Position to begin July 1, 2024. 

Applicant MUST have a valid KY teaching certificate for School Psychology.

CLASS TITLE:  PSYCHOLOGIST

REPORTS TO:  Director of Special Education

EXEMPT STATUS:  Exempt                                         

APPROVED:  January 14, 2016- Order #2016-1720

BASIC FUNCTION:

To help parents, teachers and schools work together for the benefit of the student.  This includes:

·       Prevent educational and behavioral problems through early identification and consultation.

·       Identify special needs of children through consultation, observation and other psychological and educational assessment.

·       Analyze, integrate and report psychological and educational information about child behavior and conditions related to learning. 

·       Consult with teachers and other staff members in planning, implementing, and evaluating needs of individuals and groups of children. 

·       Plan and manage a program of psychological services including:  1) pre-referral and assessment services; 2) early identification services; 3) intervention and counseling for children; and 4) program evaluation and applied educational research.

REPRESENTATIVE DUTIES:     

·       Consult with general and exceptional teachers about the effects of various teaching techniques and methods of classroom instruction.

·       Confer with teachers and parents about the child’s learning abilities, achievement levels, social/emotional development, and learning needs.

·       Help teachers and parents understand more about how children grow, learn and develop.

·       Assist teachers and parents in the development of appropriate goals and objectives necessary to meet the needs of each child.

·       Provide crisis intervention services to students and school personnel upon requests.

·       Aid in the construction and selection of evaluation procedures and instruments and assist in the development evaluation of programs, materials, and educational strategies for the district.

·       Participate in screening meetings, serving to interpret and consult on the available data.

·       Develop with teachers, parents and administrators intervention strategies designed to help in solving students’ school related problems in the regular classroom setting.

·       Monitor the effectiveness of intervention strategies and, when necessary, ensure the initiation of a formal referral for complete psycho-educational assessment.

·       Complete individual psycho-educational assessments and evaluation reports within federal due process timelines.

·       Attend ARC meetings, as needed.

·       Conduct needs assessments in order that service delivery goals may be set.

·       Serve on district committees to apply psychological expertise for the development, implementation and evaluation of educational programs.  Such areas may include grant application writing, the development of performance assessment procedures, curriculum design, competency testing and remedial programming.

·       Providing professional development opportunities for teachers, administrators, and other school personnel: and develop systematic research programs to answer questions of concern to school personnel, such as the relationships between educational programs and pupil achievement.  This service would be provided as the need arises.

·       Assist with testing for the gifted program.

·       Assist with early childhood assessment and intervention.

·       Interpret the psychologist’s role to the community.

·       Assist in beginning programs for the children who are found to be “at risk” and provide for parent training as needed.

·       Maintain regular attendance.

·       Perform such other tasks and assume such other responsibilities as may be assigned by the superintendent.

KNOWLEDGE AND ABILITIES:

       KNOWLEDGE OF:

·       Psychological assessment.

·       Consultation methods and practices.

·       Psychological practices, procedures and equipment. 

·       Correct English usage, grammar, spelling, punctuation and vocabulary.

·       Interpersonal skills using tact, patience and courtesy.

·       Technical aspects of field of specialty.

·       Oral and written communication skills.

·       Basic public speaking techniques.

       ABILITY TO:

·       Provide technical assistance in the development, dissemination and evaluation of procedures for obtaining psychological services.

·       Assist in the identification and evaluation of students with psychological and emotional problems.

·       Determine appropriate action within clearly defined guidelines.

·       Consult with parents, teachers and others regarding psychological and emotional-related issues. 

·       Maintain current knowledge of technological advances in the field.

·       Establish and maintain cooperative and effective working relationships with others.

·       Communicate effectively both orally and in writing.

·       Work independently with little children.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

·       Work is performed while standing, sitting and/or walking

·       Requires the ability to communicate effectively using speech, vision and hearing

·       Requires the use of hands for simple grasping and fine manipulations

·       Requires bending, squatting, crawling, climbing, reaching

·       Requires the ability to lift, carry, push or pull light weights

Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable a person with a disability to perform the essential functions of the job.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:

Four-year college graduation in the field of psychology.

LICENSES AND OTHER REQUIREMENTS:

Valid Kentucky driver’s license; Kentucky certificate, licen