TSP Fall 2021 Mini-Conference

We had so many wonderful proposals for our annual TSP Conference that we had to host a Fall 2021 Mini-Conference.  Join us virtually on November 12, 2021.

4 CE Opportunities

Trainers of School Psychologists is under review by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. 4 CEs will be provided pending approval, which is expected mid October.

TSP Members $35.00

Non-Members $45.00

Students $5.00 

Schedule of Virtual Presentations

9:00-10:05am (CT) Current Training in Test Use and Assessment Practices: A Survey of School Psychology Programs (Drs. Adam Lockwood, Ryan Farmer, and Nicholas Benson)

Abstract: Assessment continues to be a major role of school psychologists. Furthermore, the assessments that school psychologists administer are used to make high-stakes decisions regarding special education eligibility. However, limited current research exists examining the training that school psychology graduate students receive in this area. To address this need we surveyed 105 school psychology department chairs/heads regarding their programs’ current training in test use and assessment practice across the entirety of students’ applied experience (e.g., fieldwork, practicum, internship). Additionally, we inquired as to how COVID-19 has affected training in the area assessment. In this presentation we will discuss our findings and their implications for the training of school psychologists in evidence-based assessment. 1 CE Credit

10:20-11:25 am (CT) School Psychology Anti-Racist Bootcamp: Laying the Groundwork (Dr. Stephanie D’Costa, Dr. Casey McPherson, and Joaquin Alvarez Bautista)

Abstract: In this moment of Black Lives Matter, it has become increasing clear that unless future school psychologists are explicitly anti-racist they will be complicit in maintaining structures of oppression. As a school psychology training program, we constructed a summer anti-racist boot camp with the goals of (a) exposing students to the racist history of the field of school psychology, (b) providing language to support conversations about racism and (c) facilitating space to interrogate students' anti-blackness in conversation with their peers and faculty. The boot camp was held in the summer of 2020 and included first-year students required to attend as well as second-year students who volunteered to take part. This presentation explores students' perceptions before and after participating in the boot camp and provides recommendations for continuing the process of building anti-bias practitioners. 1 CE Credit

11:40-12:45pm (CT) Delivering Cognitive Assessment through Hybrid Instruction: Lessons from the Field (Dr. Iryna Kasi, Dr. Sarah Valley-Gray, and Tyler McCoy)

Abstract: When the COVID-19 pandemic led to a global shutdown, many universities and colleges were forced to adjust to the challenges of the pandemic to keep students and faculty safe. Many institutions of higher education across the nation closed campuses and shifted to online learning. During the fall semester, some campuses reopened with a limited capacity forcing universities to adopt a hybrid model of teaching, with web-based and traditional classroom instruction occurring simultaneously. This has proven to be challenging for faculty within graduate training programs, particularly when considering how to deliver foundational courses in cognitive assessment.  This presentation will discuss the lessons learned in teaching competency in administering, scoring, interpreting, and report writing for an introductory cognitive assessment course.  The presenters will discuss challenges, as well as opportunities for enhanced instruction following the pandemic, for the training of graduate students in school psychology in the area of cognitive assessment. 1 CE Credit

1:00 pm-2:05 pm (CT)  A University-Church Virtual Tutoring Partnership Program to Support Black K-12 Students (Drs. Jenise Parker and Natoya Haskins)

Abstract: This presentation summarizes graduate training results of a pilot project that began in Fall 2020. The project examines processes and outcomes associated with a university-church partnership that aims to improve academic skills and behavioral and social-emotional skills associated with academic success for predominantly Black Kindergarten through 12th grade students. Student support is provided by school mental health graduate trainees through virtual tutoring services, under the supervision of the PI and Co-PI (licensed mental health faculty members in counselor education and school psychology). A main goal of the intervention is to provide structured academic support, with social-emotional learning (SEL) and behavioral components, through family and community collaboration. Alongside one-to-one student support, graduate students facilitate parent informational sessions on a variety of topics (e.g., time and task management, stress management, etc.). Thus, the secondary goal of the partnership is to develop graduate students’ multicultural competence when providing academic, SEL, and behavioral support for culturally diverse youth. 1 CE Credit