Position Statements
Position statements represent the official policy of NASP and are approved by the NASP Leadership Assembly. Position statements are reviewed and revised every 7 years. To recommend a change or to suggest that a new position or resolution be established, contact us.
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Bullying Prevention and Intervention Among School-Age Youth
NASP believes that school psychologists are ethically obligated to ensure that all students have an equal opportunity to learn and develop in an environment free from discrimination, harassment, aggression, violence, and abuse. … more
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Child Rights
NASP reaffirms its commitment to the Rights of the Child (CRC) and reiterates the responsibility of school psychologists for advancing child rights. … more
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Comprehensive and Inclusive Sexuality Education
NASP supports that all children, including those representing all racial/ethnic backgrounds, genders, gender identities, sexual orientations, abilities, and disabilities should have access to evidence-supported, comprehensive, developmentally appropriate, accurate, and inclusive sexuality education. … more
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Corporal Punishment
NASP opposes the use of corporal punishment in schools and resolves to educate the public about its effects and provide alternatives to its use. Read our 2021 revised position statement here. … more
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Early Childhood Services: Promoting Positive Outcomes for Young Children
NASP advocates for services that are coordinated, prevention-oriented, developmentally appropriate, and grounded in evidence-based practice. … more
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Effective Parenting: Positive Support for Families
NASP recognizes that all families should receive support for appropriate and effective parenting and discipline of their children. … more
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Effective Service Delivery for Indigenous Children, Youth, Families, and Communities
NASP affirms the rights of all Indigenous children and youth to access and participate in culturally responsive education and mental health services. … more
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Ensuring High Quality, Comprehensive and Integrated Student Supports
The National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) supports policies and practices that enhance the education and development of all students through the organized delivery of comprehensive and integrated specialized instructional support services and the important role of school psychologists in delivering them. … more
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Grade Retention and Social Promotion
This position statement provides guidance related to grade retention and social promotion as responses to the lack of mastery of current grade curriculum. … more
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Identification of Students With Specific Learning Disabilities
This position statement provides guidance for the identification of students with SLDs based on the complexity of human behavior and learning, as well as the limited empirical support in the extant literature for any single method of identification. … more
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Integrated Model of Academic and Behavior Supports
The National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) is committed to ensuring that all children receive an appropriate public education, regardless of race, culture and background, language, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, socioeconomic status, or educational need. … more
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Mental and Behavioral Health Services for Children and Adolescents
NASP advocates for the provision of coordinated, comprehensive, culturally competent, and effective mental health services in the school setting. … more
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Necessary Use of the Title “School Psychologist”
This position paper summarizes standards as it applies to the necessary use of the title “school psychologist” and summarizes the critical need for continued use of this title. … more
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Prejudice, Discrimination, and Racism
NASP is committed to advocating for the rights of all students to be educated in safe schools and communities free from prejudice and discrimination. … more
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Prevention and Wellness Promotion
NASP is committed to school-based behavioral and mental health prevention and early intervention services that promote psychological wellness for children. … more
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Promoting Just Special Education Identification and School Discipline Practices
NASP endorses the implementation of inclusive schools in which specific groups of children are not disproportionately represented in restrictive educational settings. … more
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Recruitment and Retention of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse School Psychologists in Graduate Education Programs
The National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) promotes the delivery of effective educational and mental and behavioral health services to all youth. … more
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Safe and Supportive Schools for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning (LGBTQ+) Youth
NASP believes school psychologists are ethically obligated to ensure all youth with diverse sexual orientations, gender identities, and/or gender expressions, are able to develop and express their personal identities in a school climate that is safe, accepting, and respectful of all persons and free from discrimination, harassment, violence, and abuse. … more
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Safe and Supportive Schools for Transgender and Gender Diverse Students
The National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) supports the civil, human, and educational rights of transgender and gender diverse (TGD) students. NASP further asserts that to optimize TGD students’ academic, social, emotional, behavioral, and development potential, schools must be safe, secure, equitable, and inclusive environments for all students. … more
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School Psychologists' Involvement in Assessment
The National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) asserts that school psychologists are uniquely suited to promote best practices in assessment and evaluation and to determine, in collaboration with others, when assessment is warranted. … more
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School Violence Prevention
NASP maintains that schools must implement purposeful, coordinated strategies that increase levels of safety and security that simultaneously promote student wellness and resilience. … more
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School/Family Partnering to Enhance Learning: Essential Elements & Responsibilities
NASP supports partnering between families and educators to enhance the academic, behavioral, and social competence of all students across the span of schooling. … more
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Serving Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students and Their Families: Implications for Education and Service Delivery
The National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) fully supports the effective education of and service delivery to students who are deaf or hard of hearing and their families. NASP ethics (NASP, 2020) require that only qualified personnel may assess students who are deaf or hard of hearing to avoid misdiagnosis and promote student success. … more
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Students Who Are Displaced Persons, Refugees, or Asylum-Seekers
NASP affirms that schools are essential to the provision of supportive services to children who are displaced persons, refugees, or asylum-seekers. The most recent data show that the world is experiencing the highest rates of displaced persons ever seen, with an estimated 68.5 million people having left their homes. … more
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Students With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
NASP recognizes that ADHD are neurobiological in nature, have the potential to affect a child’s educational performance and social-emotional development, and may be due to a variety of factors such as academic difficulty, anxiety, depression, or environmental factors. … more
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Supervision in School Psychology
NASP strongly promotes the professional supervision of school psychologists by school psychologists at all levels of practice as a means of ensuring effective practices. … more
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Supporting Students Living With, Affected by, or at Risk for HIV
NASP is committed to ensuring that all schools are equipped to meet the unique needs of students living with human immunodeficiency (HIV) and to contribute to broader HIV prevention efforts. … more
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The Provision of School Psychological Services to Bilingual Students
Given the increasing diversity of the nation’s public schools, NASP recognizes the critical importance of establishing best practices in the provision of school psychology services when working with English language learners. … more
Course Integration
This document provides a list of all current position statements and school psychology graduate courses that align well to the content discussed in each position statement.
White Papers
White papers provide more detailed information on related research and best practices to supplement position statements and resolutions.
School Psychologists: Qualified Health Professionals Providing Child and Adolescent Mental and Behavioral Health Services
School psychologists are uniquely positioned in schools to facilitate the development, delivery, and monitoring of prompt, effective, and culturally responsive mental and behavioral health services of prevention and intervention
Grade Retention & Social Promotion
For children experiencing academic, emotional, or behavioral difficulties, neither repeating the same instruction nor promoting the student to the next grade is an effective remedy.