Within the
same region, Peter Faustino, NYASP’s secretary, has been working with the national Autism Speaks Association to expand clubs
within the schools for students diagnosed along the Autistic
Spectrum and other family members. Peter is currently working
with the leadership of NASP to garner their support for his efforts.
Suzanne Graney, Chapter D rep, is one of our Board members on
the state expert group on RTI, where she is putting together
resources for school psychologists on RTI. Suzanne is also holding monthly local chapter meetings, with her alternate chapter rep
Samantha Hiotakis. She will be discussing pertinent issues related to practitioners at these meetings. Lacy Rezek, Chapter B
alternate rep and chairperson of the Early Childhood Issues committee, has continued her vigilant efforts to monitor the changes
related to preschool assessment and transition from preschool
to kindergarten. Lacy has also been busy educating administrators and CPSE/CSE folks on RTI at the preschool level. Arielle
D’Aprile, one of our graduate student reps to the Board, reported
that the Student Representatives have been involved in reaching
out to every school psychology training program in New York to
insure that the programs have a liaison to NYASP. This liaison
serves an important role in communicating the needs of graduate
students, as well as sharing vital information that NYASP provides to the students and graduate programs. Cynthia BurnsMcDonald and Mary Kay Hafer, the Chapter A Co-Reps, have
been very busy in the “North Country.” They offered a workshop
at the Jefferson-Lewis Campus Center on Graphing for RTI.
They have also surveyed school superintendents on perceptions
of the skills that school psychologists possess. This data will be
helpful in formulating advocacy strategies that NYASP is working
Many of the NYASP Board Officers and Committee Chairs have
been involved in a variety of activities. Tom Kulaga, NYASP
President-elect, webmaster, and Chairperson of the Urban
Initiatives Committee, has continued to upgrade the NYASP
website (www.nyasp.org) to make it more “user-friendly” for our
members and guests who access the website for information. Tom
has added new podcasts of “Youth of a Nation”, NYASP’s new
series of interviews regarding contemporary issues with experts in
the field of school psychology. The first two podcasts feature Carl
DiMartino, current President of NASP, and Elaine FletcherJanzen, an expert in the field of assessment and autism. These
podcasts are linked to presentations that both Dr. DiMartino and
Dr. Fletcher-Janzen gave at the recent NYASP conference. Tom
has also developed a “members only” section of the website,
which is filled with valuable resources and information available
to NYASP members. Of special note to our colleagues who work
in an urban setting, Tom has established a survey of the needs of
school psychologists whose work is within large city settings.
This brief survey is located on the homepage of the website.
Results will help to guide the efforts of the Urban Initiatives
Committee. Also on the website, Past-President, Robin Raphael,
has published the NYASP Annual Report. This report details the
activities of the association from August 2005 through July 2006.
Kelly Caci, NYASP Newsletter Editor has been working with
Educators for Social Responsibility and Peter Yarrow (of
Peter, Paul, and Mary fame) on their “Don’t Laugh at Me” program, which incorporates music and artwork to teach social
awareness and bully prevention lessons. This program can be
downloaded free from www.dontlaugh.org. Bill Robelee, NYASP
Jobs listserv coordinator and Graduate Student Liaison
Coordinator, continues to publish jobs for school psychologists
throughout New York via the Jobs Listserv. Through
November of this year, Bill has published 332 jobs on the listserv.
This listserv has become a “members only” benefit. Eban Shor,
continued on p NY School Psychologist Volume XXV volume Congratulations You’re Hired
written by Stephanie Petrakis
First, I would like to thank everyone for coming to the NYASP
Conference in Syracuse. We had such a great time.
When I tell fellow students that I post the jobs on NYASPJOBS
Yahoo Group, the first thing I am asked is, “so, where are the
jobs?” In this column I will be talking about the location of jobs
in New York State.
The majority of the positions across New York State are located in
one general area: New York City, Long Island, and the Hudson
Valley. This does not mean this is where all the jobs are; this is
where the majority of the advertised jobs are located. In New York
City, the majority of the positions advertised are those in the private schools, such as preschools, schools that serve children with
autism and the like. New York City public school positions are
usually not advertised, which I have noticed in my searches of
certain websites, such as New York Times, and
Careerbuilder.com.
Long Island, for the most part, posts positions on the New York
Times webpage. The positions are generally for public schools.
The Hudson Valley area positions are usually posted in the New
York Times, Albany Times Union, or can be found by searching
on Careerbuilder.com. These school psychologist positions are
mostly for the public schools. Some of these jobs include CSE
Chair or Director of Pupil Personnel Services.
The Rochester/Buffalo Region and the Capital Region are the next
two areas that have many of the advertised positions. This is followed by the Binghamton, Central New York and Syracuse areas,
respectfully.
Before the conference, I searched for positions in Connecticut,
New Jersey, and Massachusetts. It was found that in the Boston
area, there were nineteen job openings within the first month of
school. In Connecticut and New Jersey, there were ten job openings, within the same time frame. These were found by using
www.bostonworks.com, www.cea.org, www.ctreap.net, and
www.nj.com.
If you are looking for a position in a specific area that does not
seem to advertise in local papers, do not hesitate to look at district
websites. Simply because a district does not advertise in the paper
does not mean they do not have a job opening. Additionally, if
you are becoming discouraged in your job hunt, you can expand
your search to other nearby states.
Since the conference, 15 new positions have been posted. The
positions will now be posted exclusively on the member’s only
page on www.nyasp.org. Happy job hunting! Ψ
Stephanie Petrakis is a second year graduate student at Marist College spetrakis@hotmailcom;
William Robelee runs the NYASP Jobs Information network billrobelee@maristedu
NYASP Fall Board Meeting Summary
October Submitted by Peter Faustino, NYASP Secretary
The September Board Meeting marked the official start of John
Kelly’s presidency of NYASP. He set the tone for the next two
years by laying out priorities for the association. They fell under
headings like Action Oriented, Professional Practice and
Competency, Advocacy, Member support, Diversity, Internal
Operations, External Relations and Communications.
As one of the first orders of business, Dr. Kelly created two Ad
Hoc Committees (Urban and Rural Initiatives). Appointed as
chair to the Urban Initiatives Committee was Tom Kulaga. Eban
Shor and Ryan Peterson were appointed co-chairs to the Rural
Initiatives Committee. In addition, Lynne Thies was appointed
chair of Leadership Development within NYASP.
Legislative Priorities for the upcoming year include collaboration
with NYSED to move towards adoption of an independent practice law for school psychologists. Increased visibility within the
state will occur by strengthening our collaborative relationships as
evidenced by OMH and the SPEAK Initiative.
On a more local level, the chapters of NYASP are strong and
encouraged to continue their good work with a focus on member
support. Everyone is reminded that the annual NASP convention
is in NYC this year.
RTI continues to be a focus of the NYASP Board as they conduct
research, organize work groups, and participate in leadership conferences on the best practices in RTI.
Upcoming dates to add to your calendar:
Winter Board Meeting January 27 - 28, 2007
NASP Conference 2007, NYC March 27 -31, 2007
Spring Board Meeting May 5 - 6, 2007
For a copy of the minutes in their entirety please email:
[email protected]
NY School Psychologist Volume XXV volume BOOK REVIEW
Enhancing Academic Motivtion:
An Intervention Program for Young Adolescents
written by Dr Norman Brier
reviewed by Marlene SoteloDynega
Research Press Champaign IL
Enhancing academic motivation. If we could only convince all of
our students to want to do well in school, a big portion of our
problems would be solved, and we could devote much more time
to teaching. Can you imagine how much shorter our Child Study
Team meetings would be? Unfortunately, we know that you can
only lead a horse to water. School personnel work tirelessly to
attempt to motivate students to want to learn, but there are so
many factors that must be addressed with a student for any
changes to occur, if they occur at all. Currently, the schools are
experiencing more pressure that ever before to demonstrate
progress towards state standards for all students. So how do we
make the horse drink the water? Dr. Norman Brier, a professor of
pediatrics and psychiatry at Albert Einstein College of Medicine,
Bronx, NY has worked with individuals who have experienced
chronic school failure and has developed a research-based program aimed at enhancing motivation in young adolescents.
According to Dr. Brier, the goals of the intervention are to:
Increase the students’ willingness to approach learning tasks;
bring about a higher level of engagement while learning: introduce youngsters to demonstrate a higher level of effort; and to
help them persist at learning tasks, even in the face of frustration
(p.2).
The program involves 16 sessions that are clearly outlined in the
book. The sessions involve methods such as storytelling, roleplaying and homework assignments that are aimed at achieving
the program’s goals of enhancing student motivation.
Organizational skills and self-monitoring appear to be indirect
goals that are incorporated into the program as the session-leader
requires students to use a specific folder to maintain all session
handouts and materials, and to monitor their own progress in the
program.
The book is broken up into three, easy-to-read chapters that
include an introduction to the program, a lesson-plan-like outline
of each session, and an “expanded knowledge base” section about
academic knowledge and chronic school failure. In addition, the
book includes four appendices that contain a student assessment,
academic motivation screen, session handouts, and information
on increasing parent involvement in the program. In a day and
age of response to interventions, the assessment, screener and
other program materials serve as a means of obtaining data
before, during and after the program. This data allows us to
determine the effectiveness of the intervention for each student
participant.
Although the program was developed to serve as a school-based,
8 week-long (two sessions per week) intervention geared towards
students in grades 6 through 8, it can easily be modified to meet
the needs of any school building or age of targeted students.
Overall, the Enhancing Academic Motivation program is an easyto-implement program that has the potential of making a huge difference in a student’s attitude towards learning. Ψ
Marlene SotelaDynega is a bilingual school psychologist in the Port ChesterRye Union Free School
District Her interests include Assessment of English Language Learners Bilingualism
Cultural Differences and Assessment of Learning Disabilities
NY School Psychologist Volume XXV volume STUDENT CORNER
WNYSPA Welcomes James Garbarino
written by Lindsay Roberson
On September 29th, WNYSPA sponsored a presentation by Dr.
James Garbarino in Amherst. Dr. Garbarino, a renowned expert
on violence in children, discussed how bullying and harassment
in the schools impact children, as well as schools’ approaches to
dealing with this problem. Dr. Garbarino discussed how the rash
of school shootings in the 1990s - most notably Columbine resulted in national mobilization against school violence.
Unfortunately, this frequently translated into massive promotion
of zero tolerance policy, a strategy which research suggests may
actually increase violence. Clearly, many people continue to misunderstand school violence. On the other hand, many even refuse
to believe that school violence actually is a problem, denying the
severity and frequency of bullying. As Dr. Garbarino points out,
the problem of bullying cannot even begin to be resolved if it is
not recognized as a problem.
and perceive aggression to be successful. In order to counteract
these risk factors, the social environment must be rearranged to,
in a sense, disprove each of these four risky ways of thinking.
Again, rearranging the social environment is simply a manipulation of the context in which aggression occurs, as a means of
manipulating the occurrence of aggression. One factor that plays
a part in the development of aggression is the structure of the
network of adult authority. If the structure of adult authority is
intact, this can be a reputable force against aggressive behavior.
However, when adult authority is weak, kids are not exposed to
strong role models and examples of leadership and community.
Strong ties between adults in authority roles – teachers, parents,
school administrators – is essential.
Throughout the day, Dr. Garbarino stressed the importance of
context in examining school violence. The reason people are
shocked by who ends up being a “school shooter” is that people
fail to consider children in all of their contexts. A child’s neighborhood, school, family, and temperament interact to mold his or
her behavior. The combination of these factors and their influences on a particular child’s behavior are so complex and individualized that rarely does one process work the same way for all
people, all of the time.
The overall goal of so-called “bullying prevention programs”
should be character education; namely, reaching a point where
every single person in a school can sincerely say that everything
that is done in the school setting will be evaluated and does matter. Along this vein, programs should be sure to focus on
bystanders, letting kids know that those who observe bullying and
stand by doing nothing are just as culpable as the bullies themselves. Character within the community and school systems
means working together as a team, and letting kids know that you
are there to help them move in the right direction.
Generally, parents and teachers want to know why a particular
child is aggressive. However, aggressive is a universal impulse –
virtually every infant manifests physical aggression, but it goes
unnoticed because of their lack of strength. The real question,
then, is not why do children become aggressive but why do children become unaggressive? Both cognitive character, or the ideas
one has about aggression, and behavioral rehearsal play a role.
Children especially at risk for high rates of aggression are hypersensitive to negative social cues, oblivious to positive social cues,
have a very narrow conception of what one can do when aroused,
Dr. Garbarino stresses that bullying should be viewed as a human
rights issue, comparable to sexual harassment or bullying among
adult work colleagues. No employer would stand for such behavior among adults, so why do we let it persist among children?
Many kids feel they don’t have adults in their lives who will listen to them. If every child has an adult at school in whom he or
she can confide, then we are one step closer to “solving” the bullying “problem.” Adults in the schools must be capable of demonstrating acceptance for every child in the school, not just the
“easy” kids. Ψ
Lindsay Roberson is a school psychology graduate student at the University at Buffalo
The New York School Psychologist is accepting articles
for the following issues:
Spring School Climate/Culture Deadline //
Summer Reading Deadline //
Fall Urban Issues Deadline //
Email articles for consideration to Kelly Caci at kcaci@newburghknyus
NY School Psychologist Volume XXV volume New York City on a Psychologist’s Budget
written by Merryl Bushansky
New York City may not be an inexpensive city to visit but if anything is worth a splurge, it’s a trip to the Big Apple! We can help
you cut costs, however, with suggestions on getting around and
enjoying lower costs for dining and entertainment.
Getting Around
NYC is a walking city. People tend to walk fast, though, so try not
to dawdle, especially at street corners with traffic lights. Blocks
are generally short so you can accomplish a lot quickly. Mass
transit, the subway and busses, are popular modes of getting
around. You need a metrocard which can be purchased at the stations, vending machines, merchants, etc. Though it’s $2.00 a ride,
purchasing an Unlimited Ride is a bargain. Go to
MTA.NYC.ny.us for details. There is always the taxi, a NYC (yellow) institution. If you’re not going too far and share with friends,
it won’t break the bank.
Theater
You can’t come to New York without taking in a show. Most people opt for broadway or off-broadway (there’s also off off broadway). Keep in mind that dramas are less expensive than musicals.
There is no need to pay full price for a ticket. You can stand on
line at TKTS at Duffy Square, the center island of 47th St between
Broadway and 7th Ave. TKTS sells unsold tickets on the day of
the performance for all broadway shows for 25 - 50% off the box
office price plus a $3.00 service charge. TKTS accepts cash and
traveller’s checks. You may even catch a glimpse of the Naked
Cowboy as you wait! If you’d rather purchase your tickets in
advance, go to broadwaybox.com or telecharge.com for a wide
variety of offerings. If you have your heart set on a particular
show, visit the sites often as they change regularly. (Note: most
broadway shows are not actually on broadway but on the perpendicular side streets of the theater district, roughly 42nd - 52nd
Streets.)
If a taping of a tv show is on your to-do list go to the following
websites to access tickets that are free:
The David Letterman Show (cbs.latenight/lateshow)
The Daily Show with John Stewart (comedycentral.com)
SAVE THE DATE!
The View (abc.go.com/daytime)
The Martha Stewart Show (marthastewart.com)
Good Eats
NYC is arguably the food capitol of the world. There are dining
experiences for every cuisine and price range. Some things to
keep in mind:
There are food carts situated all around the city, particularly in
midtown where the convention is located. They are favorites of
New Yorkers as they are fast, inexpensive, licensed by the city and
offer much more than morning coffee and roasted nuts or hot pretzels (which you must try). You can get bar b que, falafel,
bratwurst . . . . . .
If you are interested in a special meal at a top restaurant,
consider going for lunch which will cost considerably less than
dinner. Some good ones right near the hotel are Bar Americain,
Bobby Flay’s newest and Molyvos, a Greek favorite.
Ethnic food generally offers good value. Look for Turkish,
Indian, Greek or just about any cuisine you can think of. Consider
Taboon (52nd and 10th), Victor’s Cafe (Cuban, 52nd b/w
Broadway and 8th), Afghan Kabob House (various locations) and
Miss Saigon (3rd b/w 80-81)
There are many jewish delis throughout the city. One or two of
the better known ones are Carnegie Deli (#21 W 50th) and Stage
Deli (#20 W 50th). Though $13.00 for a pastrami sandwich may
sound expensive, they are so large they easily feed
two so consider sharing and get your own knish.
Bar b Que has taken New York by storm. Consider Dinosaur Bar
B Que (131st and 12th ave), Blue Smoke (27th b/w Lexington and
Park) and Virgil’s Regal Bar B Que (44th b/w broadway and 6th).
The theater district, just a half mile south of the hotels, has
many affordable options. Several are large, bustling restaurants
that serve family style and are perfect for large groups. Consider
Carmine’s (44th just off broadway), Thalia (50th and
8th) and La Bonne Soup (55th b/w 5th and 6th).
Information on New York City entertainment, Manhattan maps,
dining, shopping and sightseeing can be found at:
nyctourist.com Ψ
NASP’S th
Annual Convention
March New York NY
Go to nasponlineorg for
more information
NY School Psychologist Volume XXV volume Chapter Updates
Chapter A St. Lawrence, Lewis & Jefferson Counties
Chapter A is planning a number of activities for this school year.
We plan to hold at least three Chapter meetings in St. Lawrence
County, with the help and support of our local VESID/SETRC
office. So far, we have met once on Friday, October 13, 2006 at
the Cheel Center at Clarkson University in Potsdam. Our discussion included: "hot topics" in our area; more information about
RTI; results of the State tests in our area and discussion of
"schools in need of intervention" due to scores for students with
disabilities (luckily, NONE of the schools in St. Lawrence County
fell into this category at this time); the role of the school psychologist in working with colleges' Accommodative Services Offices
and the types of assessments they are looking for to help our students with the transition from high school to college, and more!
We would like to thank the following people for their involvement
that day: Pam Dority (VESID), Gerry Swalnick
(VESID/SETRC), Veigh Lee (SUNY Canton), Helen McLean
(Clarkson University) and Sharon House (SUNY Potsdam).
We are also looking forward to holding two workshops during the
school year. We plan to hold the first one in Watertown at the
BOCES Center, in an attempt to encourage greater participation
of school psychologists from Jefferson and Lewis Counties. This
workshop will be held on a Saturday morning and the presenter
will be Karrie Clark of Baldwinsville Central School. She will
provide information and training on using graphing programs to
document progress for both academic and behavioral interventions used with students.
We are still in the planning stages for the second workshop. We
hope to incorporate the information that we solicited via a survey
that we sent to school superintendents in the three county areas, in
order to plan a program that meets the needs of the districts who
responded. We are open to your ideas, so please feel free to call or
email either of us at any time!
Finally, we have been preparing for School Psychology Week in
early November. We have found the NYASP and NASP items that
are on-line to be very helpful. We have submitted articles about
our work to local newspapers as well as photos of our group at a
Chapter meeting hard at work! We have sent sample copies of the
NYASP newsletter along with nomination forms for the "school
psychologist practitioner of the year" to our area superintendents.
Wouldn't it be nice to have a North Country person at least nominated for this prestigious award?? We have also submitted a suggested proclamation for School Psychology Week to local politicians. Approved proclamations will also be submitted to our local
newspapers. We encourage other school psychologists in our area
to do the same! We will continue to advocate for school psychologists in our area and always welcome your input. We can be
reached at:
[email protected] or
[email protected].
Our phone numbers and addresses are located in the "Chapter
Rep" section of this newsletter. Have a great year everyone!
Chapter A Co-Representatives,
Cynthia Burns-McDonald & Mary Kay Hafer
Chapter G News Allegany, Cattaraugus, & Chautauqua
Counties
School psychologists in the western part of Chapter G
(Chautauqua County) met on October 27, 2006. Sixteen school
psychologists and interns discussed several topics including
NYASP conference experiences, mandated services for students
falling within the autism spectrum, and recent changes in regulations regarding the assessment of students with disabilities. Five
members offered favorable comments about the high quality of
the presentations they attended as participants in the annual conference held in Syracuse. Greg Leonard provided a written summary of Peer Tutoring ideas offered by one of the conference presenters (Seth Aldrich, Ph.D.) We agreed to meet again on January
19, 2007. Anyone reading this news article is welcome to attend:
it’s a 12:30 lunch meeting at Webb’s in Mayville NY.
As Chapter G Representative, my biggest challenge is to increase
the communication among school psychologists throughout the
chapter (which extends more than 120 miles from east to west). I
have made a few preliminary efforts to increase my contact with
you by creating an email group list and sharing information (e.g.,
NYASP Notes on 10/22/06). I plan to hold a Chapter G meeting
in the Olean area in the near future (December 2006?) and am
interested in any ideas that you, as chapter members, are willing
to offer regarding program topics, meeting locations, etc. Please
contact me via email or call me with your suggestions.
Chapter G Representative
Greg Leonard Ψ
NY School Psychologist Volume XXV volume NYASP at Work for You
continued from p NYASP Treasurer and Co-Chairperson of the “Rural Initiatives
Committee” with Ryan Peterson, has established a survey of the
needs of school psychologists working in rural areas of New York
State. This survey will be posted on our website. Finally, Nancy
Evangelista, NYASP Legislative Co-Chair, has been very
involved with responding to legislative activities in Albany.
NYASP has established a strong presence in Albany, which allows
your Association to be involved in the decision making and policy development that impacts our profession.
NYASP remains a strong, vital, and influential professional association because of the dedication and determination of the volunteers who form the core components of the Executive Board.
NYASP is at work for you! Ψ
Implementing RTI in Schools
continued from p referred to Special Education if he fails to respond to a series of
well-implemented intervention strategies. Mr. Wright suggested
that schools give a student about six weeks to respond to an intervention before making such a referral. Many questions arose from
the audience, including how much academic progress was considered enough. Mr. Wright stressed that prior to a referral, there
must be documentation that interventions were carried out as they
were intended to be. He then commented that progress is considered to be enough when a student meets the goal that was set for
his improvement. That is, there should be no discrepancy in the
student’s rate of learning when compared to grade-level peers.
Now that an overall picture of RTI has been presented, the next
step is to apply the acquired information to individual schools.
Mr. Wright recommended the following five steps for implementing RTI effectively:
Step 1: Adopt evidence-based interventions. There are plenty of
resources out there to assist schools in choosing appropriate interventions. Recommended sources from Mr. Wright include:
Intervention Central (www.interventioncentral.org), University of
Oregon’s Big Ideas in Beginning Reading (www.reading.uoregon.edu), and United States Department of Education’s What
Works Clearinghouse (www.w-w-c.org).
Step 2: Train staff to collect progress-monitoring data.
Curriculum-Based Measurement (CBM) can be used for data collection in skill areas such as math computation, reading fluency,
and written language. A great resource to help schools get started
is the CBM Warehouse, which can be found on the Intervention
Central website. Also, give teachers the tools to track the problem
behaviors of struggling students. A great program to adopt is the
previously mentioned Behavior Report Card Generator, which
can also be found on the Intervention Central website. By using
NY School Psychologist Volume XXV volume the behavior report cards, teachers can track individual behaviors
associated with classroom conduct, homework completion, attention to task, etc.
Step 3: Develop building-level intervention programs to address
common academic concerns. Schools can develop before-school
or after-school programs to help struggling students receive assistance in specific subject areas such as reading fluency. A peer
tutoring program is a great way to help all students develop skills
for academic advancement. More information can be found on the
Intervention Central website by clicking on the Peer Tutor
Training Manual link.
Step 4: Establish a building-level intervention team. An effective
intervention team can help teachers meet the needs of struggling
students by using practical strategies suggested by team members.
This collaborative team of teachers and support staff should be
trained in using an effective problem-solving approach to address
the concerns of teachers. For more information, visit the
Intervention Central website and click on the School-Based
Intervention Team (SBIT) Forms link.
Step 5: Align current intervention and assessment efforts with the
3-Tier model. Mr. Wright suggested that utilizing the interventions and assessments in place by standardizing and plugging
them into the 3-Tier model could be an effective way to implement RTI in schools. The following chart adapted from
www.interventioncentral.org helps organize existing programs:
Tier I Universal Intervention
Inventory all universal programs in the school intended to prevent
student academic or behavior failure.
Tier II Individualized Intervention
Inventory programs or supports (i.e., IST, peer-tutoring, etc.) that
can be individualized and matched to students with emerging academic or behavioral difficulties.
Tier III Intensive Intervention
Inventory programs or supports (i.e., IST, peer-tutoring, etc.) that
can be individualized and matched to students with emerging academic or behavioral difficulties.
In sum, Mr. Wright provided an overall picture of how RTI can
shape existing programs and services to better meet the needs of
all students. He provided the audience with practical measurement tools to assist in determining academic skill gaps among students. In addition, Mr. Wright offered intervention strategies to
monitor student progress, as well as tracking tips to determine
intervention effectiveness. Before leaving the presentation, audience members received a step-by-step guide for how to implement RTI in their schools. Overall, the presentation allowed professionals to ask questions and gain a better understanding of
what the RTI model looks like beyond the model itself. Ψ
Guided Social Stories
continued from p component for further practice. Several guided social story modules can be used including: vocal tone, vocal volume, appropriate
listening, conversational manners, initiating and maintaining a
conversation, identification of negative moods and coping with
negative moods.
Examples of other Guided Social Stories modules and examples
of story topics:
VocalTone
How the inflection of various words within a sentence could convey different meanings; how additional information about message content should also be elicited from the other person’s body
language.
Vocal Volume
The identification and implementation of appropriate volume for
the home, school, in large/small groups, and on the phone.
Appropriate Listening
How asking questions can be for clarification and to let other persons know that you are interested in their topic.
Conversational Manners
The appropriate use of terms such as “please” “thank
you”, and ‘you’re welcome” as well as how often these terms
should be used.
Initiating Conversations
Identification of who should be targeted for a conversation, what
topics are appropriate for discussion, which areas are appropriate for discussion and how all of these areas are relevant on context.
Maintaining Conversations
Identification of how long the conversation should be based on
the context and the individual, how to tell if the other person is
interested in what you are saying, appropriate turn-taking skills.
Identifying Negative Feelings/Moods
Identifying physiological indicators of negative feelings/moods.
The focus is not on differentiating feelings, but on identifying bodily sensations (such a heart racing, clenched jaw, shaking legs)
to give clues that a negative emotion is occurring.
Coping with Negative Feelings/Moods
Various relaxation strategies are targeted especially those that
can be implemented within the classroom setting such as progressive muscle tension and relaxation. Ψ
Brief Experimental Analysis
continued from p then identified at least two interventions that could potentially
help in changing the behavior. The first experiment compared
Progressive Time Delay vs. Constant Time Delay, the second
compared repeated readings vs. phonics instruction, the third
compared Cover-Copy-Compare vs. Direct Instruction, and the
final experiment compared physical redirection, a Fixed-time
schedule, and DRO, as well as the combination of redirection and
DRO. In all, at least eight interventions were utilized and tested
for effectiveness.
All four brief case studies utilized evidence based interventions
and showed promising results. I feel this presentation was important in high-lighting the use of behavioral procedures that are useful in helping children who are performing below-grade level. It
was also very practical that we could see the effectiveness of so
many different interventions with reading and math problems. As
always, the same intervention will not work for every student, so
it is imperative to be aware of the various behavioral interventions
available. Ψ
Data Based Decision Making
continued from p gain a clearer picture of an individual student’s behavior patterns
across domains. A student may be in level II for 10-20 weeks.
During that time targeted individual interventions in general education and eligibility determination takes place if necessary. If the
student is not responding to the interventions, they will then
receive more intensive intervention in level III. For one year or
more while in level III students receive more intense services
brought to them.
Overall, Dr. Reschly provided strategies for implementation of
RTI in an academic and behavioral context. More information
about his presentation can be found on the NYASP website under
the handouts section from the conference. Ψ
OMH Child & Family ClinicPlus
continued from p available and will emerge to address growing need. Many will
require linkages with schools. Developing a strong relationship
with county leaders will position a school district to be a partner
in future efforts. County MH Directors may be located by going
to the web site of the Conference of County Mental Health
Directors (www.clmhd.org), click on “About Us” and then
“County Directory”. This will provide the names and contact
information for each county. More information will be provided
as programs become operational.
In New York City and Long Island, the Office of Mental Health is
collaborating with the local Mental Health leadership in a Request
for Proposals (RFP) process. Priority populations have been identified with the RFP and are available for viewing on the OMH
website at http://www.omh.state.ny.us/.
Where can I learn more about Clinic Plus?
Contact your local mental health department (see above) or go
online at www.clinicplus.org Ψ
NY School Psychologist Volume XXV volume The Use of Rating Scales
continued from p ed that the only way to correctly apply this diagnostic information
is to utilize normative data such as a rating scale. Conners stated
that when norms are good, professionals are able to truly compare
a child’s behavior relative to others in their age group. Conners
included another DSM-IV citation, “…symptoms...have persisted
for at least 6 months to a degree that is maladaptive and inconsistent with developmental level.” Dr. Conners used this citation to
emphasize how diagnosis is not clear cut, nor is it easily measurable. He argued that a reputable scale aimed at assessing and
measuring impairment has still yet to be developed. In the meantime, Conners asserted that in order to assess for the pervasiveness of impairment we must assess how each symptomatic criterion plays out in each setting because proper diagnosis requires
that symptoms cause impairment across all domains of functioning. Conners also added that when doing interventions, it is critical to track impairment for this same reason.
Dr. Conners proceeded by explaining the usefulness of rating
scales as they refer to school psychologists and other professionals. He outlined the reasons for using rating scales: to establish
developmental level by comparison of norms, to identify comorbid symptoms, to assist in differential diagnosis, to track changes
in function over time, to monitor effects of starting or changing
medications, and to establish dose-time-action effects. Much of
what Dr. Conners had to say concerning the role of school psychologists and ADHD, related to how we, as school psychologists, can aid doctors with the proper diagnosis, and therefore the
most efficacious treatment.
Dr. Conners’ last point emphasized the role and importance of
education. Conners argued quite passionately throughout the session that educating parents on ADHD and the consequences of
ADHD left untreated, is the best and most effective treatment. He
asserted that through educating parents, professionals will get
honest feedback which can be used in planning and treatment.
Information regarding a child’s history and current state is critical
since Conners argued that diagnosis is made largely from accurate
histories. Dr. Conners clearly believed that the role of school psychologists, when working with student’s with ADHD, is critical
and has the potential to have great utility. He stated that we play
a major role in education and proper diagnosis, which again are
the key to treatment planning, monitoring, and follow-up. Ψ
Psy.D. in School Psychology
Fairleigh Dickinson University
Metropolitan Campus
Teaneck, New Jersey
Doctoral Training Program for Practicing School Psychologists
•
•
•
•
•
Two years (including summers) of academic course work
One-year pre-doctoral internship
Prepares students for eligibility for New Jersey and New York licensure (or
equivalent) as a psychologist
Application requirements: Valid state certification as a school psychologist,
Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores, three letters of recommendation, a
redacted psychoeducational report and a completed application for admission
Application deadline is March 1
This is a year-round, full-time program, designed to allow the practicing school
psychologist to both work and pursue a doctoral degree. Classes are held in late
afternoons and evenings. The vast majority of FDU’s Psy.D. students work as full-time
school psychologists in schools in the tri-state area.
After completing the required course work, all students prepare a dissertation on a topic
relevant to the practice of school psychology. The dissertation is conceptualized as an
applied research project that involves practical problem solving (e.g., applied clinical
investigation, program evaluation, case study, meta-analysis or validation of a test or
clinical procedure).
Candidates complete an internship of 1,800 hours, which consists of a planned
programmed sequence of supervised employment or engagement in appropriate
psychology activities performed in accordance with the definition of the practice of
psychology.
For more information, see http://alpha.fdu.edu/ucoll/psychology/psyd.html or contact
Dr. Ron Dumont, Director of School Psychology Psy.D. and MA/Certification Programs,
Fairleigh Dickinson University, at 201-692-2464.
NY School Psychologist Volume XXV volume Evaluating School Psychological Services
continued from p and Professional Staff (July, 2005). Professional staffing information forms part of the annual data supplied by every public school
educator via the NYS Basic Educational Data System (BEDS),
and it is this data that formed the basis of our analysis of school
psychological staffing.
Interested readers may access this information for any school district within New York state by visiting www.emsc.nysed.gov/irts.
Under the middle column entitled Data Reporting, scroll down to
Teacher and Professional Staff. Click on the Personal Master file
for the desired year and scroll down to the Professional Staffing
Ratio link at the bottom of the page to locate the district of your
choice. One may take account of the number of administrative
staff, teaching staff, and pupil personnel staff such as guidance
counselors, nurses, and school psychologists.
For purposes of this article, only the number of Long Island
school districts with enrollments in excess of one thousand students were reported. Only eleven Suffolk County districts and one
Nassau County district reported enrollments of less than one thousand students.
The data in these tables offer some interesting food for thought.
An analysis of those school districts with the most favorable student per psychologist ratios would indicate that in some school
districts there has been an executive decision by the superintendents and the boards of education to provide a strong safety net that
will hopefully provide for all of the mental health needs of its children. In those school districts with higher student per psychologist
ratios, more time needs to be spent in a review of the priority
given to preventive mental health.
Standards regarding staffing ratios were first adopted by the
National Association of School Psychologists during its 1984 convention, calling for at least one full-time school psychologist for
each 1,000 children in most settings served by an LEA (Local
Educational Agency). At that time, the role of the school psychologist was far more limited than today. In the early 1980s the
primary role function for most school psychologists was that of
"tester", sometimes referred to as the "gatekeeper" function to
assess children’s eligibility for special education services.
Additional roles, subject to the time constraints of children awaiting testing, included crisis intervention, counseling, CSE partici-
pation, parent conferences (usually related to testing results), and
child study team participation.
In addition to these roles, today’s school psychologist engages in
far more prevention activities, consultation, behavioral supports
development (including observations, data collection, and data
analysis), student accommodation plan development, post-secondary planning for students with disabilities, and in-service and
teacher development presentations.
Given the additional roles of the psychologist in the 21st century,
it is abundantly clear that ratios of the magnitude suggested over
twenty years ago no longer apply. In order for school psychologists to perform effectively, a smaller ratio of psychologists to students would clearly appear to be more than advisable. If a reduced
ratio were to apply, then school psychologists would be able to
allocate more time to consultation, prevention, and the direct
implementation of mental heath intervention programs for those
students who did not respond to earlier efforts.
Psychologists engaging in consultation can reduce the number of
students referred to or placed in special education. In addition,
school psychologists will have additional time to focus on the
mental health needs of the students which will also lead to a
reduction in the number of students that are referred. Ultimately,
students’ academic achievement will increase, the ultimate goal
for all students under the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation.
There may be those who voice the concern that our analyses are
counter-productive, and possibly self-destructive, to the aims of
the profession should lower student to psychologist ratios and student achievement not correlate. However, student achievement is
never a simple one-factor approach. It is the hypothesis of the
authors that while the goals NCLB are admirable, there can be no
simplistic solutions. The authors of this article believe that a lower
student to psychologist ratio is but one means to the achievement
end. If schools address mental health needs of students within the
school, then those students most at risk for school failure or poor
performance on mandated testing will perform better than if
schools did not address these issues. There is ample research,
which will not be addressed in this article, that supports the connection between student achievement and the implementation of
programs which support social-emotional learning (SEL).Ψ
Look for the last installment in the spring issue.
NY School Psychologist Volume XXV volume Suffolk School Districts by Total Enrollment
(Enrollment under Excluded)
Total Student Enrollment
NY School Psychologist Volume XXV volume Name of District
Southold
Port Jefferson
Center Moriches
Matfituck Cutchogue
Southampton
Westhampton Beach
Hampton Bays
East Hampton
Babylon
Cold Spring Harbor
Wyandanch
Mt Sinai
Bayport Blue Point
Elwood
ShoreharnWading River
Amityville
Miller Place
Sayville
Rocky Point
Islip
Eastport South Manor
Harborfields
BrookhavenCornsewogue
Kings Park
Hauppauge
Huntington
Deer Park
South Country (Bellport)
Riverhead
West Babylon
Copiague
North Babylon
East Islip
Bay Shore
West Islip
South Huntington
Central Islip
Northport East Northport
Connetiquot
Lindenhurst
Commack
Three Village
Patchogue Medford
Longwood
Half Hollow Hills
William Floyd
Smithtown
Middle County
Sachem
Brentwood
Number of School Psychologists
Not Available
CHAPTER REPS
B
A
C
G
D
H
C
hapter representatives are appointed officials
that, with the executive committee, comprise
the voting members of the NYASP board.
Chapter reps serve for a two-year term and attend
three to four meetings per year. Alternates for each
chapter are selected by the chapter representative
and appointed by the president. They attend meetings and arrange chapter functions when the elected
representative is not available. Chapter reps are
encouraged to hold regional meetings to forward the
practice of school psychology.
E
I
F
J
K L
N
O
A Jefferson Lewis & St Lawrence
CYNTHIA BURNS-MCDONALD
•[email protected]
414 Elizabeth St, Ogdensburg, NY 13669
315-393-4992 h / 315-393-7729 w
AND MARY KAY HAFER • [email protected]
101 S.H. 72, Potsdam, NY 13676
315-265-9033 h / 315-265-4642 w
B Clinton Essex & Franklin
NANCY DUPREE • [email protected]
518-293-8105 h / 518-565-5665 w
Alt: LACY REZEK • [email protected]
1304 Pine St, Saranac Lake NY 12983
518-891-2548 h / 518-359-7518 x108 w
C Erie Genessee Niagara Orleans &
Wyoming
BARBARA MURPHY • [email protected]
296 Fruitwood Terr, Williamsville, NY 14221
716-983-0104 h / 716-848-6432 w
Alt: RUTH STEEGMANN • [email protected]
5218 Pendale Ct, N Tonawanda NY 14120
716-694-0719 h / 716-645-2484 x1063 w
D Monroe Ontario Seneca & Wayne
SUZANNE GRANEY • [email protected]
46 Maida Dr, Spencerport, NY 14559
585-475-2765 w / 585-349-0244 h
Any member who is interested in service as a chapter
representative should contact
P
Tom Kulaga, President-Elect
[email protected]
383 Milton Tpk, Milton, NY 12547
845-790-4382 h / 845-795-2730 w
for information and assistance. Ψ
E Cayuga Cortland Madison Oneida
Onondaga & Oswego
SUSAN MARKEL • [email protected]
190 Robineau Rd, Syracuse NY 13207
315-422-3585 h / 315-488-5422 w
Alt: CHRISTOPHER MARTIN •[email protected]
9278 Butler Rd, Sauquoit NY 13456
315-737-7104 h
F Fulton Hamilton Herkimer Montgomery
Saratoga Warren & Washington
OPEN
G Allegany Cattaraugus & Chautauqua
GREGORY LEONARD • [email protected]
28 Fairfield Ave, Jamestown, NY 14701
716-484-8534 h / 716-386-4932
Alt: AMY PIPER • [email protected]
PO Box 141, Mayville, NY 14757
716-269-7866 h / 716-753-5849 w
H Chemung Livingston Schuyler Steuben &
Yates
NANCY FOREMAN • [email protected]
113 Genesee St, Hornell NY 14843
607-324-7834 h / 607-324-3703 w
AND BRIDGET REAGAN • [email protected]
58 South St, Addison, NY 14801
607-359-2171 h / 607-527-4550 w
(D Alternate OPEN)
NY School Psychologist Volume XXV volume CHAPTER REPS
“Chapter representatives serve to communicate the needs and interests
of their chapter members and to advocate best practices strategies in their geographical region”
(NYASP Operations Handbook )
I Broome Chenango Delaware Otsego
Tioga & Tompkins
MAGGIE NUGENT • [email protected]
809 Elliot St, Endicott NY 13760-2101
607-748-6232 h / 607-648-7589 w
Alt: LINDA LOGALLO • [email protected]
8 Whiting Way, Conklin, NY 13748
607-775-1634 h / 607-655-8247 w
718-341-0230 h / 718-327-9536 w
AND GEORGIA ALDRIDGE • [email protected]
47-14 217 St Apt 2D, Bayside NY 11361
718-225-3231 h / 718-391-6174 w
N Brooklyn
DAVID BORG • [email protected]
19 West 34th St, Penthouse Suite, NY NY 10001
718-638-4707 w
J Albany Columbia Schenectady Schoharie &
Rensselaer
KIRSTEN EIDLE-BARKMAN • [email protected]
20 Fairlawn Ave, Albany, NY 12203
518-453-1243 h / 518-869-0293
AND KATRINA EMMERICH • [email protected]
2373 Switzkill Rd, Berne, NY 12023
518-281-1608 h
K Dutchess Greene Orange Sullivan &
Ulster
JEFF FRIEDMAN • judyoptonline.net
3 Janice Dr, Highland Mills, NY 10930
845-928-6180 h / 845-782-8139 w
(K Alternate OPEN)
(N4 Alternate OPEN)
N Staten Island
DOMINICK BORTONE • [email protected]
63-18 75th Pl, Middle Village NY 11379
718-894-5478 h / 718-720-8260 w
(N5 Alternate OPEN)
O Nassau
CHERYL MENDELSOHN • [email protected]
59 Eastwood Ave, Deer Park, NY 11729
631-243-0349 h / 516-256-0164 w
Alt: CHRISTINE GOLDBERG • [email protected]
1974 Bedford Ave, N Bellmore, NY 11710
516-826-4868 h / 516-773-8390 w
L Putnam Rockland & Westchester
JEANNE GOLD • [email protected]
21 Shaw Ln, Irvington NY 10533
914-591-8634 h / 914-248-2382 w
Alt: RAYNA SHAPIRO • [email protected]
61 Roundtop Road, Yonkers, NY 10710
914-395-3742 h / 914-472-8040 w
N Bronx
ELZBIETA BLACK • [email protected]
5414 Arlington Ave Apt J31, Bronx NY 10471
718-549-2714 h /
(N1 Alternate OPEN)
N Manhattan
ROBERT EVANS • [email protected]
620 W 171st St #3E, New York NY 10032
212-781-2758 h / 212-281-9625 w
N Queens
(N2 Alternate OPEN)
RICHARD GAMES • [email protected]
142-16 168th St, Jamaica NY 11434
NY School Psychologist Volume XXV volume P Suffolk
JOHN KELLY • [email protected]
65 Middle Rd, Blue Point, NY 11715
631-912-2122
Alt: JODY JAKOB •[email protected]
209-80 18th Ave, Bayside, NY 11360
718-225-0790 h / 631-912-2183 w
Student Reps
SARA LITTMAN OLITZKY • [email protected]
917-575-7985
JESSICA PLEWINSKI • [email protected]
130 Delta Rd, Amherst, NY 14226
716-834-4310
Alts: ARIELLE D’APRILE • [email protected]
8 Sylvia St, Newburgh, NY 12550
KERRIAN EDWARDS • [email protected]
NYASP EXECUTIVE BOARD DIRECTORY
Executive Committee (
)
President
John Kelly
[email protected]
65 Middle Rd, Blue Point, NY 11715
631-912-2122
Treasurer
Eban Shor
PresidentElect
Tom Kulaga
[email protected]
383 Milton Tpk, Milton, NY 12547
845-795-2730 h / 845-790-4382 w
TreasurerElect
[email protected]
1 Pt Comfort Rd, Morristown NY 13664
315-375-8628 h
Mac Barnett
[email protected]
720 Sara Ct, Lewiston, NY 14092
716-807-3855 h / 716-754-2406 w
Secretary
Newsletter Editor
Peter Faustino
[email protected]
1 Old Orchard Rd, Rye Brook NY 10573
914-939-5610 h / 914-241-6119 w
PastPresident
Robin Raphael
[email protected]
85 Foxcroft Ln, Williamsville NY 14221
716-632-1755 h / 716-250-1457 w
NASP Delegate
Lynne Thies
[email protected]
41 Shore Park Rd, Great Neck NY 11023
516-466-5477 h / 516-379-3394 w
Kelly Caci
[email protected]
499 Lake Rd, New Windsor NY 12553
845-567-4815 h / 845-563-3715
Committee Chairpersons
Awards
Ethics & Professional Practices
[email protected]
24 Parkview Ct, Lancaster NY 14086
716-684-1097 h
[email protected]
3530 Henry Hudson Pkwy 8A
Riverdale NY 10463
718-548-2386 h / 914-576-4415 W
Judy Harwood
Children’s Issues
Arlene Crandall
[email protected]
75 Cranberry Cir, Medford, NY 11763
Conference Merryl Bushansky
Dominick Bortone
Chapter N5 Rep
Legislative
Nancy Evangelista
Multicultural/Diversity Issues
Julia Rodriguez
3 Hook Rd Unit 52
Poughkeepsie, NY 12601
845-797-0214 h
[email protected]
Urban Initiatives
Tom Kulaga
President-Elect, Website
Public Relations
Britton Schnurr
Katrina Emmerich
John Kelly
Job Information Network
Listserves
[email protected]
31 Kalina Dr, Saugerties, NY 12477
845-249-5710 h / 845-575-3000 w
Newsletter Editor
Publications
John Kelly
Chapter C Alt
William Robelee
President
Kelly Caci
President Elect
Continuing Professional
Development
Kathy Peterson
Membership
[email protected]
299 S Grove St, East Aurora NY 14052
716-652-9547 h / 716-250-1529 w
Nancy Foreman
[email protected]
113 Genesee St, Hornell NY 14843
607-324-7834 h / 607-324-3703 w
Early Childhood
Rural Initiatives
Lacy Rezek
Chapter B Alt
Eban Shor
Treasurer
Ryan Peterson
Susan Hildebrandt
[email protected]
23 Sierra St, Glens Falls NY 12801
518-761-0703 h
Ruth Steegmann
Research
Mac Barnett
[email protected]
720 Sara Ct, Lewiston, NY 14092
716-754-2406 h / 716-807-3855 w
Web Site
Tom Kulaga
[email protected]
383 Milton Tpk, Milton, NY 12547
845-790-4382 h / 845-795-2730 w
Liaisons & Affiliates
Archivist
ISPA Liaison
Patricia Collins-Martin
Chapter I Rep
[email protected]
6 Stanford Pl, Binghamton NY 13905
607-770-1995 h / 607-786-8271 w
Maggie Nugent
NYASP to NYSCEA
Susan Hildebrandt
Public Relations
SPECNYS to NYASP
Nancy Evangelista
Legislative
STUDENT REPRESENTATIVES
William Robelee
Job Information Network
NY School Psychologist Volume XXV volume New York Association of School Psychologists
Membership Application
First Name ________________________________________
Last Name ________________________________________
Address ________________________________________
__ Certified as a school psychologist in New York
__ Provisional Certification
__ Permanent Certification
Certificate _________________________Date:_____________
City State Zip ________________________________________
County ________________________________________
Home Phone ________________________________________
Work Phone ________________________________________
Email Address ________________________________________
Present
Employer _______________________________________
Job Title _______________________________________
__ Nationally certified (hold the NCSP credential)
NCSP ________________________________________________
__ Licensed as a psychologist in New York
License ________________________________________
Degrees held & years obtained
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
___ PartTime Private Practice
___ Full Time Private Practice
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
___ Currently functioning as a school psychologist
___ Primarily engaged in the training of school psychologists
at a college or university
___ Trained as a school psychologist but currently functioning
as a supervisor of psychological services
___ Trained as a school psychologist but currently functioning
in another position
Years of experience in the field Professional Affiliations
NASP _____________________APA___________________
NYSPA____________________NYSUT ________________
Other(s): ________________________________________
___ Student enrolled in a school psychology training program
___ Regular

___ Retired

___ Student

___ Common
Address 
(two members at same address)
Applicant’s Signature __________________________________________________________Date ________________________
Indicates agreement to abide by the ethics and standards of NYASP
Note: please verify your professional status by enclosing a copy of your state certification
Student membership requires supervisor’s signature and program information below
Signature of Advisor or Supervisor ______________________________________________Date ________________________
Program / Employer Name and Location______________________________________________________________________
MAIL TO: NYASP Membership • PO Box • Hornell NY • WE’RE ON THE WEB!
NEWSLETTER STAFF
Editor
Kelly Caci
[email protected]
Review Editor
Peter Faustino
[email protected]
Publications Chair Ruth Steegmann
Staff Ned Engel
Kristin Condon
Jeff Friedman
www.nyasp.org
Check It Out
Tom Kulaga
Steve Rappleyea
New York School Psychologist is published four times per year by
the New York Association of School Psychologists for its members.
Views expressed in the magazine do not necessarily reflect the
position of NYASP’s Executive Board. Editorial policy: All articles and reports of factual information may be edited to conform to
space and format specifications and to improve clarity, with permission of writers. Expressions of opinion as in editorials and letters to
the editor may be edited only with the writer’s consent. All writers
will be given credit via byline. Material used with permission from
other sources will identify and credit the source. Submission
guidelines: Preferred document size is approximately 750 words
(review) or 1500 words (article). Submissions are accepted via
email attachment or on 3 1/2” disk with revisions and corrections
already made. Photos, cartoons, and drawings should be submitted
as a .tiff file when possible. We will make every attempt to return
hard copy submissions of art and photography.
REPRINT AUTHORIZATION: Editors of state school psychology
association newsletters, NASP publications and other psychology
organization newsletters are authorized to reproduce only uncopyrighted articles in the NYASP newsletter provided the author and
newsletter are credited. State editors please note: If you modify or
condense a reprinted article, please note that to your readers.
Permission to reprint copyrighted articles must be obtained directly
from the copyright holder.
New York
SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGIST
NEW YORK ASSOCIATION OF
SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGISTS
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