NHASP Protocol

NHASP
Protocol
Volume 34, Issue I
Winter 2016
President’s Message
Every Student Succeeds Act: What NH
School Psychologists Need to Know
by Christina Flanders, NHASP President
S
ometime between when
we were eating turkey and
ringing in the New Year
something significant happened
in Washington, D.C.: Every
Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)
was signed by President Obama.
This legislation essentially
replaces/reauthorizes ESEA/NCLB and
it will be changing how States and districts
operate in the coming years. This article
is meant to help provide the reader with
the highlights and ways that ESSA can
positively impact school psychology and
comprehensive services for all students.
Kelly Vaillancourt Strobach and Katie
Eklund from NASP have summarized
the legislation thus far and have provided
these details and potential opportunities
for school psychologists.
No Child Left Behind regulations
will continue through August
2016, followed by a transitional
year for 2016-2017, and
proposed implementation of
ESSA for the 2017-2018 school
year. There are several important
changes written in ESSA which
should be viewed as opportunities for NH
school psychologists to make systemic
changes for NH students.
First, the majority of control is going to
be turned over to the States, with States
being able to use various funding streams,
such as Title I funds, to implement
multi-tiered systems of supports, positive
behavior supports and interventions, and
early intervention services. This is an
opportunity for NH school psychologists
to influence change at the school, district,
Continued on page 5
SPRING CONFERENCE: March 25
Recent Advances in Understanding Word-Level
Reading Problems: Assessment and Highly
Effective Interventions
NHASP is fortunate to have
David Kilpatrick, Ph.D.,
presenting at our Spring
C o n f e re n c e . Wi t h h i s
background as a practitioner,
researcher, and trainer, Dr.
Kilpatrick brings a wealth
of practical knowledge to
his presentation. Regular
readers of NASP’s online
communities will attest to
his spot on comments about
cases raised there. Join us
at the Grappone Center in
Concord on Friday, March
25 for a full day of learning.
Registration is available
through our website either
online or via a printed
brochure. Online registrants
may also purchase his most
recent book.
Ψ
What’s inside...
NHASP Delegate Report......................... Page 2
Winter Membership Meeting
Moving.......................................................... Page 3
Fall Conference Review: Part I............... Page 3
Top Reasons To Belong to NHASP....... Page 5
Emerging Research on Highly Effective Ways
to Prevent and Correct Reading Difficulties
NHASP Briefs........................................... Page 4-5
Nominations Needed for SPY............... Page 6
Meet Your NHASP Executive Board!.... Page 7
Ethics Not Just for the NCSP.................. Page 8
Practice Standards..............................Page 9-10
Characteristics of an Ethical School..Page 11
save the date: March 5
Workshop on Avoiding
Stress and Burnout
O
n Saturday, March 5th, at the
offices of PSU on Pillsbury
Street in Concord, NHASP
member John (Jack) L. Morse, Ed.D.,
will present his findings from a survey
of practitioners in the state. We expect
the presentation to last from 10 to noon
and be followed by pizza for all those
wishing to remain afterward. Registration
(a bargain at $10 for two hours of CPD
in ethics/professional practice) for this
event will be online only, so stay attuned
to your email and/or check the association
website.
For a more complete description of Jack’s
survey, see the article in the previous
Protocol [available in the members only
section of the NHASP website]. For the
most complete picture, however, simply
attend the workshop.
Continued on page 3
NHASP Delegate Report
NASP Initiatives and NCSP Changes
by Tari Selig, NHASP Delegate
T
he National Association
of School Psychologists
continues to provide
members with valuable resources
and professional development
opportunities. This year, President
Todd Savage and the executive
board has been focused on four key
initiatives. These key initiatives are multi-year
initiatives that will help to move the profession
forward and are the focus of the association’s
work. The initiatives are: develop leadership
skills and qualities of school psychologists,
address critical shortages in school psychology,
advance the role of school psychologists
as qualified mental and behavioral health
providers, and advance recognition and
implementation of the NASP Practice
Model nationwide. In New Hampshire, we
are mindful of those key initiatives and thus
our state association continues to engage in
advocacy activities that promote those areas
while simultaneously providing our members
with professional development opportunities
that keep these initiatives in mind.
Effective January 1, 2016, and based on
Standard 6.2 of the NASP Standards for
the Credentialing of School Psychologists,
all newly accepted recipients of the NCSP
credential must demonstrate one academic
year of professional support/mentorship
prior to their first NCSP renewal only (three
years after being awarded the credential).
This requirement does not apply
to individuals who were awarded
the NCSP credential on or before
December 31, 2015. Additionally,
this requirement is only applicable to
the first renewal of the credential. For
more information, please visit www.
nasponline.org/standards-andcertification/national-certification/ncsprenewal. Please contact the NASP certification
team at [email protected] with any questions.
NASP is pleased to announce the release
of “Ready to Learn, Empowered to Teach:
Guiding Principles for Effective Schools
and Successful Students.” This document
outlines NASP’s policy recommendations for
ensuring that students have access to highquality public education. Use this resource to
support your outreach and advocacy efforts
with decision makers and stakeholders at the
local, state, and national levels. Learn more
at www.nasponline.org/ready-to-learn.
If you can’t make it to New Orleans for the
convention, preorder a Session Recording
Package from the NASP Online Learning
Center! Sessions will automatically be available
for viewing in your Online Learning Center
account beginning in April 2016. View
packages and pricing at https://nasp.inreachce.
com/Search?category=4e0d87c4-38a1-4d3297d6-a2cfc959ed6f.
Ψ
Winter Membership Meeting Moving
Winter is moving—not the season, just the annual membership meeting. After too many
years of dodging ice and snow “events” the board is switching NHASP’s event from January
to May this year. The annual meeting will take place during the 2016 School Mental
Health Summit: Promoting Student Success through Behavioral Wellness on May 21st
being held at and co-sponsored by Plymouth State University. Part of the day will address
universal mental health screening in a school setting and part will speak to advocacy and/
or legislation (allowing that three hours to count as ethics/professional practice continuing
professional development). While this event has typically been for members only, this year
the board is seeking to invite other stakeholder groups, such as members of the NH School
Counselors Association, to join us. The board is still waiting on food quotes, but intends
present this event at or below cost, likely in the range of $40-50 for the day, including
lunch. Such a deal! So save the date and keep an eye out for the invitation. Hopefully, no
weather-related cancellation will apply.
NHASP Protocol
Page 2
NHASP Executive Board
2015–16
Christina Flanders, President
[email protected]
Trish Raymond, President-Elect
[email protected]
Nate Jones, Past President
[email protected]
Molly Ware, Secretary
[email protected]
Dave Smith, Treasurer
[email protected]
Tari Selig, NASP Delegate
[email protected]
Region 1 Representative
(Nashua, Manchester, Salem)
Amy Bahan
[email protected]
Region 2 Representative
(Greater Concord)
Audrey Willis
[email protected]
Region 3 Representative
(Lakes Region) 
Lauryn Barton
[email protected]
Region 4 Representative
(Monadnock area, Keene)
Jonas Taub
[email protected]
Region 5 Representative
(Upper Valley)
Mary Ann Salvatoriello
[email protected]
Region 6 Representative
(Seacoast)
Katie Freeman
[email protected]
Region 7 Representative
(North Country)
Emily Russell
[email protected]
Winter 2016
www.nhaspweb.org
Committee Chairs
Nate Jones, Nominations/Elections
[email protected]
Tricia Raymond, Membership
[email protected]
Virginia Smith Harvey & Cindy Waltman,
Ethics & Professional Standards
[email protected], [email protected]
Jonas Taub, Research
[email protected]
Amy Bahan, Scholarship
[email protected]
Kate Salvati & Tricia Raymond, Conferences
[email protected], [email protected]
Dave Smith & Peter Whelley, Finance
[email protected], [email protected]
Nate Jones & Tari Selig, Government
Professional Relations
[email protected], [email protected]
Emily Russell, Public Relations
[email protected]
Associate Positions
Peg Dawson, Study Group Facilitator
[email protected]
Nate Jones, Certification Liaison
[email protected]
Nate Jones, NHPA Liaison
[email protected]
Audrey Willis, State SPAN Contact
[email protected]
Nate Jones, Webmaster
[email protected]
Robert Rodriquez & Lauryn Barton, Assistant
Webmasters
[email protected], [email protected]
David Smith, Newsletter Editor
[email protected]
Teneil Rineer, Student Representative
[email protected]
Teneil Rineer, Assistant to the President,
[email protected]
Katie Misiaszek, Student Assistant to the Delegate
[email protected]
Student Assistant to Membership Chair, vacant
NHASP Protocol
Fall Conference Review: Part I
Hi Dave,
I have just asked two students to write an article about the Brock conference. Do you have a
deadline? This will be their first one - they are both excellent writers.
Happy turkey day.
Cindy Waltman, Ph.D., NCSP
Hi Dave,
---
Cynthia Waltman at PSU suggested I touch base with you to contribute a write-up
on the NHASP fall conference for the state newsletter you edit. Can you provide
me with some detail and guidance on this?
Thanks for your time,
Grad Student
--Thanks Grad Student. Yes, Cindy mentioned that to me as well. She also touted your writing
skills--always a good thing!
As it happens, I’m putting the newsletter together today and tomorrow. I’m looking for 400500 words, plus or minus, that would both evoke the conference content to a degree (hit the
high points or take away messages--feel free to reference what was in the previous newsletter)
for those who attended and capture the feel of the event for those who did not, essentially
encouraging both groups to sign up for the next conference, but also documenting “for the
record” what took place. I’d love if you could work in the number of folks that attended (93)
and how many of those were NHASP members (40) or students (17). A shout out to PSU
for funding most of those students wouldn’t hurt. And a positive comment or two about the
quality of the food, the ease of travel to Concord, and the plentiful parking never hurts. I
don’t know who in the association ended up with the conference evaluations (but I suspect
Christina) so it might be worth your contacting her and asking if she had compiled any ratings
or compared them to previous conferences (it’s all about the data, after all), plus maybe even
ask her for a direct quote about her impressions that you could use. Plus whatever else you
noticed or recall.
Your major was journalism, right? ;-)
Thanks again and don’t hesitate to ask for more clarification, etc.
Dave
Ψ
NHASP Workshop on Stress & Burnout
Continued from page 1
Continuing education objectives are as follows:
1. This session will help participants describe the consequence of high persistent stress
as well as tasks that mediate stress and burnout.
2. This session will help participants describe and analyze protective components effective
organizations use to develop and maintain resilience.
3. This session will help participants analyze behavioral strategies to decrease stress
reactivity and improve self-compassion as well as describe the characteristics of
successful “helpers” coping with stress and anxiety.
Ψ
Page 3
Winter 2016
Emerging Research on Highly Effective Ways to Prevent and
Correct Reading Difficulties by David Kilpatrick, Ph.D.
T
his past October, the National
Assessment of Educational
Progress once again reported
that over 30% of fourth-graders in the
U.S. read below a basic level. A week
or two later, another federal report was
released stating that our RTI Tier 2
efforts in reading are not producing the
desired results. This report is consistent
with published studies over the last two
decades showing that despite our remedial
reading interventions in both general and
special educational contexts, most of the
time, weak readers remain weak readers
(e.g., Jacobson, 1999; Sparks, Patton, &
Murdoch, 2014).
Despite these negative findings, there
is very encouraging news about reading
difficulties that has been quietly
accumulating in the scientific research
journals. These findings do not seem to
make their way out of those journals and
into our public school classrooms. The
American Federation of Teachers said that
there is a “chasm” between reading research
and classroom instruction (AFT, 1999). A
Yale University reading researcher says this
information “appears to be a well-kept secret”
(Shaywitz, 2003, p. 6) and laments the “the
relative lack of dissemination and practical
application of these remarkable advances”
(p. 4). The Journal of Learning Disabilities
devoted an entire special issue (October/
November, 2009) to the topic of why the best
available research on reading is not widely
known. School Psychology Review published an
article showing that we school psychologists
are largely unaware of the most important
findings from the reading research (Nelson
& Machek, 2007). One likely reason for this
last finding is the fact that about 98% of the
scientific research reports on reading appear in
journals outside of the school psychology field.
Also, the reading research reported in school
psychology-related journals does not provide
a representative cross section of the larger
enterprise of the scientific study of reading.
A recent review of the intervention research
(Kilpatrick, 2015) provides a great deal of
optimism about dealing with word-level
reading problems. Intervention studies fall
NHASP Protocol
into one of three categories based on their
outcomes in terms of standard score point
improvements (an index of how well they are
“closing the gap”).
The first group of studies was rather
disappointing. It yielded average gains of
0 to 5 standard score points on nationally
normed word identification tests. Nearly every
study published in the school psychology
journals fall into this category. This may seem
surprising because many studies found in
school psychology journals report “significant
reading improvements.” That’s because small
gains of 3 to 5 standard score points often
reach statistical significance when compared to
a control group. As a result, these approaches
are called “evidence based,” despite the fact that
such gains are too small to be educationally
meaningful. The second group of studies was
more encouraging. They displayed average
improvements of 6 to 9 standard score points.
However, gains this size usually do not “close
the gap” between most weak readers and their
typically developing peers.
The exciting news is that there is a third group
of studies with highly successful intervention
results. This group yielded 12 to 25 standard
score point improvements, with most of them
averaging gains that hovered around one
standard deviation. In many cases, such gains
“normalized” the performance of these weak
readers (“normalized” defined as performance
above the 30th percentile). Follow up studies
one, two, and even four years later showed
that these gains were maintained over time.
By contrast, follow up studies in the other
two categories often showed that even those
limited gains were lost.
Equally encouraging is the extensive research
on preventing word-level reading difficulties.
Despite the genetic basis of most word-reading
problems, such difficulties can be prevented
with the right kind of Tier 1 instruction
and Tier 2 intervention in kindergarten and
first grade. Vellutino, Scanlon, Zhang, and
Schatschneider (2008) pointed out that the
entire enterprise of RTI was the result of
trying to capture results from these highly
successful prevention studies as well as the
most effective intervention results mentioned
above. However, the sad story of RTI is that
when it was translated into a “framework” and
Page 4
a “process” for early intervention and for SLD
diagnosis, the highly effective instructional
and remedial techniques that produced those
results were never adequately communicated.
Educational professionals were told to
use “research-based” or “evidenced-based”
approaches, but never told what those
approaches might be.
What is exciting about these prevention and
intervention findings is that they align very
well with our emerging understanding about
how students develop word-level reading skills
and why some students do not. In the research
literature, poor word-level reading is referred
to as “dyslexia.”
Dyslexia has become a hot topic recently,
but a topic that is shrouded in 100-year
old misconceptions based on anecdotes
and second-hand information. Researchers
who study dyslexia define it as poor wordlevel reading despite adequate instruction,
effort, and normal language comprehension
(Fletcher, Lyon, Fuchs, & Barnes, 2007;
Vellutino, Fletcher, Snowling, & Scanlon,
2004). This is precisely what is meant by
the IDEA designations “Specific Learning
Disability in Basic Reading” or “Specific
Learning Disability in Reading Fluency.”
Dyslexia has developed a mystique that it
doesn’t deserve. It is poorly understood in
education and in the general public but is
very well understood by researchers. Dyslexics
have typical visual processing skills, contrary
to popular lore, and letter reversals and
transpositions are not defining characteristics
of dyslexia. Rather, reversals and transpositions
are due to poor orthographic skills, not
visual-perceptual deficits (Ahmed, Wagner,
& Kantor, 2012). It is a little known fact that
the highly successful research that prompted
the creation of RTI was essentially research
on dyslexia prevention and intervention.
However, educational professionals are
generally unaware of the approaches that
can produce those impressive results. The
upcoming NHASP presentation will describe
these highly effective approaches in detail. It
will also present the emerging research on
reading acquisition and on why some students
struggle in developing these basic skills.
Finally, it will examine assessment techniques
Continued on page 5
Winter 2016
www.nhaspweb.org
Emerging Research
Continued from page 4
that will allow school psychologists to more
precisely determine why a student is struggling
in reading. Such information will directly
translate into more relevant intervention
recommendations. The presentation is
designed to help our RTI efforts live up to the
highly effective results that prompted RTI in
the first place.
REFERENCES
Ahmed, Y., Wagner, R. K., & Kantor, P. T. (2012).
How visual word recognition is affected by
developmental dyslexia. In J. S. Adelman (Ed.),
Visual word recognition: Vol. 2. Meaning and context,
individuals and development (pp. 196–215). New
York, NY: Psychology Press.
American Federation of Teachers. (1999). Teaching
reading IS rocket science. Washington, DC: Author.
Fletcher, J. M., Lyon, G. R., Fuchs, L. S., &
Barnes, M. A. (2007). Learning disabilities: From
identification to intervention. New York, NY:
Guilford Press.
Jacobson, C. (1999). How persistent is reading
disability? Individual growth curves in reading.
Dyslexia, 5, 78–93.
Kilpatrick, D. A. (2015). Essentials of assessing,
preventing, and overcoming reading difficulties.
Hoboken, NJ: Wiley & Sons.
Nelson, J. M., & Machek, G. R. (2007). A survey
of training, practice, and competence in reading
assessment and intervention. School Psychology
Review, 36(2), 311–327.
Shaywitz, S. (2003). Overcoming dyslexia: A new and
complete science-based program for reading problems
at any level. New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf.
Sparks, R., Patton, J., & Murdoch, A. (2014).
Early reading success and its relationship to reading
achievement and reading volume: Replication
of “10 years later.” Reading and Writing: An
Interdisciplinary Journal, 27, 189–211.
Vellutino, F. R., Fletcher, J. M., Snowling, M. J., &
Scanlon, D. M. (2004). Specific reading disability
(dyslexia): What have we learned in the past four
decades? Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry
45(1), 2–40.
Vellutino, F. R., Scanlon, D. M., Zhang, H., &
Schatschneider, C. (2008). Using response to
kindergarten and first grade intervention to identify
children at-risk for long-term reading difficulties.
Reading and Writing: An Interdisciplinary Journal,
21, 437–480. Ψ
NHASP Protocol
Every Student Succeeds Act
Continued from page 1
and state level.
Second, two definitions that specifically
mention School Psychologists are included
in ESSA. Although “school-based mental
health services provider” is not a new term for
States, the term now carries even more weight
with an increased emphasis in this legislation
on the importance of comprehensive school
mental health services. This is an opportunity
for NH school psychologists to advocate
for more flexibility in the role of a school
psychologist.
The second definition which mentions school
psychologists is “specialized instructional
support personnel” (SISP). This includes
such professions as “(i) school counselors,
school social workers, and school psychologists;
and (ii) other qualified professional personnel,
such as school nurses, speech language
pathologists, and school librarians, involved in
providing assessment, diagnosis, counseling,
educational, therapeutic, and other necessary
services as part of a comprehensive program to
meet student needs.” This is an opportunity
for NH school psychologists to educate
policy makers, colleagues, administrators,
and other stakeholders about the unique
qualifications of school psychologists in
providing comprehensive services.
Third, ESSA eliminates Annual Yearly
Performance (AYP) and replaces it with a more
comprehensive model which encompasses not
only academic indicators of student growth,
but also at least one indicator of school quality,
such as student or educator engagement,
or school climate and safety. This is an
opportunity for NH school psychologists
to help districts and schools create and
implement multi-tiered systems of support,
to include both academic and social and
emotional supports for students, which have
known benefits for school climate.
States must engage in meaningful consultation
with appropriate specialized instructional
support personnel, and other stakeholders,
when designing state and local Title I plans
to improve student outcomes and school
success. This is an opportunity for NH school
psychologists to collaborate with schools
and generate school-wide plans to support
students most at-risk for school failure.
Last, schools may use Title I funds to implement
comprehensive school mental health services
as part of a school improvement strategy. This
is an opportunity for NH school psychologists
to promote implementation of the NASP
Practice Model and a comprehensive service
delivery model.
Local and state advocacy during these initial
months is key to promoting the value of the
work we do as school psychologists. Do you
know who your local representatives are?
Follow this link http://www.gencourt.state.
nh.us/house/members/housemembers.
html to find out. Give them a call or send
them a letter to let them know why school
psychologists have important skills and input
for this legislative discussion. Let them know
they can contact you if they have questions.
There will be more information about ESSA
in the coming months and if you are heading
to New Orleans, be sure to check out any
sessions you can on this new topic. This is an
exciting time to be a school psychologist! Ψ
Top Reasons To Belong to NHASP
1. Voluntarily submitting to professional ethics.
2. High quality professional development targeted at school psychologists.
3. Regular collegial support through regional meetings.
4. Lending credence to child advocacy efforts at the state and federal level.
5. Sole state affiliate of NASP as well as a NASP-approved provider of CEUs.
6. Highly regarded newsletter, website, Facebook page, and listserve.
7. Post-conference study groups on multiple topics.
8. Early career support group.
9. Really cool pens, brains, and other giveaways at conferences.
10. Satisfy your need for affiliation as well as ours. And thanks!!
Page 5
Winter 2016
NHASP Briefs
New NHASP Leaders Sought
Student Assistant Sought
NHASP is searching for our next
generation of leadership in the association.
We are always looking for new leaders
to join our board and many roles are
available. As always, we are searching
for a new president-elect for next year.
We will also have an opening for our
secretary. These are both critical roles for
the association and new voices are always
welcome.
This year the board has three student
assistant positions. There is currently
an opening for a student assistant to
the membership chair (this year that is
Trish Raymond, who is also serving as
president-elect). The role would include
helping with membership mailings, such
as renewals and sending out the annual
directory. Student assistants receive a $100
credit toward NHASP events.
Social event at NASP Convention
Fall 2016 Conference
If you’re attending the NASP Convention
in New Orleans in February, preliminary
plans are for the New Hampshire
contingent to get together socially on the
Friday afternoon/evening and we’d love
to see you. Check the NHASP Facebook
page or get your contact information to
Christina Flanders.
Next Fall’s conference will be bringing
us Daniel Miller to speak on “School
Neuropsychology: Linking Assessment to
Intervention for Students with Learning
Disabilities, Emotional Disorders and
Developmental Disorders.” The date to
save is October 21, 2016, at the Grappone
Center in Concord.
Donate to Children’s Fund Auction
Dyslexia Representation
NHASP is facilitating donations of
New Hampshire-themed items for the
Children’s Fund auction to be held at the
convention. Contact a NHASP officer
if you would like to donate something
for this worthy cause. Items from the
Granite State are always well-received at
the auction. The Children’s Fund is no
longer officially associated with NASP.
NHASP was able to have representation
at the state legislative hearing on
adding dyslexia screening for primary
children. The state committee has made
recommendations on this to the full
legislature.
NHASP Scholarship
Each year, NHASP makes available a
$1,000 scholarship to a member pursuing
graduate study in school psychology. Look
in early spring for more information
about the application process.
Survey on Mental Health
NHASP is facilitating an online survey
about school-based behavioral health
services in the state. If you have not
completed it (it was sent twice, a month
or so apart, and came from delegate Tari
Selig) please consider doing so. The work
we do every day with children makes a
difference!
NHASP Protocol
Position Statement on Alt IV
The NHASP Board has a writing
committee working on a position statement
on Alternative IV certification for school
psychologists. This is a complicated issue
to say the least.
Assistance to States
NHASP is one of five state associations
selected by NASP to take part in State
Problem Solving & Action Planning. The
other states are North Dakota, Maine,
Indiana, and South Carolina. Beginning
work has examined where each state was
in the process with Mental Health work.
Stay tuned!
Kilpatrick Book Available
NHASP is selling 75 copies of David
Kilpatrick’s new book, Essentials of
Page 6
Assessing, Preventing, and Overcoming
Reading Difficulties (2015), at cost
($28.50) to online registrants for the
spring conference. There are still copies
available!
New Habib Film
Dan Habib, creator of the films Including
Samuel and Who Cares About Kelsey, has
a new film coming out. Intelligent Lives is
the working title of a film about IQ. He
will be showing a 10-minute screening of
the movie at our Spring conference. Ψ
Nominations Needed for
SPY
NHASP will be looking for
nominations for school psychologist
of the year in the quite near future.
Please look for information on
this important honor and consider
nominating someone you feel
is doing great work as a school
psychologist in New Hampshire. We
really do count on our members and
superintendents to help us find and
honor a worthy practitioner.
As this issue was going
to press, PSU School
Psychology Program had
just received word that
they are now a
NASP-Approved Program
(with conditions).
Yay for NH!
Winter 2016
www.nhaspweb.org
Meet Your NHASP Executive Board!
Nate Jones is the current pastpresident of NHASP as well
as the co-chair of the GPR
committee. He is also an atlarge member of the Ethical
and Professional Practices
Committee (EPPC). He has
served on the NHASP board
for the past 8 years, including
6 years as the NH Delegate
to NASP before becoming
president last year. Nate is a
NH licensed psychologist, a NH certified
school psychologist, and an NCSP. He
received a B.A. in Psychology from Harvard
and a Ph.D. in School Psychology from
the University of Connecticut. Nate is an
Instructor in Psychiatry and Pediatrics at the
Giesel School of Medicine at Dartmouth and
a School Psychology consultant at SERESC
in Bedford, NH.
Through SERESC and Dartmouth, Nate
provides consultation and evaluation of
Jonas Taub, MA,
NCSP, began his
career as a School
Psychologist in
1976 in the
Washington, DC
area, working in
Fairfax County
Schools for three
years and then at The Chelsea School,
a private LD high school. He moved to
NH in 1984, where he worked with the
Conval, Laconia, and Milford School
Districts. In 2000, Jonas took a position
with the Dartmouth Psychiatric Research
Center as managing the Outcome Study
for CARE NH, a children’s system of
care project. Since 2005, when this
grant ended, Jonas has been engaged
in a combination of part time and
independent work as a school psychologist,
special education consultant, program
evaluator, professional development and
higher education trainer. This pastiche of
NHASP Protocol
students with complex learning,
mental health, developmental
and medical disabilities. He is
the coordinator of the MedicalEd u c a t i o n a l T h e r a p e u t i c
Evaluation (METE) team at
SERESC and coordinates the
School Based Psychology team.
He lives in Brentwood, NH with
his family and enjoys skiing,
hiking, and other activities with
his children.
Through NHASP, Nate has participated in
various state and local level efforts, including
the Community of Practice (COP) on
School Behavioral Health, the NH Children
Behavioral Health Collaborative, and a DOE
committee on the minimum standards for
school psychology in NH. The work Nate has
most enjoyed with NHASP is opportunities
to foster collaboration between school
psychologists and other disciplines in NH.
Lauryn Barton is in her internship year
at Plymouth State University and will
be completing her internship hours at
Winnisquam Regional School District.
Lauryn was most recently a Graduate Assistant
for PSU’s Counselor Education and School
Psychology Department for the past year
and a half, the PSU Student Representative
for NHASP and a NASP Student Leader for
the past year. Prior to graduate school, she
earned her BA in Psychology in 2012 from
the University of New England in Biddeford,
ME. Lauryn enjoys painting, creating pottery,
and boating in her spare time, and she also
loves Bikram Yoga.
employment enabled him to be involved
in many exciting and innovative programs
and projects.
For the last 8 years, Jonas has been
an Adjunct Instructor in the School
Psychology program at Plymouth State,
currently teaching the internship and
Social-Emotional Assessment classes. He
is also Psychology Program Coordinator
at Nashua Community College, and
provides school psychology services to
the Auburn and Mason School Districts.
In another part of his brain, Jonas is a
guitarist and singer with a semi-acoustic
group called Off The Cuff.
Jonas has been involved with NHASP
since moving to NH, and has served
as President (1988-1990), Delegate,
newsletter co-editor, and in many other
capacities. He currently co-facilitates the
Early Career Peer mentoring group and is
Region 4 Representative.
Page 7
Emily Russell currently serves as the Region
7 (North Country) Representative. She has
previously been the Student Representative
to the Board. She currently works as a school
psychologist at Lisbon Regional School and
the Woodsville Elementary School. Prior to
that she taught Latin at the Wooster School
in Danbury Connecticut for 10 years. Emily
earned her M.A. in School Psychology from
Fairfield University and her CAGS in School
Psychology from Plymouth State University.
Emily lives in Bethlehem, NH with her
husband, a daughter, 6, son , 3, and yellow
lab who is a very young 10. In what little free
time she has, Emily enjoys hiking, eating good
food and listening to live music.
Ψ
Winter 2016
Characteristics of an Ethical School
Continued from page 11
bullies to learn ways of effectively dealing with
bullies. At the higher levels there is a course
on World Religions so students can see the
similarities and differences of religions, how
they have contributed to human development
and how some people have used them for
darker purposes.
Children at the higher levels have in-depth
career evaluations to help them choose an
occupation that matches their interests and
aptitudes. Thus, identity is strongly developed
at this school.
Peace studies and conflict resolution are
taught so students can understand how their
individual behavior impacts others, how
nations have dealt with the issues of war and
peace, and what it takes to develop a peaceful
and just world. Thus, communications skills
are emphasized. Peace heroes are also studied
so students see examples of highly developed
adults.
There are no desks in this school but tables so
that children can work together cooperatively
on projects. Teachers are called “facilitators” as
they are at the Williston School in Vermont,
because they coach and guide children and
firmly believe that children have the capacity
to learn much on their own with just enough
but not too much adult involvement.
Constructivism is the guiding educational
approach.
School and classroom rules are revised
periodically with input from students, staff,
faculty and administration. The principal of
this school has a strong background in human
relations and is rarely in his or her office but
is constantly about the school displaying
an encouraging attitude to others as well as
doing informal assessment.
Art, music, PE, media literacy, critical
thinking and computer are not only separate
subjects but also integrated into other
school subjects. The students have strong
technology and interpersonal skills and
aesthetic awareness. Service learning is done
by children from 6 years old on. Thus,
children provide services to the community
while learning about their subjects in a
deeper way.
This school has a student court to examine
student infractions of rules and to help
offenders make a plan to change their
behaviors. The court metes out fair
consequences to offenders with adult
oversight. A local judge is advisor to the court.
The walls of the classrooms are covered by
student art and the school hallways have
international flags hanging. Next to and above
the American flag outside there is an earth flag
reminding everyone that every country is only
one part of the planet.
The ethic of care abounds in this school as
everyone shows care and respect for each
other, plants, animals and even objects.
There is strong school spirit and an absence
of school vandalism. Children do get tested
on standardized tests but this happens only at
the end of the last four levels. In between the
levels, formative assessment is done so that
at any time, faculty and parents know how
children are responding to the curriculum
and what adjustments need to be made to
move children along in their skills. Evidencebased approaches are used in teaching skills
and changing behaviors but teachers are also
encouraged to exercise creativity and try new
ways to improve learning – ways that later can
be identified as best practices.
This is not a school that is absent of problems
because it deals with human beings. What is
does, however, is maximize the development
of children so that they can become the kinds
of adults we’d like them to be – competent,
analytic, caring, and appreciate of aesthetics. Ψ
Ethics Not Just for the NCSP
A
s New Hampshire’s NASP Delegate Tari Selig so artfully points out in her column this issue (page 2), requirements for newly nationally
certified school psychologists are changing slightly. One aspect that is not changing, however, is the recertification requirement for
three hours of continuing professional development (CPD) in “ethical practice and/or the legal regulation of school psychology.”
The ethics requirement for NCSP has been around a few years and is likely to continue. The NHASP board has typically offered three
hours of ethics- or legal regulation-based professional development at least every three years. Such events are typically quite popular with
our members. In fact two such events are coming up soon, two hours with John (Jack) Morse on March 5th addressing how to avoid
professional burnout, and three hours during the 2016 School Mental Health Summit on May 21st at Plymouth State.
Typically, one voluntarily submits to an ethical code by joining a professional organization, such as NASP, NHASP or ASAIF, all of which
require members to agree to abide by the current NASP ethical standards. Yet are ethics really “required” if one doesn’t hold the NCSP or
belong to an organization? While some districts have written ethical practice into their job descriptions for school psychologists, the state goes
further. In Ed 306.25, the definition of comprehensive psychological services includes “Legal, ethical, and professional practice consistent
with legal requirements and ethical and professional standards including the NASP Principles of Professional Ethics (2010) as referenced
in Appendix II.” There is a similar provision in Ed 614.08 requiring the SAIF program to provide knowledge in APA Ethical Standards.
NH RSA 189:13 allows for the termination of teachers found to be “immoral” or who have “not satisfactorily maintained the competency
standards established by the school district, or one who does not conform to regulations prescribed.” For NHASP itself, ethics is one of
the few areas where our by-laws require the president to maintain a standing committee. So yes, ethics matter, they matter a lot, and they
would seem to apply whether or not one chooses to hold the NCSP or belong to a professional association. So I hope we see you at one
of the upcoming NHASP events.
NHASP Protocol
Page 8
Winter 2016
www.nhaspweb.org
Practice Standards
Ed 306.25 Comprehensive School Psychological Services. a. If a district employs a school psychologist as an optional service pursuant to RSA 189:49, IV, the standards in
(b) – (e) below shall apply. Nothing in this section shall prevent a school district from contracting services with
a qualified school psychologist.
b. Employing school districts shall require that school psychological services are provided by certified school
psychologists in a coordinated, organized fashion, and are deployed in a manner that results in the provision of a
comprehensive continuum of services. Comprehensive school psychological services shall be based on this section
and The National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) Model for Comprehensive and Integrated School
Psychological Services, published by NASP in 2010 as referenced in Appendix II.
c. The school psychologist shall provide comprehensive psychological services throughout various learning
environments to help children and youth develop academic, social, behavioral, and emotional competence through: 1. Data-based decision making and accountability methods that use psycho-educational assessment results,
data collection strategies, and technology resources to design and implement services and programs and to
evaluate outcomes;
2. Consultation, collaboration, and communication with educators, families, health care professionals including
mental health, social services and other systems to promote effective and coordinated implementation of
services;
3. Interventions and instructional supports to develop academic skills, incorporating available research and
assessment data to develop and implement evidence based instructional strategies designed to support
students’ cognitive and academic skills;
4. Interventions and mental health services to develop social and life skills in collaboration with others, using
assessment and data collection methods to implement and evaluate developmentally appropriate services
that support socialization, learning, and mental health;
5. School-wide practices to promote learning, developing and implementing evidence-based practices and
strategies to create and maintain effective and supportive learning environments for children and others,
including multi-tiered systems, to support students’ academic, social, emotional, and behavioral goals;
6. Preventative and responsive services employing theories and research related to resilience, risk factors, and
multi-tiered prevention, to support evidence based strategies for effective counseling, crisis response, and
behavioral intervention;
7. Family-school collaboration services to facilitate and provide effective collaborative partnerships between
families and schools that support children’s learning and mental health utilizing a strength-based, culturally
sensitive approach;
8. Diversity in development and learning to provide professional services that promote effective functioning
for individuals, families and schools with diverse characteristics, cultures and backgrounds, across multiple
contexts;
9. Research and program evaluation to support educational decision-making and evaluate programs; and
Continued on page 10
NHASP Protocol
Page 9
Winter 2016
Practice Standards
Continued from page 9
10.Legal, ethical, and professional practice consistent with legal requirements and ethical and professional
standards including the NASP Principles of Professional Ethics (2010) as referenced in Appendix II. d. School psychologists shall utilize assessment findings to diagnose educational and behavioral disorders and to
facilitate educational treatment planning.
e. Employing school districts shall insure that an effective program of supervision and evaluation of school
psychological services exists. School psychologists in cooperation with their employing districts or agencies shall
be responsible for the overall development, implementation and professional supervision of school psychological
service programs.
f. Professional supervision shall be available to all school psychologists to an extent sufficient to ensure the provision
of effective and accountable services. Beginning school psychologists in their first year of employment as a school
psychologist shall receive a minimum of one hour of face-to-face supervision contact per week. Supervisors shall
meet Ed 500 requirements for certification as a school psychologist and have at least 3 years of professional
experience as a school psychologist in a school system.
g. Employing school districts shall insure that parental consent and student information are protected as required
under applicable state and federal law.
Source. #5546, eff 7-1-93; ss by #6366, eff 10-30-96, EXPIRED: 10-30-04
New. #8206, INTERIM, eff 11-18-04, EXPIRED: 5-17-05
New. #8354, eff 7-1-05; rpld by #10047, eff 12-17-11; ss by #10556, eff
3-27-14 (from Ed 306.44)
NASP Moves to Implement the Model
Recently released online on the national website (www.nasponline.org), the implementation guide that now accompanies
the NASP Practice Model has five discrete steps designed to assist schools and practitioners in seeing school psychologists
make the most of their skills and expertise, particularly if they haven’t had the opportunities to do so previously. This
is less about “expanding the role” and more about helping practitioners feel comfortable moving away from the “refer,
test, place” model and embrace the increasing role of things like RTI and PBIS, areas where school psychologists should
be leading the charge.
Here at NHASP, we have consciously geared many of our recent professional development offerings (bipolar disorder,
executive functioning, suicide prevention/intervention, etc.) toward helping our members’ professional tool kits become
better rounded. Please remember to fill out the section of the evaluation form that says what you would like to see
us address next. The NHASP board is looking to highlight each of the ten NASP practice domains over the next few
years, so stay alert for announcements and pass along your suggestions.
Ψ
NHASP Protocol
Page 10
Winter 2016
www.nhaspweb.org
Characteristics of an Ethical School
by Leo R. Sandy
H
aving been a practicing school
psychologist as well as a teacher
in higher education since 1971, I
have come to certain conclusions about what
makes good education. These conclusions
are embodied in what I call an ethical school
because education at this school is concerned
about children doing well and doing good,
and it keeps in focus the kind of adults that
children should turn out to be. It also uses
sound child development research as a basis
for its curriculum.
On entering this school, there are no slogans
over the portals because the faculty, staff and
administration believe that actions speak
louder than words and that too often words
take the place of actions. For example, the
Highlander School in Wilder, Tennessee,
was an integrated school developed by Myles
Horton in the 1950s. The school never even
mentioned the word “integration” but it was
very instrumental in advancing the civil rights
movement in the south despite attacks from
the Klan and Senator Joseph McCarthy.
On entering the ethical school, one notices
how positive students, staff, and faculty are
and how cordial they are toward one another.
The school climate is a very positive one and
visitors immediately feel welcome and at
home. This school has many commendations
from accrediting agencies and has only five
levels or grades: The first level is for infants,
toddlers, preschoolers and kindergarten
students and the older children in the school
often come to observe and help out with
these young children as in reading stories to
them, doing hands-on activities, and playing
with them. The second level serves children
ages 6-8 years old and there are many flexible
groupings in the class based on interests, skills,
and learning styles. The third level serves
children from ages 9-11; the fourth level serves
early adolescents from 12-14 and the fifth level
serves older adolescents ages 15-18+. Children
stay with the same teacher or co-teachers from
3 to 5 years depending on the level so that they
come to know and understand each other well
and develop vclose relationships.
Learning is project-based so children are able
to see connections across all subjects and
there are very rigorous and specific criteria
to follow in developing and presenting their
topics because quality is stressed over quantity.
NHASP Protocol
Children learn their basic skills and a lot more.
At all levels children help each other and often
younger children help older children because
age is not seen as an absolute criterion for
across-the-board abilities.
Portfolios reflect skills development and are
used instead of report cards. Children run the
parent-teacher conferences. Children engage
in self-evaluation and rate themselves in such
categories as novice and expert in different
areas, and they are able to demonstrate ways
to move from lower to higher levels. Children
at this school are mainly in competition with
themselves. Self-evaluations and evaluations
by teachers, called facilitators, focus on areas
similar to what the Finns focus on: Inquiry,
Thinking, Open-Mindedness, Knowledge,
being Well-Balanced, Caring, Communication
Skills, Risk-Taking, Reflectiveness and
having Principles. Thus, Finnish children are
expected to “conduct purposeful, constructive
research…actively enjoy learning (that) will be
sustained throughout their lives…, critically
and creatively make sound decisions and
solve complex problems…,(be) accustomed
to seeking and considering a range of points
of view…,explore themes which have global
relevance and importance…,understand the
importance of physical and mental balance
and personal well-being…, show sensitivity
towards the feelings and needs of others
(and) have a sense of personal commitment
to action and service…, receive and express
ideas and information confidently in more
than one language, including the language of
mathematical symbol…,have the confidence
and independence of spirit to explore new
roles, ideas and strategies (and be) courageous
and articulate in defending those things in
which they believe…, analyse their personal
strengths and weaknesses in a constructive
manner…, and have a sound grasp of moral
reasoning (and) integrity, honesty and a sense
of fairness and justice” (Finnish report card).
Perhaps having such learning goals and
working toward them is the reason that
Finland outranks all other countries in student
achievement.
In the ethical school, teachers are provided
time to meet regularly as a group to brainstorm
ways to improve the curriculum, review
policies, and to find ways to help individual
children improve in their academic skills
Page 11
o r b e h a v i o r. P a r e n t
involvement is very strong
and there is a Parent Advisory Council that
actively works on behalf of teachers and
children. Parents sit on committees and help
select new teachers. Parents also are involved
in power sharing and decision-making. They
do not just bake cookies for PTA meetings
(see Epstein’s Parental Involvement Types).
All teachers have master’s degrees
before getting tenure which takes 6
years. Teacher evaluation involves
multiple evaluations – self-evaluation,
student evaluation, parent evaluation,
staff evaluation and administrator
evaluation. There is a strong teacher’s
union but it is not adversarial because
the parents of this school are very
supportive of the teachers based on
the high achievement and happiness
of their children. Thus, wages and
benefits are negotiated in a civil
manner.
There are no required oaths or
pledges in this school but an optional
pledge by Lillian Mellen Genser is
offered each morning: I pledge allegiance
to the world, to cherish every living thing
to care for earth and sea and air, with peace
and freedom everywhere. Also, a morning ritual
would involve readings and discussion from
the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights so
that children understand the creed of the
United States. Militarism in this school is
not encouraged, and JROTC (recruitment)
programs have been eliminated.
Diversity is celebrated in this school but rather
than just being a token exercise, diversity is
integrated into all subjects so it is seen as
natural and in perspective as it is in real life.
There are no zero tolerance policies in this
school because children are given much
support and many opportunities to improve
their behavior such as bullying which is rare
in this school due to its positive climate. This
school works with bullies and their families
to help them change. It also helps targets of
Continued on page 8
Winter 2016
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NHASP Protocol
Dave Smith, Newsletter Editor
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Don’t forget to
check out our website at
www.nhaspweb.org
for the most up to date
information on upcoming
meetings, conferences
and more!
The New Hampshire Association of School Psychologists publishes the Protocol, its official publication, four
times a year and distributes it to members as a membership benefit. We also send copies to all superintendents
of schools in New Hampshire and to members of the NASP newsletter editors’ network. NHASP’s goals are to
serve the education and mental health needs of New Hampshire children.
The contents of this publication, the opinions expressed by the contributors, and any advertisements do not
necessarily reflect the opinions, endorsement, or policy of NHASP, NASP, or their elected, employed, or
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Send items for possible publication to the editor, preferably via e-mail or on disk, using Microsoft Word.
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