CENTRE FOR NEWFOUNDLAND STUDIES

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( innpar11lil'e A na~psi.\· f~j"A .\ .o..·essnwnl Practices '~ll::.~ducutimwl P.,yclwlot.:ists in ,\'t. Jo/111 \, Net•:fiHuulland, Cmwda, and "Ve.\·t

Hn·ex, /·.:u~:lmul: A Scltool P.\ycflo/ogy /uternship Rt)port

St. .John's

By

Dale l\1cLran. B.A. (llnns). B.Ed.

1\n Internship Report submitted to the School of GnuJm1h.' Studies in partial fulfilment of the

.requirements for the degree of Mastcr·s of Education

Faculty of Education Memorial University of Newfoundland

September J 995

Newfoundland

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L'AUTEUR A ACCORDE UNE LICENCF IRREVOCAllLE ET NON EXCLUSIVE PERMETT ANT A LA BIBUOTIIE<)UE NATIONAL~ DU CANADA DE REPRODUIRE, PRETER, DISTRIBUEI{ OU VENDRE DES COPIES DE SA THESE DE QUELQUE MANIERF LT SOUS QUELQUE FORME ()Ul ~ C'E SOIT POUR METTRE DES EXEMPLAIRES Dl: CETTE THESE A LA DISPOSITION DFS PERSONNE INTERESSEES.

L'AUTEUR CONSERVE LA PROPIUETE DU DROIT D'AUTEUR QUI PROTE<iE SA THESE. Nl LA THESE NJ DES EXTRAITS SUOSTANTIELS DE CEL!.E­CI NE DOIVENT ETRE IMPRIMES O!J AUTREMENT REPRODUiTS SANS SON AUTORISATION.

ABSTRACT

Th~ internship pla<.:L~mcnt cumpnm:nt ofthl' i\l ash:rs PtTductti,llt (~rlt'h'l

Psyt:hl)logy) \\'as compktcd in llarhl\\. hsc:-;. 1:ngland. lh.: l"l..'p u ll Ita'> t" ' '

components: (I) a plac~:mcnt cPmponL·nt and ( 2) a 1\.'s(·an:h l:lllllpnlll'llt. . \11

on~rvic\\' of educational psychology in Bri tain (spccilically \\ 'est hscx L the intL'm's

goals and ohjcctin:s. and the internship cxpcricncc (acti\itics and lcarnin[.!.) ;uc

outlined in the placement compnncnt nf the internship n:port.

The research component consists o f a c:ompar:tli\·c ana i ~ sis of as:-:csstllL'III

practices of educational psychologists in St. .John's. Ncwlinmdlnnd and West I ;SSl''i .

England. Eight nn educational psychulogists ( li llll' l'rom each sett ing ) \\L'I'L'

intcr\'icweJ. Results indicate that educational psychologi:--.ts in hllth sl'ltin~s

reported similarities in asscssmc, 11 practices such as Cllmmon IL'aSlli\S li 11· n:k rr;tls.

llowcvcr, educational psyd10\ugists in both settings indic:tll.'d that the rl.'krral

process. assessment practices. and time spent in asscssmt.:nt acti vit ic:-. d irt i: rcd .

Limitations of Lhl' rc~carch arc also discussed.

II

Acknowledgement

'I Ill' intl'rn watd'ul ly acknowll'dgL:s tht: 1\lllo\\ ing. indi\'iduals for thcir input. cflurt

and suppnrt: I )r. W. ( '. Nl'shit ( lnh.:rnshir Supcn·isol'). Ms. Ann Ricketts. 1\tl:.;. Paula

( ' rushit.:. Ms. I khbiL: Orltlfl. the staff at the West Essl':\ Formal J\ss~.:ssmcnt and

1·:\'aluarion Ser\'icl'. Mr. Christopher Mercer. Dr. Frank Riggs. Dr. Leroy Klas. Ms.

Dorothy Joy. the l'dttcatiunal p!-'.ychologists who participated in the inh:n·ie\\·s. Dr.

!Ji;aheth Strong. 1\'lr. < ierald Smerdon. Mr. R.B. rvtcrcer. Dr. Ciknn Sheppard. l>r.

Norm< iarfic. rvtr. < ierry White. The liar low Trust Foundation. !\ 1s. Angela Wilmott.

the sral'f' and administration at thL: i\·Ialtings. Ms. Dawn 1\rk!.ean. l\rlr. J.T. 1\kl.ean

and Mrs S. Winnifi·ed 1\.lcl.e:m. ivls. It Kcan. rvls. S. Walsh. and i\ Ir. t!. Spenccly.

Abstn1ct Acknowledgement

Internship Report Table of Contents

PART 1: PLACEMENT COMPONEN1'

P·' p. ii

CHAPTER 1: DESCRIPTION OF THE INTERNSHIP SETTlNG a. Introduction p. 6 b. Educational Psychology in 1-:ssex: p. 7 c. Legislative Impetus p. 7 d. Overview of the System p. 9

c. The Educational Psychologist's Clientele p. 9 f. The Essex Stages or Assessment p.ll g. Procedures and Time-lines in Statutory Work p.I..J h. Educational Psychologists Rcsponsihil itics p.l S

in West Essex i. Skills of the Educational Psychologist in l:ssex: p.J7 .i.Summary p.IS

CHAPTER 2: GOALS AND OBJECTIVES a. Dilliculties in Defining Goah and Objectives p. 19 b. Evolution of Internship Goals and Objectives p. 20 c. Internship Goals p. 21 d. Internship Objectives p. 22

i) Independent Objectives p. 23 ii) Placement Objectives p. 24

c. Summary p. 25

CHAPTER 3: REFLECTION OF INTERNSHIP EXPERIENCE a. Phases of Experiential Activities p. 26

I) Observational Phase p. 27 2) Participatory Phase p. 31 3) Independent Phase p. 32

(i) Professional Development p. 32 (ii) Visits to Special Provisions p. 32 (iii) Caseload p. 33 (iv) Activities p. 34

h. Supervision c. Fval11ation or Internship Experience

i) Critical Thinking ii) Assessment Techniques iii) Time Management iv) Professional Skills

-consultation skills -report writing -knowledoe-basc t::>

-casework planning v) Systems vi) Evaluating and Processing Learning

d. Summary

p.36 p.38 p.38 p.39 p.40 p. 41 p.41 p.42 p.42 p.43 p.43

p.45 p.46

PART II: RESEARCH COMPONENT

CHAPTER 4 A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF ASSESSMENT PRACTICES OF EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGISTS 11\J ST. JOHN'S, NEWFOUNDLAND AND WEST ESSEX, ENGLAND.

a . Introduction/ Literature RLview p . .tS b. Rational p. 52 c. Procedure p. S.t d. Sample p. 55 c. Research Findings: p. 5(l

• reasons for assessment referrals p. S(l

• assessment procedures used p. 57 I! time devoted to formalized assessment & report writing p. Mt • school board/local·~ducation authority rel'erral process p. (l2

• dctinition of success upon completion of an assessment p. 65 f. Limitations af Research p. 67

i) questionnaire p. 67 ii) ti·amework of edw.:ational psychology work p. 6N iii) questioning skills of the researcher p. 6lJ

g. Summary p. 70

REFERENCES p. 72

Appendix 1 Interview Questionnaire p. 75 Appendix 2 Consent of Educationall'sychologists to

Parf.icipatc in Research p. 76

PART I : PLACEMENT COMPONENT

Chapter 1 Description of The Internship Setting

INTROl>liCTION

Thl.! internship component nl'the !\·lasters nt' Fducational PsyclHlhl,L!~ (~dHHll

Psychology) at Menwrial llni\·ersity t~f Nc\\ round land h~gan on i\·ht~ I. 1 'lt>) ;md

~xtcmkd for a period or thirteen \\'~cks . Four days pcr \\'l.!ek \\1..'1"1.' SJ11.'111 at the

internship placement. The other da~ ~ach \\'l.!t.:k \\'as spent pursuing ind~.·p~nd ... · tll

research and deYeloping the rescarch project compon~.·nt or the intcrnship IL'porl.

The sctting for the internship placement \\as thc West 1-:ssex Fonnal

;\ssl!ssmcnt and l:\·aiuation Service (FAI:S) situated in llarlo\\·. hsi.'X. 1-'r1gland.

Jldon: specifically. the intem workcd \\'ith the hlucntional Psydwlogy S;.·rYicc ( FPS ).

,,·ithinthc Formal Assl!S!->Illl!nt and Ev~1luation Scr\'icc.

Supcrvision was provided hy two educational psychologists 1111 the West

Essex tc~\111 . 1\nn Ricketts and Paula Crosbie. Both supervisors an: n:gisten:d

psydwlngists in Cin~at Britain and have cxh..:nsive I.!Xpl.!ricnce \Vorking proll:ssionally

as educational psychologists in scn~ral Local hlucation Authorities withiil l·:n~land .

Supervision !'rom Memorial llnivcrsity or N~.!wlinmd land '''"~ providcd hy

l~lculty member. Dr. W.C. Nesbit. Ph.D. Professor and Chair oi'Spccial hlm:ation.

Dr. Nesbit also resided in llarlmv f{lr the Spring term. I 9<J5 ami provided a gn.:at deal

or guidance in the completion or the internship report.

EUIICArJO~AL PSYCIIOLOCY IN ESSEX

1-.so.,c;-; j.., a largL' hlucational Authority. pro\'iJing a broad education ltll'

;II most a quarter o !. a mi II it 111 chi ldn:n and young people (Kerfoot. 1 995 }. The Fssex

hlur;ttion;d l'sychnln!;!i<.:al Service (I·:PS) structure. as outlim:d hclO\\. pwYidcs the

IJicr:trchialnl~lllii!,!CillCllt ti·alllC\\!li'K of educational psydmlogical Sl:r\·kl' dcli\'cry in

the hsc:-> l.ocal hlucation :\uthority. There is a Principal Psychologist. Sue Kcrl(lOt.

\\ho has t\\o Assistant PrinLipal Fducational Psychologists \\'ith spccilic county-wide

dutiL·s. ;\mire lmich and 1\:tcr Parnes. There arc six teams that an: led by six t\rca

St:nior hlucatinll ~tl Psychnlogists. In West 1-:ssex. the :\rca Senior Psychologist is

1 k·hhic Orton. She has responsibilities as an educational psychologist and as \\'t.:ll

is ma1w~er of the team of SL'\\:n educational psychologists based at Bray's !louse.

lraccYs Road. llarlu\\.

I.E<;JSI.:\TI\'E IM PETtiS

l'hL' pr al·ticl' of I :ducational Psychology in Great Britain is closely linked\\ ith

gtl\ L'l'llllll'lltal legislatinn. The ll'amock Report ( 197X) made many l~lr·rcaching

rcctllllmcndations !'or a hroadcr ,·ie\\' or special education and argued fo:- the

inh:g.ratinn (lr children \\'ith special needs. \\'hen possible. with a greater im uh·t.:mcnt

ot' pat\'nts. F urthcr. the lf'amnck ReJJort adn,catcd a phased system or assessment.

(\\\:bst~:r. l(}l) ~). I h!.! R!.!port indicated that 2ll11 n uf B1iti~h \.·hildn:n ha\c ~pcL·ial

educational needs. ll\1\\"1.!\ cr. only 2° u ot' pupils require a Sta!L·m~.·m idL·nti I~ in~ th~.·s~.·

needs and pn)\'ision rcquiH:d to cnsun: that these needs arL' ml.'t. I hc~e "statl'lllL'Illl'd"

pupils arc considered to han! special L'duc~llinnaln!.!L'ds that arc hllth j,,li~-IL'I"Ill :111d

cnmpk;o;.

lhes~: i<.k:as stat~:d in the ll'amock 1\er,ort wen: l"tu th~:r ddin~:atl'll in the 1•>•>-1

document called the ( 'ode o/"l1mclice. This ('ode l'll\"isngc~ that 111ost children' . ..,

special needs will bt: met in the mainstn:am \\ithout stalt:nH:Jlls. <md that m:u1y othL' I

childrL'll \\"ith statements\\ ill r~:cei, ·~: their ~:dw:ation in ordinary schuuls. Parlll\.'lship

\\!th parents and ehildren.carly action. ami dos:..: intcr-ag~:ncy collaboratiol' an.· cnr~.·

and fundamental to the Coclr: l!/l 1racrice (I (N·h This Cmk ckarly identities and

delineates the process of staged assessment. Thcs~: go,·cmment documents han.: hL'L'Il

the dri\'ing rnn:e ror the de\·dopllll.'lltlll th..: pr..:sent poli(y that guides tilL: p!o\·isinn

ot" psychological s~:rvil.'~: to thL: l.'ducational sy~tcm. Thus. h:gisl;ttioll dictllll' '• the

roks and r~:sponsihiliti~:s ol' educational psych1)logists in ( irl'al Britain.

OVEnVJE\V OF TilE S\'STEM

('hi ldn:n '' ho 11 "'..: Ji rticulty in kam i ng han~ sp~.!<.:i al educational rigll ts.

l .m:al hlucational 1\uthoriti..:~ han: the n:sponsihility to itkntil~· and secure

; 1ppropri~tt..: pro\' is ion fill· chi ldrl:n's spcci lie educational ncl:ds. Further. parents ha\'e

the righl 1t1 IlL· i1n·oln~d in the decisions al'kcting the educational well-being ofthcir

children (B,dcod & Bcch1..~ . I ()<J.' }.

Wlwrc possible. special neL·ds children arc educated in t)rdinary schools.

hcarin!!, in mind that both parental inll:rests and the intcr..:sts of the other childn:n in

the sciHlolmust he considered. The Local hlucational Authorities' n:spnnsibilities

includc: drawing up a formal statement nrthe child's cducatinnal nccds. and a parallel

staiL'IllL'Illor the acti,,ns that it deems suitable fi.1r meeting those IH.:cds. Parents can

ap11L·:d to a SJ1L't:ial tribunal if' they disagrce \\ ith the pro\'ision set out in thcst:

stah:nlcnts (('ode of Practice. I 994 ). Thus. \\'orking \\ ith parents on prO\·iding the

hL·st education in the best setting fi.1r their children is an essential skill in pro fc~;sional

pl';tl'[ it:L' f'lll' ~dura\ iona( psydlOIOgiSIS.

TilE EIHI( 'ATIONAL PS\'CIIOLO<;IST'S CLIENTELE

l·:ach ut'tht: L'dm:atiunal psychologists on the WL'st I:sscx t~am is allocated a

"palL'h" and is required to pro\'idc the fi.1ll rangc or scr\·iccs to children living in this

an~a ( Kt:rfoot. ll)l)) ). Fach "patch" typically includes t'''' ct~lllJWl'lh:nsh l' Sl'lhlPis

which would hl' comparahk tn junior and sl'nior high schnllls in Nc\\ lillllldland.

Also \\ ithin this catchment :1rca arc tl:~..·Lkr primary. int;mt and juni,1r s~.:!Hlll l s . In

addition. the cducatinnal psychologist in \\ 'est hsl':\ is l'l'Spnnsihk li11· <l Stk'L·ial

provision schonlm "unit" that caters to children with spedaledth.:atinnalne~..·ds. l ' h~..·

l'UUcational psycholt1g.ist is aiSl) rt:sponsibk t'nr nursery and prl'sdwul children that

lin: within their catchment area. Services arc also JWo\·ided tll s1Ude11ts attending out­

county schools and post 16 students (Kerfoot. I l)()) ).

The educational psychologist's activities associated '' ith these educational

settings arc Clmsistcnt \\'ith the central role or the hlueational Psychology SLT\ in:.

This role is to assist the Local Education Authority meet its statutory n:sponsihiliti~..·s

for children with special educational needs hy providing advice on the educational

needs nt' children who lin: \\ithin their patch (Kt:rliHll. 1995). These statutor)

requirements an: guided by the 1993 Education t\ct '' hich pro,·idt:s a k!_!al

framework ltlr special t:ducationul needs. ·1 he ( 'ode of' Practict: ( I <J<J~) pruvidt:s

guidance on how schools and others should dc;,d with spcl'ial ed ucat ional r H.:~:d s .

bscx County Council has adopted thi s ti·amcwork fill· the asSL'ssnlcnl and support

of pupils with special educational needs and has developed the H1·se.r .\'tage.1· of

Assessment from that document.

TilE ESSEX STAGES OF ASSESSMENT

·1 he /:'ssex ,\'luge.\· of As.H'.\'SIII<!I1t is a liv<: stagt.: moJcl. The first thn.:c stages

an: related lo sdwol-hascd assessment. 1-:ach sm:ccssivc stage invol\'cs more <.ktailcd

assessment and increasingly intensive support arrangements for the pupil (Essex

( 'ounly ( 'ouncil. I 994). There an: Individual hlur.:ation Plans (11-:i's) at each stage.

Moss (I 1)')5) describes the stages as a sequence of action steps that take us from the

rdatively informal evt:ryday n:sponst: or tht: class tcacht:r to more formal

arrangt:nK·nts with im:rcasL•d specialist in\'oh·emcnt.

ST·t GE 2:

the dass or .w/~ject teacher ident(/ies or registers a child~, . . vpecial

educational needs and. conwlting with the school's ,\'/:',\' co-ordinmor

(.'./Jet'iul /:'ducafi()/llll Need,· ( 'o-ordinator) wkes initial action.

l11is results in a d!flerentiation in !he curriculum lo mee/ the

pupil's specific: ll!!!!ds.

tlte school~' Sf:',\' co-ordinator takes !he lead responsihility .fiJr

gal he ring i nfi mnat ion am/ .for co-ordinut ing l he child~,. .\peciaf

educutimwl fJ/'0\'ision \mrking ll'it!J the child's teadu•r. At this

sla,~t· £111 individual educlll iona/ plan is drc!fied with spec (fie

goals and large!.\' SfJt'L'i/ietl hy !hi! pupirv educaliona/11eedr.

leaclrers and !he SFN co-ordinator are supported hy ,,peciali.rts

.fmm oulside the s('hool (Code nl' Practice. \l)9~. p.J)

At Stage Three. the educational psychnlugist is consullcd rq;ardin!,! progn:ss

and planning related to the pupil's needs. i\tthis point. the IndiYidu~ll hlucatinn Plan

(I EJ>) is rcvicm.:d. l'vtoni tori ng of the I FP may n:sul t in three possihk cmJrS\.'S ol'

m.:tinn. Depending upon the Stage 3 JeYicw meding \Yhich in,·oh·l·s wnsultatiun

\Vith the school. parents. other agencii.:s. pupils and th~..: educational psychulogist: (I l

the pupil's needs may he deemed to have been addressed \\'ith the conscqucJH:c that

monitoring be reverted to Stage One or Two. (2) the pupil may continue on Stagg.\

or. (3) the pupil may move on to the Fourth Stage or the l:'.vsex ,\'tuges of :h',\'('.\'.\'11/('111

(Moss. 1995 ).

STAGE4:

STAGES:

1 he U~A ( l.m·a/ !:'ducal ion :Jut hori tyJ t'onsiclers I h<' need jor tt

sruturmy assessmenl. wul ((llfJJJrupriare. nutlws a multidiscijJ/inttr.r

assessme111.

the !.fA considers the 1wedjiJJ" a Statement o(.'./Jedul fo.'dumtir111al

Need,·. and ((apf,-opriate, makes a Statement and armngcs. /JJollilon·

aJUI rel'iett ·s pmrision (Code of Practice. 191>4. p.J)

Once a Stage Four assessment is initiated. all parties will he asked to sllhmit

written evidence related to the needs of the pupil. The educational psychologist

drafts the Appendix F of that document whieh audn:sses a wide range ol' betors

which may afl~ct the chikl's functioning. Such factors include I he child's cognitive

hmctioning.; communication skills: pen.:cptual skills: adaptiw. personal and social

skills: the child's approachc~ and attitudt.:s to learning.: his or her educational

attainments: and the child's sclf~ima~c. intcn:sts and behaviour (extraclr.:d li·omthc

<iuiddines li11· the completion oi"J>sychological Advice l(ll·thc Statutory Assessment

Pro. cdun: ). This psychologic<!! ad\'icc is gathered through obscrYation. <lsscssmcnt.

intcra<:tion. and cxwnination of work samples. I 1 is envisaged that a Stag~.: 4 statutory

:~sscssmcnl would only be 1•1r pupils with particularly long-term severe and complex

necds. fill· whom a multi-disciplinary assessment is required (Esscx County Council.

I 9'J4 ).

Stage Fivc rebll.:s to the issue and maintcna111..:c of'tht: "Statement of Special

hlucational Needs." J:sscntially. a Statement is a listing of all of the child' ~· special

l'lhl~<ttionalnceds and a description of the provision that is required in order to meet

these needs along with other non-t:dw.:ationalnceds. Reviews arc held p.:riodically

with the parents. school and other ag.encks depending on the unique n1x:ds of the

pupil. Further. each Statement :nust be formally revic\\'ed with parents . schools.

other ~tg.encic~ and educational psychologists participating in the process during an

:\nruwllk,·icw mcding. The purpose of the Annual Review is to integrate: n variety

of J1CI'Sfll't.:li\'l'S Oil the pupil's progress. to •:JlSUJ'C that h<.! Or she is achieving the

' I I

d~sired outl.:nmes. and. i r nec~ss:.1ry. tn amend th~ statement tn rL'Ilect ne\\ h

identified lltxds and pn)\'ision ( Co •. k of Practice. Jl)l).L p.l Oh) .

PIH)CF:Dlli~ES AND TIME LINES IN STATl iTORY WOIU~

The 1993 Edw;ation Act and the ~;ubsequent Code ol' Pradit:L' (I <)l)-t l prn,·ide

a listing or proc~.:dun:s and time scales for the ass~.:ssment proecss. Parents :HL'

informed and arc given 29 days to provide their opinion regarding the necessity (lr

proceeding with an asst!ssmcnt. Next. infimnation is collected li·om all Sllurces whu

arc able to provide ad\'icc regarding the pupil's n~cds. ;\d\'iee is collected !'rom

parents. medical personnel. speech-language therapists. social SL'r\'ices. education

(school) and the Educational Psychology Service. J\th·ice must he submitted to the

Formal Evaluation and Assessment Service within six Wl.!t:ks of obtaining the

requ~sl.

A Statcrm:nt of Special Education Needs or a parallel statement. a "Note in

lieu" is then written within two weeks by another cuucational psychologist un th~

team. "Suggested bllries" for the statement list the pupils needs and desni h~ th~

required provision based upon the information gathered !i·0111 the advict: of all

sources. These entries become the Statement or Special Educational Needs. 1\ "Note

in Lieu" is drafted when the educational psychologist writing the Sugg~.:sted I ~ ntrit:s

consiJ~.:rs that the chi I d's needs can he met from the school's usu;ll arrangemcms for

supporting children with special educatiD::ull needs and that the SlateJno.:nl i:; not

rcquin:d (cxtrw.:ll:d from Not~.:s Df Ciuidance for Pr·:paring Suggestd Entries and

Proposed Statements in accon.lance to the l·:ducation Act I 993)

'I he proposed Statemcnt or the "Note in Lieu" (depending upon tl~c child's

special cducatinnal needs) along with the advice from each source is ~cnt to the

pan:nts. TIH.:y me given 15 days to consider the educational placement of their child.

The linal St:llemcnt is then dralh:d . The process of ass~~ssmcnt is dearly de lined as

six months. Thus. the educational psychologist in Essex \\'orks within ~.tricttimc

fr<llllCS.

EIHiCATIONAL I'S\'CIIOLOGISTS RESPONSIBilfTfE~; IN WEST ESSEX

lh: responsibilities or the educational psychologist rcllect the r·~ofcssionnl

needs dil'latcd hy th<.: Fs.rex ,'-,'/ages l!fAs.n•ssmenl. The J()Jlcwing list dcpi•.:ls priority

scrrices li1r children that an: proric.h:d by tht: educational psycbologist:

• sl~ttutory asscssm~:nt work- preparing psychological advice (J\ppcnclix F):

1'1 contributing to Annual Re\'icws ol' children with Statements:

• contrihutinns to Transition Plans which draw together information

\\'ithin and beyond the school in 1.)rdcr to plan coh~n~ntly for the young

p~rson's transition to adult I iii: (Cilde of Practice. p. 117):

111 multi-agl'ncy case work:

• advisinc; on the 111.:cds of pupils whn arc pl)St !()years:

• ad\'ising on tht.: needs of pn.:sclwol childr~~n:

• :~ tage 3 work: consultation. di reel assessment and inten·L·nt i•.m:

• :~upporting and monitoring the Essex Learning Support Policy ami 1111:

Essex Stages of Assessment:

• Preparing Suggested Entries ( Kerf(Jot. I 995 ).

Educational psychologists in Wl:st 1-:ssex an: supportcd hy administratin.·

assistance and sup,.:rvisiotl. Each educarional psychologist is assignc:d <I derical

support stuiTperson wh~1 has many rcspnnsibililies. For example. <tnt:r c;tch school

visit th·: cducaliunal psychologist is responsible for documenting tlw visit in terms

ofa summary of the discussion and the m:tions agrel:tlupnn. School Visit Sumn1;u-y

:·;hccts mu~;t be typed. ~:opicd and fbnvan .. kd to the n:spe<.:tivc school within 21 days.

The clerical supp011. sta!Tcnsurc that this work is done. Bnth thc ckrical support st~df

and the Assistant 1\dmiuistrativc Ofliccr of the FJ\ES help ensure that ihl: statutory

proccs~. is following correct procedures and I ime frames.

The Essex EPS provides opportunities for the educational psychologists to

become involved in \arious projects and multidisciplinary teams. Sevcral members

of 1 he West I ·.ssc..:x tt:am work in other capacities as Specialist F.ducational

Psychologists. h11· example. Ann Ricketts is the Specialist EP in the area of

inclusion and Paul ( 'urmn. another team memhcr. is a Specialist EP in the area or

prolCssiunal devdopment as \\ell as being a tutor " ·ith the UniYersity of Fast London

hlucation;il Psychology training course. These specialist posts were (!.:signed to

optimize the skills and knowledge or team members and at the same time Jii\Wicfc

prnll.:ssionall·ontrihutions to lcllow educational psyeho'ugists in the area ofscr\'ice

dl'livery. as m:ll as in broader de\'dopments and projects associated with th~: LEA

( Kcrfl H ll. I<)<))). t·:ducational psychologists also contribute to multidisciplinary child

and J~unily supplll't te~1111s within I:sscx. One member of the West Essex team. Paula

( 'roshic. \\urks as a mcmiK·r of the Child and Famil} Consultation Ser\'ice in

addition In duties related to her "patch" within I [arlo\\'.

SKILLS OF EIHICATIONAL PSYCIIOLO<aSTS IN ESSEX

hlucational psychologists in Essex are required to ha\'c a lirst degree in

Psydwlugy and teaching qualilications with a minimum of two years teaching

L':\IK'riL'IH:L'. ,\ !\-laster's degree \vhich includes prolessionaltraining as an educational

psydwlugist is also required for FPs \Vorking with the Essex Local Educational

:\uthority li'-crl'oot. 1994: I.owenstdn. 1984 ).

Th~ educational psychologists employcd hy thl' l·'s~ :x LiH:al hllll':tti,,n

Authority haY~ many skills in areas that are essi . .'ntial li.1r gnod pr:tctict.:. TilL·~ ;m·

knowlcdgcabk in chikl and adolescent deYdopment. l'hcy at\.' skilkd in assl'SSIIIL'I\l.

proh I cm-soh·i ng. intcrn~nt ion and consu I tal ion. lnsl'l'\' ice trai ni 11):!. rcSL'<Irl'll.

counselling. monitoring and evaluating are also important skills required I(H' th~

\'arious aspects of th·~ work of an educational psychologist itt h.;sl.'x. l·:ngland

( Kcrfoct. 1994 ).

SUMMARY

The profession or educational psychology in Great Hritain is closdy linked

hl governmental h.:gislation. Further. educational psychologists' n:spnnsihilitics

within the British educational context relate closely to ensuring that children \\'ith

special educational needs have these educational n~:eds md within lmth all

appropriate and l~1cilitativc em·ironment. Th..: l:'ssex ,\'!ages uf'.- ls.H•ssll/elll providl's

guidance to parents. schools and educational psychologists as to the established

process in me..:t:ing children's special educational 11\.!clls.

Chapter 2 Goals And Objectives

This chaph:r includes a discussion ol'the dirtkultics in dcn:luping goals and

ohjt:ctiv..:s li11· the internship experience in 'Nest Essex. England. The evolution of

the linal goals and ohj~..:ctin:s adopted for the int~..:rnship cxpcricm:c is ddincat<.:d .

The linal sections in the chapter outlines these goals and objectives.

UIFFI< 'l lLTIES IN DEFINING GOALS AND OB.JECTIVES

In March. 1995. a tentative drah or internship goals and objcct in:s was

developed. This dran was dcwlopcd to pro\'ide the West Essex Educational

Psyrhnlogy Team with the opportunity to determine irthey would he able to pro\'idc

a karning experience that was t.:onsistcnt with the gnals and objcrti\\:s outlined by

the pf'(lsrecti\'c inh:rn. Al'tcr linkage \vith the l:ssex pl!rsonncl. the draft \\as refined

and expanded in an internship propo~al submitted and approved by the Memorial

l lnivcrsity J'aculty supervisor bd"ore departure to Great Britain.

The goals and objecti\·cs \\en: dinirult to develop without a prior working

kno\\kd~e ofth.: education system in Great Britain. Thus. the goals and objectives

rdkcted h·y arL·as highlighted during the intern's earlier prarticum experience Li t the

Roman ( 'atiHllic Schnol Board in St. John's. i\s Sll(.'h. the goals and objectives were

closely tkd to consultation and standardized assessment. a comretency essential lc>r

good pra<.:tice within th~ context nr the \ lastl'I'S or hhu.:ati\lllal Ps~ chnl\ll!Y

pmgrammc ~1t ivh:mnrial l lniwrsity nr Nc\\ li.,undland. 1-'mthcr. the ~~'als \\l'I'L'

g~ncral. somc\\'hat abstract. and related to hrlHtd cat~:gorics ur intl'l'h:ntiotl. Not

knowing the cxt~:nt to which thcs~..· duties Wl:I'C consisll'nt with the rob and

n.:sponsibilitics of educational psychologists in Britain. it \\ :Is dii'Jicult to dl..'lcrminc

spcci lie activities within the British wntcx t that \\ o1ild pro\'idt• furl her ski II

development. Succinctly. it was dii'Jicult to dcscrih~: prccisdy the acti\'ities that

would h~: essential to include without a knowll:dge of psychnlogical inkrwntion

\\'ithin the cJucational system in Great Britain.

EVOLl lTION OF INTERNSHIP (;OALS ANI> OB.JECTIVES

Through discussions with the on-site supervisors in West 1-.sst:x. it became

apparent that the Jraf't or goals and ohj~:dives c..k~velopcd prior to leaving

Newfoundland was too general and lacked the spccilici ty necessary to dcvelop a plan

or action for the internship plac~:mcnt. Through observation or 1-:sscx l:dw.:atiom\1

psychologists in their roles. and Jiscussions \Vith on-si tc supervisors n:ganling thci r

responsibilities within the educational context. revised goals and objectives !111· the

internship placement became more clear. Thus. specific activities that would provide

an overview or psychological intervention and service delivery in the l·:ssex school

o.,yst~nl. \\en: decided upon through consultation. The o~jc(.;tircs were tklinct.l in

teru1s ol' l)l:ha\·ioral tasks and acti\'ities that \\otdd proYidc the intern with the

proll:ssional skills necessary to !'unction as an t:UU(.;ational psychologist \Vithin th~

Local hlucation Authority in West hscx. England.

INTEI~NSIII P (;OAI.S

The ovt:rall goal of the i ntnnship expcricm.:c was to provide an opportunity

to continue to build both proli:ssional skills and knowledge in the lidd or sdwol

psychology. Mcntoring and \mrking as a s<.:hool psychologist in West Essex would

pro,·idt: Wl opportunity to experience the full range ot' activities and rcsponsi bil itics

assm:iated \\ ith the rok of the school psydmlogist within an c:-..pansivc British

educational setting. Further. it would afford an opportunity to work indcpendenth·.

with responsibility ror case management. with guidance from British educational

psydwlo~ists .

Further. it was anticipated that the opportunity to \Vork in the school system

in West l·:ssL·x. l:ngland. wlluld pro\'idc an opportunity to compare the delivery of

psydwcdut:at innal scn·iccs by cducttional psychologist teams in Newfoundland ant!

the t lnited Kingdom. spccilit:ally West l:sscx. Variations in service delivery \Vould

pnwidl' the int1:1·n with a more comprchcnsi\'c view of approm:hcs to providing

as~istanc~ to schools. t~ach~rs. students. f~uniliL·s and other pmfl:ssi,)nal-.;.

The mnr~ sp~eitic internship goals r~lated l\l huildit1!;! runltn pn•f"L'SSillll;tl

ski Us and knt)\\ kdgt: dosdy tied to the gcnl.'ral duma ins nr (.'( lllSllltat ion. ;tSSL'SSI1lL'Ill

and intern~ntion. Skills in thcs~ areas \\·ere to he ~..·nh~mced thmu!;!hlhL· L'.\lll'riL·rttial

process or casework.

INTERNSIII P OB.JECTIVES

The objectives l'ormulall:d to achicn: th..: established g.o;ds relating. to

professional skill dcvclopment \\'ere ddineatetl into two groups : (I) independent

ohjecti\'es \\'hich could be completed without the supen·isinn or an edur;llioll;il

psyd10logist and ( 2) placement ohjecti ves that requi r~d the input and guidanrc or t hL·

educational psychologist. The placement ohjccti\'es n:quin.:d both a partici]xttur) and

imkpcnd~nt asp~d. The placement objective activitit:s wt.:rc umh.:rtakcn upu11 thL·

completion or an action plan \\'ith supervision from either or th~..: 1\\(l Wt.:st 1-:SSl.':\

educational psychologist sup~.:rvisors assigned to the inll.'rtlship.

lmll!pe mil! II I 0/~iectil•e.\·

I . To cvaluatc heha vi our management programmes 1 n an ill bnt schoo I.

primary· s~..:hool. secondary school and a spccial pro\'ision.

To t:\'aluate the interTentions l(x a student in each or the It)! lowing special

prorisions: speech and language unit. emotional and hdmvioral unit.

moderate leamillg disability unit. and an autistic unit.

.l 'In wmpktc a research component for an internship report( Assessment

Practices of l·:ducutional Psychologists in St. .John's. Newl(nmdland and

West 1-:sscx. England).

4. To dc\'L'Iop skills in interpreting the Fsscx Stages of Assessment Lmd

tiJc ('ode of' J>r:H.:ti\.:c.

5. l'o tkvdop compeh.:ncics 111 usmg the Brit.:sh Abilitks Scales (BAS)

and the \Vcchsh:r Ohjcclin: Reading Dimension (WORD)

(l. To kam about Brief Therapy (Solution-FocuseJ) and its implications 111

ps~·dwducational practice.

7. To mncasc prori.:ssinnal development growth through liaison \Vith the

llniwrsity or Fast l.nndon.

' l

Placement Ohjeclit•e.\·

l. To condud prnhlern clarification inlcn·il.'\\S resulting in a dl'sniplin·

statement or conccrns. '' ritlen in perl'ornwm:c h:nns. '' ilh I he

J'ollo,,·ing indi,·iduals:

(a) A pan.:nt

(h) 1\ class teacher/Special hlw:ational Needs Comdinator

2. To ncgotiatl' the tksign. implcm~:ntation and cvaluatiun nf an IFP f11r

the following students:

(a) An inl~111t pupil (age 5-S)

(b)/\juniorpupil (agc9-ll)

3. To n~:gotiate th~: design. implementation and evaluation o f hc!lavium

management programmes l'or the li.lllowing students:

(a) A primary student (ag~: 5-11)

(h) A secondary student (age 12-16)

-1-. To consider issues arising from an educational psychologist's invol vcmc11t

with children or ethnic minorities.

5. To co ntribute to the pn.:paration of "Psychological Advice" (Stag.c 4 and

Stage 5 Assessments).

(). ·r o develop skills in infimnal assessment (writing and reading sumplcs)

through :

(a) clas'iroom observation

(h) curriculum-based assessment

(c) interviews \Vith pan.:nts. teach~:rs. stud..:nts

7. lo ohserw and participah: in the preschool assessment process.

StJMMAIH'

The goals and ohjectivcs outlined in this chapter cYol\'cd from initial

observation and participation in the Educational Psychology Scrdcc delivery in Wcst

l·:ssc.:x. The objc.:divc.:s were.: dc.:rivcd with the.: intention of' obtaining practical

cxperiencL' and knowledge relating to the established goals f'or the internship.

Rl'lah.:d adiYitics allowed the opportunity to learn about the English education

system. and roles ami responsibilities of' educational psychologists within this

system. h1rthcr. it allowed rnr the d~:velnpmcnt o!'prefessional skills relating to the

delivery or cf'l'l:divc and efficient psychological intervention for pupil's within the

context of this cdta.:ational system.

Chapter 3 Reflections of Internship Experience

This chapter is a discussion of the intern's progn:ss in skill tkn:lopmcnt ;md

pro!i:ssional knowledge through the acti,·ities relakd to fun~:tioning. as ancdul.·atiunal

psychologist in Wi.!st Essex. England. The lirst scctinn of' the chaph:r prm·idl·s :m

m·ervicw nfthe scope of' activities and the phases of experiential \\mk carried out

during the inh:rnship placement. Supervision ol' the intern is also discussed in

n.:lation to the dcn:lopment or hoth prolcssional knowkdgc and skills. The last

sections or the chapter provide an overview or some or the intcmship learning

ex pcricnces which arc deemed essential to good practice wi thi 11 the proli:s-;ion o I'

educational psychology.

PI·IASES OF INTERNSHIP ACTIVITIES

The internship expcric.!ncc had three phases. hu.:h phase provided an

opportunity tn learn about the Eng! ish educational system. more spel:i lically. the

educational psychologist's duties and responsibilities within the context or this

system. The ohserrationa/ phase provided the intern with the oppmtunity to

accompany and observe educational psychologists in various aspects of their work .

The second phase was the partic:ipalol) ' /'lwse . During sessions with schouls and

families. various facets of work were assigned to the intern under tht: di rect

supervision of the internship supervisor. During the final. imlepemle111 JJ/wse. a

caseload was lkkgated to the intern and psychological work \\as carrii.!d out

imh:rcndcntl y.

0/1SE/l VA 1'/0NAL I'/ lASE

During our initial meeting with lkbbie Orton. Dr. Nesbit and both Memorial

llniversity interns were pnl\'itkd \vith a schcdull's of visits lix the lirst two weeks or

the illternship placement. These schedules had been drafted by several educational

psychologists on the West J:sscx team with tht: expectation that the schedule would

provide an opportunity to ohser\'c educational psychologists working with a variety

or children at dirlen:nt ag..: levels and in dirfcr~:nt school settings. J\t that time. Ms.

< )rton also pro\'ided a wpy or the ('ode of Practice( J9f)..J. l. tht..: legislation that guides

prokssionals working with pupils having special educational needs. J\s well. Ms.

( >rton outlined the organizational structure or educational psychology in Essex. This

meeting was an c:xt:dlent introduction and ov~:rview of the Edw.:ational Psychology

Scn·iec in \V..:st h;scx.

During the first two m:cks. the intern accompanied educational psychologists

on sch{lol \'isits. ivluch was learned about the education system in England and the

n1k lhat educational psychologists haYe within the context of that system. This

phase was u valuable introduction to many proll:ssional cnmp~t~JH.:iL'S L'Ss~ntial to

efll!ctivc psychological inten·cntion within any educational syst..:m. ThL· initialt\\o

weeks allmn:d th~ intern to obtain a sense or the cnntc~lol' thL· Fss~:-; edm:;tlillllal

system, the duties and responsibilities or educational psydlologists \\'ithin that

system. and the prolcssional competencies required to crtl:ctin~ly dl.'!i\·cr S~o'l'\' il'cs tn

schools and l~unilics.

The context of educational psyd10logical \\'ork rdated dnsely In crticicnl

scheduling and planning sessions with schools. F!Tedi\·c tinll' managcm~o·nt was

essential. llpon arrival at a school. an agenda for the session was rcvicm~d so that

both the head teacher and th...: educational psychologist were clear on \\'hat would he

undertaken during the session. These sessions were approx i mall: I y 3 hours i 11

duration and scheduled well in advance. The educational psychologist md with the

school concerning issues involving stud!.!nts at Stage lor students who had recL·ived

Stage 5 Statutory Assessments. On some visits. the educational psydwlogisl would

assess a pupil with the goal of writing an Appendix F (Stag!.! 4 ). The !.!dw..:ational

psychologist woL;Id then document the contents of the meeting and the ad ions agreed

upon on a S~.:hool Summary Visit Form. Th!.! needs of the school would he di sc ussed

und the educational psychologist would provide guidance on issues such as

behavioral diflicullics. individual education plans. and acaJemi~.; difficulties.

,, '

The first session that I utt~.:nded with Ann Rickett:~ im·ol\'cd meetings with the

ht.:ad tcacht.:r. the SEN-CO. am! the class teacher. ;\n observational session ofthc

child in thc classroom and a meeting with the pupil's parents to discuss statutory

assessment were also incluued. Ann \Vas very thorough and professional. dearly

delining the purpPsc and direction orthe session. The school pcrsonncl workcd with

her as a team to ensure that the school visit was both Lime and resource cnicicnt.

This and other sessinns demnnstratcd ct'lccti\'c time and rcsoun:c management

approach~:s to cducat ional psychological scr\'icc <.kl i very.

The intern observed students both at the secondary and the primary level

within the conh:xt of their classroom. Educational p~ycholog.ists \\t~rL: obscrn:d

during class intcrm:tions. using materials tl·01n the classmnm cn\'i ronmcnt to build

rapplll'l \\'ith pupils in order to obtain asscssm::nt int;mnation rt:garding srccch-

languag~: skills. L"ognitivc skills. approach to learning. and social interaction skills.

hlucational psychologists \\<crc also obscr\'ed providir'g kcdback to SEN-COs at

\·arious schools and assisting in problem-solving stfatcgy dc\'t:lopmcnt intcndcd to

bcnclitlhc child within the classroom.

Assessment in West Essex fm:uscs on information gatiH:red within the context

nr the dass. <. 'hildn:n an: nhscn·ed inll.:racting with peers ami adults within the class.

using w.:adcmic materials f<.nmd within the classroom setting. Approaches to

learning. heha\'iour. social ski1,ls. listening skills. lixussing_ skills as \\ell as a \\L'alth

of other information \H:n: Ul..!termincd by ohsen·ing and inh.:ra~ting \\ith ~hildren in

their classroom environment.

During the first two weeks J attemh.:d sen.:ralmeetings rdating to thL· ,·arious

roks and responsibilities or educational psyd10logists in West l·:ssL':\ . The iuh:m

attended a psychological team meeting at the West l:sscx office. At that tillll'

preschool issues were discussed. As well. during the ohser\'ational phas~..:. I sat in un

an Initiation Panel which is a body wmpriscd of educational psyeholo!_.!ists and slaff

fi·otn the FAI:S that determines if a statutory assessment is ,,·arranh:d . t\! lhL'

meeting. cdut:ational psychologists' drafts of psychological :td\'il'e \\ere c.\alllincd

to <.h.:tcrmine if the purils' nclxls were long-term a11d complex ~md il' till' inl(>nmlion

presented \\'as sufliciL:nl to proceed with a stttulory assL·ssment.

The educational psychologists also l~H.:ilitatc SEN-('() support groups. These

,groups arc orgo1nizcd to deal with issues arising from the C'mk of Practice. Paula

Croshic and Ann Ricketts. intern supervisors, allmvcd both Memorial llnivcrsity

interns to sit in on a support group mL:cting. It was very informative. Wt: met

individuals from the schools that we would be working with concerning ( 'ode uf

Pr(/(:fi<:e issues.

PAR 1'/C/I'A TORY PI/A.\' I~·

By tht.: third Wl!l.!k. Sl!Vl!rul or the duLil!S or an ~.:ducational. psychologist were

assi;~ncd. Both supervisors continul!u to pnl\·iuc opportunities to ohscr\'e , ·arious

asp~:c 1 s or thci r cd ucat ional psychologist work. llowcvcr. in preparation. he fore

allcndi11g sl.!ssions at various s<.:hools. the intern \UIS briefed and provided \\'ith the

opportunity to complete a component or the assessment (e.g .. observation of a

pn:schoolcr}. Further. the intern participated in a class inclusion programme called

"('in: lc of' 1-'r·icnds." This programme promotes empathy and attempts to build a

support nel\\'lll'k around l.!Xcluded pupils.

Also as part ofthL' Participatory (prc-imkpcndcntl Phase. a draft of Suggested

l·:nrries \\as completed l(lr a specific pupil. This drall (previously described) is a

tentnti\'L' Statement of Special h.lucational Needs for a pupil. taking into m:count

advicL' frn111 pan:nts. school. social services. medical personnel and other health

prul':ssionals such as SJX'cch th~:rapy. physiotherapy and psychology. The document

list~ thl' pupils sp~dal L'ducational neeus and pro\'isional needs. An ohscrvation and

individual ass~ssment s~.:ssion \\en: also undertaken hy the intern for the purpose of

\\Titingan Appemli:x F. These independent pieces ofwork assigned by 1\nn Ricketts.

one or th~· l\n1 internship super\'isors. were intemkd to prepan: the intern for th~:

indepemknt phasl' or the internship experience.

!NDEPENJ)ENT P/IASE

During_ the !ina] six weeks ol" the internship placem~nt. L·duL·atilmal

psychology acti\'itics were undertaken indcpemkntly. Visits wen: made to sc\'cral

special pro\'isions within West Esst.:x and a casdnad was assign~d to the inll·rn.

(i) Professional Dcvclupmcnt

Both interns attt.:ndcd the National Conference or hlucational l'sychnlo):!iSI

Trainc~s in Cambridge. Sessions l(x:ussing Oil liuni!y issues. the ( 'irl'll" or J.'r·iL'Ilds

programme. and systems theory were ind udL"d. ThesL" sessions \\'L'I'L' c.\ I rL·ml'i y

helpful in furthering prolessional (h:velopmenl. Jn additinn. the opportunity to liaisl'

with other trainers Ji·om l·.ngland. Ireland. Wales and Scotland was a valuahk

learning experience.

(ii) Visits to Special Provisions

Visits were made to se\·cral units or special sdh,.Jis l()r pupils\\ ith special

educational needs within llarlow.

lye (in:cn School - a special schonl for child ren \\ith sc\'erc lcarnin).!

di rti<.:ultics :

Mead School- a special school f(x pupils with llHH.krate learning dil'licultics

llarlowhury Schooi-Spl!ech and Language Unit

Pupil Rdl:rrall Jnit- a unit for pupils whose behavioral and emotional needs

an: beyond the scope or the mainstream academic setting

Mcncap Nursery for preschoolers \Vith moderate and severe learning

diniculties

Visits to these provisions afl'clrdcd knowledge about the lacilitics and

resuun.:cs available to mect the educational. cognitive and socialne<:ds of the pupils

involved in the casdoaJ. lnl(mnation concerning special educational equipment.

tc<ll.:hcr-student ratio. programming. and support staff a\'ailability were important

t~u.:lors in determining pupil pl<lccmcnt. It was essential to be knowledgeable in the

area or prm·ision and sen· ices in order to work cl'll:ctiYely with schools and pmcnts

in < ircat Britain.

(iii) Cascload

British educatinnal psychology trainct.::- on their linal placement take on a

casdoad nr approximately ten cases. Through discussion and consideration or the

internship goab ~md ot~jcctivcs previously described. the supervisors provided a list

or possibk· cases. ( 'as!:s \\!:rc chosen by the intern to provide cxp~.:ricncc in working

,,·ith pupils nf various ages having a wide range of nclxls. The cascload rcllcctcd u

'' '

sam piing of the range of spccialnecd pupi Is that rcccin~ psychniPgical intcr\\.'nt it 111

'vithin the West Essex Local Education Authority. The cascload \\nrk pro,·idL·d an

opportunity for the intern to be responsibh: for the scheduling. timc lines. n:ptH't

writing and assessment. Skills in consultation and intt:r\'cntion \\crc also developed

through the experiential process or working with teachers. head h:achL'I"S. SI·:N-( '( >s

(Special Education Needs Co-ordinators). parents. students <md other agcncic.-.. .

The cascload consisted of:

• a prcschoolcr with possible spccial cducationalnccds:

• a primary pupil with learning di rtirultics:

• a primary pupil wit.h cmotional and behaviour dirtirulties:

• a secondary pupil with learning dinicuhil's:

• a secondary pupil with emotional and behavioral

d i fli cult i cs:

• a pupil with moderate learning dirticultics:

• a pupil with spec ~· h and language dirticultics:

• a pupil with a physical impairment.

{i\') Activities

Cascwork involved many a<.:tivitics that arc l"undamcntal 111 deli very of

educational psychology scrvict.:s. Th~.: expectation was that. the intern would be

responsibh.: liH· the initial contact. scheduling ami arranging visits with schools and

par~.:nts. Scheduling included developing an agenda and negotiating a plan of action

with the school starr and parents. During school \ 'isits. meetings were held with

SI·:N-COs a11d on several occasions with parents. Mel!tings with dass teachers wen:

also an important component ofc.:ase\'Vork.

Assessment of pupils' needs included classroom observation and interaction

with thl· pupil both within and outside the classroom environment. Informal and

curriculum-based ass~.:ssment skills were developed during these periods. 1·10\n:ver.

some standardi;cd assessment measures \\ere used. Two WISC-3 (Wechsler

lnll.:lligencc Scak li.1r Children-Third l:dition) and a WORD (Wechsler Objectin~

Reading Dimcnsinn) as well as some ofthc suhtests of the BAS (British 1\bilitil..!s

Scale~:) \\ere administcn.:d.

Feedback w parents and school staff concerning assessment was also the

responsibility of the intern. This approach provided an excellent opportunity to

~.·xp~ricncc furtlll·r li.tccts of the educational psychologist's role. Skills in the area of

inli.ll'lnation gathering. informal and standardized assessment. consultation.

administratitHl am[ fn)Jtm-up \\CJ'C gkaned from tht.: independent phase of' the

intemship.

Reading ami rese;m.:h in areas such as \\riling dirticulties. rL·adin~ diflicuhiL'S.

ccn:bral palsy. conduct disorder. Aspcrg.ers syndrome. and spce~.:h and lan~uag.c

dinicultics as they rdah.:J to indi,·idua[ cases. were essential in the den:h,plllL'Il! ,,r

c11cctin.: cas~.:work and in the de\'elopment of ~.:fiC:ctive ad ion plans tol'll.Sllrc !hal

propt:r pro\'ision.s wen: established.

SUPEI{VJSION

Psydwlogica[ work within the educational system \\as ~.:arricd out h~ the

interns with the following. model of supervision. The intern ohsern:d the educational

psycholngist in Yarious aspects of their work. Classroom ohsen·ations. llll'L'ting~

with Special hlucation Needs Co-ordinators. m~.:etings \\ itll class 1\.:aders. lllL'dings

with parents. attending Stage 3 reviews meetings. i\nnual Review 1111.:1.:tings and

ll:am meetings were a major compont:nt ol" the initial use ol' internship time. This

prm·ided an excellent oven·icw of the educational system. the roles of the

educational psychologist. and the prokssltlnal compdencies es~enti<tl tn cl'h:cti,·e

psychological intcrn.:ntion within schools.

Dming the linal six weeks of the internship placement. supen·isiun mcl:lings

wen: held l<H one hour each week to discuss cases and other prol\:s~ional issue~ .

These supen·ision sessions wen.: directed by the intern's needs in term or proll:ssion;d

grm\th and dc\'elopmcnt. Issues included administration issues and instruction on

administration and scoring the British Abiliti~s Scales (BAS). The supcr\'ision

mcctinJ!S \\ere ~:haired hy the intern with nne supervisor from the West l:sscx team

present to d i stuss pmgress on cases. The supcn·isinn meetings allnm.:d an

tlpplll'tunity tt' plan the upcoming m!ek in terms or visits and other administrative

dut iL'S.

Supervision pnl\'ided h~ the Wt.!st Essex EPS was t.!Xtremdy henelicial as it

allowed an opportunity to t'urtht.!r enhancl.! professional development under the

guidam:e ol· an c:oipcricJH.:ed cdut.:ational psychologist. Skills in cvaluating processes

and planning casc\\tlrk \\·erl.! de\'dopcJ under tlw supcn·ision ol'both Paula Crosbie

and t\nn Rid..elts. ()uestions such as: What do I kn~n\· about this chi ld's needs?. What

do I need to know ahnut this child's llel·ds'!. I hm· dol ohtain this inl(mnation within

the context uf the school?. and. I low do I e\·aluate the in/ormation gathered in

rl'i:Hion to thl· inl(trmation gathered from other sources'.' were dealt with in the

wntL':\1 of thL' supe1Yisory meetings. Prokssional super\'ision relating to the action

plan ;1spcl..'ls of t.:dUClliional psychology \\'Cl'e \'UJuablc in ter111S of c.kvcJoping

L'nlllpL'IL'JH:iL's in dynamic assessment. consultation with parents and schollls. and

mnst inlpPrtant. in linding the best way to meet the pupil's educational needs.

EVALUATION OF THE INTERNSHIP EXPERIENCE

The c~pcrience or \\orki ng \\ ith the \\' I.:Sl hscx hlul:at iunal Psydh l\O!!Y team

provitbl the opportunity to dewlop a \\'idc range ot· prorcssional ski lls. l'lh:

internship pl<.wcmcnt also mo\·cd philosophical and theon:tical knm\'kdgl' into tlw

realm or prm:tical knowledge. This cxpcrit.:nl:c allowed fnr the dcn~loplllcnt (lt' an

awareness or the professional skills that arc cs3cntial to ~.!.ood pract ice '' ithin the

context of pro\'iding psychological ser\'ic'~ ;:1 an educational sysh .. ·m. !'his

expcrience greatly contribull:d to thc intcrn's prokssional dc,·t.:lopnH:nL

The knowledge gained during this internship placement is cxpansi\'e. lhL'

l(llltl\dng sections comprise an own·it:\\' or the knowlt:dge g~1incd and areas or

professional development enhanced during plm:cment in WL·st hsl..'x. l·:nglaml.

Critic~al Thinking

Overall. the most signilicant skilllcarnt..:d during this inkrnship plac..:nH.:nt

was critical thinking. It provtdcd th1: opportunity to tkvdop as a "rdkctivc

practitioner." Questioning What'! Why'? I low'? WlH.:n.: '! When'! lilslers ;m approach

to all cuucational psychology \\'ork in a probh:m-sulving. Clli\Strw.:tivc and proactive

manner. This approach encourages Cll111pctcncy ami conlidcncc in one's ability as an

educational psychologist..

Assessment Techniques

lnl(mnal assc.:ssment skills were ohscrvcd and developed during the internship

plact:m~nt with the West Essex Educational Psychology Servic~ . An appreciation

lt11·thc.: massive :nmnmt of relevant inli.mnation that can be obtained by observing a

pupil within tlu: context of the classroom. interacting with peers and the teacher has

been an irnrortant learning experience. Looking at the child's approach to learning.

to approm:hing a task. to listening to instructions. und the examination of work

samples. n.:aJing samples and other conte:'\tual inl<.xmation provides important

knowledge about the pupil's strengths and needs in relation to learning.

!\ range of' assessment materials and techniques were explored .1nd used

during the int1.·rnship p!acemcnt. StanJardizcd assessnwnt procedures (WISC~3.

WORD. BAS) \Vcrc utilized in both a norm-rclerenccd and a dynamic manner.

( 'urriculum-based assessment involving reading and spelling assessment. as well as

memory and general knnwh:dgc retention. \verc also employed during the internship

pl:u:cmcnt. Checklists. ohscrvation. discussion and consultation also proved to be

important inli.mnation gathering and inli.mnal assessment techniques.

rvtw:h was learned concerning assessment. A professional approach to

cnllcctillg information com:crning pupils within the context in which they learn is

essential in the dcn:lopmcnt of an accurat~: picture of the child's strengths and needs.

' I l l

Further. the skill of developing hypotheses. collecting information and test in~ thL'SL'

hypotheses through assessment and discussion i;; essl..!ntial in the lkn~lopmL'Ill or

effective interventions. Because interventions must b~: \\'dl planned and I'L'k,·:llll. it

is important that feedback to parents. pupi Is and school stall be done in a sL·nsitiYe

manner. with the information providt.:d being relt.:vant and practical.

Time Mamtgcmcnt

lkcausc the Educational Psychology Sen'ice and the l·ormal Assessment and

Evaluation Service work within such strict time-lines l(ll· the statutory process. the

intern's time management skills became mon: highly developed during the internship

placement in West Essex. I Jowcvcr. in working with schools. one learns that

"human" dements must be factored into time management (e.g .. pupil's illness,

teacher illness). i\s a consequence. schedules arc often altered. Tht.: inll:m learned

that ti ... xibility and careful preparation arc essential for appropriate and dfl.:cti v~.:

service delivery.

Other management skills acquired related to effective usc of' time during

sessions with schools. In West Essex. the r~ducational psychologist plans sessions

that last approximately three hours. The agenda is set and the purpose ami prm:css

of the visit is agreed upon before the session. Tht.!rci(Jrc, the educational

psychologist is ahlc to efficien11y complete many essential acti,·itit:s such as Annual

Rcvil:WS, assl:'iSllll:llt of specific children. ami consultation with parents. teachers and

school starr ') ime management is critical if this is to he eiTcctiw.

t•rufcssiun.al Skills

i) ( 'onsultution ,r....'kilfs

( 'onsultalion skills come. to some degree. with experience in the role of Wl

educational psychologist. llowe\'cr. during this internship placemenL there \\'L'rc

opportunities to participate and independently consult with school personnel (e.g ..

Special h!ucatiomll Necds Co-ordinators. class teachers. head tcad1L'J'S). parents and

other prokssionals (L'.g .. spL-ech-langu.lgc therapists). Given the high kvcl of

support and Sllj11.:r\'ision ti·om the E PS. much was learned about ciTcctivc con~uhati vc

prm:csses and tedmiqucs to incrcast• the likelihood that a consultation session will

he succcssi"ul.

Skills in rdating to parents concerning thl!ir child's special educational needs

1s a fundamental cnmponent or e!Tccti\·e consultatiLm. The importance of being

din:t:tin·. yet at the same time non~ctmlrontational and supp011ivc. is a skill that was

conscinusly dcn~lopcd and c\'aluatcd during the internship.

'. I

i i ) R c:J )()r/ 1/'r i 1 i ng ,C...'k i /Is

Closely tied to the skills that are essential li.H· efl\:cti\·e ~onsultation an.: thL'

skills required to write psyehologi~:al reports. It is essential tll \\TilL' replll'ts that arL·

dear. spccili<.: and knmYiedge-hascd yet tempen:d '' ith sensiti\·ity WIH:ernin~ the

pupil's special educational needs and the subsequent prorision. 1·: fkd in: rl.'PI'fl

writing is. in many respects. applying ~:onsultation skills in a m·itten l(ll'luat.

iii) A'nmrlet~~e-/Jase

As part ofthe internship. a wide variety of casework \\as sampll.'d. The Citscs

n:latcd to \'arious spc<.:ial cdm:ational needs: cerebral palsy. spccili~.: ll.'arning.

disabilities. emotional and behavioral dirticulties. dcvdopmental th:lay. ami speech

am! language dil'ficultics. The casework provided an opportunity to do resl.'arch and

rend in these areas in preparation l'or related activities. Further. casev.ork n:scan:lt

t:mphasi;.cd th~.: importancl.! of having a good knowledge-has<: !'rom whi<.:h to draw

when working with children who have spct:ial educational needs. Knowledge and

understanding ofspcdal educational needs is essential in developing cr<:dibility with

parents. with the pupil and with other professionals. Suct:inctly. knowledge is

essential for the educational psychologist to be e!Tecti vt:.

i v) ( 'o.H'Imrk fllmming

J\nothl!r "good practicl!" that dl!vcloped during thl! internship placement in

W..:st 1-:sst.::-.; was cffl:ctin: cascwork planning. For e;..;amplc. prior to calling a schnol

~111d sclH:duling a session in rdation to a particular stw .. knt. the pupil 's lile would he

read allll notes taken to pn.:ciscly d~:termim: th~: purpose of the \·isit: that is. \\·hat

infimnation haJ been gatht.:rcd and what inf(mnation needed to he gathered. This

idcntiJication oJ"needs is essential when planning a school visit. J\ tentati\'e schedule

must be drafted with an agemla J{JI· the meeting and related m:ti\'itie.s. Not only does

this approm:IJ proYide an opportllnity to de\'elOp a clear understanding of purpose.

it also l"acilitatcs the de\·elopment of professional conlidencc. Further. it helps

establish pruli:ssional credibility with the school personnel \\"ith whom the

educational psychnlngist \\oJ"ks. Case\\nrk planning constitutes a n:ry el"ll:ctin: use

ol" tilllC and I"L'SOlln.:es.

hlucationa I Psyelllllugy practice in ( ircal Britain is n:ry much a "systems"

approach to SL'J"\'ice deli \·cry. In order to understand a pupi J's educational needs. it

is llmdamenwl to examine and have an awareness of the systems which impact upon

him 'lwr and of whil:h he/she is a part. To illustrate. the family. church and

neighbourhood gwuping an: all legitimate components in a comprdt~nsi' L' s~ stl'lllS

approach. The system ti·om a ll:gislati\'e \'ie\\ indlllks the ( '(lc/l· o/l'ral"fh'l '. tilL'

/:'duel II ion .·kl and the ( 'lu'ldrens .let which ar~ essential suun:es ul' l·dh l\\ kd~L· as

they help to guide the system in working\\ ith children in ( ircat Britain ll·om ;1 k:g;d

point or\·ie\\.

As noted. the "system" is not limited to pmti:ssionalentities. It i11eludcs the

child as a member. It aiTec.:ts th~ pupil's opportunities to learn-- past. prL'Sl'llt and

li.1ture. lsslll:s sueh as the school's understanding and approach to the 1-.'sse.r ,\'tugl'.'

(~/.·ls.H•ssmem. the strengths and needs oi'the Special Educational Necth < 'o-mdinatur

and the class teacher working with the pupil. the politics of the prm·ision. and tilL·

a\'ailahle funding \Yithinthe system all impact upon the pupil's oppmtunit~ to rcecin·

di n~rentiatcd and appropriate educational pro\'ision.

Thus. to work eflici~.:ntly within a s~·st~.:m. an understanding. ol' th~.: dyn:unics

and underlying guiding principles of the syst~.:m is essential. In mdcr Ill \\.lll'k

dTecti\·cly with the child, the school stall. the parents and outside agem:ics. a

syst~ms apprnach seems a n:quisite.

The initial introduction to the systems approach arli ll'tlcd by the i ntcrnsh i p is

\·ieweJ hy the intern as a base-line on which to build. Working <.:ompetcm:c within

a system's approal'i1 would require rurther experience. and as well. l'urtl11..:r academic

and th~.:urdical underpinning. Nevertheless. the experience pnwidcd numerous

insi!lhls.

Evalm1tin~ And J•roccssing Learning

During the internship. a support network was developed to assist 111

proccssmg nc\\' knomcdgc and to litcilitatc an understanding of the English

educational system through discussion of casework acti\·ities. Discussi(111S with both

supervisory educational psychologists and a l'cllow Memorial University intern

placed with the West hsex team. pro\·ided an opportunity to den.:lop creative

problcm·soh·ing tL·chniquL's. critical thinking skills. solution-focus~d skills and skills

in action planning. ;\s a group. during intern supervision meetings. cases were

discussed and action plans were dcn:lopcd. Both Paula Crosbie and Ann Ricketts

J11'"vidcd li:t:dhaek and prt:st:nh:d th~.: opportunity to develop skills in ~.:valuating

systems and individuals within systems. Feedback nn written reports was

constrm:tivc. It pro,·idcd an opportunity to pro~ess the experience and learning that

\\Cill Oil L'<H: h day . This approach proved valuable in terms or prol'cssional

dr\·c ll lpmrnt.

it ·

SliM MARY

The intcrnshir cxpcricm:c in \\'est J:sscx. J:ngl~md pnn·idcd an cx~.:cllcnt

opportunity for pro!cssionnl growth and skill dcn~lopmcnt. Tit~.· a~.·ti,· iti~.·s in,·olwd

in casc\\'ork \Vcrc Yaried and required the tkvclopmcnt of an understanding ,,[' th~.·

English educational system and the prm:ess of prodding I.:!Tc~.· ti,·c cdu~.:atiunal

psychology service delivery to sdhlols.

Skills were developed in the area or cognition in\'olving prohlcm-sulving i11

a solution-!'llcuscd manner. Professional skills in assessment. consultation. n..·port

writing. anJ action plan dcn~lopml.!nt began to emerge ami the importance or such

skills became more e\·ident as casework became the n:sponsihility ol'the intl' l'll. An

H\\i.H'encss or systems work. time management and the importance ol' evaluating and

processing learning were some ol'the many learning experiences glcatH.:d l'rotll th~.·

internship placement in Spring term I 995 in W...:st hsex. 1-:ngland.

t ' . '

PART II: RESEARCH COMPONENT

Chapter 4 Comparative Analysis of the

Assessment Practices of Educational

Psychologists in St. John's, Newfoundland and

West Essex, England

INTROIHICTiON

Thl: relationship hct\\·ccn school psychology and ass~ssmenl is one that is

built into the historical tradition of tht.: profession (Shinn. Rost:nlidd & Knutson.

1989). ;\primary responsibility of a school psyd:ologist is tu provide asscssm~nt

s~..:n·ices. (Jruduatc training programmes in school psychology continue to prolllote

assessment as an important function of the profess innal devdupmcnt and ski II s

rcquir~d within the tlcld (Gutkin & Conolcy. 1990). Further. lhc w.:tivitics associated

with assessment form th~..: basis of contemporary research in school psychology

(Gutkin & Conolcy. 1990). Thus. assessment practices an; a core clement in

educational psychology training. research and practice.

Interest in assessment procedures used within schools has grown as a result

of the legal requirements for comprehensive ami fair assessment ofstudenls in thL.:

' . ' 1 :nitt:d Stall:S (I hurlma,· & Yssddykc. I9X2 ). Further. it is hccoming more common

lhal p<m:nts art: hcllcr a hie to adn)C<I!L' li>r their children's educational rights to ensure

!h<1t t:duc<Jtionalnccds arc met. Accountahility has increasingly become a concern

lilr cdtH.::ttional psychologists. In line with this. the utility and dTccti\·eness or

standarJi;cd asscssmcnt is hcing questioned by researchers. school p~:rsonnel and

pan.:nls. Shinn ( I!J~t)) r~:ports that o\'L'r the past 20 years. assessment practices ha\'C

cume unJer intense scrutiny and criticism. The purpose and ct'll:cti\·en~:ss ol'

;tssessmcnt pr~lcticcs has emerged as a key issue in the litcratun.:.

;\sa consequence. the assessment roles and responsibilities o:· t:ducational

psyehologisto..; arc hl'ing rcdl'lincd. Throughout Canada and North America. we arc

witnessing. tn.:nds that arc tkparting from the historical notion or the school

psyclwlnt!ist solely as ~~ psydmmctrician ( Sdmol Psychology in Ne\\'I(Jundlund and

l.ahrador. Pt 1l ic~ Document. p.2 ). The prat.:tice uf school psychology as a prolcssildl

has e:-;pandcd and di\'crsilicd ll·nm its historical role of assessing spcdal educational

lll'L'ds t.:ltildn:n llll' the purpose or placement (School Psychology in Newfoundland

and I .ahrador. Policy Dm:umcnt. p.:n Educational psychology assessment practices

cont i nuc tu C\'~li\'C. F n:-n though. educational psychologists art: no longer \'icwcd as

ps~ dwmctriL·ians. ass::..;smcnt practil.:cs remain as a li.mdamcntal component or their

prn li:ssional role.

i\1ost psychologists \·i~\\ the prnk'ssinn as ha\'ing adli~·,·ed Pnl~ a shadP\\ 111'

its pot~ntial. Visions uf what sehoul psycholug~ slwuld he and l:uuld h~· iii'L' nnt

congnt~·:nt with th~: rl.!ality nf ''hat school psyclwlugy has l'lllll~' tu h~· ((1utl-.in &

Conoley. 1990 ). One or th~..· grcat~:st di rticulti~:s lliC i ng the prnli:ssillll is tlw JK' II.."L' i H'd

indlccti\·~:n~.:ss of many ol'thL" psychologic~ll in!l.:n L'nti11ns rm·s~..·ntl~ us~..·d \\ithin tlw

school system.

On:r the last SL"\'L'ral years there has dl.'\'t:lopl.:'d substantial dissatist:1ction "ith

the use or nonn-n:lcrenced. standardiz~.:"d tests ltll' e\'alu;lting til~.· acatkmir

perrormanc~.: n r students (Shapiro. I 1>94 ). The assessm<.:nl method r~..·quir~..·d is on~.·

that pro\'iU<.:S inii.mnation which is of \'a lUI.! in determining students tk\ L'loplllL'IItal

and instructinnal levels. in e\'aluating curriculum placentL'Ilt and tlllllliturin).!

academic progress or students. This kind or inii.mnation is consit.krL"d to he IIlllCh

more practically hased and is pen.:<.:ived as tH:cess\lry in mcl'lin!-'. students' needs

within the school cm·imnmcnt. TeaciH:rs report that an inli.mnal approach to

assessment is more bcnclicial to instructional planning li.ll· stutknts. In contrast.

some research indicates that school psychologists continue to l(t\'olll' standardi;.~..·d

tests almost to the exclusion or all other types of" data (Shapirn & Ldcrt. J<J<).J:

Thurlov .. ·• Rosenfield. & Knutson. 19X9). Thus. it appears that educational

psychologists and teachers view the t.:flc~.:tivcncss of' existing as~cssment pr<tcti t:L''>

dii"IC:n:n!ly.

Rcganllcss oJ' the Jimnat or assessment practices. educational psychologists

devnll: approx i mall:ly 5()<!,;, ol" their time to assessment (II utton & Dubes. 1992 ).

t\sse~SI1lt:lll i~ not clearly deli ned or delineated in much or thl! literature. Rcscan.:h

into the t:!"li:ctivcness of the \'aJ"iOUS asSCSSI1lent practicl!S ot' educational

psycliolng.ists is \\-al-rantcd. Research mnccrning effective assessment methods and

pmcticcs is impuriant in terms of promoting accountability and increasing the sw.:cess

rate nl' psycholng1cal intern:ntions within sehools.

\\'hat is assessment'! Assessment is broadly defined in the l'rilrdples_liw

Fair .\'tudt'llt .·ls.\t:SSIIH'IIf ( 1993) as "thc process or collecting and interpreting

infnrmation that can he used to inl\11m studmts and their parents/guardians wh<.:rl!

applicable ahllllt the progress that thl'Y an.: making toward attaining the knowledge.

ski lis and att it udcs and behaviours to he learned or a~.:quircd and to in form various

personnel \\·ho make educational dedsi ~)l1" (instructional. diagnostic. placement.

promotion. graduation. ~urriculum planning. programme development. policy) about

studcnts"(p . .1 ). Thus. ass~ssment includes information gathering. collation. analysis.

synthesis. l'\'alu:1tion and the subsequent actions d<.:h.:rmined by this process.

lh·search is emerging that indicates that informal or more curriculum -based

asscssment is a \'iablc allernatiw to norm-rcferenc<.:d, standardized assessment

nroc.:cdurc.:s. There arc SC.:\'c.:rul nwdds nr curriculum-based ass~ssnh.'nl ( l'BA ). Fac.:h

modd is grounded on the premise that a din:ct link PlUs! c.::-.ist hct\\ecn instructional

intc.:r\'cntions and assessment prac.:tic.:es (Shapiro & l·:rkL·rt. \lJlJ.l). :\ Sllr\L')"

conducted by Shapiro and Erkcrt indicates that ..J.M-~~ or sc.:hool psyc.:hologists arc

using some rorm or CBJ\. In another survey. the same authors n~Jhntcd that

curriculum-based assessment was significantly and consish:ntly rated as nllH"L'

acceptable than standardized tcsts hy school psychologists (Shapiro & l·:rkerl. fl)l)..j,

p. I 76).

HATIONALE

During the Winter 1995. the writer compkted a:?. day pt:r \\eek pradicum

with the Roman Catholk School Board in St. John's. Newl(lllndland. During. that

placement. the student was c:-.:post:d to the practices or t:ducational psychologists

within that educational jurisdiction. During Spring I <)l)5 thl.! \\Titer obtained l"urthc.:r

practical professional development during a thn.:c month internship placement \vith

the West Essex Educational Psychology Team. A research mmponent was required

to be completed within the context or the British internship plm:elllellt. lk<.:t.tliSl'

assessment is a core comJXHll.!nt of educational psychology in North Arneri<.:<~. a

comparative analysis of the assessment prm.:ticcs or educational psychologists in St.

John's \Vith the rr~u.:tice~ ol" educational psychologists in \Vest Essex seemed

appropriate as it provided an opportunily to compare service deli\'cry model., of

psychnlogical intcrvcnl ions in tm> educational systems. This comparison woultl

provide valuable insights into tht: practices 0 r educational psychologists in both

sctlings. 1-'ltrtiH:r, it provitl~.:d an opportunity to glean ti·om both experiences the most

ht:nclicial assessment practices for pupils and for o\·crall delivery or educational

ps~ dh>logy services.

Increasingly. the assessment practices of educational psychologists arc being

n:searched and are now more open to debate ami criticism. Although stundanlizcd

ksts do not din:<:tly provide the information ncccssary for instructional decisions.

there is little inl'ormation available on the t.!xtent to which teachers' reports and

ohser\'ational data can bc used succ~:s~,rully to plan instructional programs. Furl her.

~.-dul'ational psychnlogisls within the United Kingdom huve nwvcd ~teadily away

!'rom an emphasis upon the "within child" explanations for succcss anti l~1ilurc in

karning to a more "systems oriented" approaches that concentrate upon evaluating

thl: llltal conll:xt in which learning is ~:xpcctcd to occur (Burden. I 978 ). r ssues that

l.'ducational p~ychologists in Great Britain address ollcn relate to classroom

managL·mcnt and curriculum assessment rather than the constructs of in tell igcncc and

achicn.·mcnt. In ClHllrast. the purpose of assessment in North America is ollen the

identilication of an underlying constructor disability that inh:rti.:n:s \\ ith Ilk· student's

academic achievement (Knutsnn & Shinn. Jl)l) I).

Because or the ditTerences in the ltlCllS or cdw.:aliotwl psycholo!,!.y. both in

scope and orientation. bdwcen the Roman Catholic School Buard 111 St. John's.

Newfoundland and West Essex. England. much was learned 1 hrough the t..'XpL·ri~:IH.:c

or working in both settings. Further. intcr\'iC\\'S with indi,·idual educational

p:-;ychnlogists n:garding their assessment practic~.:s wer~.: \·aluahh:. The ~1sscssmcnl

practices of educational psychologists in St. John's Ncwlimndlam1 and West 1-:sscx.

England comprise the focus of this comparative analysis.

PROCEDURE

The research project had two phases. Phase I was carried nul i11 St. .luhn's.

Newfoundland and the second phase was cnnductcd at Brays !louse. Tracey's Road.

llarlow. !\semi-structured interview l'ormul was dcvdoplxl (Appendix A). The

questionnaire l(lcuscd on the assessment process and th~: asse;-;srn :nt practices ol'

educational psychologists. More specilically. questions relating to the reasons ll11·

assessment reterrals, the types of practices used in asst:ssmcnts. lime mwwgcmcnl

issues and the rclcrn.d process were posed during the interviews and became the basis

of the comparative analysis.

In lntal. eight educational psychologists wen.: inter\'ie\\ed li.>r this research

projecl. l·.ach interviewee signed a written consent agreeing to he inter,·iewed. to he

audio-taped. and l(>r the suhst:qut:nt information to he analyzed aml quoted in this

report (Appendix B). Permission to interview \\'as also ohtaim:c..l ti·om the employing

institutions. ·r h<.: intnvi<.:ws \\We approximatdy twenty minutes in length. l·:ach

inter\'i<.:wec was presented with a stand<u·d set of questions during the intcr\'ic\\'.

1-:trch int<.:rTicw was audio-taped and the contents \H:re latl'r transcribed to form a

data-base li>r this I'L'SL'arch projL·ct.

SAMPLE

Fight educational psychologists presently employed in an educational setting

\\WC i nt<.:r\' ic\\'t:d-- four ill St. .John's. four in llarlow. Each (1 f tht: four registered

psychologists at the Roman Catholic Sclwol Board in St. .John's m:re inh:r'\'icwcd.

One inter\'iL'\\'ec ti·om this sample was the Co-ordinator l'or <iuidanc<.: and

Psychology Scn·iccs with the Roman Catholic Sdwol Boan.J. This psychologist has

a casdoad of pupils with SL' \'crc ~:motional and behavioral difficulties as well.

Till' West l:ssex sample \\'as sdectcd based upon contact that the intern had

\\ith thL' intcrvic\\·ccs \\·ithin professional setting. Both English internship

supL'n·isor.'psyc..:hologi.sts wc..:n: inter\'iewed. Another educational psychologist \Vas

An:a Senior Psychologist \\liS abP inten· i~w~d as matwg~r nt' thL· \\ 'l.:st FssL'\. 1\.'alll,

a parallel position to the Co-nrdinatnr in St. John's .

In oruer to protect IlK· identities or all int~n·ic\\~L'S . the sampk !'rom

Newfoundland were gin~n the desniptiws Psydwlogists I . .2 • . \ and -L I h~

educational psychologists from the \Vest 1-:sscx tL·am \\~re gin:n the dc~>niplin:s

Psy~.:l10logists A. B. C and D.

RESEARCH FINDINGS

R easmH For A.\·.\·es.mwnt.\· lleferm/s

hlucational psy~.:hologists at the Roman Catholic School Board in St. John's

anti in the West Essex l:ducational Psyd10logy Servil:c in Britain r~ported Cllllllllllll

reasons fiH· psydlOlogical assessment rdi.:rrals. II a I for I he cducal ion:tl psycliolol:!ish

reporll.:d that beha\'ioral and learn i nghu.:adem ic d i flicuhics were the primar) n::1so11

for asscssmem n.:li.:rral. Both an educutional psychologist li·om the J{oman ( 'atholic

School Board in St. John's and the West Essex hlucational l'sydwlogy Service

repm1cd that schools come to them for advice regarding pupils needs (Psydwlugist

H) and \\·hen ~counsellors) arl! stumped and want a mon.: indepth assessment

(J>sycholngist 2). Psychologist (' adJed that rdl:rrals are re~.:cived \vhen "th~:

schools fel.:llhat thl.:y'vt: done sunicient work and are looking for something di!Ter~nt

f(,r the pupils with spec.:iaiiH.:cus." l'syclwlogist 2 with the Roman Catholi~.: School

Board in St. .fohn's aduitionally n.:portc<..l that he is responsible.: !'or all Fren~:h

Immersion pupils as well as pupils with neurological difli~.:ultics.

h.lm:ational psydwlogists in both st:tting.s are b<.:ed \\'ith similar t) pes ot'

cdw.:alional dil'ficullics allllnecds in terms of their caseload and <.:ascwork. School

personnel ami parents require their c~pcrtisc in the areas of learning and behavioral

dini~.:ultics. llmwvt:r. the adi\·itics associated with tktcnnining the pur,d~ needs and

thl' subsequent m:tions associatcll with meeting these needs Yary in terms of

assessment procedures. time managenh:nt and per~.:cptions ot' successful cuucational

psychology \\'ork.

1'ftl! ,-h.H'.\'.\'1111!111 Procedurt'.\' Used

Three of the educational psychologists at the Roman Cat hoi ic School BoarJ

111 Sl. .John's. Ne\\ t{nmtlland reported that they usc both informal and formal

assessment procedures.

Psydwlugist 2 "standardiz~:d assessment is a gi vt:n. I r they want an assessment. a large component is standardizt:d .. . beyontl that scope depending on what I'm looking lilr it could hl· sl;mdardizcd nr informal."

Ps)'chulogist _." inl(mnal assessment is initially used to collect information and from th.:re i I rl..'ally depends on the issue as ... tn the format of assessment I'll use."

.. ,

l)sychologi~t 1 "I usually try tn talk to the parents and int~ .. ·n·ie\\ th~,.· stulknts and teachers to lind out what the teacher is saying about tilL· child. ThL'Il tb~..·rl' arL'

intelligence or ability h:··ls. I usually use sume kind ul" an inll·lligence ,ll. ahilit~ t~..·st

\\·hen I doing a l(lrnwl assessment and I al\\ays use SPI11L' hind or an aL"hic\ ~..· m~..·nt

h.:st."

l·~ducational psychologists' assessment reports at till' Roman ( 'atholic SdHHll

Board in St. John's olkn require standardi:ted or normed-rct'erenccd ;1sscssmcnt

measures such as an intdligenr.:e test and an achie\'ement h:st. Psychologist 2 raisL·d

an important point with n.:gards to his reasoning !"or rd~ ing upon st;11tdardi1ed

measures. lie cxplainct.lthat he is \'cry wml(>rtahlc with his inli11·nwl assessment

skills but you "still do :standan.Jizcd tests: to protect yoursdC' Further. educational

psychology assessment work in St. John's is tkpendent upon the results or initi;d

standardized assessment. There is no plannetlli.JI'Inat at the outsl't of the asscs~nlcnt

Wsycholngist J ). Both Psychologist 2 and .t reported similar appro;u:hc:s to

assessment procedures.

In contrast, to th1.· approaches of the above psychologists. Psychulu_gisl ~

reponed that she uses informal assessment proc~.:dun.:s. ": Ilcr) role: is to bring

school pcrsonnel. .. thc counsdlor .. . thc special education teacher. and people from

outside the school setting ... Department of Social Services and the Community I kalth

Dcpurtmcnt...antl take all the inlili'I11Ution and pull it together to dt:dde on what tht:

more demanding needs of that child arc with respect to an euuc<~tional programmc:."

'I hu-.. int(mnal assessml.'nt :mJ inf'mlllatiun gathering pro«.:cuun:s are important to

l'syclwlo~ist 3's cuw.:ational psycht~logy work.

ln~:ontrasl. thn:e of' the eJueational psychologists intcrvicm.:d in \Vest Essex

reported that they rl.'ly hea\'ily upon inlimnal assessment tedmiques in assessing the

nel..'ds of pupils. Fmmal assessment reports (Appendix!-') \\'hich are often written by

~:ducational psydmlogists arc based completely upon inli.mnal assessment measures.

·1 hcse in li ll'mal assessm~:nt measures include such things as structured observation

within the dassroom. information gathering from teachers. and obtaini11g teachers'.

parents' and students' J'll:rsp~:din~s (Psychologist A). Psycfwlugist B added that

looking at the t:hild's \\'ork. speaking to children about their pen:eptions of school

and \\'hat they think their diflintltil:s arc. and rdating this to what :she. the

psyclwlugist l SCl'S in their sdwol work and what their teacher tells (her l are

import:1111 mmponcnts. Then till' psychologist puts all of this togl!lher. analyzes and

L'omcs up with l'L't:ommcndations related to the child's needs. in contrust.

Psydwlngisc I) reported that he uses standardized assessment practices in his work.

in terms ofhasil' lih.:racy and numcracy.

These di!Tcrences in ass~:ssmcnt practices can be explained to some degree

lw the ~li!'li:rcncL'S in training uricntation in North America and Great Britain.

1-'ducatillll:tl psychnlngists in (ir~:at Britain arc highly trained in informal asscssm~:nt

' '

measun:s. In contrast. North Am~rican training r~li~s much mmc hcaYily upun

standardizcd assc.:ssmcnt. 1·::\pcrktH.:c.: and ~o:nmfort in using assL'ssmcnt lL'dmiqucs

(cithc.:r formal or inl'c.mnal) didall: their usc by indi\'idual psyclwlogists. In 1.:ad1

selling. 3 oftht.: .f psyd1ologists intcr\'iC.:\\C.:d rclic.:d h~m·ily unonc type ul· assl'SSilll'lll

proc..:cJurc and in each setting. therc \\US one psychologists that cmployl·d a dillcrl'tlt

philosophy and approach to asscs~,mcnt.

Time Del•otetl To f'ormali';.etl As.\e.\'.\'lllt!llf Ami Report Writiug

Educational psychologists at the Roman Catholic Schon! Bo:ml in St. John's.

Ncwl(nmdland reported that the.: time they spend asscssillg pupils vmics. Till·

contrast. Ps}·clwlogist 3 reported that 901Y.l of the time is invol\'ed in conducting

infnrmal assessment. This psychologist docs not employ limnali:t.ed assessment dm:

to the nature of her position. Standardized assessmcnl is completed hcl'on: she

n.:cci\·cs tht.: referral \Vhich initiates her invol\'cment.

l n West Essex. formal izcd assessment take up much less or the ~:ducat ion: II

psychologists' time. On average. I O'.Y.1 (range 5% to 15'Yrl) or time management is

devoted to assessment. I'S)'chologist C included consultation time and observation

time anJ conduth:J thatS0°/.1 of' overall time in tkvotcd to assessment both i11fiJrmal

and l i m11 a I in na lllre.

·1 hus. it is logil.:al that the number of 1\mmllized assessments with reports

completed each year is drastically diflen:nt lill· educational psychologists in West

l·.sscx and St. .fohn's. Ne\vlinmdland. hlucational psydmlogists in St. John's

wmplciL' on average 50-7 5 assessments with reports each year. In West Essex. the

educational psychologists reported a significantly lower number or l<mnal

ass~.:ssmcnts (Appendix Fl. On average. the psydwlogists \\'ithin the West Essex

h.:am complete (l l(mnalizcd assessments \Vith reports each year. In Essex.

cducat ional psychologists work with the schools to meet pupi Is' special cducati on

needs. llo\\C\'cr .. -;pccial educ<ttillnal ncetls are met \Yithout the reliance upon

standardized and l(lJm:d asscssmL·nts. Ncc<.ls arc addressed through consultation with

parents and starr and through obser\'ation and interaction with the pupil within the

Cllllh:~ I of I he dassroom.

This lmwr numher of reports compkted by the West Essex teum is t:onsistent

\Yith the Warnock lkport ( Jl)7X) which stated that only 2% of pupils with special

edlll:atinnal needs in l:ngland require a "Statement of Special Educational Needs."

Further. the mandate and framework of educational psychology work in Britain

d i l'krs signi ll..:ant ly li·om that in North Ameri<.:a.

Sclloo/ Bmmi/Loca/ Education A utlwrity Referral l'roL'e.'\.\'

Educationul psychologists in StJohn's. Ncwti.nmdland and< ir~al Britain

\\'ork within v~:ry different fi·ameworks in terms ofstrm.:turc and process. In (ircat

Britain. educational psychology work is dictated by the /1)1)-1 c 'ud, · o/ l'ructicl'.

Under this Code. educational psychology work is do~cly til.·d to the swtutory

rcq uircments of idcnti liention aml pro\'ision liJI' special L'ducat innal neL·ds.

Educational p~ychology work in St. .I ohn's has c\'olved di ITcn:ntly. It is not guidl.'d

by legislative directives. Work in Newl(mndland is closely tied to the mandate and

needs as dctcrmim:d by the employing sclmol board. hlt~~..:ational psychologists with

the Roman Catholic School Board of St. .John's work within a t'ramn'vork li>r

accepting retcrrals l(>r assessment. In St. .John's Psydwlogist J. ( 'o-ordinator ti>r

Guidance and Psychology Services tkscribed the prm:css as:

"When children first present themselves as having dirticulties with the standard programme ... at the lcvd or the classroom h.:achcr. he or she will try to address the problem through consultation with other tl·achers at a gr:tdc level mccting .. . consultation with the parent and the teacher would have takt:n placl! and.

depending upon the child's necds .... consultation with the specitll education teacher as welL to suggest ways of dealing with the problem. Once th~.: ~·c things have ht:t:n tried. and i r the decision is--that there has not been progrcs~; . it would gll to the principal. The principal would then call a Programrm: Planning Team(PPT) rm:eting or a STAT meeting. most ollcn the school counsdlor is involved. It may ht: dt:cidcd at that point whether informal hut a more l<>cuscd assl·ssmcnt is done. lookill!! a! work samples of the child .... conducting more interviews with outsidt: agcnr..: i~.:s

possibly. At that level. the educational psychologist. might he invDlwd.

f..

Psychologist I wntinm:d to descrihl.! the rdcrral process: "The school must

invill: the educational psychologist to a PPT ml:eting or to review the minutes of the

PPl mcding including the parental consent anJ the compktcd parental

questionnaire. A I'PT rcll:rrai ltlf'lll ll·01n the school must be completed and sent to

the cdtlcational psychologist." Psychologist 2 added that he requires the school to

send l'ulllilc inl(xmation. lie then goes on to check medical information. "To do a

decent (assessment), you need all those l'lmns completed and he certain that process

has taken place." Psychologist I reported that the standard relcrral form states what

has hccn done already. what the child's problems arc. what his needs arc. what his

stn:ngths arc .. . grmh:s repeated. and if he has had therapy or psychological

assessnwnt. 'I'IH:rcfon:. in or<.ll.:r to obtain psychological assessmi.!nt in this setting.

in~imnation must he collected and collated by the school personnel. llo\\'cvcr.

Psyl'lwlu~ist 4 reported that this process is ollen bypassed. I !c is more intl:rl!stcd in

ohtainin~ anecdotal inli.mnation by talking and note takmg rather than by utilizing

the rckrral !(Hm which is primarily a checklist. At times referrals arc not accepted

dUL' (O lack of illflll'lllation.

In contrast. e<~ch educational psychologist at West Essex provided a very

similllr description of the relcrral process that is employed by the Educational

Psychology Scn·ice in Essex. Th~,..· wles and responsibilities uf educ:llitHlal

psychologists within this setting arc dictah:d by the Fducation .·let ( I1)Xl)). th~· ( ·o,/,·

(?!Praclice ( 1994) and the l:'ssex Stages r?f'.·ls.H'SS/1/l'lll ( 199-t).

The referral process employed by the Wcst Essex lcam is bridly oullinl..'d ..

"We have a staged assessment prOl:t:dure which has IK't:ll laid down irtthc ('ode or Practice. There are live stages. Stage 1 and 2 arc rt:ally sdwol based st<tg~...·s whc11...' the rcsponsioilitics arc with the dass sul*ct teachers and special needs m-onlillatms working with pan:nts to ensure that the programmes an: appropriate. t\l Sla~~...· .\ ... llw

educational psychologist is most likely to he directly involn:d. although at any sta~c the psydwlogist can be consulted. At Stage 3. thcrc would bc a discussion. lout.. in~ at the school's records and then I would do some observation in the classroom and that would initially be fairly loose ... seeing how the child is managing .... IHl\\ adults respond to child .. .. There is a process or ongoing assessment and rcvicws and the li·cquency or linvolvementl would depend on the case and thc targl'ls ... sd. 1:or

some children you may go forward to a statutory assessment. In which case nothing terribly di ITcrcnt happens .. . hccausc you have done a lot o I' work hL'I'nre that stage i 11

order to come up \Vith that decision" (Psychologist A).

Stage 3 revie\v information regarding particular pupils is f(,rwanlcd to the

cducationnl psychologist assigned to that particular school. I ~ducal it lila I

psychologists arc consulted during school visits ahout thc pupil's educational

prngress and needs in relation to the review process. Psychologi~t ( · explained that

\\hen

"a kiddie is Jirsl placed on Stage 3.1 would say let's look at the documentation .. .. lei's look at what you've done at Stage I and 2 .. . \Vhat have the reviews said'.' what an: the parents views'? .. the IEP and how has it hecn monitored '? Oth:n my invol verm:nt i~

to tell them what they could he doing further .. . J fthey have done wlwt you want 1hc.:Jn to do at Stagl! 3 and there is still minimal progress. I might he involved in lcrn1s ol" doing some class observation. It \Vould dcpentl on what the purposl: of the re fe rral

i~ . might look at their hooks. seeing. where the IEP is appropriate ... problem­solving with the teacher. .. possihly working ,,·ith the youngsh:r ... in a solution­l;•cuscd manner. II" after some time. ami I'm still concerned. the school is still concerned and the parents arc sti II eom:erned that the : pupill is still not making progress at Stage J anu the programmes arc appropriate then there might be a consideration that we nr~cd to go on to Stage 4 or not. Similarly. if they nrc making progress on the programnH.:s .. encourage some active thinking about mm·ing back to

stage 2.

hlucational psydwlog.ists in (in:at Britain work within a l'ramework which

phtccs a J:!rcat th:al or responsibility upon the personnel that work directly with the

pupil. Further. the rrame\\'ork pn)\'iJes thl! cJucational psychologist with a

nwnagcahle k\'L'I or casework and protects tiH.: EPS system li·llm being overwhelmed

\\ ith rl'ferrals. The process ror assessment is much longer than that employed in

Ncwl(nmdland in terms of ongoing assessment. n.:\·icws. c\·aluation. mo11itoring and

general in\'ol\'cmcnt. Nevertheless. the British system attempts to pro\'ide all

children with special needs with the professional and educational services necessary.

in a manm·r that hl:stmects their special educational needs.

/Jt:{initiout~l .S'ucces.•• Upon Completion Of Au Assessment

Fdul:ational psychologists in SL John's. Newfoundland and West Essex.

1:ngfand li1cus upon dill\:n:nt aspects of their \\ork in ddining success. Two of the

l'ducatillllal psychnlogists in St. Job:•\ dclincJ success in terms of accurately

lkscrihing the ~hild su that tllL·ir lindings "conlirm \\·hat the teacher feels"

(llsycholo~ist I). Further. Psycholn~ist 2 added that it is alsll re\\arding hi hL' "abk

to pinpoint something that SOI11l.!lli1C has 0\'CI'Iooked." l\\'ll nr tilL' L'dw.::IIi\lll;tl

psychologists ddined sw.:ecss in terms o!'pussihk lHIIconi~:s 1ll' po~•sihk action as a

result of an assessment. Psyclwlo~ist 3 ddim:d success as "tilL' idL·ntilication of an

approach for th~: child that is arriwd at through the inn1h·~:mcnt of parcnls .. . thal till'

child has a new sense that there is a caring concern and genuine cl'l'orl Ill addn:ss his

needs and his cxpcricm:c of school is a litth: mnn.: posit in: nne."

Educational psychologists in \Vcst Essex n.:port that sun:css is closely tied

with identi (ying pupi Is' needs ami idl.!nti rying appropriate prO\' iS iun to L'llSlii'C I lll'SL'

needs arc met. (Psycholo~ist A and l'sycholn~ist C). Psycholo~ist B adtkd that

in on.h:r to be successfuL "the pupils arc able to make progress at a level that is

appropriate l()r them and that the people working \\ith the child li.:cl that they know

what they arc Joing .. and the pari!nts ll:i!l happy about the pro,·isiun that has been

made."

Educational psychology work in West Essex goes beyond the level of

iden ti !ication. Not only are needs identi lil.!d in this system. hut the sial utory and

legislative mandate is that educational psychology service delivery he provided.

This legislative provision outlines how educational needs as idcnli!icd hy tilt:

psychologist arc to be met. Then! is a legal rl.!quin.:mcnt to t:nsure that these n~.:l.!ds

' " '

arc met. In contrast, educational psychologists at the Roman Catholic School Board

in St. John's, Ncwli>undland. itknti f)· ~.:ducationalnceds. however. subsequent action

regarding provision fi>r these nccds is dependent upon the availability of the school's

pmfi:ssional and financial resources.

LJMITATIONS OF TilE J{ESEAnCH

There arc Sl'Vcral significant limitations in this research prt~jccl. Dif!icultics

with the questionnaire formal. la~.:k or experiential knowledge concerning the

educat i( mal system in l·:ngland. as wei I as other issues are described.

Queslitmlwire

The f(u.:us or this research was assessment practices of educational

psychologists within two different educational settings. The questionnaire was

dc\'clopcd during thl· \\•'inter Term 1995. At that time. the format for lJlll!Stiuns was

drawn from pradi<.:um t.:xperiencc at tht.: Roman Catholic School Board in St. John's.

Ne\\"l(nmdland. J\t that point. very little was known concerning the British

educational system. TIH:rct"ore. the research information gathering process drew

heavily upllll th~-.· prim practicum experience. Thus. during the interview process in

Fng.hmd. il ht:l'am~.: appar~.:nt that somt.: of"tht.: interview qul.!stions were not applicable

,. t·\ ·

and that others were not dTcctivc in terms or obtaining rcle\·anl inliumat i\111 ahnut

issues relating to assessment practices within that ~.:ducat ional setting. For L':\<l lllplc.

educational psychologists in Great Britain \\'ork \rith pupils \\ith special educatinnal

needs only. Thus. the first question about reasons for assessment n:li..·rrals \\as

irrelevant. Further. in England. it is the cdw.:ational psychologist himsdl/hcr:-;dr

decides that a child should mm·c on to Stage 4 (a statutory assessment). Thus. 111 l

one in th<.: educational system n:fcrs pupils for psychologit:al assessment in the

manner that rcli:rrals arc made inN cwl(nmd land. In !:!'sex. pupi Is needs may rcq11 i rc

an educational psychologist's input but this docs not necessarily n:suh !'rom a rcli:rral

for assessment.

Framework of Etluctltionall\rcholo~:,r Work

Thcs~: differences in assessment practices an.: the result of dil'li:n.:nt

frameworks of orientation. Educational psychology work in <ln.:at Britain is mostly

dictated by the ('ode ojPractice (I <JCJ.JJ. Educational roles and n:~:ponsi hili tics arc

clearly outlined hy the mandate 0 r this governmental legislation . In COil trast. there

arc no provincial guidelines in lerms or kgislation to dderminc and lllllllitor

educational psychology in Newfoundland. There is. hm\'l!Ver. a dran dm:umcnt

called ,\'dum{ P,,y(.·/wlogy in Neu:finuuffmul am/l,ahrador l'ul h:y. Uuiddines and

. ' ' '

l'rofessirmal ,C..'tanclard,·. This document outlines the roles ancl responsibilities of

govcrmm:nl. st.:hool hoard. st.:hool persmmd and tlw educational psyehologist \\'ithin

a service ddin:ry li·;une\\ork. llowc\'<:r. this document is not a polit:) manuul and

docs not pro\·idL' precise directions to guide educalionul psydwlogy prat.:tice. At

times. duri11g the analysis of illll'l'\'il'\\S and the drawing tJ·om personal I.!XperieJKCS

during both praeticum and internship. it \\·as Jifllcult to compare assessment

pral:lict.:s because the settings \\'ere SO \'LIStJy diffi:rcnt in h.:rms of support and

structurL'.

Que.\·tioniug .\.kill.\· t~(tlle Re.n'urdter

The lirst set or intcr\'il'\\S \n:re conducting. in April. 1995. The second St.:t or

intcn·it.:\\S \\l:I'C conducted in June and July. 1995. During this time span. much

knowkdge \\~ls gained about assl.!ssment practices and the edw:ational psychology

proti:ssillll. A knowledge-base developed during the inten·cning time. Thus.

questions asked during the sl:cond setuf inh:r\'ie\\S (in (in:at Britain) were more

highly dL·\·eloped than those utili~:ed in the intl!r\'icws in St. John's. Further. sewral

ufthe inten·ie\\·e~..·s ti·om both sl:ttings interprdcd the questions in a somewhat unitjUC

manner. rcspunding. rwm a pt'rsnnal perspectin.:. in retrospect. not pro\'iding

int'urmation on issues rdat i w to the resl:arch subjl:ct. For e:-;ampk. one psychologist

from St. John's did not dl.'strihe tht: assL'SSillL'Ill pr~H.:lit:L'S !hat \\L'l"L' L'll1pln~L·d durin~

educational psychology work. Sl-.ills tn int~n· k\\ in~ ~md qu~:st inning .._•,·nhL'll

through tim~ and with e:xp~ricncc .

SllMMARV

Educational psyd10lngists in holh West Fss~:-:. l·:ngland and St. John's.

Nl.!\\{oundland rl.!pnrtcd common n.:asons l\1r asscssnwnt rdl.·rTals. hlucatinnal

psychologists in St. John's rc.:porh:d that th~y rdy on hot h inli li'Jnal and li ll'llltll

asscssmelll proc~:durcs. In contrast. c.:ducati\1nal psycho I og ists in \V ~sl l·:ssL':\ rd y

almost ~::-.:clusi\'ely on inli.mnal ass~ssmcnt pron:dures in their \\ot'k. In each s~:llinl,!. .

there \\'as an educational psychologist whosl.! assl.!ssnwnt practk~:s \\ere dissimilar

to that ol'his/hcr collc.:agues. Educational psychnlug.ists de\ oil: much more ti111c lu

assessment and report \\'riting in Newl(nmdland than do their Fng.l ish wtrrlkrparls.

This dil'lcrcnn: can be ~:xplaincJ to sum~: degree by the dii'IL:rcm:cs in slructurc ami

din.:ctinn of educational psychology services ddivcry as Jictaleu hy legislation in

Great Britain.

Di f'Ji.:rcnccs in time management arc also apparent in the rl'fl:rral proccs~

employed hy each group. The \~\:st 1-:ssc:-.: t~:am has a ckar mandate r~:garding_ their

in\'ol\'cmcnt in intcn·cntion \\·ithin the school svsl\:111. In St. John\. cJw.: ational

psychology is kss slrucrureJ and is J ictated to a greater Jegrcc hy the school hoard

and scht H ,J administrators. I :Jucationul psychology \\'Ork in St. .John's is determined

hy the appwachcs that psychologists' dcYdop lo aiiO\\' them to individually work

JJI!lSt cnicicntly \\ ith schools.

l·:duc:ttional ps)chologists tn cach setting l.kline succcss dil'l\:n.:ntly.

hluc<tlional psychologists in Ncwli.lundlanJ define success in terms nr accurately

describing the student's educational functioning. An asscssml.!nt is considcrcu

sueccssl'ul when n..:mcdiation ol'pmbh.:ms(s) is fi.tcilitatcd becausl.! of'assessmcnl. In

contrast. l.!ducational psyd10logists in \\'est Essex .:onsidl.!r an assessment stH.:ccssful

\\ hL'Il a pupils' lll.!eds ha,·e hccn i Ul.!tlli tied and appropriate fJI'ot·ision has he en

de/aminc'd. Because tlH~ pnl\'isiun for nl.!eds is a British legislativl.! mandatl.!.

dlildren's educational lll'~ds arc addrl.!ssed beyond the t.klinition of needs level. lhl.!

cdttcational psychologist is re~ponsihk to monitor the process. In Nc\\'li.nltldlanJ.

the pnl\'isionof spl.!ci,-.1 educational needs is the responsibility of the school and is

sllhjl-l't to n:snun:c allot:ation.

! .imitations became oh\'ious in the inli..mnation galhering process linked to

inll'r\'iL'\\ ing in both St. John's and \\'est Fsscx. England. Although asscssml.!nt

praeti~o:es inthesL' sl.!ltings di flcr in scope and orientation. hoth sdtings stri\'e to tnCl.!t

childt"\.'ll's needs in the best way possible. within the l.!Xisling ti·amc\\"tlrk.

REFERENCES

Bukock. .1 .. & Beebe. l'vl. ( 1993). Jhc llarlo\\' handhnok: 1·\cr\'lhing onL' needs [(l

know. Sl. John's. NF: i\.fcnwriall l nin~rsity.

Bun.kn. R.I .. ( 197H ). Schools' systems analysis: A projc:ct-L'L'IIIrL·d appwach. In \\ .. Gillham (!:d.}. Reconstructing hlucatinnal Psychologv. l.ondnn : (imom llc:lm.

Burden. R. L .. & Fraser. ILl. ( Jl)I)J ). ll sc or the dassroom cn\'i ron me111 assessments in s~:hool psychology : 1\ British perspcctiH:. Psychnlogv in thL' Schnnls. }0(3 ). 232-240.

Gutkin. T.IL & Conoky . .l .C. ( 19()0). Rewnc.:eptuali:t.ing. sdmol psycholu!:!y !'rom a scr\'ice l.klivery pL'rspectivc: Implications !ill' practice. training and rcsc:1n.:h . Journal or School Psn:hologv. 2X(3 ). 203-223 .

I Iutton . . I. B .. & Dub~:s. R. ( 1992). Assessment practices ol'school psychologists: l'c11 years later. School J>svchology Review. 21 (2 ). 271-2!-:4.

Kc1fnnt. S.R. (I t)94). hlucational psvchology in Essex: 1\ guide fill· schools. Chclmsf(mJ. England : Essex County Council.

Kerf(lol. S.R. ( Jl>95). Fducational psvchologv in !·:sse;.;- 1\ guide f(u· uupliranls . Chelm::;l(m.J. England: Essex County Council.

Kcrf(HH. S.R. ( Jl)l)5}. Fsse~ psychologist'.' Managing a ICmnal assessment and C\'aluation scn·icc. h.lucational Psvcholo~v in Pmctice. _I _I ( l l. I <>-21.

Knutson. N .. & Shinn. fvt.R. ( 1991 ). Curriculum-based measurement:< 'onccptual underpinnings and intcgratiou into problem sol ving assessment. .lournal or School Psvchologv. 29(4). 371-W3.

Lo\\'cnsll:in. L.F. ( 19S4 ). School psyd10logy 111 t ircat Britain. Contcmporm v

hlucational Ps\'chology . ..2. 275-2X5.

:V1oss. ( i. (I 91J4 ). The Code or Practit:c Stage 3. Managing spet:ial needs 111

mainstream schools. p. l-7.

Norwi~.:h. B. (I 1)!)) ) . Statutory assessment and statcmenting: Some challenges and

implil:atiol~" or cdul:ational psyt:hologists. Educational Psvcholo~v in Practit:c. _II (I ). 29-35.

·1 hurlow. M.l ... l{osenlicld. S .. & Knutson. N. ( 19X9). Instructional planning: lnl(ll'I!Hition collected b) the school psyd10logist \ 'S inl'lmnation considered useful hy teachers. Journal of School Psvchologv Review. 20( I ). 3-10.

Shapiro. 1-:.S .. & h:kerl. ·r .L. (I 993 ). Curriculum-based as~cssmcnt among school psychologists: knowb.lgt.:. usc and attitudes. Journal or School Psvchologv ll (.1). 375-lXl.

Shapiro. LS .. & h.:kert. T .L. (I 994 ). At:ceptahility of curriculum-based assessment hy school psydwlogists . .Journal of School J>svchol()g\' .. 12(2). 167- l S.l

Shinn. M.IL Rosenlicld.S .. & Knutson. N. (I 9H9). Ctu-riculum-based assessment: t\ L·nmparison of models. School Psvchology Review. I X(3). 299-316.

Webster./\ .. and Weh~ter. V. ( 1994). Supporting lcarnin~ in primary school. rvleeting individllalneeds under the new code ol'practicc.

---(I l)t)-1) Assessment of special educational needs procedures and timescalcs: t\ ~uide li)r parents. ( 'hclmsl'ord. England: 1-:sscx County Council.

-- -{ 1 1) 1)~1) ( '~'tk of Practiee on the idcntillcation and assessment of special educational needs. Department of Education: Central Ortice of lnl'ormat ion. l J K.

---(I 1)l)-1) hscx stages of assessment: !\. framework for the as~cssmcnt and support nfpupils with spet:ialeducational needs. Chdmsf(xd. England: Essex County ( 'tlllllCiJ.

---( IIJO:'l l·:ssc:x stages or assessment: lldpin~ children with special educat ional needs: A gllide for parent..;. Chdmsl(n·J. England: Essex County Council.

I ' I

--·-( 1994) Cluidclines for the l:lllllpktion nr ps'\'chnlogical :!Lh'icL' ltlt" stalllll11'1,

assessment procl·durcs. Chdmsfon.l. England: !·:sse:-:. l·:dw:atitll1al Psycht1h1~y Sen·il:es (F J\ES).

---( 1 994 }Notes of ~uidance fix preparin~ suggesll.'d entriL·s and proposed stah:nwnts in acconlance with the Fducation Ad 1991 Chelmsliml. l ·: ngland: ! ·:sse~

Fducational Psydmlogy Ser\'ice ( Ft\ES).

---( 1993) Principles for l(tir student assessment practices l(lr educ~tt iun in ( '<.mada.

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---School psychology in Ne\vi(Jundland and l.~tbmdor: Polic\', guidelines :md professional practice standards. DRAFT.

AJ>PENDIX A Internship l{escarch Component:

Comparative Analysis of Assessment Practices used by Educational Psychologists in St .. John's, Newfoundland

and West Essex, England. lnten,iew Que.\·tions

('JJENTELE

• In your optmon. what are the most common reasons l'or retcrmls for ;tsscssmcnt'!

Who can he rckrred '? What types of problems can be rclcrrcd'!

SERVICE J>ELIVEU.V

• What arc the assessment pr·occdun:s that you most commonly usc in your work'! (Informal. Formal)

• What activities an: in·;u!v..:d in completing assessments'? • I low much 1imc in hours dn you spend each week deYoteJ to assessments'? • I low numy limnalized assessments \Vith reports do you complete each ycur'? • What do you consider a suceessrul outcome after you have completed an

asscssrn en!'!

REFEUI~AL PIU>CESS

• Could you outlinL' the rdcrrnl process within this school board/local L'dm:ation authority.

EVA I .llATI()N

• Wha1 is your ~\'aluatinn of thi!i referral !iystcm employed by your school board/ !neal education authority?

• ,\ny comrm:nts related to the assessment procedures employed within the context of your roles and n.!sponsi hi I itics as an educational p~yc hologist?

' t•

APPENDIX B Consent of Educatiun:tl Ps)·clwln~ists tn t•artidpah.' in ncscarch

LETTER- ST .JOliN'S

Dear Educational Psychologist. We an: Educational Psychology Gradunte students in the F;u;ulty of him: at ion at l\kmnn;tl

University ofNcwfotmdland. With the Faculty of Education's approval. \\'C arc conduct in!! rc~~.·an.:h concerning l:ducntional Psychologist's experience in the areas ofa~sc-;sm..:nl<md comuhatint1. l'ltl' data colkctcd will be used in comparntivc analysis rcscardt components or onr rcspc~.:liw lnll'rnship reports.

Central to our research is the gathering Educational Psychologist's views cnm:ernlllg asse.~smenl and consultation. To do this. we wish to interview four (·I) ~.·ducational psydltllo~i"h in St.John's. Newfoundland. and four ( 4) educational psychologists in llarlow. Fss~:,, l:n!!land. l 'ill' interview, approximately 25-35 minutes in length. will pet·tain to such thing~ as: tlu: tok and

responsibilities of the school psychologist in St. John's and llarlow. and a~sc~smcnt and nmsultal ion as it n:lntcs to the educational psychologist. Upon completion of this research. we will include o111

findings in our respective internship rcpm1s. It is expected that such a comparative analysi~ nr thl' Newfoundland and Briti~h Education system will bt:nefit pra~.:titioncrs by pre~enting inlimnation th at they may not personally have access to .

The inf'ormation gathered in this interview will not reference any school or ~.ludl'llh within the school board. The interviewer do. however, sl!ek permission of the inkrvieWI!L'S to idcntil'y anti qnnte said participants. WL· also request permission to audio- I ape each interview tu cn~ttll' accurate transcriptions 0 r the intcrvil.!w informal ion.

This l~:tter is to ask you to participate in an interview. We would appreciaiL' you help. hut you <n·e certainly under no obligation to giw your consent. The re~ult•; of'thi\ ~tudy will hL· made available upon request. If you arc in agrccmenl with being interviewed. pkaw ~ign below and rL·turn one copy to the interviewers ( the other copy is yours). lfyou have any quc~tiuns or concern~. pk·;t\c do not hl!sitate to contact us.

Thank you for your consideration of thi s request.

Sincerely,

Dale McLean

Chrbtophcr Mercer

(. _ ____ ___ . - ·-- _ . . h~:rcby agrc~..: to be imervicwcd for the n:~cardt projc~.;t 011 cthH:at ionil l psychological assessment and C(lnstdtationundcrta kcn by Dale Mcl.can and Chri'-ttoph~..:l Mnu:r. I unders tand that pnrticipation is voluntary, and I can withdra w Hom lht: interv iew at any tim~: No individuals (except the interviewee) or sdl\lob will be idt:nlilicd. and l ~ivc p~..:rmh\ion to he audiotupc and quoted in any rcsc<~rch arlit:lc produc~:d.

DalL' --·-· . .. __ --.. ··- ·- .. _ . lnterview~..:e's Signature

I. ETTEI~-WEST ESSEX

1-.du~.:ational P ... ychnlogi't Formal A~:-.e:-.o,;mcllt and Evaluation Se, vice II <~rlow. We:-.t bw~.

M'>. Dale Mcl.ean. J·:uucationall''>ychology Intern Mr. Chri~topher Mercer, hlucationall\ychology Intern Mcnwriall J n ive1sity of Newfound land. II arlo\\' Campus The M;1hings, Old llarh,w 1 ·: ~:-.cx,

Dear

( (

Please ~onsidcr our rc<JlH.:st to interview you as one (I) of four (4) Educational Psychologists with the Fomwl A~\es:-.mcnt and !-:valuation Service. Brays llousc, Tracey's Road.llarlow, Essex. < >u r research i:-. de~igned to he a qua I itativc com parativc amtlysis of the Assessment ami Consu ltativc pract icc> of I :uucational Psychologists in St. John's ;md llarfow. Essex. The in formation collcclcd tlll"llllgh intcl";iew~ will limn the basis of the research components for out respective final Maslcrs of l:dtKillional Psydmlogy lntern~hip Rcporb, required f(Jr the lllllihnent of our Masters programmes. 'I h~ ~,;ompletc interview time is from 30-·10 m inutcs. and will be corH.Iuctcd at Br·ay's llou~c.

As our research is qualitative. we are requc~ting that each interviell'cc agree lo he iuentilied hy name anu quoted in th.: final rcsl·arch document. To ensure accuracy and cfllciently. we arc abo rcque~ting permission to audit•tapl: the inh:rvi c\\'S lilr detailed analy~is . Any rl:fen·nce~ iLh.:nti1Ying individual students. parcnh.tcachcrs, administrative ~tart: or individual schools wi ll be omitted. You arc under no obligation to panicipatc. ami can w itl1uraw your suppm1 at any time. Copi~:s or the final report will h1.· made available to you. the other inrcrvic\<.'ccs and the Local Educ<ltion Authority.

Interviews wnductcd in /\priii9!J5 with Educational Psychologist~ in St. John's arc in the pn ,ccs' or tr<tnsc1iplinn and analysis. We arc planning to have our respective tina I reports completed by St:ph:mb~.·r lst,l995. Copies ofthcqucstionnairc arc included in your files . lf you havcany l'llllccnls nr queries. please conlilct us ar 0279-430266. Tojitdlilule the sdwdulinK ofi/1/eiTiews. ll'L'

<ll't' u.,Amg tlwtyou.fi/1 in t1m (:!J possible illleiTiL'll'/imes at/lie hottomofthis pup,e./mm whidlll't-' t ·an II!',I!.Oitcllt · II.I'!'J.I'/11/7. l'h•ctst•./i II'Wurdyour resp1111.1'l' to either IJa/ e or Chris. Thank you for your considc1at i1 m oi' 1111r rt:quesl.

Sim:~:1dy.

I )ak r.1d .1.:an Christopher Mercer

Altcrnalin.• lnh·n·it•w AI'Jlnintmcnt