Welcome to the home page for the Psychological Services Department. This page is intended as a resource for parents and educators who have questions about the evaluation of students who are suspected of having a disability. Use the buttons to the left to find the information you are looking for. Also, consider visiting the Special Education Department web page to search the resources listed there. If you have come to this site looking for employment opportunities, please visit Human Resources to check for current job postings.

The Psychological Services Department is staffed with a Director, two Supervising Psychologists, 57 Evaluation Specialists, and 10 secretaries.

The Director, with input from the Supervising Psychologists, is responsible for various administrative and personnel duties such as developing departmental policies and procedures, preparing an annual budget, or recruiting and hiring employees. These three also supervise the Evaluation Specialists.

The secretarial staff provides support to the Evaluation Specialists by managing folders, tracking the referral process, and disseminating reports as needed. They also work under the direction of the Director of Psychological Services.

The Evaluation Specialists are predominantly Licensed Specialists in School Psychology (LSSP) with either a Doctoral (PhD) or Masters (MA) degree in the field of psychology. Evaluation Specialists are assigned to school campuses throughout the school district; every campus is served by one or more Evaluation Specialists. Spanish speaking Evaluation Specialists are available when needed.

Licensed Specialists in School Psychology (LSSP) are licensed by the State of Texas to practice psychology in public school settings. To earn the license, an applicant must meet state standards for education and supervised experience, and then pass an examination. To keep the license, an LSSP must continue their education by taking classes every year to keep up with changes in laws and in the profession. Some school psychologists may also hold national certification (NCSP).

School psychologists are professionals who are expected to know and abide by a code of ethics. Additionally, they must also work within the regulations and laws set forth by the school district, state government, and federal government.

The Psychological Services Department is located on the second floor of the Patrick Teicher Student Services building at the Grissom Road campus. However, the Evaluation Specialists spend the majority of their time on their school campus.

WHAT WE DO

First and foremost, school psychologists are advocates for children. They are professionals who work along with students, parents, and educators to resolve any of a variety of educational problems. Their expertise in both psychology and education make them uniquely qualified for this task. They rarely work independently but rather as a member of a team of professionals devoted to improving the quality of education for individual students.

professionals. If a Full and Individual Evaluation (FIE) is needed, then the school psychologist selects and administers the needed assessments. Other professionals, such as physicians or Speech Language Pathologists (SLP),may also contribute to the evaluation. Once the evaluation is completed, the school psychologist prepares a written report and presents the findings to an ARD committee. As a member of the ARD committee, the school psychologist may recommend specific educational strategies or placements for the student.

In addition to evaluations, school psychologists may provide other direct services to students. Some offer counseling, either to individual students or small groups. When counseling is provided, it is always with the consent of the parent (or guardian), and with the intent of helping the student achieve educational goals.

School psychologists support the general needs of the campus by providing consultative services to administrators or teachers. They can assist in developing educational or behavioral goals for students. They also might suggest specific techniques or strategies to be used in helping student reach those goals. Sometimes, the school psychologist may work as a team member providing support to a campus during a time of crisis.