JOB TITLE: School Psychologist
FLSA CLASSIFICATION: Exempt (Professional), salaried employee
WORK DAYS: 184 days (does not include holidays)
STANDARD HOURS PER DAY: 7.5 hours for 4 days per week and 8.5 hours for 1 day per week
SALARY SCHEDULE & BENEFITS: A School Psychologist is paid on the “Teachers” salary schedule, and is eligible for benefits on the “Teachers” benefits schedule. $50,500 (Bachelors, 0 Years) / $51,500 (Masters, 0 Years). School psychologists also receive an annual stipend of $3,000 in the form of two payments.
REPORTS TO: School Psychologist is supervised by the Assistant Superintendent of Exceptional Learners or designee.
SUPERVISES: A School Psychologist may be asked to mentor a new school psychologist, practicum student, or intern student.
GENERAL SUMMARY OF DUTIES:
The school psychologist supports a number of schools with which the district is affiliated to address the academic, cognitive, social, emotional and behavioral needs of students. The school psychologist will support various school members and outside community service providers, in addressing the needs and abilities of students. School psychologists work with district and building administration to advocate for students and their needs, and are expected to maintain a high level of compliance with district expectations and timelines.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS (include, but are not limited to the following):
Assess and evaluate students in compliance with district, state and federal guidelines to implement Child Find and determine appropriate eligibility for students suspected of having a disability;
Monitor and maintain compliance with evaluations and meeting timelines;
Demonstrate knowledge of child growth and development, individual student needs and cultural sensitivity by providing relevant, best practices in evaluation procedures and instructional practice recommendations;
Compose written, multidisciplinary evaluation reports in compliance with district, state and federal guidelines;
Participate in and effectively present accurate and legally defensible information at all required student meetings including informed consents, m-teams, and case conferences;
Assist case conference committees with IEP development based on the findings of the multidisciplinary evaluation report;
Maintain consistent and frequent communication with all necessary members of an evaluation process to ensure a complete and thorough evaluation is conducted;
Sign off on all necessary Medicaid paperwork;
Communicate and collaborate with parents, the school, and community resources for the purpose of fostering individual student success and growth;
Establish and maintain cooperative, professional relationships with administrative staff, school staff, parents and community members;
Routinely meet and communicate with school and district personnel for the purpose of addressing academic, behavioral, social and emotional student needs, including crisis situations;
Actively collaborate with other school psychologists, in and out of the district, to address the needs of the whole child and to ensure efficacy of district-wide evaluation practices;
Serve as an advocate for students with disabilities by communicating best practices, expectations and recommendations for data collection, intervention, and service delivery to effectively and efficiently utilize resources to meet laws and district policies;
Organize and lead small, building based intervention groups targeted on specific student needs;
Provide and participate in professional development as designated by the supervisor;
Assist with manifestation conference meetings;
Conduct file reviews and provide a synopsis as directed by the supervisor;
Participate in and facilitate evaluations and meetings through telecommunication methods, as required by the district, and meet the needs of all students.
Maintain consistent attendance and conform to regular work hours specified under contract;
Implement and comply with district policies and procedures;
Assist in the recruitment, hiring and mentoring of departmental staff, including new school psychologists, interns, and practicum students;
Maintain records and information concerning individual students in the prescribed confidential manner and using the records and information only for the purposes for which they are maintained according to FERPA guidelines;
Other duties and responsibilities as assigned by the supervisor.
NON-ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:
Perform related duties as assigned by the administration in accordance with school district policies and procedures.
SKILLS AND PROFICIENCIES:
Exudes positivity and proactive/ solutions-oriented approach to problem-solving.
Strong working knowledge of Article 7 and Indiana law.
Ability to produce, analyze, interpret and summarize data.
Ability to interpret policy and procedures.
Must possess excellent interpersonal skills.
Must possess strong writing and verbal communication/ presentation skills.
Ability to interact positively with parents, students, staff, and administrators.
REQUIREMENTS:
EDUCATION/TRAINING: Educational Specialist in School Psychology. Previous experience in schools is strongly preferred, but not required.
CERTIFICATIONS &/OR LICENSES: Valid license from the Indiana Department of Education, Division of Professional Standards. Required Licensing Area: School Psychology
OTHER: Ability to perform the essential functions, meet the performance aptitudes, and fulfill the physical/sensory/environmental requirements of the job (with or without reasonable accommodations) is required.
Physical Requirements: Tasks involve the ability to exert very moderate physical effort in light work, typically involving some combination of standing, walking, climbing, stooping, kneeling, crouching and crawling, and which may involve some lifting, carrying, pushing and/or pulling of objects and materials of moderate weight (10-20 pounds).
Sensory Requirements: Most tasks require visual perception and discrimination. Many tasks also require oral communications ability. Some tasks require the ability to perceive and discriminate sounds.
Environmental Factors: Tasks are regularly performed without exposure to adverse environmental conditions, such as dirt, dust, pollen, odors, wetness, humidity, rain, fumes, temperature and noise extremes, machinery, vibrations, electric currents, traffic hazards, animals/wildlife, toxic/poisonous agents, violence, disease, or pathogenic substances.