Guidance on the Use of Grade Retention and Special Education Eligibility to Address Instructional Loss

NASP opposes the use of retention as an intervention strategy to mitigate instructional loss during the COVID-19 pandemic, and it urges caution regarding the assumption that special education services are an appropriate way to address COVID-19 instructional loss. … more

Considerations for Academic Assessments and Interventions Upon the Return to School

This new resource provides considerations for determining when and how students and staff may return to school safely. … more

Considerations for Academic Screening Upon the Return to School

This new resource highlights considerations for school psychologists regarding academic assessment upon return to school. … more

Considerations for Reading Intervention Upon the Return to School

This new resource provides considerations for determining when and how students and staff may return to school safely. … more

Reading Intervention Protocol: Partner Reading and Paragraph Shrinking

This handout was developed in tandem with Considerations for Reading Intervention Upon the Return to School as part of NASP’s return to school academic guidance series. … more

Ethical Documentation of Adjustments to Standardized Evaluation Administration Procedures

This guidance statement addresses how school psychologists should document adjustments to standardized administration procedures, including those made to reduce the chance for transmission of the COVID-19 virus. … more

Considerations for Assessment, Instruction, and Intervention of Writing Skills Upon the Return to School

The COVID-19 pandemic will likely exacerbate American students struggles with the task of writing, given that approximately 25% of instruction during the 2019–2020 academic year was substantially disrupted … more

Considerations for Math Intervention Upon the Return to School

The loss of instruction due to COVID-19 closures and the loss of spring testing data creates a perfect storm for school psychologists who wish to meet the needs of diverse learners, including identifying and making eligible those students who are in need of special education. … more

Class-Wide Math Intervention Protocol

Class-wide interventions tend to be standard protocol fluency-building interventions by design, which means that the skills targeted should be skills that students have been taught how to do. This intervention protocol should be used in conjunction with the NASP handout Considerations for Math Intervention Upon the Return to School. … more

The Pandemic’s Impact on Special Education Evaluations and SLD Identification

Returning to School Following COVID-19 Related School Closures: The COVID-19 School Adjustment Risk Matrix (C-SARM)

Returning to School Following COVID-19 Related School Closures: The COVID-19 School Adjustment Risk Matrix (C-SARM) … more

Providing Effective Social–Emotional and Behavioral Supports After COVID-19 Closures: Universal Screening and Tier 1 Interventions

This new resource provides considerations for determining when and how students and staff may return to school safely. … more

ASCA-NASP School Re-Entry SEL Considerations Guidance

Local education agencies and individual schools planning for students and staff to return following COVID-19 closures must prioritize efforts to address social and emotional learning and mental and behavioral health needs. Equally important is ensuring staff feel their physical and mental health needs are supported. … more

Tier 2 Social–Emotional Learning/Mental and Behavioral Health Interventions: Post COVID-19

Repeated or chronic stress from economic instability, increased family tensions and anxiety, loss of housing or food stability, abuse or neglect, and systemic racism and violence can cause trauma reactions. Many students and staff have experienced these risk factors and may be struggling with trauma as the school year begins. … more

Tier 3 Mental and Behavioral Health Interventions and Special Education

As educators consider the impact of the current pandemic and related school closures on students’ social–emotional functioning, mental health, and behavior, many school psychologists will lead teams in reviewing their current continuum of services. Social–emotional learning (SEL) practices and mental and behavioral health (MBH) interventions need to be viable in both brick and mortar and distance learning settings, as well as robust enough to meet the potential for increased demand across multiple student populations. … more