School psychology

Final Paper – PSY 3316 In this paper, you will complete three sections summarizing and synthesizing readings related to the following: becoming a school psychologist, ethics in school psychology, and integrating research into practice. Formatting and length: Your final paper (all three sections combined) should be 7-9 double-spaced pages total. Use 12 point Times New Roman font and 1 inch margins all around. Do not include any extra spaces between paragraphs or sections. You should include a title page that contains your name, the date, and the semester and course. This page will not count towards your page total. In addition, you will submit a References page that is on a separate page (does not count towards your point total) that is formatted in APA style. Please be sure to review the grading criteria which is located on the last page of this document. General tips: -Make sure all the information in your paper is summarized and properly cited. Direct quotations should be used minimally, if at all. If you do include a direct quote (and again, I discourage this), it must be noted as a quotation (in quotation marks) and needs to have a full in-text citation with the page number in APA style. -Use APA citation style for your paper. If you are unfamiliar with APA style, you can find web resources on Canvas. I am most interested in your in-text citations and your references section being formatted in APA style; there is no need to add an abstract, running head, etc. that you would normally find in APA-formatted research paper. -Don’t wait until the last minute to complete the assignment. Ask questions early and often. If you aren’t sure what to pick or whether something “counts” towards the required references, or how to format your references – email me (of course, you can email me with other questions as well!) Part I: Becoming a School Psychologist (2 pages) In this section, you will summarize the main roles of a school psychologist and how one becomes a school psychologist (training and other requirements). Required references: • Class textbook • National Association of School Psychologists website • One additional high-quality reference Part II: Ethics in School Psychology (2-3 pages) In this section, you will first discuss the role of ethics in school psychology practice (1 paragraph). Then, you will choose one of the following scenarios and discuss the relevant ethical principles related to the scenario as well as how a school psychologist should navigate the situation. Scenario choices: Scenario #1 Ms. Gutierrez, a school psychologist, has just finished a comprehensive evaluation for Sasha, a 10 year old student who presents with significant academic and behavioral issues. Based on her evaluation, Ms. Gutierrez recommends a number of services, including daily one-on-one instruction in reading and an intensive behavioral intervention that will require support from an aide. She believes that these services are necessary based on the student’s current level of functioning and needs. After Ms. Gutierrez submits the report, the principal of the school drops by her office and asks her to modify the intervention recommendations in the report. The principal argues that although she agrees the services would be beneficial, the school does not have enough resources to implement the intervention. Scenario #2 Decades of research have supported the superiority of the phonics-based approach for teaching students how to read (see here and here among many many other sources). Other methods, including balanced literacy, do not have strong research support and do a poor job of teaching students how to read, possibly contributing to the high number of students who are significantly behind in reading. Mr. Ogbu, a first-year school psychologist at a low-income elementary school, observes balanced literacy approaches being the predominant method of instruction in the school, despite a state law mandating that schools use phonics-based instruction. In asking several teachers about this, they suggest that balanced literacy is how they have always taught and they don’t believe phonics-based instruction is any better than what they’ve always done. Besides, phonics-based instruction is “too scripted,” they say, and they worry students will react poorly to it. Scenario #3 Dr. Chu is asked to conduct a psychoeducational evaluation for Maya, a 6 year old whose family recently immigrated from Nigeria. Maya has limited conversational English and is struggling in all academic subjects in her new school. The district does not have many English learners and all the academic and intellectual tests that are available for use are not meant to be used with English learners. Dr Chu’s supervisor urges her to conduct the evaluation using the tools available in the district and explain the limitations in the report. Section structure: • Describe the main ethical dilemma (one paragraph) – you should summarize the key principles that may be at conflict here • Define the main NASP ethical principles that pertain to the dilemma. Be sure to cite the principles and discuss how they apply in the scenario. Summarize the principles but also be sure to discuss the application of the principles to the scenario. • Based on the above discussion, describe how the school psychologist should navigate the situation. There is not necessarily a “right answer” here, but you do need to show critical thinking and discussion of the ethical principles – in other words, whatever you choose, it should be grounded in the ethical principles you discuss. Required reference: • NASP Principles for Professional Ethics (see the document posted on Canvas. Note that the Ethical Principles are on pp 39-57 Part III: Integrating Research into Practice (3-4 pages) Choose one of the following research areas: • School psychology shortage • Phones/social media and how they impact mental health • School discipline policies • Neurodiversity • Social and emotional learning Then you will summarize at least 2 peer reviewed journal articles and discuss how the research findings would shape a school psychologist’s practice. Specifically, you will need to: a. Introduce the issue b. Summarize the 2 peer-reviewed journal articles (include information about the article’s purpose, methods, results, and implications) c. Synthesize the above findings and integrate with knowledge gained from the semester about school psychology. How would a school psychologist change his or her practice based on what was found in the articles? Required references • 2 peer-reviewed journal articles • Textbook Part IV: References section All required references must be included; additional references are encouraged. All references must be cited in text to show how you used them; additionally, they need to have entries on the References page (does not count toward page total). In-text citations and references page need to be formatted in APA style. For more help on APA style, please consult resources such as the Assignment Help link on the Canvas site or the OWL at Purdue. Grading Criteria Your final project will be graded using the following criteria: Clarity and comprehensiveness (65 points): You will be graded on how clearly you communicated your research as well as how comprehensively you answered the questions. Be sure to address each component of the prompt and clearly demonstrate your knowledge and understanding based on the textbook and your additional research. Required references (10 points): You will be graded on the inclusion of all required references as well as your use of APA style. Be sure to double-check the assignment prompt to ensure you have included ALL the required references (required references are listed under each section of the paper). You should have one References page that includes all the references from each section of the paper. Be sure to double check your use of APA style – make note of italics, punctuation, etc. in addition to all the required information being included in the citation and in the correct order. Grammar/style (35 points): You will be graded on your ability to communicate effectively using grammar conventions and an appropriate style. In academic papers, you should communicate clearly and directly, back up your assertions with evidence, have a cohesive and organized structure, and communicate without grammatical or typographical errors. Total Possible points=110 Textbook: Merrell, K.W., Ervin, R.A., & Gimpel Peacock, G., & Renshaw, T. L. (2022). School psychology for the 21st century: Foundations and practices (3rd ed.). Guilford Press. ISBN: 9781462549535