School Psychologist

NATURE AND SCOPE

The effective School Psychologist is aware of and up to date on effective instructional processes, understands classroom and school environments, is cognizant and capable of operating within schools and collaborating with State agencies, applies principles of learning to the development of student competence both within and outside of school, consults with educators and other professionals regarding cognitive, affective, social and behavioral performance of students, assesses developmental needs and develop educational plans that meet those diverse needs, coordinates and interfaces with educational, psychological and behavioral health services, intervenes to provide clinical support at the individual, group, school and district level, as needed and develops effective partnerships with parents and community members within the context of the MADESE regulations for general and special education and the Westwood Public Schools policies and procedures. (Adapted from the APA database May 2017)

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS/RESPONSIBILITIES

• Develops, implements, documents and interprets comprehensive and complete psychological evaluations as part of the legally required IEP and 504 process under both MADESE regulations and IDEA requirements.
• Creates, maintains and flexibly develops effective counseling relationships and clinical interventions in order to meet student needs and to facilitate student''s meeting this goals. Maintains accurate records of their work.
• Maintains accurate testing data, scheduling, and timeline lists to ensure compliance with all required federal, state and local requirements. Uses data to accurately measure and reflect student progress.
• Participates in the school level pre-referral and positive behavioral support team process to accurately design assessment and intervention planning as part of a multi-disciplinary team.
• Effectively communicates with all team members including but not limited to parents, administrators, general education teachers, outside providers, related service providers and agency partners.
• Is a positive, proactive and flexible collaborator with peers.
• Is prompt, punctual, and reliable in receiving and handling sensitive, confidential, and FERPA protected student and family information. Respects confidentiality within the public school context and maintains professional boundaries at all times.
• Adheres to all ethical and legal requirements and keeps records that are appropriate, accurate, legible, well organized and stored in a secure location.
• Provides consultation services to teachers and other professionals to help each student reach his or her potential in the least restrictive educational environment. May include ongoing direcct work in the general education and or special education setting.
• Is a member of the crisis response team and provides intervention as needed including supporting other psychologists in the district.

All other related duties as requested by supervisor.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Licensed as a School Psychologist by the Massachusetts Department of Education. Demonstration of competency in the theory, administration, and interpretation of recognized standardized instruments. Ability to efficiently write comprehensive and informative reports that contain appropriate education data.

KNOWLEDGE, ABILITY, AND SKILL

Report writing.

Completion of relevant IEP sections in a timely manner.

Completion of 504 plans as assigned.

PERSONAL QUALITIES

• Respectful and able to collaborate with colleagues from a variety of philosophical and academic backgrounds.
• Empathic and fair in communicating with others.
• Highly skilled in active listening techniques and aware of and skilled at using verbal and non verbal behaviors that support relationship building.
• Able to set, monitor and adjust treatment goals in an ongoing manner.
• Skill in both individual, group, whole school and district level interventions.

JOB ENVIRONMENT

Work takes place in a fast-paced school environment with in an active school building, primarily indoors. Required to juggle tasks and face interruptions as a matter of course. Job takes place in a variety of settings, including hallways, classrooms, offices, recess, gym, lunchroom and other settings.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

• Sufficient vision and hearing to read printed documents and communicate orally in team meetings.
• Frequent standing, walking, sitting, bending and reaching as well as carrying and occasionally lifting up to 30 lbs.
• Ability to take, complete and pass a de-escalation training such as Crisis Prevention Intervention (CPI) and to perform appropriate de-escalation actions as part of a school wide crisis response team.
• Facility with all computer and web based programs for scoring evaluations, writing reports and completing IEP progress reports and goal statements.

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.

The Westwood Public Schools does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, gender expression, age, national origin, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or military status.