Section IV: Evaluating School Psychological Services Utilizing the NASP Practice Model
This section is made up of two related but independent parts, Part 1: Individual Level—Embedding the NASP Practice Model in Personnel Evaluation, and Part 2: Systems Level—Evaluating School Psychological Services Delivery Programs. Part 1 focuses on the evaluation of individual practitioners and their services. Part 2 focuses on the collective services of practitioners offered as part of the overriding school psychology programs of a school district. While both approaches to evaluation have some common best practices, how an individual evaluation is conducted and used is different from how a comprehensive program of school psychological services is conducted and used. Although improving services and outcomes for students is a common goal of both evaluation systems, the growth of the professional is of critical importance to individual personnel appraisal.
In This Section:
- Part 1: Individual Level: Embedding the NASP Practice Model in Personnel Evaluation
The NASP Practice Model provides you with an excellent foundation to shape a system for evaluating individual and district-wide school psychological services. - Part 2: Systems Level: Evaluating School Psychological Services Delivery Programs
The NASP Practice Model can also form the foundation for evaluating school psychological services delivered by a department or group of school psychologists. - Reflection Questions on Evaluating School Psychological Services
These questions can help you identify current opportunities to align your district's personnel and program evaluations practice with the NASP practice Model. - Next Steps: Using the NASP Practice Model to Inform Personnel and Program Evaluation
Steps to implement the evaluation of both programs and individual personnel consistent with the NASP Practice Model.
Key Ideas:
- Evaluation and accountability must include both individual appraisal and examination of system effectiveness.
- The NASP Framework for the Personnel Evaluation of School Psychologists provides guiding principles for developing effective processes.
- Personnel evaluation rubrics should address the full range of practices school psychologists are trained to provide. However, individuals should be evaluated against only those elements that are reflected in the individual’s workload.
- Personnel evaluations should incorporate a continuous improvement cycle in which regular feedback and opportunities to demonstrate growth are provided.
- Use of multiple evaluation measures is critical to the valid evaluation of staff and services.
- Effective supervision and mentoring are critical to a legitimate evaluation process.
Learning Objectives
After reading this section, you will be able to identify the steps and resources to:
- Embed the NASP Practice Model within the personnel appraisal process.
- Identify effective and ineffective practices related to the application of the NASP Practice Model to the personnel appraisal process.
- Distinguish between using the model to evaluate individual (personnel appraisal) and district-wide (program evaluation) school psychological services.
- Advocate for effective evaluations linked to the NASP Practice Model.