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| WSPA President’s Message by Rene Staskal December, 2018 Congratulations! The first third of the school year is under your belt. I hope you have a moment to pause and celebrate the positive effect that your work has on the lives of your students. Or at the very least, close your office door for five minutes, turn off your radio, phone, and computer, and breathe. The work you do is vital to our schools. Take care of yourself, so you can keep doing it! I enjoyed seeing everyone who was able to at-tend the fall convention in Manitowoc. Thanks to the convention planning committee again for organizing such a great professional development opportunity. Given the changes in the State’s licensure laws, it is important we continue to advocate for the ability to participate in ongoing professional development. WSPA is excited to continue championing our profession as a new governor takes office. As representatives of WSPA, Linda Servais and I were able to participate in a meeting with other pupil service representatives at DPI to |
give feedback on the superintendent’s proposed biennial state education budget. WSPA supports the proposal to extend categorical aid for hiring pupil services professionals (including school psychologists) to address student mental health needs. Improving the ratio of school psychologists to students is vital to addressing the mental health needs of our state’s youth.
Another important priority for WSPA is addressing shortages of school psychologists. We continue to support efforts to raise awareness of the profession throughout the state. Our board members give presentations about the profession to high school student enrolled in psychology courses in their district. Additionally, we support training efforts through our partnership with graduate programs in the state.
Finally, WSPA will be sending two board members to the regional leadership conference at NASP in February. NASP is providing professional development on The Will to Govern Well that will inform the board’s practices.
Thank you for your support of our professional organization. We will continue to work hard to advocate for the profession and the children of Wisconsin on your behalf as a board.Rene
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Advocacy Action Call The Department of Education and NCES is proposing to expand the staff category of data collected in in the Common Core of Data to include a new category of "school psychologist." Currently school psychologists are included in the category of 'student support staff' which includes various staff who provide health and social services among other professionals. We have no accurate count of the number of school psychologists employed in states due to the variable way states collect this data, if they collect it at all. Including this data point in the Common Core of Data would be invaluable to the profession. Please submit comments in support of adding this category to the Common Core of Data by Jan 7. To comment: https://www.regulations.gov/comment?D=ED-2018-ICCD-0117-0001
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NCES Template_Board_Delegate_Practitioner.docxThe Wisconsin School Psychologists Association endorses the position that child migrant separations from their parents at the southern border of the United States must cease and that separated families must be reunited expeditiously in order to minimize the risk of trauma reactions among vulnerable children. The rationale for the position is adopted from the position paper authored by the National Association of School Psychology Association and other colleague organizations, found here: http://www.nasponline.org/about-school-psychology/media-room/press-releases/nasp-calls-for-end-to-policy-separating-families-at-the-border |
WSPA Winter 2018 Sentinel Newsletter is now available on-line for members. Click on Resources, then choose WSPA Sentinel. For Members, Click This Link: WSPA Sentinel Newsletter Attention Job Seekers 15 Feb 2019 10:00 AM • Chula Vista, Wisconsin Dells, WI |
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To Donate to the Children's Fund, Minority Scholarship, or the Elizabeth Lindley Woods Scholarship, use this link: https://wspa18.wildapricot.org/Donate |
Who Are School Psychologists?
School psychologists have specialized training in both psychology and education. They use their training and skills to team with educators, parents, and other mental health professionals to ensure that every child learns in a safe, healthy and supportive environment. School psychologists understand school systems, effective teaching and successful learning. Today's children face more challenges than ever before. School psychologists can provide solutions for tomorrow's problems through thoughtful and positive actions today.
The training requirements to become a school psychologist are a minimum of 60 graduate semester hours including a year-long internship. This training emphasizes preparation in mental health, child development, school organization, learning, behavior and motivation. To work as a school psychologist, one must be certified and/or licensed by the state in which services are provided. School psychologists also may be nationally certified by the National School Psychology Certification Board (NSPCB).
Read more about School Psychology
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