Job Description:

JOB CLASSIFICATION SUMMARY

Responsible for supporting students’ learning, social development, and mental and behavioral health using problem solving, assessment, data-based decision-making, and the delivery of evidenced-based interventions. School Psychologists collaborate and consult with educators, families, and other professionals to help create safe, healthy, and supportive learning environments for all students. 

This is a professional level classification responsible for providing a comprehensive range of services as described in the current standards from the National Association of School Psychologists. The school psychologist’s functions as part of the district’s Child Find Services team. This team collaboratively provides a multi-tiered system of supports through implementation and monitoring of evidence-based behavioral and academic interventions for all students in need. Child Find Services also includes consultation with faculty, administration and parents regarding special needs students; facilitating the site multidisciplinary team used for making referrals, evaluations, program placement and individual program development for students. 

ESSENTIAL DUTIES

The following are intended to describe core work functions of this classification. While the level and broad nature of essential duties may not change, specific work tasks will vary over time depending on the District’s needs.

* In-person attendance is an essential function of this classification.

• Applies their knowledge of both psychology and education through consultation and collaboration with teachers, school administrators, parents, and community providers;

• Participate in effective data-based decision-making using a foundation of assessment and data collection;

• Engage in specific services for students, such as direct and indirect interventions that focus on academic skills, learning, socialization, and mental health;

• Provide services to schools and families that enhance the competence and well-being of children, including promotion of effective and safe learning environments, prevention and remediation of academic and behavior problems, response to crises, and improvement of family-school collaboration;

• Models and maintains compliance with federal and state statutes, district policies, and procedures; 

• Provides school-based collaboration, consulting, and supervision of interns to eliminate or reduce student learning and behavioral problems and to increase skill levels of teachers, parents, administrators and other key staff including identifying and prioritizing issues and problems; determining focus and structure of collaborative problem solving; and determining training or knowledge needs of teachers, parents, and other key personnel;

• Provides primary, secondary and tertiary mental health services including determining educational impact of mental health needs of the child; determining the appropriateness of individual or group counseling or referral to an outside agency; and determining the nature and scope of the problem and the resources necessary for crisis intervention;

• Determines how rights of parents and children affect decision making at critical junctures including making decisions related to alleged child abuse; remaining cognizant of key legal issues that impact learning and behavioral issues and convening school based teams to discuss such issues; identifying factors that may impinge on a special education child’s right to education in the least restrictive environment; facilitating functional behavior assessment of disabled children who require frequent discipline; and determining manifestation of behavior in manners of suspension of special education students;

• Coordinates school problem solving teams including determining and making recommendations for children’s special education and accommodation under section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act eligibility determining need for informal planning teams and child study teams to address learning and behavioral needs of children; and negotiating and mediating conflicts to resolve differences with regard to problem identification, problem remedies, interpretation of guidelines of applicable federal laws, and role ambiguity;

• Provides systems level collaboration by linking with external mental health resources to best address the mental health and learning needs of students including determining school based needs and necessity of various types of mental health services; identifying external resources and agencies to address student mental health needs; determining need for individual referral to an outside agency and facilitating referral with parent; and determining need for counseling groups facilitated at school sites by counselors from  outside agencies;

• Facilitates organizational change by applying knowledge of behavioral science technology, research, and theory including determining and responding to need for change; determining structure of and conducting a needs assessment; and facilitating the identification of a specific area to be changed by clarifying goals and objectives,determining needs to be remedied, and recommending course of action based on identified needs and targeted outcomes.

• Submits Medicaid billings; and,

• Performs related work as assigned. 

KNOWLEDGE

• Federal, state, and local laws, codes, rules, regulations, and statutes.

• District policies, procedures, organization structure and school requirements.

• Psychology principles and practices.

• School psychology subject matter including human behavior and social systems, theoretical counseling models and approaches, normal and abnormal human development and psychopathology, and normal cognitive, emotional, physical, social and academic developmental sequence of childhood.

• Relevant medical, social, and legal community resources.

• Assessment instruments and methodologies.

• Current relevant research related to psychology and behavior and learning problems of children. 

SKILLS

• Working under pressure to meet timelines and handling multiple and changing priorities.

• Use of a variety of office and school equipment.

• Analyzing information from journal articles, books, research finding, etc.

• Use of relevant assessment tools and problem solving techniques specific to psychological and educational.

• Utilizing communication and interpersonal skills as applied to interaction with coworkers, supervisors, the general public and others to sufficiently exchange or convey information and to receive work direction. 

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS (for new hires at job entry)

Education and Experience:

Master's and/or Doctorate Degree in School Psychology.

Required Certifications/Licenses:

• Arizona School Psychologist's Certification.

• Arizona Fingerprint Clearance Card (FPCC).

Our Beliefs: A Guide for Our Actions

·       We Believe In:

·       Loving each child as our own.

·       Mindful, curious, and adventurous learning.

·       Safe schools that nurture mind, body, and spirit.

·       High expectations that promote academic growth.

·       The strength that comes from the diversity of our community.

·       Our Vision: Creighton neighborhood schools inspire adventurous thinkers, collaborative learners, and kind-hearted leaders.

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