School Psychologist

SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGIST - .05- N.A. Ferri .05- Johnston Senior High School General Description of Duties: The School Psychologist provides a continuum of social-emotional and behavioral services and supports to assist students in accessing their instruction. The School Psychologist is familiar with special education procedures and assists special education teams in the referral, evaluation, eligibility, and Individualized Educational Plan (IEP) process. Collaboration and consultation with teachers, related-service providers, parents, administrators, community providers, and students are essential expectations of the position. The School Psychologist completes evaluations, uses student data to guide decision-making, and assists teams in academic and behavioral intervention design. Immediate Supervisor: Director / Assistant Director of Special Services Qualification and Educational Requirements: •Must possess a valid Rhode Island state certification as a School Psychologist; •BCBA preferred or willingness to become certified as a BCBA; •Must demonstrate the ability to work cooperatively, collaboratively and effectively, with teachers, students, parents and other professionals; •Must have good interpersonal and communication skills; •Must demonstrate the highest standards for ethical and professional behavior. Roles and Responsibilities: •Adheres to the policies and related directives of the Johnston Public Schools; •Promotes the attainment of the District’s Mission, Vision, and Strategic Plan; •Applies current research-based best instructional practices and strategies to deliver and help students access the curriculum; •Adheres to special education policies, regulations and procedures, completes relevant paperwork; •Attends and actively contributes to Evaluation Team, IEP Team, 504, RtI and MTSS meetings, as required; •Advocates for appropriate accommodations and modifications based on individual student needs and characteristics; •Assists teams in designing and implementing IEPs to meet the unique needs of students with disabilities; •Develops, with colleagues, appropriate academic, behavioral, and social-emotional goals for students; •Promotes and utilizes positive behavioral supports; •Conducts initial psychological evaluations and re-evaluations to assess intelligence, personality, educational development, perception and sensory motor skills and/or mental health/behavioral disorders of referred students as indicated; •Prepares interpretive reports from psychological assessments in a style that is lucid to parents and other concerned professionals; •Utilizes appropriate psychological procedures and techniques. Submits required reports promptly and accurately and within compliance due dates; •Confers directly with administrators, teachers, parents and students regarding his/her findings and offers appropriate recommendations to benefit a student referred to him/her for psychological evaluation; •Assists teachers in the development of effective behavioral management programs; •Provides teacher consultation and in-service training as requested to the professional staff of the Johnston Public Schools; •Refers to, contacts and cooperates with medical personnel and community agencies in seeking services referred students; •Assists in interpreting outside evaluations such as neuropsychological, clinical psychological, psychiatric assessments and hospital discharge evaluations as needed; •Conducts formal student observations to assist special education teams in decision-making; •Completes Functional Behavior Analyses (FBAs) and Behavior Intervention Plans (BIPs); •Collaborates with outside providers and agencies to provide supports to students and families; •Actively supports teams in adhering to a problem-solving model during meetings, assists in the selection of evidence-based interventions, and helps teams design a plan to monitor student progress; •Uses student data in treatment/intervention design and adjusts service delivery based on results of ongoing progress monitoring; •Collaborates and consults with staff, parents, administration and the school community in providing information about the developmental stages of children and adolescents, linking this knowledge to how various social-emotional, environmental, biological, cultural, and experiential variables can impact student achievement; •Provides direct student service including, but not limited to, individual counseling, group skills instruction, behavioral intervention support, and crisis intervention; •Serves as a resource to building-level staff, administrators, and parents regarding the behavioral and social-emotional well-being of students; •Communicates high and clear expectations; •Assists students in monitoring their own progress; •Contributes to collaborative planning activities; •Consults and collaborates regularly and professionally with colleagues, students, and parents; communicates immediately with all when there are concerns; •Takes responsibility for personal professional growth; •Participates in school events and in school and/or department improvement efforts; and •Performs such other duties as assigned. Skills Required: •Ability to read, analyze, and interpret general education periodicals, professional journals, test data, technical procedures, or governmental regulations. Ability to write reports, business correspondence, and procedure manuals. Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from groups, staff, parents, and the general public; •Ability to calculate figures and amounts; •Ability to utilize current technology for instruction, communication, data analysis, and access to research; •Ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions. Ability to interpret a variety of technical instructions in mathematical or diagram form and deal with several abstract and concrete variables; •Ability to apply knowledge of current research and theory in specific field. Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with students, staff, and the community. Ability to communicate clearly and concisely both in oral and written form. Ability to perform duties with awareness of all state and federal regulations, district procedures and school committee policies. Physical Demands: •The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. •While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to stand, walk, sit, and talk or hear. Specific vision ability required by this job includes close vision and distance vision. Frequently, driving is required to meet the demands of this job. Occasionally, yet essential to this position, the individual must meet deadlines with severe time constraints and interact with the public and with other workers. Work Environment: •The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential function of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. •The noise level in this environment may be loud, depending upon the activity in the particular part of the day and location.