Case Studies in School Psychology

Applying Standards for Professional Practice

Stephanie A. Rahill, Lauren T. Kaiser

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2021
• Print ISBN: 9780367642952
• eBook ISBN: 9781000430110
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Education General

Case Studies in School Psychology is the first textbook to comprehensively introduce the NASP Practice Model through active discussion of real-life, school-based examples of issues facing school psychologists. Incorporating all 10 domains of practice, these true-to-life scenarios span individual child, class-wide, school-wide, and district/community-wide organizational levels across multiple age and developmental ranges. Graduate students will better understand their expansive roles and potential avenues to make positive impacts as school psychologists in children's academic, social, emotional, and behavioral development.

1
School Psychologists as Data-Based Decision Makers

Domain 1: Data-Based Decision-Making

“School psychologists understand and utilize assessment methods for identifying strengths and needs; developing effective interventions, services, and programs; and measuring progress and outcomes within a multitiered system of supports. School psychologists use a problem-solving framework as the basis for all professional activities. School psychologists systematically collect data from multiple sources as a foundation for decision-making at the individual, group, and systems levels, and they consider ecological factors (e.g., classroom, family, and community characteristics) as a context for assessment and intervention”(NASP, 2020, p. 3).

An essential skill for school psychologists is the ability to collect, understand, and analyze different types of data for the purposes of decision-making for individual students, classes, schools, and districts. This critical skill includes the ability to collect and analyze data from multiple sources to understand the needs of students. According to NASP (2020), data should be collected and analyzed for the purposes of making instructional, mental health and behavioral intervention decisions and to develop appropriate evidence-based interventions related to academic and/or behavioral needs. Further, data collection and analysis at the school or systems-level is imperative to understand so that school teams and various stakeholders can understand areas for systems-level improvement to better support all students. The ability to analyze data to determine potential inequities in instruction or access to intervention is also needed at the class-wide and school-wide level to allow for continual improvement in processes to ensure positive outcomes for all students. The first two cases highlight data-based decision-making at the systems level. In Case One, “Inequities Unearthed,” the focus is on how statewide academic data can be used to understand potential inequities that a school needs to address in a systematic, structural manner. The second case, “A Tale of Two Classes” provides an example of how schools might use data to make decisions when using a multitiered systems of support (MTSS) framework.

School psychologists also utilize data to design and monitor intervention plans for students. Data should be collected to monitor and analyze intervention fidelity and acceptability. Progress monitoring, including using technological resources to collect and graph data, can be a key contribution of school psychologists while working with interdisciplinary teams, teachers, and parents to support student development. Finally, school psychologists with their advanced understanding of data collection and analysis can work to ensure that valid and reliable data collection procedures are utilized throughout all school processes (NASP, 2020). Collecting and analyzing data from multiple sources who might have varying viewpoints is the key aspect of Case Three, “A Long Wait for Assistance.” This case brings the focus of data analysis to the individual student level as a team tries to understand a high school student’s academic and behavioral struggles. The final case in this chapter, “Understanding Cassie’s Concerns,” presents cognitive, academic, and social/emotional data for a child referred for a special education evaluation.

Overall, the cases in this chapter highlight some of the different types of data that school psychologists might be tasked with analyzing for the purpose of making decisions to benefit students, teachers, and schools. The range of cases presented allows for analyses of different types of data, from an individual to a systems level, and encourages ongoing discussion of how to utilize data for decision-making in schools. In two of the cases, the issue of differing levels of concern between parents and school personnel is highlighted. In essence, there are differing views of the problem. This allows for opportunity to discuss how to better communicate and establish effective working alliances between families and schools. It also allows for reflection on how data can help inform decision-making. Further, since different stakeholders may be using different sources of data to form opinions, this highlights the importance of the school psyc...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• List of Tables
• List of Figures
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction: A Case Study Approach to Exploring School Psychology Domains of Practice
• 1 School Psychologists as Data-Based Decision Makers
• 2 School Psychologists as Consultants and Collaborators
• 3 Providing Services in Academic Interventions and Instructional Supports
• 4 Providing Services in Mental and Behavioral Health Services
• 5 Understanding School-Wide Practices to Promote Learning
• 6 Understanding Services to Promote Safe and Supportive Schools
• 7 School Psychologists as Family, School, and Community Collaborators
• 8 Ensuring Equitable Practices for Diverse Populations
• 9 Understanding Research and Evidence-Based Practice
• 10 Understanding Legal, Ethical, and Professional Practice
• Index