2014-2015 - Seeking Full Time Bilingual (Spanish-English) School
Psychologist for Powell Bilingual Elementary School, Washington, DC
Powell Bilingual Elementary School is a small, community-based school focused on academic success and excellence located at 1350 Upshur Street NW. With 411 preschool-grade 5 students, class sizes ranging from 13-25 students, co-teaching, a dual language/Spanish-English project-based curriculum, and an active staff-parent leadership team, Powell has a growing reputation as a family friendly, community school. We encourage a positive attitude to learning by encouraging students to ask challenging questions, to reflect critically, to develop research skills, and to learn "how to learn." When you come to Powell, you will see children working in small groups, independently, at centers, exploring and making discoveries. Powell is the proud recipient of the Rising Star Award from Fight for Children. We are the first to implement Tools of the Mind curriculum in Preschool to Kindergarten and are partners with the Flamboyan Foundation, which works to increase family engagement in DC public schools. For two years NCLB placed Powell in the Rising category due to our students' academic growth. We are an International Spanish Academy and won second place Dual Language School of the Year in a national award. We have a wellness team of a fulltime nurse, social worker, two counselors.
To add to this dynamic environment, we are looking for an enthusiastic Bilingual
(Spanish-English) School Psychologist to serve at Powell full-time. Please learn more about us at:www.dcps.dc.gov/DCPS/powell Follow us on Twitter @PowellElem. Like us on Facebook. www.facebook.com/PowellES
Job description:
Position Overview - (WTU) 10 month Instructional
Step/Salary: 1-10/$51,539 to $83,199, commensurate with education level and relevant work experience. Salary listed is for Fiscal Year 2012.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
• Selects, administers, scores, and interprets approved individual psychological, intelligence, and behavioral measures, using instruments and procedures approved by DCPS to referred students. • Prepares evaluation reports utilizing the format approved by DCPS; and writes reports that are meaningful to parents, teachers, and students. • Analyzes evaluation data, student records, and information pertinent to student learning, and formulates hypotheses and conclusions relating to learning and behavioral issues. • Acts as Lead on Special Education meetings. • Acts as point of contact for Case Managers regarding eligibility. • Ensures interventions are being implemented in the general education setting. • Monitors fidelity of interventions implemented at Tier I and Tier II level. • Screens individual student cases for proactive academic and behavioral interventions. • Participates in MDT/IEP committee meetings to interpret evaluation results to parents and school personnel. • Serves in a consultative role with designated personnel to offer prevention and intervention strategies related to learning and behavioral problems of students; and provides consultation on an on-going basis to teachers, parents, and other school personnel to resolve students' learning and behavioral problems. • Develops appropriate interventions and strategies to assist individual students in academic growth and school adjustment. • Screens individual student cases for proactive academic and behavioral interventions. • Identifies, evaluates, and re-evaluates referred students with special programming needs; individual student evaluation services will require the school Psychologist to include the following activities: • Gathers background information via record review, staff, and/or parent. • Interviews and observes. • Selects test instruments valid for student and purpose of evaluation. • Administers assessments. • Analyzes and integrates evaluation results and provides instructional and programming recommendations. • Presents interpretation of evaluation to parent and team. • Submits typed reports. • Completes written psychological reports and parent conferences for each evaluation; and interprets psychological reports with parent/guardian. • Consults and collaborates with parents, school personnel, and others regarding mental health, behavioral, and educational concerns: • Reviews needs. • Observes children. • Interviews children. • Assists with developing interventions. • Reviews progress. • Provides support system to parent. • Helps others understand child development and how it affects learning and behavior. • Strengthens working relationships between teachers, parents, and service providers in the community. • Designs and develops student and classroom interventions for preventing disorders, promoting mental health and learning, and improving education programs: • Consults with teachers, parents, students, and/or family, depending upon problem. • Identifies problems. • Develops strategies that involve all parties. • Provides pre-referral interventions and strategies to SST. • Monitors progress, adjusting interventions as needed. • Maintains flexibility to respond to emergency referrals. • Provides meaningful, helpful suggestions to school personnel regarding behavior management, social skill development, conflict resolution, functional behavioral assessments/behavioral intervention planning, and instructional strategies. • Consults with parents regarding their individual student(s). • Assists school staff in the development of appropriate academic and vocational education plans for the student. • Acts as a psychological consultant for other staff members and community agencies. • Attends due process hearings as requested. • Checks and responds to DCPS email on a daily basis. • Submits productivity forms on a weekly basis. • Serves in a consultative role with designated personnel to offer prevention and intervention strategies related to learning and behavioral problems of students; and provides consultation on an on-going basis to teachers, parents, and other school personnel to resolve students' learning and behavioral problems. • Uploads assessment reports to SEDS upon completion and documents all due diligence efforts made. • Completes all Random Moment in Time moments as assigned. • Reviews assigned assessment caseload and reports barriers to Program Manager. • Required to attend all mandatory monthly staff meetings, case conferences, trainings, and professional developments.
Qualifications • Master's Degree in School Psychology, Educational or Clinical psychology from an accredited institution, to include forty-two (42) semester hours of graduate level coursework and five hundred (500) clock hours of satisfactory field experience in a pre-K through 12 school setting under the supervision of a certified school psychologist. See DCMR 1659.1 for additional details regarding required graduate level coursework. • Certification as a School Psychologist by the District of Columbia Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE).
Personal Qualities of Top Candidates • Commitment to Equity: Passionate about closing the achievement gap and ensuring that every child, regardless of background or circumstance, receives an excellent education. • Leadership: Coaches, mentors, and challenges others to excel despite obstacles and challenging situations. • Focus on Data-Driven Results: Relentlessly pursues the improvement of central office performance and school leadership, instruction, and operations, and is driven by a desire to produce quantifiable student achievement gains. • Innovative Problem-Solving: Approaches work with a sense of possibility and sees challenges as opportunities for creative problem solving; takes initiative to explore issues and find potential innovative solutions. • Adaptability: Excels in constantly changing environments and adapts flexibly in shifting projects or priorities to meet the needs of a dynamic transformation effort; comfortable with ambiguity and non-routine situations. • Teamwork: Increases the effectiveness of surrounding teams through collaboration, constant learning and supporting others; sensitive to diversity in all its forms; respects and is committed to learning from others • Dependability: Does whatever it takes to consistently deliver with high quality under tight deadlines; successfully manages own projects through strong organization, detailed workplans, and balancing of multiple priorities. • Communication and Customer Service Skills: Communicates clearly and compellingly with diverse stakeholders in both oral and written forms; anticipates and responds to customer needs in a high-quality and courteous manner.
How to apply
If interested, please send a resume to Principal Janeece Docal at janeece.docal@dc.gov. We will then set up an interview.