MS203 Adapted and Inclusive Health Curricula for Students with Intellectual Disabilities: This hands-on session describes the development of adapted health curricula for high school students with intellectual disabilities, emphasizing needs assessment, curriculum design, stakeholder buy-in, and recommendations for adapting health instruction.
Andrew Wislock (Pennsylvania Western University, Edinboro); Dr. Meghan B. Ferraro; Dr. Edward P. Snyder, Dr. Joel Erion
Poster Session 257: Supporting Postsecondary Transition for Students With Disabilities: This poster presentation examines the effectiveness of various collaboration strategies used to support students with disabilities as they transition to college and the school psychologist's role in transition service delivery. This session will help participants… describe collaborative strategies to support transition from high school to college, generate ways for practitioners to facilitate the development of transition skills, and identify ways for school psychologists to support transition to postsecondary education.
Dr. Robin Hojnoski; Dr. Ethan Van Norman; Kirsten Truman
Predictive Validity of a Computerized Adaptive Test in Early Mathematics
Dr. Robin Hojnoski; Kathrine Koller; Alisha Wackerle Hollman
Preschool Early Literacy Skills: A Latent Class Growth Analysis
Dr. Robin Hojnoski; Kristen Missall
Development of Links to Learning: Adaptive Math Assessment (LLAMA)
Ray Christner; Michael Paff
School Psychologists as Catalysts in Assessing and Supporting Intellectual Disabilities: This mini-skills workshop focuses on advancing skills in providing culturally responsive services for students with intellectual developmental disabilities. It covers appropriate assessment techniques, report writing, supportive interventions, and transition planning.
Ray Christner
The Art of Adaptation: Group CBT for Diverse School Populations: This mini-skills workshop teaches school psychologists to adapt group CBT for diverse student populations, using evaluation data, transdiagnostic frameworks, and engaging methods like metaphors and pop culture to enhance effectiveness.
Dr. Timothy Runge; Caitlyn Pike
Factor Structure of the School Climate Survey Among Elementary Staff: This study evaluates the factor structure of the School Climate Survey: Personnel when used in elementary schools. An exploratory factor analysis was computed to improve the survey’s ability to validly assess important elements of school climate. The data and results collected from elementary schools implementing tier 1 of SWPBIS will inform potential action plans for improving school environments, promoting equitable practices, and enhancing educational outcomes.
Dr. Timothy Runge; Chung Wai Yue; Tony Tratte
Examination of Statistical Bias Among Three Different Slope Calculation Methods: Thiel-Sen and repeated median regression are offered as alternatives to ordinary-least squares slope estimates. Bias indices are computed for these alternatives to appraise their psychometric qualities.
Dr. Timothy Runge; Erika Jackson
Does Active Perspective Taking Reduce Office Discipline Referrals?: This study compares the effect of active perspective taking or a control condition on pre-educators’ likelihood to submit an office discipline referral (ODR) for a subjective offense. Results indicated that there was not a statistically significant difference between the experimental and control groups indicating that taking another person’s perspective does not reduce the likelihood of using an ODR as a consequence for subjective behavior.
Dr. Julia Szarko; Dr. H. Thomas Brant; Courtney Huguenin
Communication Matters: Advocating for Inclusive School Safety Policies: During this session, members from the NASP School Safety and Crisis Response, Professional Communication, and Government and Professional Relations Committees will provide practical tips on advocating safely and effectively for inclusive school safety practices. This Special Session is sponsored by the NASP School Safety and Crisis Response Committee.
Dr. Julia Szarko
Advocacy Matters: Legislative and Public Policy Trends to Watch: Come learn about the relevant state and national policy trends impacting the profession and the students we serve and leave ready to engage in effective advocacy. This Special Session is sponsored by the NASP Government and Professional Relations Committee.
Marissa Peiffer; Allison Jezak; Beth Whipple
Developing a Professional Learning Community Within a Positive Psychology Framework
In a time of school psychologist shortages and skyrocketing increases in the need for psychological services and supports for students, many school psychologists are experiencing burn-out, leaving traditional roles as school psychologists or the field entirely. Many enter the field eager and find it rewarding to work with students, but the demands of the system and work environment can extinguish even the most passionate. A recent study examining school psychologist burnout found no relation of gender, years of experience, or type of school to burn out and instead an interaction between personal resources (i.e., sense of coherence) and social distress (i.e., loneliness) was predictive of school psychologist burnout (George-Levi, Schmidt-Barad, Natan, & Margalit, 2020). Job satisfaction amongst Pennsylvania school psychologists included two aspects – (1) satisfaction with intrapersonal development and clinical accomplishment, and (2) Satisfaction with remuneration (e.g., advancement, financial compensation, and rank) (Crothers, et al., 2024). A Professional Learning Community (PLC) can be an effective vehicle for school psychologists to connect, support, advocate, create opportunities and professionally grow, which can combat professional loneliness and increase sense of coherence. Overview of Professional Learning Communities: The concept of a PLC is not a new one; many forms have been implemented in the school system with varying compositions, purpose, and outcomes. A 2006 review of the literature identified PLCs as a promising mechanism for sustainable improvement in the school setting identified. 5 characteristics of a PLC include: (1) Shared values and vision, (2) Collective responsibility, (3) Reflective professional inquiry, (4) Collaboration, and (5) Group, as well as individual, learning is promoted (Stoll, Bolam, McMahon, Wallace & Thomas). While there exists virtual/online communities (e.g., The Thriving School Psychologist Collective, Facebook Said No School Psychologist Ever), the excess of virtual meetings and distal connections through the COVID-19 Pandemic and subsequent shelter-in-place may have left many feeling digitally saturated, particularly because some of the benefits of quick virtual communication persisted and remain part of practice today. Program Design: The proposed poster will share the design and outcomes of implementation of an in-person PLC for school districts, charter schools and nonpublic schools in a largely rural region, facilitated by an education service center/agency. PLCs for school psychologists have been attempted before but met with limited success. The current program initiative is staged into phases: (1) identifying previous barriers and obstacles, (2) Designing a PLC guided by a framework derived from best practices and research, (3) Designing to maximize return on investment for participating members, and (4) Implementing in a pragmatic and functional way to garner buy-in and sustained participation. The Spring 2024 semester was spent understanding previous attempts for a PLC and identifying barriers. Based on response to a Needs Survey distributed amongst school psychologists in the service area, a series of professional meetings and social events has been designed and planned for the upcoming 2024-2025 school year. Members will learn from one another and outside experts on topics of their choosing (e.g., skills development and content knowledge), engage in peer consultation and receive ongoing support through the year, collaborate on professional projects (e.g., presentations at professional conferences, grants, written articles), and increase skills to advocate for themselves, their roles, and their profession. Through these different activities, members of the PLC will be able to dialogue and find support at many levels of the NASP Practice model relating to all aspects of service delivery, direct student service, system level change, and fundamental professional areas of school psychology. Additionally, this PLC employs principles of Positive Psychology (PERMA: Positive Emotions, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning and Achievement). Positive Education has been a subarea of Positive Psychology promoting models of practice in schools to foster thriving, and not “just surviving” amongst educational professionals (Vo, Allen & Kern, 2022). Altogether, this poster will demonstrate an application of the science of Positive Psychology combined with NASP best practices in a PLC as means to combat school psychologist burnout.
Dr. Drew Hunter; Dr. Jason Pedersen
PA130: Decision Making Consistency When Using Pathways of Progress: This paper presentation analyzes the consistency of decisions made regarding student growth at different time points when using the Acadience Pathways of Progress student growth percentiles.
Dr. Jason Pedersen; Dr. Matthew K. Burns; Hannah E. Miller; Jeremy Miciak; Dr. Kathrin E. Maki; Courtenay A. Barrett; Daniel B. Hajovsky
SY033: Current and Future Assessment Practices for Effective SLD Identification: With an eye toward potential future reauthorization of IDEA, the symposium will present four studies that examined practices within SLD identification. A practicing school psychologist will discuss implications for practice.
Sara Wendell; Dr. Matthew Ferchalk
Navigating Post-Pandemic Behavioral Challenges: Leveraging MTSS for Effective Intervention Strategies: This mini skills sessions aims to share one district's journey to implementation of MTSS and PBIS to create district wide change in response to increases in social, emotional, and behavioral concerns among students K-12.
Michelle Corallo
MS171: Tackling a Crisis Together: Deaf Students and Language Deprivation: This session will help participants become familiar with the longitudinal impact of language deprivation on students who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing; gain a better understanding of how language deprivation makes it difficult to get a true profile of a Deaf student through psychoeducational testing; and define what tools to use when testing Deaf students and things to consider when reviewing results, report writing and determining eligibility classification.