What Does a School Psychologist Do?

What a school psychologist does

A school psychologist helps students learn, behave and cope at school. In many districts, special education evaluations take up a large share of the week, with the rest going to counseling, behavior support and consultation with teachers and families.

IDEA, the federal special education law, lists psychological services as a related service. Its regulations describe the work as giving and interpreting tests and other assessments, gathering information about behavior and learning, consulting with staff on school programs, counseling students and parents, and helping develop positive behavior strategies (34 CFR 300.34).

NASP, the National Association of School Psychologists, recommends in its 2020 professional standards no more than 500 students per school psychologist when comprehensive services are provided.

Evaluations and eligibility

When a student may have a disability, the district asks a parent for written consent to evaluate. The school psychologist often leads the evaluation, which can include cognitive and academic testing, behavior and social-emotional rating scales, classroom observations, a review of records and past interventions, and interviews with the student, family and staff.

IDEA requires a variety of assessment tools and bars using any single measure as the only basis for a decision (34 CFR 300.304). Tests must be given in the student's native language or other mode of communication unless that is clearly not feasible, which is one reason districts look for bilingual evaluators.

The psychologist writes a psychoeducational report and explains it at the eligibility meeting, where a group of qualified professionals and the parent decide whether the student has a disability and needs special education. Psychologists may also complete functional behavior assessments (FBAs), which look at why a behavior happens, to guide a behavior intervention plan.

The timelines evaluations run on

• Initial evaluation: within 60 days of receiving parental consent, or within your state's timeline (34 CFR 300.301). Federal rules count calendar days. Texas, for example, generally uses 45 school days from consent, extended when a student misses three or more school days.
• Initial IEP: a meeting within 30 days of finding that the student needs special education and related services (34 CFR 300.323).
• Reevaluation: at least every three years, and not more than once a year, unless the parent and district agree otherwise (34 CFR 300.303).

The 60-day timeline does not apply in a few narrow cases, such as when a parent repeatedly fails to bring the child for testing, or when a child transfers mid-evaluation and the new district and the parent agree on a completion date.

A vacancy stops none of these clocks. Consents keep arriving and three-year reevaluations keep coming due. That is how evaluation backlogs form.

Counseling, crisis work and consultation

• Counseling: individual and group sessions, as an IEP service or general support, on coping, anxiety, anger and social problem-solving.
• Crisis work: many serve on the school's crisis team, help after a death or emergency, and may take part in suicide risk and threat assessments under district procedures.
• Behavior support: positive behavior strategies and behavior intervention plans, built with teachers and behavior staff.

Consultation is the quieter half of the job. A psychologist helps a teacher work out why a student is struggling, reviews intervention data and suggests next steps. In schools that use MTSS, a multi-tiered system of supports, psychologists often help the team decide which students need more help. They also explain results to parents and help families find outside care when needed.

Credentials: NCSP, state certification and the Texas LSSP

School psychologists train in school psychology at the specialist level, such as an Ed.S., or a doctorate. The NCSP, or Nationally Certified School Psychologist, is a national credential from NASP. It calls for at least 60 graduate semester hours in school psychology, a 1,200-hour supervised internship and a passing score on the Praxis School Psychologist exam, and it is renewed every three years with 75 hours of professional development.

The NCSP is not a license. Each state sets its own rules through a state education agency certificate, a state license, or both, and NASP notes that many states accept the NCSP or align their requirements with it.

In Texas, the credential is the LSSP, or Licensed Specialist in School Psychology, issued by the Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council. Texas rules reserve the broad range of school psychological services in public schools for LSSPs and certain supervised interns and fellows (22 TAC 465.38). The LSSP generally calls for a graduate degree in psychology with at least 60 semester hours, a 1,200-hour internship with at least 600 hours in a public school, and the Council's exams. Applicants with an active NCSP are treated as meeting every requirement except the Texas jurisprudence exam (22 TAC 463.9). LSSPs may use the title "school psychologist." See Texas school staffing.

School psychologist, school counselor or school social worker?

All three roles may counsel students; IDEA's definition of counseling services names social workers, psychologists and guidance counselors. The differences:

• School psychologists focus on assessment, eligibility, behavior and mental health, and are usually the ones trained to give and interpret psychoeducational tests.
• School counselors serve the whole student body: academic planning, college and career guidance, social and emotional lessons and short-term counseling. Most hold a master's in school counseling and a state credential.
• School social workers connect school, home and community. IDEA describes their work as preparing social or developmental histories, counseling students and families, working with parents on problems that affect school, and mobilizing school and community resources. Most hold a master's in social work and a state license, a school credential, or both.

Start with the work that needs doing. Evaluations point to a psychologist, family and community outreach to a social worker, and schoolwide guidance to a counselor.

Remote report writing and consultation

Parts of the job move online well: record review, scoring, report writing, consultation with teachers and parents, and meetings by video. IDEA allows IEP and placement meetings by video conference or phone when the parent and district agree (34 CFR 300.328).

Testing is harder to move. Whether a standardized test can be given online depends on the publisher's guidance, the student and your state's rules. Some districts split the work, keeping testing onsite and doing record review, reports and consultation remotely.

A remote psychologist still needs the credential your state requires. See remote school psychologist staffing.

How districts staff the role on contract

Districts often contract a school psychologist for the school year or semester to cover a vacancy or leave, or for a block of evaluations to clear a backlog. The contract psychologist works your calendar, uses your report templates and IEP system, and joins your eligibility meetings.

With MedPoint Partners:

• Send a job order with the campuses, grade levels, evaluation count and language needs.
• Get a blinded shortlist in 48 to 72 hours. Every résumé arrives with answers to your screening questions, such as which assessments the candidate gives most, and candidates are invited to film a short video intro.
• Licenses and certifications, such as the NCSP, a state certificate or the Texas LSSP, are checked before a candidate is sent.
• For contract staff, MedPoint is the employer of record: weekly payroll, taxes and workers' comp, on one invoice.

Start with a contract to keep evaluations on time, and hire directly later if the fit is right. See school psychologist staffing.