SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGIST

SUBJECT: School Psychologist

REPORTS TO: Manager of Social Emotional Learners

ACCOUNTABILITY OBJECTIVE:
This position is accountable for facilitating learning and promoting the cognitive, social and emotional development of all students. The position assists school personnel to identify the needs of students through consultations with school personnel, the completion of psycho-educational assessments, and through the collaboration with classroom teachers, parents/guardian, administrators, school health personnel, special education personnel and community partners. The position is also responsible for the development of educational interventions and supports for students in need, and for supporting a safe and positive school climate in a way that is consistent with the policies of the Worcester Public Schools and relevant State laws and regulations.

PRINCIPAL RESPONSIBILITIES:

1. Responsible for providing consultation services as requested by school personnel, parents/guardians and school administrators to support the provision of effective instructional services and emotional/behavioral supports to students within the educational environment.

2. Responsible for providing interventions to students to support the teaching process, maximize the learning of diverse learners and their overall adjustment. Support academic engagement and achievement for all students.

3. Responsible for completing educational and school based reports such as, home assessments, psycho-educational and psychological assessments, functional behavioral assessments, behavioral intervention plans, and safety plans, as well as provide educational recommendations for students in need.

4. Responsible for utilizing assessment data to develop appropriate interventions and/or programs to support / enhance student learning and overall adjustment. Responsible for providing teachers, parents/guardians and other service providers with relevant information from assessments, interventions and/or programs.

5. Responsible for individual and/or group short-term counseling with students, and/or facilitate referrals for mental health and behavioral health services in the community.

6. Responsible for conducting risk assessments, providing crisis intervention and conflict resolution services for students in need and/or when requested by school personnel.

7. Responsible for serving as a resource team member and/or supervisor of attendance for the court when indicated in cases of children in need of services.

8. Responsible for providing individual and/or group counseling and behavior modification techniques for students, parents and school personnel. Design and implement interventions to support the instructional process and to maximize the learning and overall adjustment of all students.

9. Responsible for supporting family-school relationships, student learning and overall adjustment by making home visits to parents of referred students when appropriate and by counseling parents at school and in the home to help them understand the social, emotional and academic needs of students.

10. Responsible for serving as a referral agent and/or case manager for the student and parent(s)/guardian(s) in developing a network of social services/supports with community agencies.

11. Participate and assist in the planning, development and evaluation of programs / interventions to meet identified learning, adjustment and attendance needs by students, including but not limited to the Student Support Process, Special Education evaluations, Response to Intervention strategies, 504 Accommodation plans, and behavioral intervention plans.

12. Responsible for providing consultation and training to parents/guardians, teachers, school personnel and community partners, to enhance student learning and adjustment, promote family-school collaborations, promote cultural and linguistic competence and support an overall positive school culture.

13. Responsible for safeguarding the student's right to privacy against disclosure of information in the student's case history or of disclosures of confidences during counseling, within the framework of applicable laws and system wide policies. Responsible for applying ethics and standards of professional practice in the delivery of school psychological services congruent with the relevant laws and policies that govern professional practice.

14. Responsible for being knowledgeable and conforming to state and systemwide regulations and guidelines on student records.

15. Responsible for communicating effectively with students, parents/guardians, school staff and community partners / organizations.

16. Responsible for assuring equal educational opportunity to all individuals regardless of race, color, gender, gender identity, age, marital status, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, homelessness, or disability.

17. Performance of other job-related duties as assigned.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

1. Massachusetts DESE Certification as a School Psychologist.

2. Ability to utilize a variety of psychological and educational techniques in working with students.

3. Knowledge of Multi-Tier Systems of Support and Response to Intervention models to support diverse learners.

4. Knowledge of the stages of development, developmental theory and of language development in order to support interventions and preventative programs in the primary grades.

5. Ability to understand dynamics of children and families from various cultural backgrounds and to support cultural competency best practices.

6. Willingness to visit students' homes throughout the Worcester Community.

7. Knowledge of and skills in the dissemination and interpretation of psychological information to parents and school personnel.

8. Ability to produce concise psycho-educational reports which are understandable to both teachers and parents.

9. Knowledge of the Standards of Professional Practice and Principles for Professional Ethics of the National Association of School Psychologists.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

1. Experience working in schools and/or social service agencies with clients from culturally and socio-economically diverse backgrounds.

2. Experience in providing consultation services including workshops to professionals and clerical support personnel

3. Demonstrated experience supporting students with special needs

4. Demonstrated experience with second language acquisition

5. Demonstrated experience in assessment of English Language Learners and other subgroups, such as students with Autism Spectrum Disorders,
Social-emotional disabilities, etc.

6. Ability to speak Spanish, Vietnamese, Albanian, Portuguese or an African language.

WORK YEAR: Academic Year

WORK HOURS: Teacher work year, with some flexibility for afternoon and evening meetings.

SALARY: Teacher's salary schedule

TO APPLY: Any person interested in this position must submit a resume, cover letter, licensure information, and answer all questions on-line at www.worcesterschools.org.
This information must be submitted on-line.

This deadline date does not preclude further advertisement or recruitment

Position Type: Full-time
Positions Available: 3
Equal Opportunity Employer
The Worcester Public Schools is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer/Educational Institution and does not discriminate regardless of race, color, gender, age, religion, national origin, gender identity, marital status, sexual orientation, disability or homelessness. The Worcester Public Schools provides equal access to employment and the full range of general, occupational and vocational education programs. For more information relating to Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action contact the Human Resource Manager, 20 Irving Street, Worcester, MA 01609, 508-799-3020.
Job Requirements TO APPLY: Any person interested in this position must submit a resume, cover letter, licensure information and answer all questions on-line at www.worcesterschools.org. This information must be submitted on-line.

Citizenship, residency or work VISA in United States required

Application Questions This employer has requested that all applicants answer the following questions. It is highly recommended that you type any essays in a word processing program, save them, and then paste them on the proceeding job application page. 1. Have you ever worked for the Worcester Public Schools? When? What capacity?
Brief Response (Answer limited to 200 characters, including spaces)
2. Do you have any relatives employed by the Worcester Publc Schools? If yes, please list name, title, and relationship.
Yes/No
3. Have you ever been terminated for cause from a prior position? If so please explain.
Brief Response (Answer limited to 200 characters, including spaces)
4. Do you hold an Educator license in another state? (Urban)
Yes/No
5. Do you have experience working in a public school system?
Yes/No
6. Are you SEI endorsed?
Yes/No
7. Are you fluent in a language(s) other than English?
Yes/No
Contact Information Maura Mahoney, Manager
24 Chatham Street
Worcester, Massachusetts 01609
Phone: 508-799-3028
Email: mahoneym@worc.k12.ma.us