ncsp parity advocacy sks ispa

The Obstacles and Opportunities in Advocating for NCSP Parity in Indiana

Indiana Association of School PsychologistsOctober 16, 2006, 1:30-3:00pmIndianapolis, IN

Presenter:Stacy Kalamaros Skalski, PhDDirector of Public PolicyNational Association of School [email protected]

Advocate NCSP Parity/Skalski 2

Agenda for this Session

Overview of NCSP Parity Developing an advocacy strategy

for NCSP Parity Understanding the obstacles and

opportunities for Indiana Crafting Indiana’s advocacy

message using existing data Planning for the future


What is NCSP Parity?

Most states and many local school districts award stipends to teachers holding national board certification.

NCSP parity refers to the need for school psychologists holding national certification to be treated equally to other educational professionals holding national certification.


Indiana’s School Academic Plan

Public Law 221 established a grant system through the Indiana Department of Education to fund school improvement plans with the goal of improving student learning. The school improvement plan must include a professional development component and monies may be used for National Board Certification for teachers.

See Indiana Code 20-20-31-12


Comparing the NBPTS and the NCSP

A comprehensive table comparing national certification across school professionals is available at http://nasponline.org/advocacy/certcomparison.pdf


General Goals of the NCSP

To ensure a consistent level of training and field experience among school psychologists who hold the designation

To promote uniform credentialing standards across state education agencies and other bodies who credential school psychologists


General Goals of the NCSP continued

To link national accreditation of training programs (NCATE-NASP Approval) to a national credential (NCSP

To promote Nationally Certified School Psychologists as those who have met national levels of training and who are committed to ongoing professional development and to following NASP ethics.


National Board for Professional Teaching Standards

Proposition 1: Teachers are Committed to Students and Learning.

Proposition 2: Teachers Know the Subjects They Teach and How to Teach Those Subjects to Students.

Proposition 3: Teachers are Responsible for Managing and Monitoring Student Learning.

Proposition 4: Teachers Think Systematically about Their Practice and Learn from Experience.

Proposition 5: Teachers are Members of Learning Communities.


Pre-Requisites

To qualify for national certification candidates must have a bachelor’s degree, a state teacher certification, and 3 years teaching experience.

To qualify for national certification NCSP candidates must have completed a minimum of 60 semester hours of graduate study in “School Psychology,” culminating in a MA, Ed.S., Ph.D. or other recognized post-baccalaureate degree.

Supervised internship and a culminating 1,200 clock-hour supervised internship.

All other applicants must provide documents of having met these pre-requisite standards.

NBPTS NCSP


Certification Requirements

Complete a portfolio which may include videotapes of classroom interactions or discussions, and collections of certain kinds of student work.

An analysis of the teaching reflected in the videotape or student work is also required.

The portfolio also documents teachers’ work outside the classroom with families, colleagues, and the community.

The second component involves a written assessment which is comprised of four, 90-minute sessions.

NASP Standards require that school psychology candidates demonstrate competency in 11 domains of professional practice as part of their formal training.

Candidates must complete a NCSP Case Study.

Complete a 1,200 clock-hour supervised internship of which 600 hours must be in a school setting.

Achieve a passing score (660) on the National School Psychology Examination, administered by the Educational Testing Service (Praxis II: NTE Test #10400)

NBPTS NCSP


Renewal Requirements

The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards certification is good for 10 years.

Renewal includes identifying areas for professional growth and demonstrating how growth has occurred. Demonstration of Professional Growth Experiences (PGE) may be accomplished with written responses to specific prompts, videotape demonstration, and/or submission of student work samples as evidence of direct impact on learning.

NCSPs must engage in activities designed to maintain, expand, and extend their professional training and skills

Specifically, each NCSP must be renewed every three years with 75 contact hours of continuing professional development (CPD) activities

The hours must be fulfilled through a variety of NASP, state affiliate, or equivalent programs.

NBPTS NCSP

What is commonly heard about how NBPTS and NCSP compare?


NCSP Challenges to Parity

3-year pre-requisite practice requirement

“Entry level” Licensure Grandfathering


Arguments for NCSP Parity with NBPTS

Graduate level training requirement. Specific coursework training components Supervised practice requirements are

more extensive. Highest level of certification currently

available. Ongoing professional development

maintains high standards of practice Significant benefits to states with NCSP

parity


Focus on the Benefits to States

1. Salary stipends for NCSPs attract more highly qualified school psychologist applicants

2. Salary stipends demonstrate that the state or school district recognizes and acknowledges the importance of hiring school psychologists who meet nationally recognized standards for training and supervision.

3. Salary stipends promote higher levels of knowledge and competency as NCSP school psychologists must engage in ongoing and meaningful continuing professional development. (NOTE: NCSPs share burden with district for professional development by active pursuit of the 75 CPDs required for renewal.)


Where are you more likely to get board policies?

Districts with a current or future shortage of school psychologists

Districts where teachers and administrators are awarded a stipend for NBPTS

Districts where employment competition between school districts exists

Districts with a good relationship between school district bargaining entities (i.e. union) and school mental health professionals.


Where are you more likely to get board policies? continued

Districts where school psychologists are serving on district-level committees

Districts where the benefits of school psychologists are well known

Districts with a School Psychologist Coordinator/ Supervisor in Central Administration


Where are you more likely to get board policies? continued

Districts where school psychologists have specific data supporting the cost-benefit of their services within the mission of schools.

Districts interested in broadening the role of school psychologists from diagnostician to intervention/prevention specialist (Example: RTI)

Districts where employee contract language refers to all certified employees as “teachers.”

Top 10 Advocacy Tips for Achieving NCSP Parity


Tip 1: Convene a group of school psychologists interested in

pursuing this issue.

Key Question:Are you willing to commit to this process

long term?


Tip 2: Begin your committee discussions

by evaluating what your assets and obstacles are in getting NCSP

parity passed.

Key Question: What do we need?

(State Laws? School Board Policies? Both?)


Tip 3: Collect and Evaluate Data

Key Question:What do you have and what do you

need?


Tip 4:Know who your allies are and be willing to build and nurture other

essential relationships.

Key Question:Who will be the champions of your

cause?


Tip 5:Determine where there is “fertile

ground” for NCSP Parity.

Key Question:Are there existing school districts that

support this cause or should support this cause due to a shortage or narrowly defined professional

practices?


Tip 6:Prepare materials that clearly and simply explain why NCSP parity is

essential and important for schools.

Key Question:What existing data, resources, and

materials supports our cause?


Tip 7:Talk to leaders who have tackled

NCSP parity successfully and unsuccessfully in their state or

local communities.

Key Question:What are the major “lessons learned” about how to manage achieving NCSP

parity?


Tip 8:Build a “grassroots” movement of

practitioners committed to getting the message out and

talking to key decision makers on the local and state level.

Key Question:What infrastructure support (who, what,

where, when) do you need to actively campaign for NCSP parity?


Tip 9: Teachers, students, and families need schools to recruit the best professionals and maintaining

the highest standards for school psychological practice.

Key Question:Can you show how NCSP parity

promotes high quality services, the mission and purpose of schools, and

the goals of NCLB?


Tip 10:Be resilient and patient in your quest. Alter your course as necessary with the

expectation that you will achieve your goal.

Key Quote:“Success is the ability to go from failure to

failure without losing your enthusiasm.” Winston Churchill


NCSP Parity in State Law

Louisiana Nevada Oklahoma Delaware


NCSP Parity in INDIANA Data

References:

Charvat, J. (2005, March) NASP Study: How many school psychologists are there? Communiqué, 33, 12-14.

Curtis, M., Lopez, A., Batsche, G., & Smith, J. (2006, March) School Psychology 2005: A National Perspective. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the National Association of School Psychologists, Anaheim, CA

Curtis, M., Lopez, A., Batsche, G., & Smith, J. Unpublished and unofficial results of the 2004-2005 NASP Membership Survey. Final results are expected soon! Stay tuned….


Average Salary of School Psychologists

52630 50174

5895561857 60581

0

10000

20000

30000

40000

50000

60000

70000

Indiana Kentucky Ohio Illinois National

Dol

lars

Series1


Average Number of Special Education Assessments Completed Annually

6457

37

23

4735

4438

111

9281

61

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

Indiana Kentucky Ohio Illinois

Num

ber

of E

valu

atio

ns

Initial Evaluations

Reevaluations

Total Assessments


Average Number of Students per School Psychologist

2179 2192

1541 1439

1037 1000

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

Num

ber

of S

tude

nts

Series1


Number of Nationally Certified Training Programs

3 3

98

0

2

4

6

8

10


Series1


Average Number of Individual Counseling Cases

0

2

4

6

8

10

12


Num

ber

of C

ases

Series1


Average Number of Consultation Cases Annually

19

3641

33

05

1015202530354045


Series1


Skill Utilization of School Psychologists in Indiana

Special Education Assessment

Assessment Prevention activities Crisis intervention Behavioral interventions Academic interventions Consultation with teachers

and parents Counseling / Direct Services In-services and Workshops

for school staff & parents Research and Data Analysis

What we’re doing most of the time now:

What we’re trained to do:


Recruitment Competition with Neighboring States

Indiana has narrowly defined school psychology practice to the assessment of special education students.

Broader role practiced in OH, IL, and KY Ratios of School Psychologist to Student are

better in OH and IL. All states are sill above the national average and the maximum recommended NASP ratios.

Graduates tend to stay in state to practice. More graduate training programs to meet the demand in OH and IL.

Salaries in OH and IL are more on par with national average.


What Would NCSP Parity Cost in Indiana?

Total number of NCSP’s in Indiana: 197 Percentage of School Psychologists working in public

schools with NCSP: 50% Typical Annual Stipend of $2000

ESTIMATED PROGRAM COST: $394,000

First Year if only for Public School Employees: $197,000


Other Data Needed? Vacancies (School District and State)

Number of unfilled positions Number of positions filled by qualified and

unqualified (temporary certification, contractual) personnel

Current attrition rates due to job or role dissatisfaction

Current attrition rates due to retirement Future Shortage of School Psychologist

Average age of school psychologists Capacity of IN training programs to meet the

future demand for school practitioners


Lessons Learned from Other Sates States need to build the capacity of school

psychologists to become advocates (i.e. PPI)

An advocacy agenda (legislative or policy) for the state organization is essential

Strategies for accomplishing the advocacy agenda must be developed

Coalition building is fundamental Information must be disseminated in a

very timely fashion Targeting key legislators/policy makers to

enlist their support of legislation is critical


NCSP Questions and Resources

Joan BohmannNASP Director of Professional Standards and Continuing

Professional [email protected]

Sawyer Hunley National School Psychology Certification Board, Chair

[email protected]

NASP Website: http://www.nasponline.org/certification/index.html


NCSP Parity Advocacy Questions & Resources

Stacy Kalamaros SkalskiNASP Director of Public PolicyEmail: [email protected]

Candis HoganOklahoma Delegate and

GPR Committee, Central Region [email protected]

NASP website:http://www.nasponline.org/advocacy/NCSPstateinitiatives.html

Final Thoughts, Questions, Discussion

ncsp parity advocacy sks ispa

Education

nbpts ncsp

national credential

national board certification

ncsp challenges

school professionals

school setting

professional training

national levels of training