School Psychologist (1.0)

Livonia Public Schools•Livonia, MI

8d•Onsite

About The Position

Livonia Public Schools is seeking a highly qualified school psychologist. The school psychologist will work to help students address and resolve personal, emotional, and social problems that interfere with their adjustments to school and their capacity to enjoy the fullest benefits of the education offered to them. The school psychologist may have assigned responsibilities for evaluation, consultation, and other services to Livonia Public Schools students in pre-school through post-high school levels.

Requirements

Full approval preferred, temporary approval accepted, for a Michigan School Psychologist Certification
Must have a knowledge of federal and state special education laws and other legal aspects of the role of the school psychologist
A passionate commitment to improving learning for all students.
Demonstrated positive interpersonal relationships
Must have a knowledge of the organization and administration of local, county and state agencies and their services for pupils
Skills in the ability to consult, counsel, and collaborate with pupils, parents, school personnel, and appropriate outside personnel regarding mental health, behavior, and educational concerns utilizing psychology principles
An understanding of the rationale of testing, measurement, and skills in the administration of tests, including those which measure intelligence, achievement, adaptive behavior, perceptual-motor skills, and behavior
Knowledge of computer technology necessary to implement computer applications for management, to understand technology's instructional value, and to develop the technological skills needed in the delivery of special education services
Comprehensive understanding of personality development and the assessment of human behavior
Mastery of broad understanding of learning and learning impairments
Evidence of ability to establish positive working relationships with all stakeholders
Superior verbal and written communication skills

Responsibilities

Creates a welcoming and positive climate and culture
Exhibits a commitment to the District's Shared Vision and Collective Commitments
Integrates data obtained from tests and from other sources of information and ability to communicate these findings to other professionals, parents, and pupils in a meaningful way
Provides school psychological services to any student in need of such services
Collaborates with staff in planning educational intervention, curriculum, behavioral management, and teaching strategies
Directly intervenes during crises (e.g. suicidal assessments) to ensure safety or in the case of tragedy (e.g. traffic fatality) to lower distress
Responds to threatening behaviors, by investigating the reasons behind the threat and recommends interventions designed to lower the likelihood of violent behavior to ensure the safety of all students and to eliminate sources of provocative behaviors (e.g. harassment, bullying) that impacted the student reacting due to victimization
Contributes to initial "problem identification" or the likely nature of a student, classroom, or school problem in order to help develop intervention efforts as part of a problem-solving team
Conducts comprehensive evaluations to identify students' strengths and areas of need, recommend evidence-based interventions, and determine eligibility for special education programs and services in accordance with IDEA and MARSE requirements.
Systematically gathers information (e.g. Functional Behavior Assessment) needed to determine the need for and, if needed, the specific features of a Behavior Intervention Plan (BIP) or variation (e.g. Antecedent Intervention Plan, Anti-harassment interventions)
Meets with colleagues to develop classroom-based approaches to help with one or more students experiencing academic, emotional, behavioral, social, and/or physical difficulties
Teams with colleagues for extended interventions to help with initial implementation, monitoring, modification, and ultimately, evaluation of plans designed to address student needs
Contributes to problem-solving procedures required to determine the need for, nature of, and specific accommodations for students to have access to a free and appropriate public education (i.e. 504 plans)
Consults, counsels, and collaborates with students, parents, school personnel, and appropriate outside personnel regarding mental health, behavioral, and educational concerns utilizing psychological principles
Provides psychological evaluation for students referred as candidates for special education programs and provide reports to the appropriate educational authority
Performs systematic direct observations of pupils
Administers tests which may include intelligence, achievement, personality, adaptive behavior, perceptual-motor tests, and behavior rating scales
Interprets the psychological and other diagnostic data for professionals, parents, students, and appropriate others
Interprets the school psychological services to teachers and parents
Collaborates in program planning and evaluation services for decision-making purposes
Follows all District guidelines, protocols and procedures
Participates in all professional development required of student services staff
Executes other duties and assumes other responsibilities as assigned by building administrator

Benefits

Traditional pension
Tax-deferred retirement savings accounts with an employer matching contribution
Personal Healthcare Fund (PHF) - portable, tax-deferred investment account for healthcare expenses in retirement
Livonia Public Schools will contribute a dollar-for-dollar match on the first 2% of PHF contributions
Medical insurance, including prescription drug coverage (district contribution is maximum allowed by Michigan law)
Family coverage eligibility for employees working 30 hours or more per week
Single coverage eligibility for employees working 20 hours but less than 30 per week
Optional "cash in lieu" of medical insurance for those who qualify
Dental insurance (district pays 100% of premium)
Vision insurance (district pays 100% of premium)
Life insurance (district pays 100% of premium)
Long-term disability coverage (district pays 100% of premium for employees working 20+ hours/week)
Employee Assistance Program (confidential, short-term counseling service available 7 days/week at no cost)
Paid holidays
Earned vacation days
Earned sick days
Earned bereavement days
Longevity pay
Paid "act of God" days (e.g., snow days)
Children of employees working 20+ hours are eligible to attend Livonia Public Schools via schools of choice, even if living outside district boundaries