Position Title:    School Psychologist
Department:      Office of Special Programs

SUMMARY: 

Provides a full range of school psychological services to children ages 0-21, including: screening and assessment, consultation with administration and teachers, functions as a member of the multi-disciplinary team to determine the student’s eligibility for special education services, participates on student intervention teams, participates in 504 eligibility meetings, completes functional behavior assessments, and helps to develop behavior intervention plans.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:   

• Conducts extensive psychological examinations of referred students.
• Conducts functional behavior assessments and helps develop behavior intervention plans
• Provides intervention ideas to teachers to maximize student learning and adjustment.
• Provides consultation to parents, teachers, other school personnel, and community agencies to enhance the learning of students.
• Interpret diagnoses to school personnel, other concerned professionals, parents and students.
• Participates on Student Intervention Teams.
  • Assists the team with suggestions and implementation of pre-referral intervention strategies, and provides recommendations and modifications to assist general education staff in working with special education students in the classroom setting.
  • Helps the team determine when to refer a student for a comprehensive evaluation.
• Participates as a member of the individualized education program (IEP) team and/or Section 504 team, contributing evaluation findings and collaborating to help develop the child’s educational plan.
• Conducts reevaluation reviews and evaluations according to establish timelines as needed.
• Works with schools in crisis situations.
• Adheres to the ethical standards and codes of the profession, and to the established rules, regulations, and laws governing special education programs.
• Participates in activities that promote professional development and uses clinical/educational research to enhance services.
• Attends department activities, meetings, and training to support department initiatives.
• Performs other duties as may be assigned by the Director of Special Programs.

JOB SPECIFICATIONS

EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE:

Master’s or Educational Specialist Degree School Psychology plus internship.

                                                                                                                                    Such alternatives to the above qualifications as the Board may find appropriate and acceptable

CERTIFICATES, LICENSES, REGISTRATIONS: 

Valid South Carolina Teaching License in the following area:

School Psychology

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES:  

Not applicable

LANGUAGE SKILLS: 

Ability to read, analyze and interpret professional journals, technical procedures and instructional manuals.  Ability to design and write professional development plans, reports and data entry procedures.  Ability to effectively present professional development and training and respond to questions from groups of educators, trainees, administrators and organization members.

MATHEMATICAL SKILLS:

Ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide in units of measurement, using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals.  Ability to work with mathematical concepts such as probability and statistical inference and in the display and interpretation of data.

REASONING ABILITY:

Ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions.  Ability to interpret and carry out instructions furnished in written, oral, diagram or schedule form.  Ability to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations where only limited standardization exists. Ability to analyze information and use logic to address work related issues and problems. Ability to quickly assess employee, departmental, and administrative needs and provide timely feedback.

OTHER SKILLS and ABILITIES:

Ability to perform duties with awareness of all district requirements and Board of Education policies.

Ability to apply knowledge of current research and theory to instructional program; ability to plan and implement lessons based on division and school objectives and the needs and abilities of students to whom assigned.  Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with students, peers, parents and community; ability to speak clear and concisely in written or oral communication.

Ability to implement a flexible work schedule to meet the reporting deadlines.   Proficiency with Microsoft applications such as Excel, Word, and PowerPoint required.  Ability to perform duties with a high level of detail and accuracy. Ability to self-monitor and manage multiple tasks while working individually and with members of a group.

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.

The employee will occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds such as boxes of materials.  The employee will sometimes push/pull items such as furniture or boxes of materials.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit, stand, walk, talk, listen and/or reach with hands and arms. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision.  Some driving required.  The employee is frequently required to interact with the public or other staff.  The employee is directly responsible for the safety, well-being of students.

WORK ENVIRONMENT: 

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Office environment with limited exposure to environmental conditions.  The noise level in this environment is quiet to loud depending upon the activity in the particular part of the day.

TERMS OF EMPLOYMENT: 

200 Days, 8 Hours a Day

Psychologist Pay Scale

The terms of employment detailed in this job description are based on full time employment during the school year.  Conditions of employment adjusted for part time employees or individuals who are hired for less than an entire school year.

EVALUATION: 

Performance of this job evaluated annually according to Board Policy.

DISCLAIMER STATEMENT:

The information contained in this job-description is for compliance with the American with Disabilities Act (A.D.A.) and is not an exhaustive list of the duties performed for this position.  Additional duties are performed by the individuals currently holding this position and additional duties may be assigned.