MODULE V: SCHOOLS AND SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGY

WORKSHEETS FOR PROBLEM SOLVING STEPS V-A, V-B, V-C,

AND V-D

INSTRUCTIONS

  • Record your responses to each of the worksheets on the following pages.
  • You may wish to save the file with a new file name. Don’t forget to save your file each time you use it.
  • To return to the PowerPoint slide show, minimize or save and close the word file.
  • Press click on the hyperlinks below if you wish to proceed directly to specific worksheets in the module.
  • You may return to the Table of Contents at any time by clicking on the left footnote at the bottom of each page (this usually requires a triple click).

TABLE OF CONTENTS

  • Step V-A:Worksheet A: Module V Critical Issues Form
  • Step V-B:Worksheet B: Module VThreats/Opportunities Form
  • Step V-C:Worksheet C: Module VSolutions/Strategies Form
  • Step V-D: Worksheet D: Module V Action Plan Form
    Worksheet A: Module V Critical Issues Form

Schools and School Psychology

Step V-A: Brainstorm and define critical issues related to schools and school psychology (Complete Worksheet A: Module V Critical Issues Form)

Activity V-A-3: Prioritize the critical issues: Group discussion or individual reflection

Using your group or individual responses to Activity V-A-2 (brainstorming critical issues), as well as the background readings and webcast, select 2-3+ critical issues related to “schools and school psychology” that you will emphasize during your completion of the remainder of Module V. Record the critical issues in the first column on “Worksheet A: Module V Critical Issues Form” below. Then, for each critical issue, rewrite the issue as a target goal/outcome that would be important for guiding strategies, activities, and resolution of this issue in the future. Record the target goals/outcomes in the second column of Worksheet A.

Prioritized Critical Issues / Target Goals/Outcomes
Example: School psychologists spend almost all of their time in special education eligibility activities and little time in prevention/intervention activities in general education. / Example: School psychologists will spend less time in special education eligibility activities and more time in prevention/intervention activities in general education.

Worksheet B: Module V: Threats/Opportunities Form

Schools and School Psychology

Step V-B: Brainstorm threats/opportunities related to school psychology addressing critical issues for schools

Activity V-B-3: For each priority issue from your “Worksheet A: Module V Critical Issues Form” identify/prioritize opportunities to address it, as well as threats to the capability to address it. Threats, or restraining forces, are those factors that prevent, impede, or minimize your individual or your group’s role in addressing the issue. Threats might include training program capacity, lack of time for practicing school psychologists, etc. Opportunities, or driving forces, are factors that facilitate or enhance your individual or your group’s role in addressing the issue. Opportunities might include practitioner competencies, school psychology’s reputation, relationships with other professions, etc.

Using the group or individual responses to Activity V-B-2 (brainstorming threats/opportunities), as well as the background readings and webcast, select 3-4 threats and 3-4 opportunities related to each critical issue for “schools and school psychology” and record the threats and opportunities on “Module V: Threats/Opportunities Form” (see Worksheet B below). Identify threats and opportunities that are most relevant for the level of focus of your target goals for the modules: your own individual service delivery goals, local school district goals, state goals, or national goals.

Prioritized Critical Issues / Threats—factors that prevent you from addressing the issue / Opportunities—factors that enable you to address the issue
Example: School psychologists spend almost all of their time in special education eligibility activities and little time in prevention/intervention activities in general education. / Some examples of threats might be administrators stereotyping school psychologists only as assessors or high numbers of teacher referrals for special education. / Examples of opportunities here might be school psychologists’ training in prevention/intervention techniques or school psychology’s resources to advocate for better early intervention resources in general education.
Prioritized Critical Issues / Threats—factors that prevent you from addressing the issue / Opportunities—factors that enable you to address the issue

Worksheet C: Module V Solutions/Strategies Form

Schools and School Psychology

Step V-C: Brainstorm solutions/strategies; identify the most promising solutions/strategies related to schools and school psychology

Activity V-C-3: Using the group or individual responses to Activity V-C-2 (brainstorming solutions/strategies), as well as the background readings and webcast, consider and select 3-4 of the most promising strategies/solutions related to each of your or your group’s critical issues for “schools and school psychology.” Identify solution/strategies that are most relevant for the level of focus of your target goals for the modules: your own individual service delivery goals, local school district goals, state goals, or national goals.

When selecting the most promising solutions/strategies, consider using such criteria as relevance (Does idea have direct implications for this issue?), feasibility (How likely is it that I, or my group, can put this idea into action?), and effectiveness (Will this idea really work?) to make selections. Record your final list of the most strategies/solutions for each issue on “Module V: Strategies/Solutions Form” (see Worksheet C below).

Prioritized Critical Issue / Most Promising Strategies/Solutions
Example: School psychologists spend almost all of their time in special education eligibility activities and little time in prevention/intervention activities in general education. / Example: Possible solutions might be a national or local education campaign for administrators to promote the indispensability of school psychology in prevention/intervention, or inservice training for school psychologists in specific instruction techniques for at-risk learners.
Prioritized Critical Issue / Most Promising Strategies/Solutions

Module V-Schools Page 1

Worksheet D: Module V Action Plan Form

Schools and School Psychology

Step V-D: Develop plans for action, implementation, and evaluation related to

schools and school psychology

Activity V-D-3: The most critical phase of strategic planning and problem-solving is creating the Action Plan that describes how you, or your group, will go about implementing the strategy chosen to address the issue and achieve the priority goal/outcome. Worksheet D is provided to facilitate action planning. After selection of the critical issue and strategy that will be the focus of your or your group’s action plan, use the following guidelines to complete Worksheet D. Complete a separate Worksheet D for each action plan that you will implement.

  1. In the first two boxes of the action planning form, record the critical issue and its priority goal/outcome that you, or your group, have already selected. You may copy your or your group’s critical issue and priority goal/outcome from Worksheet A, or, if you have made revisions, record your modified critical issue and its priority goal/outcome.
  2. Then, write a description of the selected strategy or solution that you, or your group, prioritized to use to address the critical issue and achieve the priority/goal outcome.
  3. Consider how the strategy will be implemented and outline the implementation steps that will need to be followed in order to execute the strategy.
  4. For each implementation step, identify resources (materials, people, etc.) that can be useful.
  5. For each implementation step, list the name(s) of people who will be responsible for carrying the step (for plans developed as part of group activities, rather than self-study/independent learning).
  6. Determine the date when each implementation step of the action plan will be completed.
  7. At the bottom of the page for Worksheet D, you may categorize the action plan into one or more of six general categories (Research and Knowledge Base, Advocacy/Public Policy, Collaboration and Communication, Practice and Service Delivery, Preservice/Inservice Training), if the categories will assist you, or your group, with implementing or communicating the plan or with assigning responsibilities.
  8. Worksheet D concludes with a section for you to record a brief statement of the “Data Collection, Assessment, and Accountability” to assist with monitoring of the plan and evaluating its effectiveness. How will you measure and demonstrate that the action plan is working and that you have successfully achieved your priority goal/outcome? In this section, identify types of data and data collection procedures that you will use. Remember to record the criterion or expected result to determine that the action plan has been successful.
  9. Repeat the process for each remaining prioritized strategy that you or your group has selected for implementation. After selecting the next solution/strategy, follow steps a-h above and complete a new Worksheet D for the action plan.

Example (adapted from plan by the New Hampshire Association of School Psychologists):

Strategy: Sponsor state-wide conference for school psychologists on general education assessment practices that are evidence-based and linked to interventions.

Implementation Steps:

  1. Call for volunteers to serve on Conference Committee.
  2. Meet to decide conference format, speakers, and date for conference.
  3. Contact speakers and potential conference sites.
  4. Select conference location and finalize speaker list.
  5. Create a plan for publicizing the conference to key constituents, including school psychologists, administrators, and teachers (regular, special education teachers, reading specialists) and create brochure.
  6. Send out brochure and implement publicity plan.
  7. Hold two-day conference in October and follow-up with conference participants at 6 and 12 months to evaluate their use of content and strategies.

Action Plan Form for Schools and School Psychology

Use one form for each action plan/activity.

Prioritized Critical Issue:

Target Goal/Outcome:

Strategy/Solution:

Implementation Steps / Potential Resources / Responsible Person(s) / Completion Date

Check the area(s) below for which the action plan is relevant:

Research and Knowledge Base / Practice and Service Delivery
Advocacy/Public Policy / Inservice Training/Continuing Education (for practitioners)
Collaboration and Communication / Preservice Training (for graduate students)

Data Collection, Assessment, and Accountability (how will we know the plan has worked?)

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