PhD Competencies
The SPP prepares doctoral students for the profession of school psychology through a coordinated sequence of coursework; practical experience in applied settings in the context of practica and internship; opportunities to generate new knowledge through research and other forms of scholarship; and personal and professional development through interacting closely with professors, other SPP students, field supervisors, and former program graduates. As a result of these experiences, at the completion of their program, students will demonstrate competency in assessment, direct interventions, indirect interventions, research, professional practice and supervision, and advanced specialization area.
- Professional Practice and Supervision Competencies
- Assessment Competencies
- Direct Interventions Competencies
- Indirect Interventions Competencies
- Research Competencies
- Advanced Specialization Area Competencies
A. Professional Practice and Supervision Competencies
- Demonstrates understanding of the major professional issues that influence the profession and practice of psychology, including school psychology.
- Displays behaviors and attitudes consistent with state and federal laws, rules, and policies that impact the profession and practice of psychology.
- Displays behaviors and attitudes consistent with the Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct.
- Demonstrates effective communication and interpersonal skills when interacting with children, families, educators, colleagues, and other professionals.
- Responds to supervisory feedback to promote personal and professional development.
- Applies supervision theories through provision of effective supervision to others.
- Demonstrates understanding of the organization and operation of schools, including systems variables that promote positive learning and behavior in students.
B. Assessment Competencies
- Demonstrates applications of fundamental measurement concepts and psychometric issues related to the use and interpretation of assessment results with individuals of varying abilities and from diverse racial/ethnic and linguistic backgrounds.
- Demonstrates knowledge of major classification systems and criteria used to diagnose and identify psychological and educational problems.
- Demonstrates proficiency in administering, scoring, and interpreting a broad range of methods for assessing cognitive, academic, and social-emotional functioning and adaptive behavior and skills.
- Demonstrates proficiency in conceptualizing and conducting comprehensive assessments that address referral questions and are consistent with state and local policy and with legal and ethical guidelines.
- Demonstrates proficiency in communicating the results of assessments in written and oral fashion.
- Demonstrates proficiency in using assessment results to generate academic and behavioral interventions in school, family, and community settings.
C. Direct Intervention Competencies
- Demonstrates proficiency in interviewing children, parents, and teachers for the purposes of information gathering, problem identification and analysis, and problem-solving.
- Demonstrates understanding of the reciprocal relationship between child characteristics and environmental variables and their influence on assessment and direct intervention.
- Demonstrates proficiency in observing and recording behavior in classrooms and other settings using a variety of observational methods.
- Demonstrates proficiency in using assessment results to generate, implement, and evaluate direct interventions in ways that demonstrate awareness and sensitivity to individual differences and diverse backgrounds.
- Demonstrates proficiency in applying various direct interventions, including cognitive-behavioral, counseling, and applied behavioral methods.
- Applies a well-grounded theory and scholarship to justify the planning, implementation, and evaluation of direct interventions.
D. Indirect Intervention Competencies
- Demonstrates understanding of theory and application of prevention models for the promotion of psychological wellness and educational development.
- Demonstrates understanding of organizational and system variables that promote positive educational and psychological outcomes for all students.
- Demonstrates understanding of responses to crises as well as consultation models for system-level crisis preparation and response.
- Demonstrates proficiency in developing and implementing a program for parents or professionals that addresses the needs of children, youth, and/or their families.
- Demonstrates understanding of prominent consultation theories and approaches.
- Demonstrates effective consultation skills when working with parents, families, teachers, and other professionals.
- Demonstrates proficiency in evaluating the outcomes of indirect interventions.
E. Research Competencies
- Demonstrates understanding of fundamental principles of statistics and research methodology used in basic and applied research.
- Demonstrates understanding of statistical methods for detecting bias in the assessment of groups from diverse racial/ethnic and linguistic backgrounds.
- Demonstrates proficiency in evaluating basic and applied research in school psychology and related areas.
- Demonstrates the ability to design and conduct research.
F. Area of Specialization Competencies
- Demonstrate advanced knowledge and expertise in a specified and coherent academic or professional practice area relevant to psychology, including school psychology.
