INCLUSIVE EDUCATION: THE SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGIST S ROLE

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1 INCLUSIVE EDUCATION: THE SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGIST S ROLE New Brunswick Association of School Psychologists (NBASP) Submitted by: Juanita Mureika, L.Psych Formatted by: Shanyn Small & Erika Nason Issue 3: February 4, 2013 The 21st-century classroom is more challenging than ever. As outlined in the Porter-Aucoin Report on Inclusive Education, everyone in the school system will need to work together to provide the best educational experience for all students. Education Support Services Teams (ESST), including classroom teachers, are facing a broader range of student diversity than ever before and, subsequently, they need increased access to specialized services and supports. It is critical to the education of all students, especially those with special needs, that all educational staff receive appropriate assistance to enable them to succeed in their evolving teaching roles. School psychologists are key players in helping educational staff achieve this outcome. It is so important that educational staff be aware of and use the full spectrum of skills and services provided by a school psychologist. We can help!

2 WHO IS THE SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGIST? The Canadian Psychological Association (CPA 2007) describes school psychologists as science-based practitioners who possess skills and knowledge in child and adolescent development, principles of learning, behaviour and individual differences, social/emotional/behavioural and academic interventions, assessment and program planning. School psychologists see themselves as partners with educational staff in planning for and assisting with student learning and behaviour. Each district in NB has access to a school psychologist through your ESST. The School Psychologist s Role is Changing Traditionally, the primary role of school psychologists has been to provide diagnostic assessment information for students. As a result, many school psychologists in New Brunswick have struggled to find the time to offer the broad array of school psychology services described in the document Guidelines for Professional Practice for School Psychologists (NB Department of Education, 2002). However, school psychologists have the training and skills to assist educational staff to plan for and respond to the diverse learning needs of students in today s classrooms. 2

3 What services do school psychologists provide to the educational system? School psychologists provide a wide variety of both educational and mental health services to districts, school staff, students, and their families (CPA 2007). In New Brunswick, Positive Behaviour Interventions and Supports (PBIS) has been advocated since the publication of Meeting Behavioural Challenges by the Department of Education in are essential for providing school psychology services at all three levels of intervention. This model of service delivery is well matched to an Inclusive Education system, and fully supports the Response to Intervention (RtI) approach, which is also being advocated by the Department of Education. As articulated by the PBIS approach, which is used widely in both the US and across Canada, the Pyramid of Interventions model presented to the side provides a menu of services to be provided to students at the different levels/tiers of intervention. In New Brunswick, we have taken the generic model and tailored it to the unique needs of our school system. We have developed tools to help us collect the data that we need to ensure that our interventions are needed, and once applied, that they are working as we hoped. School psychologists use these tools and also assist teachers and other members of the ESST in applying the tools and translating the data into effective plans for student learning and behaviour. Consultation skills 3

4 Examples of roles that School Psychologists can provide within an Inclusive Education, RtI model may include: Tier I: Services that support all Offer in-service training for school personnel and parents on topics of interest. Provide current educational and psychological research (for example, evidencebased instructional interventions) to school and district personnel. Model inclusive education practices (for example, universal design for learning, differentiated instruction and flexible groupings). Train and support educational staff on schoolwide RtI and Positive Behaviour Interventions and Supports (PBIS). Support and partner with educational staff in the selection and/or delivery of social-emotional learning (mental fitness) and academic programs. Participate in a coaching/teaching partnership (i.e. classroom teachers, education support teacher- resource, education support teacher guidance). Tier II: Services that support targeted groups Coach, through demonstration and training, progress monitoring strategies as part of the individual intervention plan, and assist staff in interpreting data as part of the on-going decision making process. Complete classroom observations and assist with Functional Behaviour Assessments in partnership with teachers to identify the patterns and/or factors underlying a student s learning and/or behavioural needs. Identify teaching strategies or provide assistance on how to adapt curricula to make accommodations to meet students needs based on learning and cognitive profiles, developmental levels and behavioural challenges for the development of targeted skills. Assist with planning and facilitating targeted programming for small-group academic, behavioural or social skill instruction, including stress management, mindfulness and addictions. Participate in problem-solving meetings with school staff prior to the referral process. Provide supports to the school community in response to crisis. Tier III: Support for individual students Provide collaborative consultation services to teachers and parents to develop and implement academic, behavioural or social programming plans for individual students who are experiencing significant or ongoing difficulties. Facilitate referrals to other agencies and professionals, and work collaboratively with professionals from other agencies to ensure comprehensive wraparound supports for students and their parents. Evaluate individual students using various assessment methods to better understand a student s educational needs, including classroom observations, file reviews, gathering case history information, reviewing previous assessments and, as needed, administering new assessments, and providing parents and educational staff with comprehensive reports and recommendations. Coach educational staff and parents in the implementation of recommended strategies. Provide counselling and/or skills teaching to individual students. 4

5 Conclusion Who is your School Psychologist? Fredericton Education Centre Christie Little Gina Mallard Judith Margison Oromocto Education Centre Erika Nason Shanyn Small Inclusive Education is here to stay in New Brunswick. To make it work well for all students, their parents, and their teachers, school psychologists need to be full partners in setting the stage (Tier I), addressing the needs of at-risk students in a timely manner (Tier II), and working to plan for individual student programming (Tier III). Let s begin the consultation process we re here to help! References Canadian Psychological Association (CPA) Professional Practice Guidelines for School Psychologists in Canada. es/documents/publications /CPA%20Guideline%20Prac tice.pdf New Brunswick Department of Education (2004). Meeting Behavioural Challenges: A Staff Professional Development Resource. ublications/ss/staffpdres ource.pdf Positive Interventions and Supports. Woodstock Education Centre Lisa Lee Food for Thought: There needs to be a shift in focus from diagnosing how a learner is disabled to diagnosing how a learner can be enabled. J. Grimes 5