Delivery Model for Psychological and Behavioral Services

Special Education Monitoring Cycle  SY Department of Education Exceptional Student Services Division monitored PUSD for statutory/regulatory compliance.  PUSD completed it’s Corrective Action Plan and is in full compliance.  ADE/ESS provided clarification on role of behavioral specialists and delivery model.

What does this mean for PUSD???  New job description for school psychologists and behavior service providers.  School psychologists job responsibilities will expand and align with the National Association of School Psychologists recommended standards.  Behavior Interventionist is a new assignment that will require Master’s Degree in social work, counseling, psychology, applied behavior analysis, or be a State certified guidance counselor.

What will this look like for PUSD??  Direct service for students with behavior needs will be provided by school psychologists, special education teachers, speech pathologists.  Behavior Interventionists will be assigned to schools with high incidence of behavior needs including specialized program schools.

How will this look in PUSD??  School psychologists will increase from 32 to 43 to cover all sites.  School psychologist interns will increase from 3 to 6.  Behavior Interventionists will decrease from 22.5 to 8 with the specialized certification to support behavior students in specialized school programs and high need areas.  Board Certified Behavior Analysts will be added to specifically support students on the autism spectrum.  Behavior coaches will be added at our PBS self- contained sites to support emotionally disabled students.

Budget Zero Impact  School psychologists compensation will increase by $ to address the added responsibilities.  A new base salary for school psychologists will be created starting at $54, to be market competitive to attract new psychologists.

Questions / Discussion