School Psychology








		COURSE DESCRIPTIONS PSY 601 Biological Foundations This course begins by reviewing the physiology of the systems for human sensation, perception and behavior which has provided the basis for psychological treatment and practice, then guides the student through an examination of the many current research findings which have illuminated and altered our understanding of human physiology in recent years. Students explore with the professor the ways in which new research findings can or should modify psychological treatment. The role of prescription of psychoactive drugs by psychologists in the treatment process is studied and evaluated. PSY 603 School Psychology Proseminar Provides theoretical and practical understanding about the field of school psychology. School Psychology students learn the importance of and roles of school psychologists. The course focuses on historical influences upon the field of school psychology, ethical considerations, and a school psychologist’s roles in the areas of assessment, diagnostics, consultation, counseling, and interventions. PSY 604 Statistics for School Psychologists The purpose of this course is to review basic statistical techniques and theory for school psychology research and practice. Topics include z-scores, linear transformations, sample probability, hypothesis testing, analysis of variance, power and effect size, and chi-square. PSY 612 Psychometric Theory Introduces the student to basic and advanced concepts in psychometric theory, including technical principles of psychological testing, reliability, validity, and test item considerations. Emphasis will be placed on the application of psychometric theory to measurement problems in applied settings. Statistical concepts related to test theory, such as correlation and regression, are also reviewed. Students are expected to have a basic background in the fundamentals of descriptive and inferential statistics. Prerequisite: PSY 604. PSY 620: Developmental Psychology Focuses on the nature of physical, cognitive, emotional, social, and moral development from birth through adolescence, with implications for learning and teaching; major perspectives on the study of child development, including Vygotsky’s socio-cultural theory of child development and learning; periods of child development from birth through adolescence, seen in cultural context, with implications for learning and teaching; integration of theory and research findings from the fields of developmental and educational psychology; and multicultural contexts for growth, development, and learning with diverse student populations. PSY 622: Cognitive Assessment: Infancy and Early Childhood Four major assessment tools are covered: the Stanford-Binet: Fifth Edition, the Wechsler Preschool & Primary Scale of Intelligence-III (WPPSI-III), the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales: Second Edition (Survey Form), and the Bayley Scales of Infant Development: Third Edition. The first three assessments are covered in depth and the goal is for students to learn how to administer these tests, score them accurately, interpret the results, and communicate these results to others. The course also surveys issues pertinent to the contemporary evaluation of infants and young children, including ethical guidelines, laws pertaining to children with and without disabilities, federal mandates regarding the assessment process, good professional practices regarding the assessment process, standardized administration and scoring techniques, clear report writing and effective sharing of results, linking assessment to recommendations for intervention, and the impact that other constructs (e.g., personality, adaptive skills, language abilities, motor skills, and family/cultural background) have on the final results. Prerequisite: PSY 624. PSY 623: Developmental Psychopathology: Children and Adolescents Focuses on the diagnostic criteria and prevailing best practices in assessment, intervention and service provision for children with special needs. Instruction concentrates on development of students’ knowledge base of childhood disorders and their diagnostic criteria. Students develop an understanding of differential diagnosis and work with both the educational classification system and psychological diagnostic system. The school psychologist’s role as educational and mental health professional in the school system and as consultant to administrators, teachers and parents is discussed. The overall model represented focuses on ecological/contextual contributions to development of interventions for children with special needs, in both special and general education settings. PSY 624: Cognitive Assessment: Elementary and Secondary Level Students To introduce students to major cognitive measures that are commonly used in school-based practice and to train students to administer, score, interpret and report on these measures. The course will address theory and practice. Co-requisite: PSY 630. PSY 625: Academic Functioning: Educational Interventions Since most school psychologists work in schools, understanding teaching and learning is essential. Besides testing and counseling, school psychologists are expected to serve on pre-referral intervention teams and to consult with teachers. The course provides tools to perform those functions. Students come to recognize how learning problems typically arise and require tools and strategies to prevent and/or remediate such problems. Certain aspects of assessment taught are dynamic in nature and are used directly in intervention planning. Prerequisite: PSY 633. PSY 628: Assessment of Social-Emotional Functioning Introduces students to major personality measures that are commonly used in school-based practice, and trains students to administer, score, interpret, and report on these measures. The course will address theory and practice. PSY 629 Behavior Management and Evidence-Based Interventions in an Educational Setting Presents basic theory and practice in the applications of behavioral principles to school psychology practice. Students are introduced to evidence-based practice and begin to learn to apply the material learned to typical situations encountered by the school psychologist. Emphasis on learning about assessment and intervention in an integrated manner. Prerequisites: PSY 603, 604, and 623. PSY 630 Individual and Group Counseling Techniques of counseling children and adolescents in both individual and group formats. Students develop general counseling skills (i.e. active listening, empathy, open-ended questioning) as well as skills more specific to common issues children face (i.e. aggression, depression, ADHD). Advantages and disadvantages of individual vs. group counseling are considered, and how/when to employ the different modes. The course also covers methods of parent trainings, both individually and in groups. Prerequisite: PSY 623; co-requisites: PSY 624 and 633. PSY 632 Multicultural Counseling To effectively function in a multicultural society with clients from diverse backgrounds, students develop the knowledge, tools and skills to become responsive counselors to different ethnic minority and cultural groups. Students become aware of their assumptions about human behavior, values, biases, preconceived notions, personal limitations and attempt to understand the worldview of culturally different clients in the process of developing and practicing culturally appropriate skills in working with culturally diverse clients. Prerequisite or co-requisite: Psy 630. PSY 633 Educational Assessment An introduction to major measures of academic achievement commonly used in school-based practice, Students are trained to administer, score, interpret, and report on these measures, and to integrate the data with information already available. The course addresses both theory and practice. PSY 634: Introduction to Child Neuropsychology An introduction to the theory and practice of neuropsychological assessment. Students learn the administration and interpretation of neuropsychological test data as it relates to the presentation of neurological, metabolic and psychiatric disorders that manifest during infancy, childhood and adolescence. Data analysis and report preparation are emphasized in order to assist students in learning the professional responsibilities of psychologists administering neuropsychological assessments. Special focus is on application of neuropsychological assessment within school environments. Students are also introduced to the role of the school psychologist as provider of neuropsychological services and as a member of interdisciplinary teams that include speech and language specialists, physical therapists, occupational therapists and other allied health professionals. A review of the specific practice domains of these professionals assists students in developing an integrated team approach to school based neuropsychological services. Prerequisite: PSY 601. PSY 645 Research Design Various approaches and techniques for conducting behavioral and social research with stronger emphasis on experimental methods. The course also includes a basic review of statistical methods used to analyze the data from these research studies. In applications, designs which explore differences in needs and outcomes for minority group members are highlighted. Prerequisite: PSY 612. PSY 660: Consultation Consultation is the indirect delivery of services designed to help students; teachers, administrators, and parents are the consultees in this model. The goal of the course is to familiarize students with the theoretical and practical underpinnings of the skill of collaborative consultation. Prerequisites: PSY 603, 604, 612, 620, 622 623, 624, 628, 629, 630, 634. Co-requisite: PSY 625. PSY 663: Case Conceptualization Course registration is limited to students who have completed their assessment and diagnosis curricula and who have been placed or are actively involved in their internships. The focus of the course is to assist students in the development of critical thinking skills in the areas of assessment, diagnosis and remediation. The primary focus of this course is on students acquiring an analytic style that they can incorporate into their professional clinical responsibilities. Clinical data including developmental, medical and psychosocial histories, interviews, assessment data, behavioral observations, and parent and teacher reports are examined. Within a seminar setting, students will be required to present clinical cases and, under supervision, critically evaluate patterns of data in an effort to establish realistic profiles of their clients. Based on their analyses, diagnoses are offered and prescriptions for potential remediation--including behavioral, psychosocial and cognitive-- are suggested. Prerequisite: PSY 701. PSY 701 Integrating Evaluation and Report Writing Skills This course focuses on students' achieving competence in interpreting full test batteries and presenting assessment results both orally and in comprehensive written psychoeducational reports. Report- writing format and the interpretation of test results is discussed and practiced. Test protocols for cognitive, visual-perceptual-motor, personality and achievement tests are reviewed and interpretations analyzed. Analyses are applied to case studies of diverse, handicapped student populations and integrated into full reports, first with guidance and then independently. Prerequisite: PSY 612 and 628. PSY 750 Internship I/PSY 751 Internship II During the internship, advanced school psychology students refine their skills in assessment, intervention and consultation under the supervision of certified school psychologists. They may be called upon to devise behavior modification plans and to address learning issues. Since school psychologists may be asked to address the needs of a wide variety of children, they benefit from diverse training experiences in the diagnosis and treatment of the wide range of childhood behavioral and learning disorders. Interns are required to have two hours of weekly face-to-face supervision; this may be one hour of individual supervision and one hour of group supervision. The National Association of School Psychologists, which sets program accreditation standards, requires that the specialist-level internship be a 1200-hour experience, with at least 600 hours in a public school setting. (Any internship solely in a clinic or private school would therefore be considered part-time). If an intern misses hours for any reason, he or she must make up those hours in a manner arranged with his/her supervisor. If absences are deemed to be excessive in the judgment of the supervisor and the program director, the student may be required to extend the internship through the summer or beyond. Each internship site is visited by program faculty at least once per semester. A faculty member also communicates with the internship site personnel during the school year. All interns are required to complete internship contracts and planning forms prior to the beginning of the internship placement. Each intern is evaluated in writing (using the Touro internship evaluation form) by the internship supervisor each semester. Three additional forms are completed by supervisors in accordance with NASP requirements. All internships start at the beginning of the academic year except by special permission. Internships conclude when the hourly requirements have been met, with the understanding that these dates must also be satisfactory to the school/agency. Interns are expected to continue at their placements during Touro’s semester breaks if necessary. Interns are required to maintain logs documenting days and hours spent and a summary of responsibilities at the internship site. Students are responsible for these logs, which must be signed by supervisors and submitted to the course instructor on a monthly basis. Electronic logs are acceptable provided they are sent from the supervisor’s e-mail address. Students will receive credit for the internship placement only if signed logs are submitted on time. In addition to making interns participants in experiences at the internship agency and allowing them to observe administrative procedures, each internship opportunity must address training with the goal of novice-level competency in the following eleven domains of practice that constitute the current training standards outlined by the National Association of School Psychologists (www.nasponline.org): 1. Data based decision making and accountability 2. Interpersonal communication, collaboration and consultation 3. Effective instruction and development of cognitive/academic skills 4. Socialization and development of life competencies 5. Student diversity in development in learning 6. School and systems organization, structure and climate 7. Prevention, wellness promotion, crisis intervention and mental health 8. Home/school/community collaboration 9. Research and program evaluation 10. Legal, ethical school psychology practice, and professional development 11. Information technology During the internship experience, students continue to attend college-based seminars that include additional supervision and introduce new material. Students interview for internships during the academic year prior to the internship; the requirements of different sites and the application deadlines vary. There are a limited number of highly competitive internships available with the New York City Department of Education. Additional details on internships and the application process are available through the program director.