PSYCHOLOGICAL SERVICES DEPARTMENT

The Psychological Services Department provides evaluation, counseling and consultative services for all public school sites in Broken Arrow. The department includes eight school psychologists/diagnosticians and one lead school psychologist. Each psychologist is assigned two or three of the twenty-three sites for service provision.

Services provided support the implementation of programs that are designed to meet the individual needs of students in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. School psychologists support the activities of building personnel in areas related to student assessment, eligibility determination, placement, programming, and psychological counseling services. The Psychological Services Department also provides technical assistance regarding legal issues, IDEA and related statues affecting the provision of special education services.

A primary goal of the Psychological Services Department is to provide services that facilitate the development of positive mental health, enhance the learning environment, protect the rights of special education students, and promote open communication between parents and school personnel.

Getting to Know the Department

Nine school psychologists comprise the Psychological Services Department within Special Services. All of the psychologists/diagnosticians have extensive experience in public schools as well as experience in other facilities/institutions including private schools and rehabilitation and treatment facilities. Several staff members have taught special education, child development and psychology-based classes at the university level. Oklahoma State Department of Education Certification is generally required for psychologists to serve in the capacity of school psychologists.

At minimum, a school psychologist must attain a Masters Degree and the individuals employed as psychologists/diagnosticians in Broken Arrow Schools have many hours beyond that level. The psychologists on staff have taught regular education and special education classes, served as school counselors, reading specialists, in administration and as university instructors. Several of the psychologists have served in leadership and/or officer positions for professional psychological and educational associations at the state level.

Collective Areas of Certification and Registry
School Psychology
School Counselor
Educational Diagnostician/Psychometry
Learning Disabilities
Mentally Handicapped/ Mental Retardation
Emotionally Disturbed
Autism
Other Health Impaired
Traumatic Brain Injury
Physically Handicapped
Multiple Disabilities
Reading Specialist
Elementary Principal
Secondary Principal
Elementary Education
Sociology/ Anthropology
American History
Home Economics
Democracy
U.S. Government
Middle School Language Arts
Middle School Science
Speech and Drama
German
Journalism
Business English
Grammar and Composition
Newspaper
Yearbook

Specialized Certifications
Reality Therapy
Leiter Scales
SOMPA
Transactional Analysis

Evaluations to Determine Eligibility

One of the primary responsibilities of school psychologists involves student evaluations to determine eligibility for special education. Evaluations may be recommended by the team if a student has not responded favorably to interventions within the general education environment. Evaluation results will be used to determine the student’s progress relative to the general curriculum and need for special education services if eligibility is established. Evaluations are comprehensive, nondiscriminatory and presented in the student’s native language, if at all possible. A variety of assessment tools and strategies are used to gather relevant functional information. Observations in the school environment and information provided by the parent(s) are integral components of the evaluation conducted by the school psychologist. When appropriate, standardized tests are administered to provide an established measure of comparison with students the same age as the student being evaluated. If standardized instruments are not used with a student, developmental scales will be completed, reflecting the student’s current levels of performance. The standardized tests and developmental scales given to students have been validated for the specific purpose for which they are used. Tests are administered in accordance with instructions provided by the producer of the tests. In the event an assessment is not conducted under standard conditions, the evaluation report will provide a description identifying how the evaluation conditions differed from standard conditions.

The Psychological Services Department maintains a broad range of tests and evaluation instruments to be used in evaluating intelligence, academic achievement, classroom performance, emotional status, adaptive behavior and processing skills. A basic battery and individually selected tests, when appropriate, are given as part of the evaluation. Test selection is based on the referral/educational concerns and observed skills of the student.

Current regulations require the use of "technically sound instruments" to provide various components of a comprehensive evaluation. Students are assessed in all areas related to the suspected disability. Evaluation data obtained is sufficiently comprehensive to determine the educational needs of the student. Tests are selected to assess the relative contribution of cognitive and behavioral factors, in addition to any physical or developmental factors that may exist. All tests administered and results obtained will be explained to parents in detail.