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1 the university of tennessee at chattanooga college of health education and professional studies ed s degree in advanced educational practice school psychology concentration program handbook for faculty and students 2009-2010

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2 table of contents introduction part one institutional context contact information brief history of utc/school psychology program program philosophy and objectives admission procedures and requirements and sources of assistance to students institutional context contact information brief history of utc and the school psychology program program philosophy and objectives admissions procedures and requirements sources of assistance to students academic requirements and procedures course emphases course sequencing candidacy requirements course waivers course grade requirements graduation requirements summing up achieving success in the school psychology program using the student/faculty advisor checklist student evaluation summary program activities and student/program evaluation calendar page 4 5 5 6 8 12 14 16 20 23 27 27 28 29 31 35 36 37 38 38 40 41 46 47 48 49 54 56 58 part two part three practicum courses introduction formal practicum courses epsy 635 practicum in assessment memorandum of agreement grading standards guidelines for in-class case presentations practicum log sample cover letter to accompany on-site supervisor rating form self-evaluation and field-based supervisor s evaluation epsy 640 practicum in intervention intervention guidelines ­ part one intervention guidelines ­ part two

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3 part four internship in school psychology introduction course syllabus epsy 650 internship i epsy 655 internship ii ethical and professional responsibilities approved internship sites request for internship placement memorandum of agreement outline of internship objectives experiences and activities internship portfolio list of contents internship portfolio description of required contents internship portfolio evaluation internship activity log self-evaluation and field-based supervisor evaluation remediation plan summary of internship experience epsy 650 summary of internship experience epsy 655 capstone project overview of required activities capstone project sequence capstone prospectus field supervisor/university committee approval form suggested format for capstone presentation final capstone project committee approval form the profession of school psychology professional ethics and standards professional organizations and conferences professional credentials 60 61 107 107 109 110 113 114 115 121 122 124 130 131 132 133 134 136 137 138 139 139 140 part five:

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4 the university of tennessee at chattanooga college of health education and professional studies ed.s degree in advanced educational practice school psychology concentration program handbook for faculty and students 2008-2009 introduction this handbook provides comprehensive information about the university of tennessee at chattanooga s school psychology program and is an important resource for school psychology faculty and students in this handbook you will find information not only about the school psychology program but also some general information about the university of tennessee at chattanooga utc and the profession of school psychology part one of this handbook describes the institutional context of the program the program s history the program s philosophy and objectives admissions requirements and procedures and sources of assistance to students part two describes the program s academic and professional fitness requirements and procedures part three provides information about practicum courses and experiences part four provides information about internship courses and experiences part five provides information about the profession of school psychology.

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5 part one institutional context contact information brief history of utc/school psychology program program philosophy and objectives admission procedures and requirements and sources of assistance to students institutional context the university of tennessee at chattanooga s school psychology program is housed in the graduate studies division gsd a department in the college of health education and professional studies cheps the school psychology program co-coordinators dr pam guess and dr george helton report to the department head of the gsd dr john freeman who reports to the dean of cheps dr mary tanner overall responsibility for graduate degree programs at utc rests with the interim dean of the graduate school dr stephanie bellar contact information program co-coordinators dr pam guess pfeiffer hall 204 423 425-4175 pamela-guess@utc.edu mail department 2242 graduate studies division college of health education and professional studies utc 615 mccallie avenue chattanooga tn 37403 dr guess teaches required courses in intervention and internship dr george helton pfeiffer hall 202 423 425-4272 george-helton@utc.edu mail department 2242 graduate studies division college of health education and professional studies utc 615 mccallie avenue chattanooga tn 37403 dr helton teaches required courses in assessment primary faculty dr ted miller pfeiffer hall 208 423 425-4540 ted-miller@utc.edu mail department 2242 graduate studies division college of health education and professional studies utc 615 mccallie avenue chattanooga tn 37403 dr miller teaches required courses in assessment learning and program evaluation dr jim tucker pfeiffer hall 205 423 425-5261 jim-tucker@utc.edu mail department 2242 graduate studies division college of health education and professional studies utc 615 mccallie avenue chattanooga tn 37403 dr tucker teaches required courses in historical legal ethical and psychological foundations of school psychology department head graduate studies division dr john freeman pfeiffer hall 301 423 425-5446 john freeman@utc.edu department 2242 graduate studies division college of health education and professional studies utc 615 mccallie avenue chattanooga tn 37403 dean college of health education and professional studies mail:

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6 dr mary tanner hunter hall 215 423 425-4249 mary-tanner@utc.edu mail department 4254 college of health education and professional studies 615 mccallie avenue chattanooga tn 37403 associate dean college of health education and professional studies dr tony lease hunter hall 312 423 425-4171 tony-lease@utc.edu mail department 4254 college of health education and professional studies 615 mccallie avenue chattanooga tn 37403 utc utc interim dean graduate school dr stephanie bellar race hall 103 423 425-4478 stephanie-bellar@utc.edu mail department 5305 graduate school utc 615 mccallie avenue chattanooga tn 37403 director graduate school ms yvonne kilpatrick race hall 103 423 425-5438 yvonne kilpatrick@utc.edu mail department 5305 graduate school utc 615 mccallie avenue chattanooga tn 37403 program liaison graduate school mr mark fairchild race hall 103 423 425-1780 mark-fairchild@utc.edu mail department 5305 graduate school utc 615 mccallie avenue chattanooga tn 37403 certification officer cheps mrs connie cloud hunter hall 203 423 425-4022 connie-cloud@utc.edu mail department 4154 graduate studies division college of health education and professional studies utc 615 mccallie avenue chattanooga tn 37403 as a general rule school psychology students should first direct questions or concerns to their course instructors then advisors dr helton or dr pam guess or dr guess or dr helton in their capacity as program co-coordinators if needed students should next consult dr freeman as department head of the gsd then dr tanner as dean of the college if students continue to have concerns after consulting with these faculty members they can file appeals with the graduate council appeal procedures are described in the utc graduate catalog on page 19 or may be found online at http www.utc.edu/administration/graduateschool/forms/documents/gradeappealform.pdf brief history of utc and the utc school psychology program since its founding as chattanooga university in 1886 the university of tennessee at chattanooga has developed an institutional excellence which rests on an unusual blend of the private and public traditions of american education for 83 years the university was a private school three years after its founding the university was consolidated with another churchrelated school east tennessee wesleyan university at athens under the name of grant university in 1907 the name university of chattanooga was adopted.

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7 in 1969 the university of chattanooga and a junior college chattanooga city college merged with the university of tennessee one of the oldest land-grant universities in the nation to form the utc campus the new campus was given the mandate to devote the major portion of its resources to the development of excellence in undergraduate education and in selected areas of graduate study the university is located a few blocks from downtown chattanooga a city that is both highly industrial and rich in natural beauty claiming more than 600 industries chattanooga lies at the foot of lookout and signal mountains where the tennessee river forms moccasin bend these sites possess historical significance as well as beauty in a city steeped in the heritage of the civil war with a population of about 162,170 in a metropolitan statistical population area of over 466,647 chattanooga is easily accessible from all parts of the nation by air and bus the university combines the advantages of a strong private tradition with those of a stateassisted institution dedicated to providing quality education to a diverse population of over 9,000 students from across the state the region and the world utc seeks to meet its responsibilities as an emerging metropolitan university actively involved with regional municipalities schools business and industry and offering expanded instructional opportunities that respond to area needs the university s ability to fulfill this role is enhanced by continuing support from its alumni community and the university of chattanooga foundation a public nonprofit organization which administers most of utc s private endowment the hallmark of the university is outstanding teaching by a talented and committed faculty small classes personalized advising and frequent opportunities to interact with faculty provide a studentoriented learning experience the university s programs provide both a firm grounding in the liberal arts and strong professional preparation bachelor s and master s degrees as well as several post-master s specialist degrees are awarded through the colleges of arts and sciences business administration health education and professional studies and engineering and computer science the university also awards three degrees at the doctoral level the ph.d in computational engineering the ed.d in learning and leadership and the d.p.t in physical therapy the school psychology program began in 1975 as an m.s degree program housed in the psychology department the program was initiated at the request of the tennessee department of education tde and had an initial enrollment of 12 students the program gained approval from the tennessee department of education in 1976 after a successful review of its program proposal which included monitoring 32 separate student competencies the program graduated its first students in 1977 the program moved from the psychology department to the former department of educational psychology and special education in the college of education in 1986 later the department of educational psychology and special education was restructured to become the graduate studies division action by the tennessee higher education committee thec authorizing utc to grant graduate degrees above the master s degree in the fall of 1998 helped set the stage for offering

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8 the specialist degree in school psychology a proposal to replace the m.s program with an ed.s program was approved by the utc faculty senate in 2000 and subsequently by the tennessee department of education an initial class of 13 students was accepted into the ed.s program in 2000 the final m.s students graduated in august of 2001 in response to a request by the primary program faculty drs guess helton miller and tucker the utc faculty senate approved several changes to program requirements in the spring of 2005 these changes became effective for students entering the program in the fall of 2005 one change was to require school psychology students to earn grades of at least b on all required courses as listed on their applications for candidacy for the ed s degree see candidacy requirements on page 23 and course grade requirements on page 27 of this handbook a second change was to implement a residency requirement that all students complete at least 18 semester hours during one calendar year prior to graduation the residency requirement was modified in the fall of 2006 to state that students entering the program in the fall of 2007 and thereafter must complete this requirement prior to beginning their first semester of internship see graduation requirements on page 28 of this handbook a third change was to increase the number of prerequisite courses for epsy 650 internship i see course sequencing on page 20 of this handbook these changes were made with the goal of improving the quality of the program additional changes as needed will be made based on program evaluation data over 200 m.s graduates and post-master s students have received tennessee department of education licensure as school psychologists through utc s program several have gone on to complete educational specialist doctoral or law degrees and several hold supervisory and administrative positions between 75 and 80 of the currently practicing school psychologists in southeastern tennessee and northwest georgia are utc graduates other graduates are spread across the country and around the world as of august 31 2008 54 ed.s students have graduated most of these graduates are currently practicing as school psychologists in the states of tennessee and georgia program philosophy and objectives the overall mission of utc is that of a national model of an engaged metropolitan university whose faculty staff and students in collaboration with external partners employ the intellectual resources of the liberal arts and professional programs to enrich the lives of those we serve utc mission statement adopted 2004-05 the following mission and vision statement was adopted by the college of health education and professional studies in 2003 the college of health education and professional studies prepares liberally educated technologically efficient scholars and practitioners for life in a global society the college is committed to 1 enhancing the bodies of knowledge in each of its disciplines 2 promoting the values and ethics of a truth-seeking caring community 3 serving diverse populations by providing family and social service experts health and lifestyle professionals leaders and teachers for the 21st century

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9 the school psychology program is delivered inside of and incorporates these missions the program seeks to promote the mission of utc and cheps by producing graduates who meet requirements for licensure in school psychology from the tennessee department of education and are prepared to utilize commonly accepted `best practices in their work as school psychologists by doing so they will provide helpful services and leadership in their field to schools and other organizations serving children and adolescents the program s philosophy incorporates several commitments one is to the scientistpractitioner model of training and practice as described by fagan and wise in school psychology past present and future 2nd ed published by the national association of school psychologists nasp a second is to the mission of cheps and the emphasis placed by cheps on reflective practice as a means to realize its mission a third involves the program faculty s specific views of the profession of school psychology a fourth commitment is to the knowledge and skills described in nasp s domains of professional practice the scientist-practitioner model of training and practice according to fagan and wise includes a blend of psychology s research and practice orientations such that trainees are prepared to conduct and understand research as well as practice effectively with clients p 200 two program courses epsy 501 methods of educational research and eds 610 program evaluation focus on formal research methods with an emphasis on conducting program evaluations as a means of improving school programs students demonstrate the understandings and skills taught in those courses in part by completing a capstone project during internship epsy 650 internship i and epsy 655 internship ii the capstone project requires each intern to identify a problem of practice affecting a group of students and/or staff members in his/her internship setting collaboratively design an intervention to improve that practice assist in implementing the intervention evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention and successfully defend the capstone project before a faculty committee courses in the program s assessment sequence epsy 516 assessment strategies for individuals with mild disabilities epsy 536 affective and behavioral assessment epsy 630 individual ability testing and epsy 635 practicum in assessment and intervention sequence epsy 504 classroom management techniques epsy 625 consultation methods and epsy 640 practicum in intervention focus on collecting and using information to make data-based recommendations for assisting individual students and groups of students these recommendations include those made in relation to special education eligibility decisions initial intervention planning decisions and decisions to modify or end interventions based on results of progress monitoring data the program also seeks to produce reflective practitioners who discover and use knowledge to improve the lives of those they serve reflective practice is the general conceptual framework for all academic programs in cheps reflective practice according to this framework embodies highly developed knowledge and skill high standards of professional conduct personal integrity a strong commitment to the welfare of all clients and effective collaboration when applied specifically to school psychologists reflective practice involves thoughtful systematic assessment of factors that contribute to students learning and adjustment the use of research-based strategies to link assessment results to interventions designed to enhance students

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10 learning and adjustment an emphasis on collaboration as the vehicle to enhance learning and adjustment concern for the welfare of all students and other clients and professional practice that reflects legal and ethical standards the program also seeks to provide training experiences that implement the program faculty s specific views of the profession of school psychology these views include school psychologists represent a potent force in helping schools achieve the levels of educational excellence that society desires school psychologists serve the goal of promoting educational excellence through their understanding of research on best practices their abilities to apply this understanding to meet the needs of individual students and groups of students and shared beliefs and values shared beliefs include the purpose of schools is to prepare each student to achieve the maximum success possible in society given this purpose all education is special instruction is the most important force in helping students achieve success instruction is the common responsibility of teachers other professionals parents and the community instruction is effective to the degree that it incorporates practices supported by research all efforts to improve student learning and adjustment must be based on an accurate integrated understanding of the factors currently influencing that learning and adjustment shared values include the importance of engaging in and promoting competent legal and ethical practice collaboration is the vehicle to maximize the benefits of practice respect for human diversity as a strength in efforts to facilitate positive outcomes the program faculty s view that instruction is the most important force in helping students achieve success will lead them to continuing efforts to enhance students skills in instructional assessment intervention and consultation they believe that these activities are central to efforts to improve schools instructional effectiveness while they will not neglect the need to prepare students to meet other role emphases they believe that an increased focus on improving instructional effectiveness is a particularly promising direction for expanding school psychologists roles finally the program seeks to integrate the emphases of the scientist-practitioner model reflective practice and the faculty s views of school psychology into four goals and training experiences that result in our students becoming competent in all of nasp s domains of professional practice the following chart illustrates this integration utc school psychology goals enhance and refine knowledge in psychology and education nasp domains domain 1 data-based decision-making and accountability domain 3 effective instruction and development of cognitive/academic skills domain 4 socialization and development of life skills domain 9 research and program evaluation domain 1 data-based decision-making and accountability domain 2 consultation and collaboration domain 5 student diversity in development promote values ethics and legal requirements in service to communities.

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11 and learning domain 6 school and systems organization policy development and climate domain 8 home/school/community collaboration domain 10 school psychology practice and development domain 1 data-based decision-making and accountability domain 2 consultation and collaboration domain 3 effective instruction and development of cognitive/academic skills domain 4 socialization and development of life skills domain 5 student diversity in development and learning domain 7 prevention crisis intervention and mental health domain 8 home/school/community collaboration domain 1 data-based decision-making and accountability domain 2 consultation and collaboration domain 3 effective instruction and development of cognitive/academic skills domain 4 socialization and development of life skills domain 6 school and systems organization policy development and climate domain 7 prevention crisis intervention and mental health domain 9 research and program evaluation domain 11 information technology serve diverse populations by providing expertise in the application of psychological and educational principles use research based knowledge to promote effective educational strategies and activities in schools admissions procedures and requirements the primary program faculty serve as an admissions committee and make recommendations to the utc graduate school on whether to accept or reject each applicant to the program the admissions committee wishes to admit students that it believes will be successful in the program rather than to be highly selective and the committee has developed admissions standards designed to serve that goal all application materials are submitted to the utc graduate school the graduate school notifies the program coordinator when an applicant s file is complete and ready for review by the admissions committee applications are considered for admission during the fall spring and summer semesters rolling admissions

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12 admission to the school psychology program is a two step process the first step involves being admitted to the utc graduate school as a provisional student the second step involves being admitted to the program as a degree student a provisional student is one who has at least a bachelor s degree and has met the admission requirements of the utc graduate school but has not yet submitted all materials needed to be considered for admission into the program a provisional student can take up to nine 9 credit hours of program courses during one semester but should understand that these courses will not count toward a degree unless he/she is admitted to the program he/she should also understand that a provisional student is not eligible for financial aid through the utc financial aid office an applicant becomes a provisional student by 1 filing an application for admission with the utc graduate school an application form can be requested by phone at 423 425-4666 or accessed on the web at http www.utc.edu/administration/graduateschool/forms/applications.php 2 3 paying an application fee of $25.00 submitting all college transcripts to be accepted as a provisional student an applicant applying with a bachelor s degree from a regionally accredited college must have a cumulative gpa of at least 2.50 or 3.0 during his/her senior year an applicant from an unaccredited college must have a cumulative gpa of at least 3.0 an applicant accepted by the utc graduate school as a provisional student can progress to the second step of the admissions process by submitting the additional information the admissions committee requires to consider admitting him/her as a degree student in the utc school psychology program degree students are eligible for financial aid through the utc financial aid office an applicant with a bachelor s degree seeking admission to the program as a degree student must submit scores verbal quantitative and analytical writing on the graduate record examination verbal and quantitative scores will be combined with the applicant s undergraduate gpa to form an admissions index score students meeting or exceeding a minimum admissions index score of 1,000 will be considered for admission the admissions index score is calculated by multiplying the applicant s cumulative undergraduate gpa by 200 and adding to that figure his/her average score on the verbal and quantitative sections on the gre show evidence of having completed a minimum of 18 semester hours of undergraduate or graduate courses in psychology and/or education with no grade below c including three 3 semester hours in general or educational psychology three 3 semester hours in child/adolescent development and three 3 semester hours of characteristics of exceptional children an applicant lacking one or more of these courses can be accepted into the school psychology

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13 program as a degree graduate student but must complete any missing courses prior to becoming a candidate for the ed.s degree submit three 3 letters of reference from professors and/or community professionals familiar with his/her academic and/or professional work submit a personal statement describing his/her reasons for wishing to become a school psychologist an applicant with a graduate degree seeking admission to the concentration must submit transcripts of all graduate work a student with a gpa above 3.0 on all graduate work will be considered for admission show evidence of having completed a minimum of 18 semester hours of undergraduate or graduate courses in psychology and/or education with no grade below c including three 3 semester hours in general or educational psychology three 3 semester hours in child/adolescent development and three 3 semester hours of characteristics of exceptional children an applicant lacking one or more of these courses can be accepted into the school psychology program as a degree graduate student but must complete any missing courses prior to becoming candidate for the ed.s degree submit three 3 letters of reference from professors and/or community professionals familiar with his/her academic and/or professional work submit a personal statement describing his/her reasons for wishing to become a school psychologist following his/her admission to the program as a degree student each student has an orientation conference with either dr guess or dr helton during this conference students who lack professional experience in either education or psychology are encouraged to pursue volunteer opportunities in schools the program faculty believes that such experience as a volunteer helps contextualize and make more meaningful the knowledge and skills that students will be acquiring during their initial courses in the program a new student orientation meeting involving new students utc administrators and representatives of local schools is held once a year during the first month of the fall semester the orientation is both informational and social sources of assistance to students faculty advisors to students in the utc school psychology program are dr pam guess and dr george helton students are assigned for advising to either dr guess or dr helton when they enter the program and continue with the same advisor until they leave the program dr guess and dr helton provide advice to students on course selection program requirements and other

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14 topics relevant to students achieving success in the program and in the profession of school psychology the cheps certification officer mrs connie cloud assists graduates in applying to the tennessee department of education for licensure as school psychologists the school psychology program bulletin board provides information on job openings professional organizations including membership application forms and other relevant topics financial aid is available to graduate students from several sources contingent on a student being admitted both to the utc graduate school and to a specific degree program graduate students are eligible for student loans student loan requests are processed through the utc financial aid office utc graduate students are also eligible for financial aid as a graduate assistant ga a ga assists one or more faculty members by providing support for their teaching research and/or service activities there are two categories of graduate assistants full-time 20 hours per week and part-time 10 hours per week a full-time ga works 20 hours per week receives a waiver of all tuition and fees and a stipend of $2,750 per semester a parttime ga works 10 hours per week receives a waiver of tuition and fees for 6 credit hours and a stipend of $1,375 per semester graduate assistantships are available during fall and spring semesters but are not typically available during summer terms applications for a graduate assistantship are available from the graduate admissions office in 103 race hall or on the utc website at http www.utc.edu/administration/graduateschool/documents/assistantshipapp.pdf applications must be received in the graduate admissions office by april 1 for a student to be considered for an assistantship assistantships typically begin in the fall semester utc graduate students in school psychology are eligible for siskin circle of scholars scholarships a competitive research award of $1,500 will be given to a graduate student for research relating to impact on children with disabilities ages birth to five and will require registration for a one-credit-hour independent study course under the direction of the siskin chair of excellence two graduate research assistantships gra s one full time 20 hours/week and one half-time 10 hours week will also be awarded under the siskin scholarships these gras will serve under the mentorship of the siskin chair of excellence and engage in research primarily at the siskin children s institute in exchange the students will receive the established stipend amount given to graduate assistants at utc a number of specifically-targeted scholarships such as finley scholarships for single parents are also available to utc graduate students contact the utc financial aid office for more information regarding these scholarships or visit them on the web at http www.utc.edu/administration/financialaid the utc graduate student association gsa provides workshops and other activities to support graduate students at utc the gsa also provides travel awards for attendance at professional conferences students interested in affiliating with the gsa and/or applying for a travel award should go to the utc graduate school page www.utc.edu/administration/graduateschool and click on the link to the graduate student association.

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15 on-campus housing is arranged through the utc housing office located in the utc place town hall phone 423 425-4252 or http www.utc.edu/administration/studenthousing/index.php accommodations range from traditional dorm rooms to apartments the office for students with disabilities is located in 102 frist hall phone 423 425-4008 or http www.utc.edu/administration/officeforstudentswithdisabilities this office works to provide equal access to all facilities programs and services at utc for students with disabilities and determines appropriate academic accommodations according to the requirements of the americans with disabilities act of 1990 the counseling and career planning center is located in 338 university center phone 423 425-4438 or http www.utc.edu/administration/counselingandcareerplanning the center provides personal vocational and academic counseling as well as crisis intervention for individuals and groups the health services center utc polyclinic is located in 202 metropolitan building phone 423 425-4453 or http www.utc.edu/administration/studenthealthcenter/index.php the center provides primary health care health wellness and prevention programs and referrals to appropriate agencies a health insurance policy is available to students through the health services center this policy covers expenses for surgery and hospitalization in cases of accident and illness call the center for more information the placement and student employment center is located in 315 university center phone 423 425-4184 or http www.utc.edu/administration/placementandstudentemployment the center provides educational workshops to prepare students for finding jobs assists students in finding part-time employment and assists graduates in finding positions the writing center is located in 119 holt hall phone 423 425-1774 or http www.utc.edu/administration/writingcenter this center provides a variety of services designed to help students improve their writing these services range from individual consultations to small group instruction to workshops on topics of general interest the handbook and campus directory 2008-2009 provides detailed information on student services at utc as well as the honor code and student conduct code the student handbook is distributed on campus at the beginning of each fall semester and is also available on-line at http www.utc.edu/administration/studentdevelopment/studenthandbook.php.

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