Ed Specialist in School Psychology

What is School Psychology?

The National Association of School Psychologists has several resources regarding the expansive services that school psychologists complete. Traditionally, school psychologists are seen as experts in “testing”, as a large percent of their time was dedicated to evaluations for special education. Over the past several years, school psychologists have expanded expertise to a wide variety of domains (10 to be exact; see NASP 2020 Practice Domains). Our program prepares school psychologists that are experts in all 10 domains and does not solely emphasize assessment.

Generally, school psychologists apply expertise and training in psychological sciences and behavior change to educational settings, specifically through behavioral, emotional, and academic services to all students. School psychologists often use their skills to improve student or systems outcomes through direct engagement with students, teachers, staff, and outside services. These services can include (but are not limited to) delivering systematic instruction in academic domains, monitoring student progress, supporting individual student behavior, being a “go-to” person for students with unique needs, providing individual or group counseling, promoting a positive school climate through effective systems implementation, building relationships with families, advocating for diverse youth, and conducting assessments for special education.