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President's Message
Promoting Yourself as a School
Psychologist
By Cindie Milford, Ed.S., NCSP
Each school day begins with waves of children trooping off to school laden with book bags, lunchboxes, and coats.
Did you notice them dragging along anything else? Of course you can't see the extra baggage these children are
toting, but it's there. We're talking about family arguments, divorce, domestic violence, learning difficulties,
health concerns, culture differences, and behavior issues. And it's all related to mental health. That's where
you as a school psychologist come in.
Do you really consider yourself a mental health provider? Or is this a term or responsibility you feel more comfortable
pushing off onto a clinical psychologist, LPC, social worker, or psychiatrist? Let's stop a minute and examine
your qualifications. As a school psychologist you:
1. Are trained to specialize in assessing children's needs
2. Understand children's learning styles and needs
3. Can identify behavior problems (including the antecedents and consequences of those behaviors) and remedy them
4. Understand curriculum development, presentation, and modifications that can be made within curriculum
5. Can provide counseling both individually and in groups, to both children and families
6. Can diagnose mental health issues, offer non-medical treatment services, and understand the variety of treatment
options
As we know, mental health issues rarely are present in only one environment. Family dynamics often bleed over and
interfere in school learning, and school problems often are taken home and interfere with family functioning. We
are specialists. We are trained to work through the complex nature of children and their various environments.
As a school psychologist, you are in an ideal position to provide a strong support system to Oklahoma's children.
A family is typically a child's first source of support. However, more and more families are undergoing stresses
which make them unavailable as a strong support system. Think of the opportunity you have! School-age children
spend the bulk of their day in school, and as educators we are able to provide them good role models, abundant
support and concern, and care for acute situations. Mental health is so much more than just mental illness (i.e.,
depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia). School should be the place to promote good mental health! There are
three primary levels in which a school system supports children's mental health:
1. Environmental creating a supportive school climate that fosters mentally healthy traits (i.e., connectedness,
self-esteem, respect for others)
2. Programmatic implementing programs or curriculum targeted at specific issues and skills development (i.e., bullying
prevention, conflict resolution, social skills)
3. Individual providing interventions to students with chronic or acute mental health needs (i.e., learning disabilities,
depression, ADHD, grief, trauma)
So, why should you be responsible for promoting good mental health in all of these children when you are so backlogged
with testing referrals? Because prevention is an intervention! If we can help these children with all of the other
issues they face in addition to just showing up for school each day, then they might not be referred for testing.
Is it possible that their "learning problem" is instead anxiety that their parents might divorce?
It saddens me to hear of many school districts around the state and the nation who are increasingly contracting
their services out to clinical psychologists. I realize the severe shortage of school psychologists nationwide
has somewhat increased this practice. However, are we really protecting what is our area of specialization? In
all professional practices, one must meet certain professional standards. Only school psychologists meet these
professional standards in working with children in the school setting. Only school psychologists have the skills
previously mentioned and the ability to fully understand the complexity and implications of children in the school
environment, and arrive at appropriate school-based interventions. If we continue to under-sell ourselves and think
ourselves as not as qualified as other professionals, we may end up selling ourselves out of a career. Don't be
afraid to promote yourself and your abilities, especially if the focus is on prevention, promotion of mental health,
and support for our children. I urge you to stretch yourself and become the school psychologist you want to be.
The children of Oklahoma are counting on your support!
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Northwest
Region Report
School Psychologists are few and far between here in the Northwest
Region. Many small school districts are contracting with former RESC psychometrists for psychological services.
These employees, from what we understand, have no input into pre-referral interventions and no input into the question
of eligibility. We should be glad that someone is evaluating our students, but the level of services these school
districts are receiving is not optimal for the student population. Also, the knowledge of those conducting the
evaluations is often going to waste. We have tried to inform school districts of the importance of full service
providers but many of them do not have the finances to hire someone full-time and contracting is the next best
answer. The districts that do employ school psychologists are short staffed and school psychologists are (used
as) little more than diagnosticians. If anyone has an answer or suggestion for our dilemma, we would appreciate
hearing from you.
Sandra Reese-Keck
School Psychologist
Enid Public Schools
slreesekeck@enidk12.org
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OSPA Members Participate in the Redevelopment of the OSAT
The Oklahoma Commission for Teacher Preparation (OCTP) is in the process
of redeveloping the Oklahoma Subject Area Test (OSAT) in School Psychology. The OCTP will be holding their Item
Review Conference on February 22 and 23 at the Crowne Plaza in Oklahoma City. Several OSPA members have been invited
to participate in this conference and will form the School Psychology Item Review Committee. The committee will
review draft test items to ensure that they are appropriate for assisting School Psychologists in preparing for
the OSAT.
The OSAT is required for educator candidates seeking Oklahoma public school certification in School Psychology.
The revised OSAT will be administered for the first time in September 2006.
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The New World Order in Education: Coordinating IDEA, RSA, and NCLB
By Susan M. Linde, Ph.D.
School districts today are managing multiple and costly programs designed
to improve student achievement and the stakes are high. District efforts are designed to meet local goals related
to multiple federal mandates. District goals are working on readingacquisition skills for the general education
students, as designated by the Reading Sufficiency Act. No Child Left Behind continues to consume vast amounts
of localenergy and budget, and then there are the updated mandates related to special education, and IDEA, 2004.
As district administrators grapple with these demands, they, quite reasonably, are looking for ways to dove-tail
different programs to achieve the best possible results for children across all programs, given the monetary investment.
As school psychologists, we have long considered ourselves to function within the confines of special education
law. However, the winds of change that began as a mild shift in the breeze now constitute a full blown gale.
With the pressures that districts across the country face related to No Child Left Behind, Special Services Directors
are increasingly defending special education programs, outcomes, and identification to the district-level administration.
The status quo, in many cases, is not yielding the level of results needed to meet Annual Yearly Progress as defined
in NCLB. Eligibility, programs, service delivery, and teacher standards are all being scrutinized. In many instances,
past practices designed to help children, have actually been failing them. Individually, and as a professional
organization, Oklahoma school psychologists must contemplate how to meet the needs of children, while helping the
districts we serve to meet NCLB goals. Considerations include the way that we have been identifying children with
Specific Learning Disabilities, the services we recommend, and our general role within the special services and
district improvement departments.
In the past, identifying children with Specific Learning Disabilities was prescribed federally to include the discrepancy
model, a process of finding a significant delay compared to an individual's general intellectual ability. This
conceptual framework, while very familiar to us, poses several difficult problems within education's new world
order. How can districts meet the guidelines of NCLB, while leaving the vast chasm of the slow learner with no
support? How can we adequately assess the educational needs of our children from increasingly diverse cultures,
when we continue to compare their education performance to an inadequate measure of intellect? We might have a
Spanish assessment available in some cases. But do we have Hmong, Russian, Arabic? Of course not! And that TONI-3
or UNIT is not the panacea we wish it was. We cannot adequately measure all of these children's intellect. So the
old concepts of the aptitude/achievement discrepancy model make less and less sense. As districts pour money into
DIBELS and other early reading intervention programs, as they expend time and money to develop benchmark assessments
for the districts, school psychologists need to contemplate how we can use that expensive information in ourassessments.
Shall we ignore existing data that demonstrate a student's obviously poor response to massive interventions, and
then declare the child ineligible for LD classes based upon a lack of discrepancy? These are tough questions that
we must address. With the 2004 IDEA reauthorization, the discrepancy model has lost its clout. We need to figure
out what a new model should look like. What shall we keep, whatshall we discard?
School psychologists also provide influence in the proper educational settings and interventions for children who
have been identified as having a disability. But, the long-standing service delivery models used for so many years
do not adequately serve children. How many times have we had a child identified with a disability in reading, but
by high school the child is receiving services for math, English, history, science? The reasons for pulling the
child in for more service often have less to do with academic weakness, and more to do with behavior or work completion.
Can the LD teacher provide quality education for these children across so many different content areas? The use
of a single special education teacher for multiple content areas is likely to fail the Highly Qualified Teacher
requirements. Are we doing our children adisservice to continue this practice? What alternatives can we suggest?
Do new ideas require discussions about the allocation of resources within the special services departments?
Critical questions about eligibility and services are wrapped up in the NCLB legislation on several levels. Districts
must use disaggregated data to calculate AYP for any school or district in which a group (e.g. special education,
ELL) exceeds 52. For larger districts with big, schools this is a huge problem as any site in the district is evaluated
on disaggregate data. If any sub-group at any site fails to meet AYP, then the entireschool districts joins the
"Needs Improvement" list. This is a real occupational threat to superintendents across the nation. They
will take this threat very seriously. We must help them in deciding what changes will best meet the needs of individual
students and districts. Our districts cannot be ignored as stakeholders. If the district is in danger, administrators
will take action. This action may be drastic, and it may at times be ill informed. Oklahoma school psychologists
can help them if we are courageous enough to move out of our comfort zones.
The skills that school psychologists bring to the current educational debate are critical. We cannot sit quietly
at the side, contributing a comfortable little unrelated piece to process of student achievement. We need to increasingly
take a leading role in the development of programs, procedures, and techniques that will serve all students. Hopefully,
that includes increasing our interaction in the Early Intervening process. We can serve to not just rubber-stamp
a testing referral, but to help develop and assess the student's response to the regular education interventions
at a building site level before a test referral is even initiated. Helping regular education teams help students
should be considered an important part of our job. Our involvement at the administrative decision-making level
is also critical. As some of the most highly educated individuals in each district and state, we must learn how
to make ourselves more visible to those in administration, showing foresight and a willingness to think outside
the box. Our districts need our expertise, but that may necessitate our helping them understand what we can contribute
to the debate and decision-making process. The State of Oklahoma needs our skill. This may require that we volunteer
for a project or make a contact that we would not have made five years ago. It may mean serving on a committee
or adding additional duties to our already clogged schedules. But, the winds have shifted and we must make a contribution.
It is inevitable that our job descriptions will evolve. How, and in what direction remains to be seen. We must
find our voice and then secure a seat at the table.
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MARK YOUR CALENDAR
OSPA Spring Conference
April 20-21, 2006
Cox Convention Center, Oklahoma City, OK
Tentative schedule of events:
Thursday evening, April 20th:
Roundtable discussion with a panel of school psychologists from
around the state who are currently implementing RTI in their districts.
Friday, April 21st:
Mark Shinn, Ph.D., presents on implementation of Response to
Intervention within a problem-solving model.
Registration brochures will be mailed out near the end of
February
(CLICK HERE FOR A MAP)
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Looking Ahead to NASP Conventions
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| 2006 March 28-April 1 |
Anaheim, CA |
| 2007 March 27-March 31 |
New York, NY |
| 2008 February 6-10 |
New Orleans, LA |
| 2009 February 24-28 |
Boston, MA |
| 2010 March 2-6 |
Chicago, IL |
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Government
and Professional Relations Report
Candis Hogan, Ph.D., NCSP, LPC
On May 18, 2004, Governor Brad Henry signed into law Senate Bill 1207, which established a revolving fund for annual
bonuses for Nationally Certified School Psychologists and Speech Pathologists, with the caveat "when funds
become available." Now, for the first time in history, State Superintendent Sandy Garrett has included monies
for these bonuses in her budget request! Candis Hogan and former lobbyist, Richard Hutton, were present for most
of the hearing, and Candis was given a copy of the budget.
Members of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) and OSPA continue to collaborate in our legislative
efforts. In early fall, several ASHA GPR Committee members, along with our very competent and caring former lobbyist
Richard Hutton, and Candis interviewed and hired our new lobbyist Steve Kelley. He was recommended by Richard,
and has many large clients such as Toyota, large oil companies, the Interior Designers Association, the Board of
Regents of Oklahoma Colleges and Universities, banks, etc. We plan to meet with Steve soon to strategize for the
upcoming Legislative session, which begins in February.
In October at the OEA Fall Convention in Tulsa, OSPA and ASHA collaborated to participate (by invitation) in a
debate format regarding all the National Certifications for education professionals, in front of the OEA Legislative
Committee, to address the question: "Should those who have National Certifications other than from the National
Board of Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS), be allowed to access funding from the Oklahoma Leadership program?"
The School Counselors, who are allowed to pursue NBPTS certification, wanted to substitute their National School
Counselor or National Board Certified Counselor (NBCC) for NBPTS, so they signed up to speak for the question.
The School Psychologists and Speech Pathologists, who have sought and achieved legislation for separate funding
for bonuses for those who hold the NCSP or Certificate of Clinical Competence (CCC)s, signed up to speak against
the question. Six people spoke for each side, and each person was allowed five minutes to speak. For our side,
there were three school psychologists Candis Hogan, Elizabeth Hatcher, and Cindie Milford-- two speech pathologists,
and a Nationally Certified Teacher (who worked with Sandra Reese-Keck), while the other side had six school counselors.
We related that service personnel are on the front lines with students, teachers, parents, administrators, and
other education professionals every day. As an IEP team, we each have an important but different role to play as
we work together to make decisions in the best interest of the child. Each National Board carefully selected (different)
high standards and qualifying criteria for that particular profession. When someone achieves National Certification,
that Board is saying that every person who does so has met the same stringent criteria. Accordingly, we need to
respect each kind of National Certification. One cannot substitute a different set of professional standards such
as NBCC and say they were NBPTS-certified. We recommended that they seek their own separate funding, like we did,
and further, we asked OEA to assist us in obtaining funding for SB 1207 for NCSP and CCC holders.
To all who are interested in helping the GPR Committee by assisting with e-mailalerts, calls and letters to your
state senators and representatives at key times, lobbying visits at the Capitol, grassroots campaigning, or other
aspects, please contact Candis Hogan by e-mail at hcandis@juno.com
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NASP NEWS UPDATE
Candis Hogan, Ph.D., NCSP, LPC
Congratulations to Tracy Fenton and Steve Crane, who have been selected
to represent Oklahoma as "Trainers of Trainers" for two specialized trainings that are to be held at
NASP in Anaheim, California, this year, to introduce a new curriculum for use in schools. The PREPARE School Crisis
Prevention Workshops include "Prevention and Preparedness: The Crisis Team" on Tuesday, March 28, from
10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and "Crisis Intervention and Recovery: The Roles of School-based Mental Health Professionals"
to be held Thursday and Friday, March 30-31. Both are worthy and capable representatives of our state in this field.
Tracy has been involved in intervention for several school crises as well as assisting Hurricane Katrina evacuees
at Camp Gruber. Steve was involved in crisis counseling in the aftermath of the Oklahoma City bombing of the Alfred
P. Murrah Building and was instrumental in helping establish NASP's first-ever National Emergency Assistance Team.
Speaking of the NASP Annual Convention 2006 in Anaheim, California, mark your calendars for the greatest professional
gathering of school psychologists in the world March 28-April 1, 2006. This year's theme is "Prevention IS
an Intervention." There will be over 800 workshops, presentations, and special events, including humanitarian
and award-winning actress Goldie Hawn's keynote address about her Bright Light Foundation and its programs for
children. Learn about new research, develop new skills, network with colleagues, and find out about job opportunities
or career transitions. Help us celebrate Mickey Mouse's 50th Birthday at Disneyland or the new Disney's California
Adventure, Downtown Disney (walking distance from the hotel) or within driving distance at Universal Studios, Wild
Rivers Water Park, Knott's Berry Farm, Sea World, the San Diego Zoo, the Speedzone, Laguna Beach, Newport Beach,
Sea Beach, great dining, shopping, entertainment, spa, and sports opportunities. Check it out online at www.nasponline.org/conventions (Remember member discounts.)
Every year, each state has to come up with something to donate for the NASP Children's Fund Auction, a wonderful
and very fun event at the NASP Convention, to raise money for the Children's Fund. Last year, OSPA donated an autographed
basketball from the OSU basketball team and all the coaches, including Coach Eddie Sutton. In the interest of sportsmanship,
this year's item is a signed, numbered lithograph of the University of Oklahoma's three living Heisman Trophy winners,
which is autographed by all three: Steve Owens, Billy Sims, and Jason White. If anyone would like to donate anything
else (especially autographed sports or celebrity items) for this worthy cause, please contact Candis Hogan at hcandis@juno.com
NASP is offering a Special Renewal Opportunity (without reapplying, or
retaking the Praxis exam) for those who held the NCSP in 1992 or later, but let their NCSP credential lapse beyond
the three-year renewal grace period. Individuals who quality for the Special Renewal Opportunity must meet the
same standards of training and continuing professional development as individuals renewing their NCSP through the
normal process. Individuals interested in applying for the Special Renewal Opportunity must complete the standard
NCSP Renewal Booklet and Special Renewal Opportunity forms, which can be downloaded at www.nasponline.org/certification or requested
by e-mail at cert@naspweb.org or by calling the Certification Department toll-free at 1-866-331-NASP (6277).
Interested in becoming an NCSP (Retired)? If you recently retired as a school psychologist, don't let your NCSP
expire! Convert it to an NCSP (Retired) if you meet the following requirements: all full- and part-time public
or private remunerative activity as a school psychologist has ceased; you have been an NCSP for at least six years,
and your NCSP status is current at the time your application is received in the NASP office. Anyone holding the
retired designation who wishes to re-enter the workforce can convert their retired status to active status at any
time by completing the current CPD requirements and paying the renewal fee, which is currently $40. For more information
and a downloadable application, please visit www.nasponline.org/certification/retired_NCSP.html,
e-mail cert@naspweb.org, or call the NASP Certification Office at (301) 657-0270.
NASP Members: It is NASP Election time again. Each member of record as of January 1, 2006, will receive an election
mailing by February 1, soremember to return your ballot so your vote counts.
The NASP Central Region Meeting was held in Kansas City November 11-13, 2005. OSPA President Cindie Milford, NASP
Delegate Candis Hogan, SPAN Coordinator Eric Mesmer, and our OSU NASP Student Representative Nick Gotcher participated
in the well organized, working meeting. NASP President Bill Pfohl presided over the many sessions, including an
emphasis on communication. This year, the States' Sharing was changed to a poster presentation instead of PowerPoint.
The most heartwarming moment came when Pittsburgh State, Kansas trainer Rick Lindskog, recovering from a near-fatal
car-truck accident which killed his wife, entered the room using his walker, for a short visit.
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CALL
FOR 2006-07 OSPA EXECUTIVE BOARD NOMINATIONS
OSPA is currently seeking nominations for the 2006 Spring election. OSPA
members may nominate themselves or other members. All nominees will be contacted to determine if they are interested
in seeking the office. Only REGULAR members may hold elected office. Please provide the nominees name, address,
telephone numbers, and board position (president-elect, secretary, treasurer-elect, NE rep, NW rep, SE rep, SW
rep, or Central rep). Please send your nomination to Susan Linde, 4308 S. 249th West Ave., Sand Springs, OK 74063,
Lindesu1@aol.com
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Serving the Displaced
I remember my response when I was given the news of Hurricane Katrina,
but Idid not realize at the time the impact that the storm would have on my personal life and that of my community.
I was called because of my training and experience with the American Red Cross as a Disaster Mental Health Services
volunteer to help at Camp Gruber and there I feel in love. The object of my affection is disaster relief. Never
have I worked such long hours, slept so few, sweated so much and been away from home so many days. Yet, it was
rewarding and exhilarating. Angels - 3,000 of them - volunteers from the Red Cross, church groups, nurses, doctors,
paramedics, counselors and others from the National Guard and highway patrolmen surrounded me.
At one point, the number of volunteers and workers outnumbered the people who needed help, but the halos of our
1,600 Oklahoma guests shined brightest. Before they arrived, I tried to imagine how they would feel once they got
off the buses. If I had been left on a rooftop and had seen children drowning around me, I would have been an emotional
wreck.
The people who had every right to be bitter and heartbroken instead were thankful to the state of Oklahoma for
giving them a safe place with hot showers and plenty of food.
Camp Gruber had all the makings of a great shelter. There was plenty of space - 40,000 acres. Instead of cramming
20,000 people in one building, as in the Superdome, about 200 evacuees were assigned to each of the much smaller
dormitories. The barracks were made to house people, not host football games, so the buildings came complete with
adequate showers, beds and toilets. The once lonely base was busy with people setting up clinics, moving food and
water and running hundreds of computer and phone lines.
On Saturday, September 3 at 11:30 p.m. more than 30 charter buses pulled into Camp Gruber. Many arrived extremely
ill, and the first night, 35 people were transported to area hospitals. Several hadn't had their blood pressure
and heart medications for days. Diabetics had gone without insulin. One man recently had a kidney transplant, and
he had been without anti-rejection medication. Coupled with the stress of the situation, eople had serious mental
illnesses that had gone untreated. Some had lost even the clothes they were wearing during their escape. Moreover,
buses with different destinations separated families who had been together in New Orleans. I met with Red Cross
directors and Emergency Management workers, who shared the events of the tragedy and problems that the evacuees
have encountered since the storm. I began meeting with individuals and families encouraging them to share their
stories and talk about their feelings and reactions.
The first two days volunteers stayed busy helping people with their immediate needs: clothing, food and shelter.
The volunteers all worked so hard, and knew our efforts really were making a difference in other people's lives.
At the end of the twelve-hour volunteer days/nights my DSHR training through the Red Cross allowed me to lead debriefing
sessions for other volunteers.
I was pleasantly surprised by the generosity and caring people in the community. Clothing, supplies, toys began
to pour into the Muskogee Civic Center.
After the announcement that 177 displaced children would be enrolling at our local schools and would be bused daily
from Camp Gruber, I quickly compiled information sheets to aid their transition, offering suggestions to both
parents and teachers about how to talk with children who have experienced traumatic events. The NASP website and
handouts in the Crisis Prevention and Response book were helpful resources which were copied and distributed at
our local Red Cross and Muskogee area schools. Students were provided a "buddy system" to assist their
transition into the new school. Members of the community donated many needed school supplies and the local PTA
arranged for school clothes. Everyone worked together to bring back to their lives some normalcy by setting up
a supportive school system for the students to attend.
I am thankful and fortunate to have attended many of the workshops on crisis intervention strategies at the NASP
Conventions. These workshops have taught me many valuable techniques and strategies that could be implemented with
parents as well as with students. Furthermore, the workshops gave me the confidence and skills needed to face the
events of the weeks ahead. I was proud to be a part of the largest disaster-relief project in our nation's history.
Tracy Fenton
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