RICHMOND COUNTY SCHOOL SYSTEM (RCSS)

JOB DESCRIPTION

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OFFICIAL TITLE: School Psychologist 

SUPERVISOR: Director of Student Services                  

SALARY RANGE: In Accordance with RCBOE Salary Schedules

TERMS OF EMPLOYMENT:   Work Year – 10 Month, 11 Month, or 12 Month

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SUMMARY DESCRIPTION:

To assist children and youth to succeed academically, socially, and emotionally by collaborating with educators, parents, and other professionals to create safe, healthy, and supportive learning environments for all students that strengthen connections between home and school.

School psychologists are highly trained in both psychology and education.  They must complete a training program that includes a 1200-hour internship and emphasizes preparation in the following: data-based decision making, consultation and collaboration, effective instruction, child development, student diversity and development, school organization, prevention, intervention, mental health, learning styles, behavior, research, and program evaluation.

PERFORMANCE RESPONSIBILITIES: (Asterisk for essential job duties.)

1. Serve as a consultant on SST/RTI committees, providing intervention strategies (school and home), data collection methods, and assisting with evaluating the effectiveness of the interventions implemented (*)
2. Provide direct support to classroom teachers by assisting in the use of Universal Screeners, benchmarks, baseline data, CBA/CBM results, state mandated assessments, and other measures to determine individual needs of students as well as assist in monitoring schools’ attainment of AYP objectives (*)
3. Conduct screenings and comprehensive psycho-educational evaluations to determine ability levels, academic achievement, social-emotional/behavioral issues, learning styles, adaptive behavior, visual-motor development, etc. to assist in designing interventions for the classroom/home and/or special education (*)
4. Provide timely crisis intervention support to students, faculty and administrators (*)
5. Conduct classroom observations to assist in monitoring interventions, collecting/analyzing data to assist in determining effectiveness and/or need for higher levels of interventions (Pyramid of Interventions) (*)
6. Collaborate with Special Education by participating in eligibility/staffing meetings and redetermination meetings to present findings of psycho-educational evaluations, assist in determining needs; assist in developing academic/behavioral/emotional interventions (*)
7. Serve as a liaison/referral source for students to community agencies that provide assistance to children and families, with the consent of the child’s family
8. Serve on departmental, school and system-wide steering committees as needed
9. Participate in organizing, planning, and implementing professional learning activities for teachers and other school personnel/parents that will improve learning, social skills and personal adjustment in all children and adolescents (*)
10. Update knowledge and skills and continues to grow professionally through reading relevant research, attending local and/or national conferences, participating in in-service/professional learning activities, etc. (*)
11. Become familiar with and stay abreast of the laws regarding special education and the Georgia Rules and Regulations, etc. (*)
12. Provide individual and/or group counseling in conjunction with guidance counselors, teacher request and parents
13. Design and consult on individualized instructional interventions using diagnostic teaching to determine the need for more intensive supports.
14. Provide leadership and assistance to facilitate differentiated instruction and insure that interventions are delivered with integrity at the appropriate level of intensity, and of adequate duration.      
15. Orchestrate progress monitoring, data plotting, and evaluation of effectiveness of interventions; design modifications to ineffective interventions; utilize targeted diagnostic assessment tools for the purpose of aiding in intervention development and improving educational outcomes.  
16. Provide instructional and behavioral consultation for smaller groups of students who are falling below their peers in GPS
17. Develop and evaluate targeted interventions for students not achieving at benchmark levels; orchestrate progress monitoring, data plotting, and evaluation of effectiveness of interventions; design modifications to ineffective interventions; utilize targeted diagnostic assessment tools for the purpose of aiding in intervention development. (*)
18. The employee shall carry out such other and further duties, whether specifically listed above or not, as are assigned or required by such employee’s supervisor, other appropriate school personnel, law, board policy, administrative regulation, department handbook, as are reasonably necessary to the efficient operation of the school system and its mission.

KNOWLEDGE, ABILITIES, AND SKILLS:  

Must be highly knowledgeable regarding test administration and interpretation, child and adolescent development, learning, Response to Intervention (RtI), Positive Behavioral Supports, Consultation, etc.

EDUCATION, TRAINING, AND EXPERIENCE:

A minimum of a Masters Degree in School Psychology; however, Specialist or Doctoral level training is preferred; One year or more of experience beyond the Internship preferred

CERTIFICATE AND LICENSE REQUIREMENTS: 

In Georgia, there are three levels of certification in School Psychology.  At the fifth year (Masters) level there is the “Psychometrist”; at the sixth year (Specialist) level there is the “Associate School Psychologist” designation, and at the seventh year level (Doctorate) there is the designation “School Psychologist”.  In our system, all three levels are generally referred to as “School Psychologists”, or just “Psychologists.” 

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

Must be able to travel to and from schools with testing materials such as test kits, folders, brief cases, laptop computer, etc.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS:

Must be able to work cooperatively with other Psychological Services staff as well as schools, parents, students, and the community.

Must conduct self in a professional manner, be knowledgeable of and follow codes of ethics of the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) and/or the American Psychological Association (APA)

EVALUATION:

By the Director of Psychological Services utilizing the Georgia School Psychologist Evaluation Instrument/Duties and Responsibilities (GSPEI/DRI) (or other locally developed instrument)

Date Established:
Date(s) Revised: 2/09

This description may be changed at any time. This job description in no way states or implies that these are the only duties to be performed by the employee. The employee will be required to follow any other instructions and to perform any other related duties as assigned by the Board.  Richmond County Schools reserves the right to update, revise or change this job description and related duties at any time.