SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGY - NASP Center

SCHOOLPSYCHOLOGY:A Blueprint for Trainingand Practice III

Jim Ysseldyke, ChairUniversity of Minnesota

Matthew BurnsUniversity of Minnesota

Peg DawsonSeacoast Mental Health Center,Portsmouth, NH

Brenna KelleyEvansville-Vanderburgh SchoolCorporation, Evansville, IN

Diane MorrisonNorthern Suburban Special EducationDistrict, Highland Park, IL

Sam Ortiz St. Johns University

Sylvia RosenfieldUniversity of Maryland

Cathy TelzrowKent State University

T A S K F O R C E M E M B E R S :

National Association of School PsychologistsBethesda, MD2006

National Association of School Psychologists2

Nine years ago, Blueprint II was published to providea guide to practice and training in school psychology, aswell as to serve as a point of discussion regarding futuredirections for the profession. The Blueprint task forceidentified 10 Domains of Training and Practice, keyissues facing the field, and school psychology’saccomplishments from the 1960s through the middle1990s. Blueprint II served its purpose well; it generatedopen discussion and was adopted as an official policy ofNASP in July 1997. In addition, the NASP TrainingStandards used the Blueprint II as its template, addingTechnology as a separate domain.

Much has transpired in the past nine years both inthe United States and internationally. New federal laws—No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and the Individuals WithDisabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEA2004)—were enacted and have increased the emphasison accountability, high stakes testing, evidence-basedpractice, and integration and consistency betweengeneral and special education. School violence reachedthe front pages of the news, drawing attention to therelationship between school climate, mental health,safety and learning, and the imperative for schools tosupport student needs along these lines. A significantfocus on prevention and delivering services within theregular educational setting has required areconsideration of training and practice.

In 2002, the Conference on the Future of SchoolPsychology was held in Indianapolis, bringing togethertrainers, practitioners, and consumers to propose newdirections for the field within the context of increaseddemand and a shortage of both trainers andpractitioners. There are an estimated 38,000 schoolpsychologists in the U.S.; however, there continues to bea need for school psychologists to expand our roles andthe scope of our practices. As noted in the principlesderived from the Futures Conference, “changes in schoolpsychology practices and service delivery will berequired … to maximize the benefits to the children andschools that we serve” with the resources available. Thistransformation will surely build on the profession’sachievements thus far. As a testament to the success ofschool psychology, career development specialistscurrently regard the field as one of the most desirableoccupations. Internationally, school psychologycontinues to grow as well. Training and practiceopportunities are expanding globally as schoolpsychology achieves greater visibility. These changes inthe context and focus of practice have made necessarythe updating of the Blueprint to incorporate discussionof new issues, challenges, and successes of school

psychology. Under the leadership of Dr. Jim Ysseldykeand his outstanding task force, this Blueprint III reflectsthe best vision for future discussion of the field based oninput from NASP members, trainers, and other leadingschool psychology organizations. Now, NASP and theother organizations are asked to review and discuss thisdocument as they consider training and practice needsfor the coming decade and beyond.

Blueprint III incorporates several important changesand concepts. Four clear components are defined. First,the foundation of training and practice is clearly focusedon the principles of psychology and education and thescientific method. Next, there are eight integratedDomains of Competence. These competencies are notseen as individually independent domains to be taughtor practiced, but as an integrated set of competenciesthat will require life-long learning. Next, service deliveryis defined as a tiered model of training and practice tomeet the specific needs of the students and the systemswe serve. Finally, there are two outcomes specified—tobuild capacities of systems and to increase thecompetencies of all students. These outcomes are newand help focus this document on the overarching goal ofstudent success, which includes the critical academicand mental health aspects of schooling. The two areintertwined and not seen as easily separated. Overall,this model is dynamic with continuous input andimprovement from training, experience, and research.

Again, let this Blueprint III serve as a springboard todiscussion of how practice and training in schoolpsychology should be conducted. School psychology as afield has matured from its roots in educationalassessment and psychology to a broad-based model ofservice delivery and system change, within a prevention-focused context. The challenge will be to incorporate thespecific ideas expressed here and to embrace the spiritin which they were developed, namely collaboration,problem solving, and the heart-felt belief that schoolpsychology’s evolution is not only in the best interest ofthose within the profession but also to the meaningfuland lasting benefit of the children, families, and schoolwe serve. As school psychologists, we should celebrateour successes and growth, but also plan how to meet ourfuture challenges.

Thank you to the task force for their diligent workand creative thinking, and to the many others whoseinput helped to make this a better document.

Bill Pfohl, PsyD, NCSPNASP President 2005–2006

P R O L O G U E

Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5

Setting the Stage for Blueprint III: The Current Context . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

Successes and Promising Trends . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

Successes and Promising Trends in Today’s Schools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

Successes and Promising Trends in the Training and Practice of School Psychology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

Societal Factors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

Diverse Society and Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

Technology Use and Impact . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

Anxious Times . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

Educational Factors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

Accountability in K–12 Schools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

The Demographics of School Psychology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

The Disconnect Between Research and Practice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

Blueprint III: The Model of School Psychology Training and Practice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

Blueprint III: The Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

Blueprint III: Model Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

Outcome 1: Improve Competencies for All Children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

Outcome 2: Build and Maintain the Capacities of Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13

Delivery System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13

Domains of Competence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14

Domains of Competence for the Training and Practice of School Psychology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15

Foundational Competencies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15

Interpersonal and Collaborative Skills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15

Diversity Awareness and Sensitive Service Delivery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16

Technological Applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16

Professional, Legal, Ethical, and Social Responsibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17

Functional Competencies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17

Data-Based Decision Making and Accountability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17

Systems-Based Service Delivery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18

Enhancing the Development of Cognitive and Academic Skills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19

Enhancing the Development of Wellness, Social Skills, Mental Health, and Life Competencies . . . . .19

The Link to Training and Practice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21

Examples From the Field . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23

Training Exemplars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26

Making It Happen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30

References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30

Table of Domains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31

School Psychology: A Blueprint for Training and Practice III 3

T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S


The Blueprint for Training and Practice was firstpublished in 1984 and revised in 1997 as a framework toguide the future of training and practice in schoolpsychology. This third edition was produced by a taskforce of eight school psychologists in response to arequest for revision from Bill Pfohl, President of theNational Association of School Psychologists(2005–2006).

The series of Blueprint documents builds on a solidfoundation established by the major professionalorganizations in our field at the Boulder (1949), Thayer(1954), Vail (1973), Spring Hill (1980), and Olympia(1981) conferences on the future of training and practicein school psychology. Each of the Blueprint documents isa statement on the future of training and practice thatwas prepared by a task force of individuals. Blueprint I,developed in 1984 as part of the work of the NationalSchool Psychology Inservice Training Network at theUniversity of Minnesota, briefly outlined the functionsthat could and should be performed by schoolpsychologists. The National School Psychology InserviceTraining Network was not, nor was it intended to be, astanding structure in school psychology. Rather, it was atemporary project enabled by federal funding to workwith and through the standing organizations in the field:the major professional associations, state and localprofessional associations, state departments ofeducation, and individual school districts.

In a companion document to Blueprint I, entitledSchool Psychology: The State of the Art (Ysseldyke, 1985),15 authors summarized the knowledge base for each ofthe expanded functions delineated in the first Blueprintand provided an annotated bibliography. Blueprint Ioutlined 16 Domains of Training and Practice, and it wasargued that school psychologists should be competent ineach domain.

Blueprint II was developed by a task force of sixschool psychologists who restructured, sometimescombined, and updated the Domains of Training andPractice specified in Blueprint I. That task force also wascommissioned by Bill Pfohl, then President of NASP(1996-97). The task force delineated 10 domains fortraining and practice: (1) Data-Driven Decision Making

and Accountability; (2) Interpersonal Communication,Collaboration, and Consultation; (3) Effective Instructionand Development of Cognitive/Academic Skills; (4) Socialization and Development of Life Competencies;(5) Student Diversity in Development and Learning; (6) School Structure, Organization, and Climate; (7) Prevention, Wellness Promotion, and CrisisIntervention; (8) Home/School/CommunityCollaboration; (9) Research and Program Evaluation; and(10) Legal, Ethical Practice and ProfessionalDevelopment.

Blueprints I and II have had significant impact ontraining and practice in school psychology. In thePrologue to Blueprint II, Bill Pfohl described the impactof Blueprint I, stating:

Since its publication in 1984, the original SchoolPsychology: A Blueprint for Training and Practicehas driven much of the progress in training andpractice of school psychology. The creation of theNational School Psychology Certification System(1988), with its continuing professionaldevelopment requirements, is further evidence ofthe impact the first Blueprint had upon theprofession of school psychology.

Many states used the document to betterstandardize state licensing and certification forschool psychology; today’s certification standardstypically require competence in the originalsixteen domains described in the 1984 blueprint… (p. i)

Blueprint III is written to be a stimulus for discussionand change by school psychologists and those whoeducate them. It can be used by trainers to developcoursework and practical experience at both pre-serviceand continuing education levels, and it can be used bypracticing school psychologists to help them shape theircontinuing professional development. Finally, it can beused by professional associations to facilitate strategicplanning and inform the revision of standards forpractice, training, and credentialing.


P R E F A C E

Our task force had three key commitments indeveloping Blueprint III. First, to the extent possible wewere committed to maintaining the domains contained inBlueprint II. Second, we wanted to take into accountchanges in the field (e.g., scarce resources, the push forevidence-based instruction), as well as majorachievements since the publication of Blueprint II. Third,we worked to acknowledge and incorporate the results ofthe 2002 Conference on the Future of School Psychology.As with the development of previous Blueprints, wesought and incorporated input from a broad range ofpractitioners, trainers, and leading school psychologyorganizations.

One major change in Blueprint III is the recognitionthat competence in school psychology emerges overtime. In past Blueprint documents, it was assumed thatgraduate students would complete trainingdemonstrating competence in all domains. The revisedexpectation is that those who graduate will demonstratea novice level of competence, will exhibit competence inone area following internship, and will demonstrateexpertise in one or two areas after 5–10 years in practice.

Blueprint III includes a clear statement that schoolpsychologists operate in two overlapping arenas:instructional psychologists as occurring at three levels:universal, targeted, and intensive design and mentalhealth. It also describes the work of school. A preventionfocus exists throughout the document, emphasizing theoutcome of the Futures Conference.

The Domains of Training and Practice in schoolpsychology are essentially the same as for Blueprint II.We added one domain: technology. Other domains werecombined. For example, we combined two domains fromBlueprint II (Socialization and Development of LifeCompetencies; and Prevention, Wellness Promotion, andCrisis Intervention) into one domain labeled Enhancingthe Development of Wellness, Social Skills, MentalHealth, and Life Competencies. The Domains ofCompetence also were categorized into “foundational” and “functional” competencies to distinguish amongtheir foci.

We have included in Blueprint III two examples of a“slice” of the practice of school psychology and twoexamples of how training programs prepare students inselected practices described in the document. Additionalexamples of training and practice will appear on theNASP website.

We do not urge blind acceptance of this document. Itshould be debated at state, regional, and nationalmeetings of school psychologists, and it should bescrutinized by major groups representing trainers ofschool psychologists. We encourage state and national

associations to further the discussion of this documentthrough panel presentations at conferences and throughreaction papers in journals and newsletters.

We acknowledge the assistance of Lesley Carter,Director, NASP Center and Web Services, with thedevelopment of this Blueprint. We also acknowledge thesignificant editorial work of Communiqué Editor AndreaCanter; the extensive feedback of Gordy Wrobel, BethDoll, and the NASP Prevention Task Force; and thetechnical and clerical contributions of Jeff Babl. Morethan 500 individual school psychologists provided input,as well as the following organizations: APA Division 16,TSP, and SSSP.

This third edition of School Psychology: A Blueprinton the Future of Training and Practice is the product of ajoint effort of all members of the task force, and it speaksfor all of us.

Matthew Burns Sam OrtizPeg Dawson Sylvia RosenfieldBrenna Kelley Cathy TelzrowDiane Morrison Jim Ysseldyke, Chair


School psychology as a field has maturedfrom its roots in educational assessment andpsychology to a broad-based model ofservice delivery and system change, within aprevention-focused context.

The model for the future of training and practice inschool psychology reflected in this document wasdeveloped following careful consideration of changesthat have occurred since the publication of Blueprint II,as well as several contextual variables of relevance. Webegin by describing examples of successes andpromising trends in today’s schools and the schoolpsychology specialty. We then examine factors withinsociety and education that have been influential inshaping our field and the schooling of children.

SUCCESSES & PROMISING TRENDS

Successes & Promising Trends in Today’s Schools

• More students go to school and remain in school untilgraduation today than at any other time in our history.

• Classroom instruction in all states is now directed bychallenging content standards in the core academicsubjects of reading/language arts, mathematics, andscience. Furthermore, comprehensive assessmentsaligned with these standards are allowing schooldistricts to monitor student progress for the purposeof raising achievement levels for all students.

• Increasingly, schools are using objective data,including those derived from technology-enhancedmonitoring systems, to identify students who are notachieving critical academic benchmarks, and areputting in place systematic interventions to assistat-risk learners.

• Over the past several decades, schools have becomean access point for mental health services, and childmental health services are more frequently providedin schools.

• Schools increasingly are employing preventivemethods and programs to address risk factors beforeproblems escalate. This shift to a “population”perspective allows schools to implement widespreadpreventive programs for academic and social-behavioral concerns.

• Research-based practices are better described andmore widely accessible than ever before. A numberof large-scale initiatives are dedicated to the

identification of research-based interventions insuch diverse areas as reading and children’s mentalhealth, and research now informs instruction to agreater degree than was the case a decade earlier.

• Recent data suggest that efforts to improve theachievement levels of minority students and thosewith disabilities are paying off. These gains haveclosed the gap in achievement between minoritygroups and white students to its lowest levels inhistory, and similarly promising trends are evidentfor students with disabilities.

• More students with disabilities are being providedinstruction in the general education curriculum withstudents without disabilities than at any other time.Furthermore, the proportion of high school studentswith disabilities in the correct grade for ageincreased substantially in the past 25 years, andstudents with disabilities were more likely to takerigorous coursework in math, science, social studies,and foreign language designed to prepare them forpost-secondary education. Evidence also indicatesthat more students with disabilities are staying inschool and graduating each year.

• Recent changes in federal legislation have facilitatedincreased coordination and flexibility in usingresources to address student needs.

• Schools are asking the right, albeit tough, questionsand focusing on the most challenging issues.Increasingly, there is consensus that schools mustfind solutions to address the relatively pooroutcomes for students of color, those frombackgrounds of poverty, children and youth with


S E T T I N G T H E S T A G E F O R B L U E P R I N T I I I : T H E C U R R E N T C O N T E X T

Increasingly, there is consensus that schoolsmust find solutions to address the relativelypoor outcomes for students of color, thosefrom backgrounds of poverty, children andyouth with mental health concerns, and non-native speakers of English.

mental health concerns, and non-native speakers ofEnglish in such areas as school completion, leastrestrictive environment, and suspension andexpulsion. Identifying where these inequities persistand analyzing the factors that contribute to themallow educators to determine where and how todirect resources to obtain the desired results.

Successes & Promising Trends in the Training andPractice of School Psychologists

• Consistent with its heritage of connecting science topractice, the field of school psychology has been aleader in the “evidence-based intervention”movement. An example is the work of the Task Forceon Evidence-Based Interventions in SchoolPsychology, sponsored by the APA Division ofSchool Psychology, NASP, and the Society for theStudy of School Psychology. The goal of the taskforce is the development of a manual for the reviewand eventual dissemination of information abouteffective prevention and intervention programs forchildren, youth, and families.

• More school psychology graduate programs areconstructed around a conceptual framework andconform to high professional training standards thanat any time in the history of the field. Almost two-thirds of graduate training programs are approved bythe National Council for Accreditation of TeacherEducation (NCATE/NASP), and it is anticipated thatcontemporary training paradigms will increasinglyimpact school psychology practice over time.

• More than 10,000 individual school psychologistsare recognized as Nationally Certified SchoolPsychologists (NCSP). This credential signals to thepublic that the school psychologist meets NASP’srigorous standards for training and field placement,and engages in continuing professionaldevelopment. As of 2006, 26 states includerecognition of the NCSP in theircertification/licensure processes, reflecting the

“highly qualified” requirement in the No Child LeftBehind Act (NCLB).

• Although data on how school psychologists spendtheir time have remained constant nationally overthe past several decades, data also indicate someregional variability, and in some states and schooldistricts, an increasing number of schoolpsychologists are engaged in comprehensiveservices that allow them to affect more students inmore meaningful ways. Increasingly, schoolpsychologists work in districts that employ aproblem-solving model, and as schools become moresystemic and preventive in their orientation, schoolpsychologists are hired to fill more diverse roles.

• In spite of the shortage of school psychologists, theratio of school psychologists to students is lower inmany districts than at any time in the history ofschool psychology. Furthermore, lower service ratiosare associated with practices focusing on preventionand intervention rather than special educationeligibility.

• School psychological practice has increasinglyincorporated the goals and principles reflected in the2002 Conference on the Future of School Psychology.School psychologists are shifting their focus towardimproving academic competence, social andemotional functioning, family-school partnerships,classroom instruction, and school-based child andfamily health and mental health services for alllearners.

• As a discipline, school psychology has been aninfluential advocate for legislation, public policyinitiatives, and practice innovations designed toimprove educational and mental health services forchildren and families. The leadership of our majorprofessional organizations routinely providestestimony to inform public policy and shaperegulatory language. In addition, these organizationsfrequently join with other professional associationsto establish coalitions to maximize their influence onpublic policy.

SOCIETAL FACTORS

Diverse Society and Systems

The United States is a country defined and enrichedby the diversity of its population. Over 10% of ourpopulation is foreign-born, and Hispanics, who now makeup 14.1% of the population, have surpassed AfricanAmericans as the largest ethnic minority group. TheCaucasian (non-Hispanic) majority is shrinking and


School psychologists are shifting their focustoward improving academic competence,social and emotional functioning, family-school partnerships, classroom instruction,and school-based child and family healthand mental health services for all learners.

within decades will be a plurality of the population. It isestimated that by 2020 over six million children in thiscountry will be English Language Learners.

After a period of decline, the child poverty rate isrising, and the gap between rich and poor is widening.The United States is characterized by increasing racialand social class segregation, and too many children fromminority and economically poor backgrounds arereceiving inadequate instruction. The range and diversityof educational options is also expanding, as evidencedby dramatic increases in charter and home schoolingoptions for a significant number of children. Diversityand inequities exist among public schools and schooldistricts as well. Insufficient funding, inadequatesalaries, poor opportunities for advancement, and unsafeenvironments have been associated with high teacherturnover and low student achievement in urban schoolsrelative to their suburban counterparts. Additionally,although minorities are increasingly represented among students, the proportion of minority educators is shrinking.

Technology Use and Impact

On average, young people in this country spend justunder 1 hour each day doing homework, butapproximately 61/2 hours using media (television,computer, radio, CDs, MP3 players, and video games).This fact, together with the prevalence of homecomputers, Internet access, and satellite or cabletelevision, underscores the pervasive use and influenceof technology in our culture.

Technology offers both challenges andopportunities. Research indicates that there is adisparity between those who have access to technologyand those who do not, based largely on socioeconomicstatus and race. While virtually all schools havecomputers and the vast majority are connected to theInternet, children attending schools in affluent schooldistricts have much greater access to abundant andstate-of-the-art technology than do students in poorschool districts. In a world where being technologically

literate is a prerequisite for high-paying employment,access to technology can enhance outcomes for studentsonce they graduate.

The challenges facing schools today not only includefinding ways to make technology accessible to allstudents but also to ensure that educators have the skillsto use technology to enhance student learning. The useof technology in providing distance learning and onlinehigh school instruction affects instructional practices in general.

Learning to use technology and using technology tolearn are essential building blocks for life success.

Anxious Times

Although it has become a cliché, the attacks ofSeptember 11, 2001, forever changed this country. Thenature and intensity of worries expressed by students inschools today, compared to those in earlier times, clearlyvalidate this observation. Furthermore, troubling currentevents are not limited to terrorist attacks. Since BlueprintII was published in 1997, there have been 18 separatehigh profile incidents of violent student deaths on schoolcampuses, and as this document was being written, reliefefforts for Hurricanes Katrina and Rita dominated thenational spotlight. Children and youth of previousgenerations worried about global attacks againsthumanity (e.g., atomic and nuclear bombs), but recentevents legitimize concern about devastating events intheir local communities.

While reading difficulties continue to be the mostfrequent reason students are referred to schoolpsychologists, children’s mental health needs havebecome a critical public health issue that directly affectsteaching and learning. Although there are notdiscernable differences across majority and minoritypopulations in reported proportions of studentsconsidered mentally healthy, access to timely, affordable,and effective care is not equitable across groups. Therehas never been a greater need for school psychologiststo take leadership in ensuring quality mental healthservices for children.


The challenges facing schools today not onlyinclude finding ways to make technologyaccessible to all students but also to ensurethat educators have the skills to usetechnology to enhance student learning.

There has never been a greater need for schoolpsychologists to take leadership in ensuringquality mental health services for children.

EDUCATIONAL FACTORS

Accountability in K–12 Schools

The early years of the new millennium werecharacterized by several public policy initiatives andlandmark legislation that dramatically increasedaccountability in public schools. In 2001, the No ChildLeft Behind Act (NCLB) was signed into law, and schooldistricts became publicly accountable for theachievement of students whose poor performance hadpreviously been explained away as a consequence ofrace, poverty, language status, or disabilities. A yearlater, the President’s Commission on Excellence inSpecial Education concluded that schools operate withina culture of compliance, and recommended thatattention be focused instead on outcomes for students.Also in 2002, the National Academy of Sciences reporton Minority Students in Special and Gifted Educationconsidered how traditional referral and assessmentpractices may contribute to disproportionaterepresentation of minority students in special educationand delay access to effective, timely interventions. The2004 reauthorization of the Individuals with DisabilitiesEducation Improvement Act (IDEA) echoed NCLB’semphasis on accountability and results, andincorporated several major changes to promotepreventive practices and the alignment of assessmentand intervention.

The Demographics of School Psychology

There are approximately 38,000 schoolpsychologists employed in this country, but the currentand future shortage of practitioners is well documented.It is estimated that 15,000 school psychology positionswill go unfilled between 2003 and 2020 due to a peak inretirements and concomitant shortage of newprofessionals. Furthermore, open faculty positions withinthe school psychology specialty have more than doubledsince Blueprint II was published, and a significantnumber of these have remained vacant from year to year.

In addition to documented and predicted shortages,there appears to be considerable mobility within andattrition out of the field, the full extent of which isdifficult to estimate. Perhaps this attrition and mobilitycould be linked to dissonance between trainingexpectations and actual job roles. School psychologistsreport a high level of job satisfaction, but there continuesto be a discrepancy between desired and actual roleswith a reported over-emphasis on special educationeligibility assessments. Moreover, there are no

universally employed mechanisms to assure qualityinternships at the specialist and doctoral levels, andthere is a significant shortage of school-based pre-doctoral internships. The challenge for the profession isto continue to develop the universal skill base amongpractitioners and the systems capacity necessary toalign reality with best practice.

The Disconnect Between Research and Practice

It is intuitively appealing to assume that whathappens in schools is informed by decades of research,but there seems to be an especially persistentdisconnect between educational research and practice.Whether this is due to lack of relevance, persuasiveness,or access to the research, or because the educationalsystem is resistant to change, it must be recognized thatsimply putting data in the hands of practitioners will notby itself lead to improved practice. Dissemination andimplementation are separate and distinct activities.

Research can be used—or misused—for a number ofpurposes: to promote a political agenda, to justifycurrent practice, to inform and improve practice, to serveas a report card, or to support biases. The currentdemand for accountability and evidence-based practicereminds school psychology trainers and practitionersalike to base practice on cutting-edge research, thususing research as a foundation for practice.


INTRODUCTION

Blueprint II has had substantial influence on thetraining and practice of school psychologists, largely as aresult of incorporating its Domains of Competence into the2000 revisions of NASP’s training, practice, andcredentialing standards. The group who produced thestandards used the 10 domains of Blueprint II. They addedone domain: technology. So, the NASP standards specify11 domains of competence. The Blueprint III task forcesought to maintain those elements of Blueprint II that wereperceived as most useful and enduring, while attemptingto correct some of its shortcomings and take into accountthe changes and contextual variables just described.

Somewhat paradoxically, the most influential aspectof Blueprint II—the Domains of Training and Practice—also represents a source of concern. Trainers of schoolpsychologists, in particular, have reported that it isunrealistic to expect specialist level training programs toprepare their students to be competent in all 11 skilldomains specified in the NASP Standards for Trainingand Field Placement Programs in School Psychology. Bothfaculty members responsible for ensuring that studentsdevelop these competencies and their graduate studentsapproach culminating exams with trepidation, knowingthat in the 2 to 3 years of a specialist level program it isimpossible to ensure skill mastery in 11 Domains ofCompetence that are so diverse and all-encompassing.In Blueprint II domains were viewed as areas in which“school psychologists are leaders in the schools.” InBlueprint III, these are conceptualized as areas ofcompetence with three levels of expertise. Weacknowledge that there is a continuum of skilldevelopment, and assert that the job of trainingprograms is to ensure that students are at a “novice”level in all domains by the time they complete thecoursework phase of their training, and are at a“competent” level by the conclusion of internships, withthe expectation that “expert” practice will be achievedonly after some post-graduate experience and likely onlyin some domains. Additionally, there is a recognition thatprofessional preparation within the specialty of schoolpsychology may occur at two differing levels: specialist

and doctoral. Advanced training at the doctoral level insuch areas as research, program evaluation, and clinicalsupervision is likely to be reflected in greater expertise inrelated Domains of Competence.

Another limitation of Blueprint II is that the Domainsof Training and Practice read like a “laundry list” of skillswithout a coherent system of integration necessary forthe delivery of high quality and comprehensive schoolpsychological services. We felt it important to embed theDomains of Competence within an integrated model ofeffective school psychology practice. Thus, Blueprint IIIaddresses two key questions that were not adequatelyaddressed in Blueprint II: (a) What are critical outcomesfor school psychology practice, and (b) What is the mosteffective delivery system by which these outcomes canbe achieved? Blueprint III is perceived to be evolutionaryrather than revolutionary, in that it is built on the strongfoundation provided both by the previous Blueprintsand by other forces that have shaped our field since its inception.

BLUEPRINT III: THE MODEL

The Blueprint III Model for School PsychologyTraining and Practice is reflected in the schematicdepicted in Figure 1. The left side of the model illustratestwo foundations in our field: a well-confirmed knowledge


We acknowledge that there is a continuum ofskill development, and assert that the job oftraining programs is to ensure that studentsare at a “novice” level in all domains by thetime they complete the coursework phase oftheir training, and are at a “competent” levelby the conclusion of internships, with theexpectation that “expert” practice will beachieved only after some post-graduateexperience and likely only in some domains.

B L U E P R I N T I I I : T H E M O D E L O F S C H O O L P S Y C H O L O G YT R A I N I N G A N D P R A C T I C E

base in psychology and education, and the application ofthe scientific method to practical delivery of theknowledge base. Eight discipline-specific competenciesdeveloped during school psychologists’ professionaltraining and applied experience rest on these dualfoundations. The delivery of school psychologicalservices, depicted in the triangle that appears in themiddle of the model, occurs at three levels: universal,targeted, and intensive. The two major outcomes of ourwork in schools, enhancement of student competenceand development of the capacity of systems to meetstudent needs, are represented by the two circles at theright side of the model. The model’s components aredescribed in detail in the following section.

BLUEPRINT III: MODEL COMPONENTS

In explaining the schematic depicting the model fortraining and practice of school psychology, we beginwith the outcomes and work backwards (right to left)through the model. The goal of education is to help

children become competent and caring adults, involvedcitizens, and productive members of their communities.School psychology has a significant role to play in thisprocess. Specifically, school psychologists should workto: (a) improve competencies for all students, and (b)build and maintain the capacities of systems to meet theneeds of all students as they traverse the path tosuccessful adulthood.


Figure 1

School psychologists should work to: (a)improve competencies for all students, and (b)build and maintain the capacities of systems tomeet the needs of all students as they traversethe path to successful adulthood.

Outcome 1: Improve Competencies for AllChildren and Youth

The competencies we expect individuals to developduring their time in school fall into two broad categories.First, there are important academic and cognitivecompetencies (including both basic academic skills andfunctional life skills) that the 21st century demands, in anage where technology exposes students to moreinformation in a day than was available to theirancestors in a lifetime. School psychologists should beinstructional consultants who can assist parents andteachers to understand how students learn and whateffective instruction looks like. Second, we expectstudents to develop social-emotional competencies.These include both the ability to get along with othersand the resilience to cope with daily stressors and majorsetbacks. School psychologists should be mental healthpractitioners who can guide parents and teachers inlearning how to create environments where children andyouth feel protected and cared for as well as sufficientlyself-confident to take risks and expand their range ofcompetence. Overall, we want schooling to produceresponsible adults who relate to and get along withothers, who have the necessary academic and functionalskills to be independent, and who are healthycontributing citizens. The notion of competenceenhancement involves accepting students where they arein skill development, and designing targeted andsometimes more intensive interventions to enable themto make progress toward attainment of eventual (andever-changing) goals.

Outcome 2: Build and Maintain the Capacities ofSystems

It is not enough for school psychologists to beproficient at helping students develop competencies.They must also be proficient at helping systems buildcapacity to foster and teach these competencies. Thisrequires that school psychologists understand howsystems work and what factors contribute to theimplementation and success of educational innovations.While schools and educational systems are the mostlogical targets, school psychologists also need to

understand how to impact family and communitysystems and influence public policy. Children and youthare part of a larger system, and it is only when theindividual components of that system work together thatoptimal outcomes can be achieved. School psychologistsmust be systems consultants to ensure that this happens.

Building capacity requires a shared vision andcollective sense of purpose, effective leadership, theinvolvement of stakeholders, ongoing evaluation, and acommitment to continuous improvement. The end resultof building and maintaining system capacity is betteralignment and allocation of personnel, resources, andefforts toward a unified goal of improving outcomes forall students.

Delivery System

If the goals of school psychology are to improvecompetencies for all students and to build and maintainsystems capacity, then the logical next question is: Whatis the mechanism by which these goals can be attained?Blueprint III advocates a service delivery systemcharacterized by varying the intensity of interventionsdepending on the severity of student need. There is along and rich history supporting this approach in thepublic health and prevention literature (primary,secondary, and tertiary prevention), and this paradigm isconsistent with contemporary models of service delivery.Universal services are systems-level programs directed atall and designed to meet the academic and social-emotional needs of the vast majority of students. Theseinclude, for example, the use of evidence-basedapproaches to reading and math instruction or theimplementation of a positive school-wide disciplineprogram to reduce problems with behavior management.Universal services should be foundational and accessibleto all children and youth.

For the 10 to 20% of pupils for whom the universalapproach is insufficient, targeted interventions addressspecific academic or social-emotional skill orperformance deficits. For students with reading


School psychologists should be instructionalconsultants who can assist parents andteachers to understand how students learn andwhat effective instruction looks like.

School psychologists should be mental healthpractitioners who can guide parents andteachers in learning how to createenvironments where children and youth feelprotected and cared for as well as sufficientlyself-confident to take risks and expand theirrange of competence.

problems, a targeted intervention might include a Title Ireading intervention to supplement classroom readinginstruction or consultation with the classroom teacher toimplement an evidence-based strategy not previously inthe teacher’s repertoire. Targeted interventions forstudents with social problems might include redesigningenvironments to help coach students in socialinteractions that enable them to make friends or playcooperatively, as well as working with the teacher andparents to support a behavioral intervention in theclassroom.

Finally, for the 1–7 % of children with chronic andmore severe problems, specialized intensive interventionsare required. This may include more intensive andindividualized reading instruction for students who havedemonstrated a lack of responsiveness to Title Iinstruction, or, for youngsters with social-emotional orbehavior problems, it may incorporate an interagencycomponent that brings home, school, and communitytogether to address more challenging needs.

Blueprint III endorses this model of universal,targeted, and intensive interventions because of itsdocumented success, because of its emphasis onprevention, and because it is a reasonable way toorganize the delivery of school psychology services tomeet the needs of all children and youth. Theimplementation of effective universal programs allowsthe vast majority of students to achieve academic andsocial-emotional competence, and minimizes the numberrequiring targeted and intensive supports. Operatingwithin this paradigm enables school psychologists topractice effectively in schools that have embraced thisapproach and to promote systemic change in schoolsthat have yet to do so.

Domains of Competence

In order for school psychologists to work towardcritical learner outcomes within a three-tiered servicedelivery model, they must have both knowledge andskills. The knowledge base includes a set ofpsychological and educational principles and anaccepted method for applying those principles (i.e., thescientific method), as well as evidence-based theories,methods, and guidelines to effect change in bothindividuals and systems. Through its blend of educationand psychology, the field of school psychology brings aunique perspective to the goal of helping childrenbecome competent and responsible adults. Knowledgealone will not suffice. School psychologists must alsopossess a set of skills, including the ability to useproblem-solving and scientific methodology to create,evaluate, and apply appropriate empirically validated

interventions at both an individual and systems level. Putsimply, there is a well-documented knowledge base oninstructional practices that work, and there is a strongliterature on effective delivery systems that enable us toinitiate effective instruction.

The eight overarching competencies, whileindividually articulated in this model, are actually aninterwoven set of skills. For school psychologists to beeffective, they must have both a broad and deepunderstanding of the skills encompassed in eachdomain, as well as an ability to apply and integrate theseskills fluently in everyday practice. As noted previously, itis not expected that the new graduate of a schoolpsychology program will emerge at a skill levelcommensurate with colleagues who have had many yearsof experience. It is expected, however, that they havebeen exposed, both in theory and in practice, to all skilldomains. As they continue to accrue experience in thefield, school psychologists will move from “novice” to“competent” in all domains and will become “experts” inthose domains most applicable to their practice.


Knowledge alone will not suffice. Schoolpsychologists must also possess a set of skills,including the ability to use problem-solvingand scientific methodology to create, evaluate,and apply appropriate empirically validatedinterventions at both an individual andsystems level.

The eight Domains of Competence are defined asseparate skill and knowledge sets. Nevertheless, thesemust be viewed as working in concert to achieve thebroader aims of school psychology practice: improvingstudent competence and building systems capacity. Theextent to which school psychologists draw upon specificcompetencies depends on both the level of servicedelivery and the specific prevention or interventionstrategies they implement.

Four Domains of Competence form a foundation thatsustains training and practice in school psychology.Some aspects of these domains are components of anindividual school psychologist’s character and makeup,while others are acquired through training andexperience. Because these domains permeate all areas ofpractice for every school psychologist and are thefoundations on which the other competency domainsdepend, they are depicted in the model as supporting theother four domains. These foundational competenciesencompass (1) Interpersonal and Collaborative Skills, (2)Diversity Awareness and Sensitive Service Delivery, (3)Technological Applications, and (4) Professional, Legal,Ethical, and Social Responsibility. The next four domainsrepresent functional competencies that describe theprocesses and contexts through which our work iscarried out, and include (5) Data-Based Decision Makingand (6) Systems-Based Service Delivery. With a deepunderstanding of effective instruction and mental healthstrategies, together with applied skills to enhance thecapacity of systems to promote these student-focusedobjectives, our work is evidenced by (7) Enhancing theDevelopment of Cognitive and Academic Skills and

(8) Enhancing the Development of Wellness, SocialSkills, Mental Health, and Life Competencies.

FOUNDATIONAL COMPETENCIES

Interpersonal and Collaborative Skills

School psychology practice involves children,adolescents, and adults in a variety of capacities, as wellas the many systems within which they operate.Accordingly, effective interpersonal skills and the abilityto work constructively and collaboratively with diverseindividuals and agencies are indispensable for schoolpsychologists. Training programs should seek to admitstudents with the ability to listen, adapt, embraceambiguity, and be patient in difficult situations. Theschool psychologist’s repertoire must include the abilityto communicate well and disseminate information clearlyto diverse audiences ranging from children, parents,teachers, and administrators to school boards, policymakers, community mental health professionals,business leaders, and other school psychologists. At thesame time, school psychologists must understand thevital importance of collaboration and be able to facilitateit effectively in multiple contexts, as well as recognizethat soliciting input from others may be as important asimparting knowledge or sharing expertise.

A related but distinct skill essential to schoolpsychology practice is collaborative consultation.Irrespective of the philosophy or approach toconsultation employed, school psychologists mustpossess good problem-solving skills that are brought tobear in facilitating the development of harmoniouslearning environments, reducing the divisiveness anddisenfranchisement often found in troubled schools, andpromoting the kinds of principled negotiations necessaryto achieve consensus.

Effective and well-honed interpersonal andcollaborative skills are crucial to functioning as a changeagent in the school. Ultimately, school psychologistsemploy these skills when they promote and effect changeat the individual student, classroom, building, district, oreven broader levels.


D O M A I N S O F C O M P E T E N C E F O R T H E T R A I N I N G A N DP R A C T I C E O F S C H O O L P S Y C H O L O G Y

The eight Domains of Competence are definedas separate skill and knowledge sets.Nevertheless, these must be viewed as workingin concert to achieve the broader aims ofschool psychology practice: improving studentcompetence and building systems capacity.

Diversity Awareness and Sensitive ServiceDelivery

In Blueprint II, diversity was conceptualized primarilywithin the context of student development and learning.It was recognized that the racial, cultural, ethnic,experiential, and linguistic backgrounds of students wereincreasingly diverse and that these differences needed tobe considered when providing appropriate instruction.That perspective, although important, focused primarilyon acknowledging differences rather than providingservices that were truly responsive to the needs of diversepopulations. Blueprint III advocates a broader view ofdiversity and emphasizes its central role in crossing andbridging to other domains.

Addressing diversity is no longer defined simply asacknowledging or being “sensitive” to differences inothers. Competence in all aspects of diversity is notdemonstrated by an individual’s degree of sensitivity toor level of knowledge about a given culture, but rather bythe ability to recognize when, where, and how issues ofdiversity are manifest and operating within the widevariety of activities in which school psychologistsengage. When school psychologists are able to recognizethe importance of diversity in their practice, they arethen empowered and expected to use their knowledgeand skills to help schools embrace and address diversityissues effectively at all levels. For example, in developingeffective instruction for English language learners,psychologists must know how first and second languageacquisition influences cognitive maturation and thelearning process. It is not enough simply to be awarethat a student is a non-native English speaker; schoolpsychologists must recognize how second languagelearning and bilingualism affect the design andimplementation of appropriate and effective instruction.Similarly, the failure to recognize the impact of languageand culture on school performance, and the use ofinappropriate or unsystematic methods for assessingEnglish language learners reflects inadequatecompetence in this domain.

The link between the diversity domain and theinterpersonal and collaborative skills domain should beclear. School psychologists must be able to recognizewhen issues of diversity affect the manner and nature ofinteractions with other people and organizations. Theymust have the ability to modify or adapt their practicesin response to those being served. Are parents from lowSES backgrounds accorded the same level of respect asthose from higher SES levels? Are parents who do notspeak English made to feel welcome and engaged intheir child’s education? Do differences in gender or

sexual orientation affect the process of consultation?Clearly, considerations related to diversity are apparentin every activity in which school psychologists engage.

Addressing issues of diversity is not an easy taskand requires that school psychologists look insidethemselves, reexamine their personal world views, andevaluate the nature and extent of their own, often subtle,biases with regard to culture, ethnicity, race, gender,disability, social class, sexual orientation, language, andmore. These potential biases and those that may bedirected toward the school psychologist by otherindividuals or agencies will significantly affect themanner in which decisions are made, instruction isdeveloped, behavior is evaluated, interventions aredesigned, and outcomes are influenced. Competence indiversity is not developed by reading texts about otherpeople and cultures, but rather evolves throughexperience in recognizing the manner in which diversityaffects all school psychology (and all life) activities.

Technological Applications

Perhaps no other contextual influence has emergedwith such rapidity and impact as has technology withinthe past decade. While competence in applyingtechnology at the time of Blueprint II may have beendefined primarily as word processing skills, the expansionof technology and its integration into every aspect ofhuman life has progressed at a staggering pace. Theevolution of the Internet, the ubiquitous nature of email,the proliferation of communication technologies, thewidespread use of laptop computers, and software foralmost any application, all necessitate that schoolpsychologists be competent (and often cautious) in usingcurrent technology in the delivery of services.

Because technology has become embedded in thefabric of everyday life, it is likely that today’s graduatestudents have considerable competence in this areabefore beginning professional training. Use oftechnology in the professional arena, however, mayrequire the development of new skills and considerationof new ethical dilemmas. Computers and other electronicdevices allow one to perform a wide variety of tasks thatenhance and facilitate professional functioning in suchareas as data gathering and storage, monitoring studentperformance and progress, assessment, record keeping,and communication with various audiences. Skill andexpertise in gathering and evaluating information forprofessional practice is clearly a requisite competency.Much as with interpersonal skills and diversity,technological competence cuts across all aspects ofschool psychology practice, helping to support all otherdomains. For example, it is difficult to imagine


conducting activities such as communication, recordkeeping, observation, data-based decision making,assessment, and program evaluation and researchwithout the aid of technology.

The many applications of technology in the schoolsdo not benefit school psychologists alone. Assistivetechnology supports students with special learningneeds, such as those who may benefit from alternativemodes of communication. In addition, keyboard skillsmay assist students with fine-motor difficulties, andcomputer accessibility options (e.g., large font screens,speech recognition software) can assist students with awide variety of visual, auditory, and motor problems.

School psychologists also need to be aware of thepotential dangers associated with technology. Inprofessional activities, the use of electroniccommunication and storage raises new risks toprotecting student confidentiality and test security.Youth are seeking information and consultation from theInternet. Many peer sites have been criticized forpromoting thinking and behavior that may be injurious(e.g., sites promoting idealized physical attributes, diets,using performance enhancing drugs, bullying). For somestudents there is potential addiction to technology (e.g.,video games, pornography) and the potential to limitinggenuine (versus virtual) social interactions.

School psychologists also should be aware of the“digital divide,” where technology is often moreaccessible to those with more economic resources.Technological competence should include the ability tohelp students, parents, and teachers know how and whereto access technology, and how to evaluate its safety andvalue, as well as how to use it to enhance classroomlearning. Technology offers enormous opportunity. It alsochallenges school psychologists in ways that could nothave been envisioned 10 years earlier.

Professional, Legal, Ethical and SocialResponsibility

The issues addressed by this foundational domainare relatively straightforward but absolutely central tothe efficacy of a school psychologist’s work. School

psychologists should be prepared to practice in waysthat meet all appropriate professional (practice andethical) and legal standards in order to enhance thequality of services and protect the rights of all parties.This includes adhering to due process guidelines in alldecisions affecting students; maintaining acceptedprofessional and ethical standards in assessment,consultation, and general professional practice; andfulfilling all legal requirements, including those inresponse to legislative and judicial decisions.

School psychologists also have a responsibility toplan and carry through a continuing education programfor their own development as professionals, both inaccordance with licensure requirements and in order togrow and stay up-to-date with the field. They shouldmaintain appropriate professional credentials and attendcontinuing education functions as necessary for theircurrent practice and required by employers andcredentialing bodies. Especially important, schoolpsychologists recognize their own limits of competencyand do not exceed them. They work with others on theschool staff to ensure that teachers and related servicespersonnel have opportunities for continuing professionaldevelopment. Collaboration improves services delivery,and results in better outcomes for students.

FUNCTIONAL COMPETENCIES

Data-Based Decision Making and Accountability

In Blueprint II, data-based decision making andaccountability were seen as the organizing themes forschool psychology training and practice. In this revision,we view this domain, and the following one, as processesthat reflect not only the manner in which schoolpsychologists organize information, but also how and inwhat contexts they analyze and use that information. Theemphasis on practice competencies as processesillustrates the overarching perspective that directsschool psychology practice and the contexts in whichservices are delivered. School psychologists should begood problem solvers who collect information that is


Technological competence should include theability to help students, parents, and teachersknow how and where to access technology, andhow to evaluate its safety and value, as well ashow to use it to enhance classroom learning.

School psychologists should be good problemsolvers who collect information that is relevantfor understanding problems, make decisionsabout appropriate interventions, assesseducational outcomes, and help others becomeaccountable for the decisions they make.

relevant for understanding problems, make decisionsabout appropriate interventions, assess educationaloutcomes, and help others become accountable for thedecisions they make. Although school psychologistshave historically been responsible for collectingconsiderable student data, their focus should not remainfocused at the individual student level. Training inresearch methods, statistics, and program evaluationenables them to gather data about school systems,programs, and classroom environments as well.

School psychologists should be well versed in avariety of assessment and evaluation methods. Theseinclude the use of observation, interviews, standardizednorm-referenced tests, functional behavioral assessment,curriculum-based assessment/measurement/evaluation,ecological or environmental assessment, technology-enhanced assessment, and progress monitoring.Irrespective of the assessment method, the purpose ofassessment remains clear—to define problems andstudent needs and assets, to estimate current status, tolink results to the development of effective interventions,and to evaluate outcomes and inform future interventiondecisions. Simply put, all assessment activities shouldrelate to prevention and intervention.

School psychologists need to provide leadership inidentifying those instructional environments andcognitive, emotional, social, and behavioral factors thathave a significant effect on school achievement and thedevelopment of personal competence. They must be ableto use this information for the promotion of studentcompetence and the prevention of student difficulties/disabilities. School psychologists should be adept atassessing those aspects of the instructional environmentthat facilitate or impede learning/behavioral change forstudents, and they should know how environmentalfactors and student characteristics (e.g., aspects ofdiversity) interact to affect academic and behavioraloutcomes. School psychologists should be recognized byschool administrators as leaders in data collection andinterpretation, who can play significant roles in designingassessment practices to meet responsibilities foraccountability reporting to the general public.

Systems-Based Service Delivery

Although the name of this domain is new, its naturewas captured in Blueprint II domains related to

home/school/community collaboration, and structure,organization, and climate. Along with Data-BasedDecision Making, this domain describes the way in whichproblems are evaluated and conceptualized. Schoolpsychologists can no longer focus exclusively onintervening at the individual level if they hope toenhance outcomes and build capacity. The learningproblems of students do not belong to students alonebut to the systems charged with helping them succeedand preventing failure.

Schools and other settings where children and youthlive and learn must be viewed as systems whose manycomponents affect learning and development in diverseand complex ways. School psychologists mustunderstand how systems work, but even more, they needto know how they can use this knowledge to helporganize schools and classrooms in ways that promotelearning and prevent problems. Within a 3-tiered servicedelivery model, school psychologists should be able todesign, among others, instruction and instructionalinterventions, problem-solving teams, programs to trainparaprofessionals, school policies for such issues asdiscipline and grading, communication and referralsystems, crisis prevention and intervention programs,transition programs from one aspect of schooling toanother, and school-within-a-school programs.

School psychologists should provide leadership indeveloping schools as safe, civil, caring, inviting placeswhere there is a sense of community, the contributionsof all persons, including teachers, paraprofessionals,administrators, families, students, and related servicespersonnel, are valued; and there are high expectationsfor excellence for all students. The application of asystems perspective in delivering services is not limitedto the school setting. Students do not learn in a vacuum,nor do they learn only in schools. The home andcommunity represent significant influences in astudent’s life where intervention, collaboration, andconnections to schools must be developed. Consistentwith the outcomes endorsed by the 2002 Conference onthe Future of School Psychology, we believe an increasedemphasis on the link between home and schools and agreater recognition of the roles parents/caregivers playin their children’s educational outcomes are critical tothe practice of school psychology in the 21st century.Over the course of their school careers, children havemany teachers, most for no longer than a single year.Parents, however, bring to any problem-solving process aunique knowledge and understanding of how theirchildren learn. School psychologists recognize that thelikelihood of the success of any intervention, academic,social, or emotional, increases when parents or otherprimary caregivers are partners in intervention design


All assessment activities should relate toprevention and intervention.

and implementation. School psychologists are naturalliaisons between the home and the school and play avital role in helping parents feel they are full members oftheir children’s learning team, as well as ensuring thatparents have a voice when critical decisions are made.School psychologists understand that there are manychallenges to authentic family engagement in education,and recognize that overcoming these barriers andbuilding home-school partnerships is among their mostimportant roles.

School psychologists not only assist individualparents/caregivers but also participate in developingprograms that strengthen the connection among home,community, and school. These efforts may range fromadvocating for family involvement in systems planning totraining parents as leaders or establishing drop-incenters, homework hotlines, or access to mental healthservices that are convenient and affordable. Relevantactivities also include partnering with vital public policyorganizations such as parent advocacy groups. Successin these aspects of this domain requires adopting asystems perspective in order to both reduce redundancyand maximize mutually beneficial outcomes.

School psychologists are viewed as leaders forimprovement and change. In this capacity, they need toshare leadership and coordinating responsibilities withother agencies and help form linkages within thecommunity. The move in many places to make schoolsless “independent” and more “collaborative” withparents, social and health agencies, correctionsauthorities, and local businesses is a major and long-term effort. School psychologists should be prepared tohelp lead and maintain the emerging collaborations.

Systems change at the local level often comes aboutthrough public policy initiatives and it is important thatschool psychologists understand and actively participatein these activities. Involvement in the development ofpublic policy both provides school psychologists with theinformation needed to apply the laws and mandates thatguide practice and helps ensure that a schoolpsychological perspective is infused in public policydecisions for the benefit of all children and families.

Enhancing the Development of Cognitive andAcademic Skills

As described in the previous section, schoolpsychologists use data-based decision making andsystems–based service delivery to build and maintaincapacity and improve competencies for all children.These final two domains represent both student andsystems outcomes in the two areas the profession hopes

to impact: (1) cognitive and academic skills and (2)wellness, social skills, and life skills. Schoolpsychologists help schools develop challenging butachievable cognitive and academic goals for all students,taking into account the need to adjust expectations forindividual students, as well as implement alternativeways to monitor or assess individual student progresstoward goal or standards accomplishment. They can alsobe of assistance to State Education Agency and LocalEducation Agency personnel who design state and localaccountability systems.

School psychologists know how to apply learningtheory and cognitive strategies to the instructionalprocess. They should know empirically supportedcomponents of effective instruction and alternativeinstructional methodologies, and they should be in aposition to work with others to improve instruction,enhance achievement and develop attention, problem-solving and study skills. They should work to ensuretreatment integrity (the extent to which interventions areimplemented correctly) and assist school staff in helpingstudents become increasingly responsible for their ownlearning (self-regulation and self-assessment). Schoolpsychologists should also be prepared to assist teachersand other educators in translating emerging criticalresearch to instructional practice.

Enhancing the Development of Wellness, SocialSkills, Mental Health, and Life Competencies

Although the primary responsibility of schools is toaid in the development of cognitive and academic skills,school psychologists recognize that effective learning issignificantly influenced by factors beyond classroominstruction and curricula. Unless students’ general healthand welfare are adequately addressed, optimal learningcannot occur. Recognition of this fact has grownsignificantly in recent years (in part because of the workof school psychologists), as has the understanding thatschools are responsible not only for a set of academicskills but also for preparing students to develop skills thatwill ensure positive adult outcomes. Graduating studentswho have high academic skills but who lack critical skills


Schools must attend to general health,mental health, and welfare in order to ensureeffective academic development, and schoolpsychologists should provide leadership inthese areas.

to function as healthy and independent adults is not adesired result of schooling! Schools must attend togeneral health, mental health, and welfare in order toensure effective academic development, and schoolpsychologists should provide leadership in these areas.

As leading mental health experts in schools, schoolpsychologists must be prepared to help design andimplement prevention and intervention programs topromote wellness and resiliency. They need to addresswellness promotion as well as diverse health issues suchas substance abuse, diet, eating disorders, AIDSprevention, and stress management. They need torecognize the behaviors that are precursors to thedevelopment of conduct disorders, internalizingdisorders, or school dropout, and they need to know howto design programs to prevent and intervene with theseproblems. Finally, school psychologists need to knowhow to work with school personnel, students, parents,and the general community in the prevention andaftermath of crises such as suicide, other deaths, naturaldisasters, murder, bombs or bomb threats, extraordinaryviolence, terrorism, and sexual assault or harassment.While they are not expected to be experts in every area,school psychologists should have basic competency in abroad array of crisis situations, know how to accessresources to address these issues, and understand howto work with others to bring effective services tostudents and school staff.

This domain encompasses not only health andwellness, but social skills and life skills as well. Schoolpsychologists should help schools develop challengingbut achievable behavioral, affective, and adaptive goalsfor all students. They should know how to enhanceappropriate pupil behavior and how to developmethodologies such as conflict resolution and socialproblem-solving/decision-making approaches that willassist teachers and families in teaching pro-socialbehavior. School psychologists should be knowledgeableabout development in social, affective, and adaptivedomains and be able to identify and apply soundprinciples of behavior change within these domains.They should provide leadership in creating instructionalenvironments that reduce alienation and foster theexpression of appropriate behavior as well asenvironments in which all members of the schoolcommunity-both students and adults-treat one anotherwith respect and dignity.


The competencies described in this model of schoolpsychology will require a significant rethinking of schoolpsychology education. It has been a challenge for manyprograms to prepare school psychologists in thecompetencies needed for the broader roles advocated byBlueprint I and Blueprint II. The path frequently takenhas been to add new courses and requirements ratherthan rethinking program philosophy or conceptualframework. There is emerging evidence, however, thatprogram accrediting bodies expect a more conceptualapproach to training, and that training based on aunified theoretical perspective is a more effective way oftraining school psychologists. Although Blueprint IIdirected trainers toward a more conceptually drivenframework, Blueprint III provides a paradigm forfundamental change consistent with validated models oftraining and practice in our field.

Like earlier editions, Blueprint III recognizes thatschool psychology is based on the application ofpsychological and educational principles and thescientific method—contributions with potentiallysignificant influence as educators struggle with thegrowing importance of both accountability and evidence-based practices. Competency in Blueprint III domainsmust be acquired at the application level, whereas in thepast some domains may have received only peripheralattention. For example, surveys of practicing schoolpsychologists have documented their perceived lack ofskill in indirect service delivery, including prevention andconsultation, although respondents indicated a desire toengage more in these services.

The processes described in this model may alsoreflect a shift in emphasis for many programs. Schoolpsychology programs have a long history of training indata-based decision making, but the focus traditionallyhas been on describing strengths and weaknesses at theindividual student level. In Blueprint III, programs areasked to move toward an orientation that considers notjust student performance data, but also the integrationof data for intervening and monitoring outcomes atindividual and system levels. As school psychologypractice increasingly addresses safe and healthyenvironments for all students, training program culturewill similarly need to reflect consideration of systems-based service delivery.

As training programs prepare their students forexpanded roles, appropriate internships must beavailable to support novice practitioners. Given theanticipated capacity of training programs to build skillsrelevant to the new domains at the “novice” level duringthe coursework phase, internship sites will need toprovide enriched experiences to assist trainees todevelop these competencies by the conclusion of theirinternships. Developing standards for internships andsupporting schools with innovative service deliverysystems to become rich internship sites that meet thosestandards are critical goals.

Practitioners also need support to expand theircompetencies. Best practice in professional developmentmoves beyond exposure from workshops at professionalconventions. For example, research has documented thatfewer than 10% of participants in traditionalprofessional development activities actually apply theirnew knowledge and skills in their practice. Exploringways to deliver continuing professional development sothat school psychologists learn to apply new skills will bea challenge for the future. Technology offers a potentialmeans to help practitioners apply new skills in thedistricts following workshops and institutes. Professionalorganizations will need to support and encourage thedevelopment of learning opportunities that enablepractitioners to receive feedback and supervision in theapplication of new skills.


T H E L I N K T O T R A I N I N G A N D P R A C T I C E

In Blueprint III, programs are asked to movetoward an orientation that considers not juststudent performance data, but also theintegration of data for intervening andmonitoring outcomes at individual andsystem levels.

Finally, much of the research in school psychologyemerges from training programs, through the efforts ofboth faculty and students. There is a growing recognitionof the need to build bridges between academic-generated research and applications by practitioners.Creating networks of practitioners and researchers is onemeans of ensuring that the problems of practice areaddressed and evidence-based solutions are available.Evidence-based practice is facilitated by research thatnot only is related to practice issues but is alsoapplicable and useful to practitioners. There isincreasing recognition of the need for school psychologyto bring useful, relevant knowledge to schoolpractitioners in all fields, not just to other schoolpsychologists. The School Psychology Task Force onEvidence-Based Practice is charged with improvingknowledge dissemination and use, making moreavailable to practitioners the processes by whichevidence-based practices can be implemented withintegrity in the schools.


There is a growing recognition of the need tobuild bridges between academic-generatedresearch and applications by practitioners.

BLUEPRINT III PRACTICE EXEMPLAR I

Student Competence Enhancement Focus: (check one)

____ Effective Instruction and Development of Cognitive/Academic Skills____ Wellness, Mental Health and the Development of Life Competencies

Level of Intervention: (check one or more)

____ Level I: Universal Intervention____ Level II: Targeted Intervention____ Level III: Intensive Intervention

Practice Description:

A self-monitoring intervention was developed for a high-school special education student in a self-containedclassroom. The problem identified was that the student was failing to transition between classes at the high schoolwithin the allotted amount of time. Through observation, the educational team identified the specific behaviorsleading to slow transition times for this student. The self-monitoring intervention was written based on this problemanalysis information and included training the student in the replacement behaviors as well as training the student totime and chart the duration of his transitions. To evaluate the efficacy of the intervention, the percent of transitionsthe student makes within the allotted amount of time is obtained from the student’s self-generated chart. In addition,staff members conduct one intervention integrity check per week to determine if the intervention is beingimplemented with integrity and to determine the level of independence the student is exhibiting during transitions.

School Psychologist’s Involvement in This Practice Including Illustration of Relevant Domains of Competence:

The school psychologist participated in all steps of the problemsolving process for the development of this intervention. She(a) identified and analyzed the problem using record review,interviews with staff, and behavioral observations, (b) designedthe self-monitoring intervention, (c) trained both the studentand members of his educational team to implement theintervention, and (d) assisted with the collection of progressmonitoring data and intervention integrity data. Throughoutthis process the school psychologist used skills in severalDomains of Competence including: data-based decisionmaking, development of life competencies, interpersonal andcollaborative skills, and competence in aspects of diversity.

Impact on Student Competence Enhancement and Capacity Building of Individuals and Systems:

After one month of intervention, the student was transitioning within the allotted time 82% of charted opportunitieswith approximately 15 verbal prompts, which represents an improvement from the baseline of transitioning within theallotted time 50% of opportunities with 5–15 verbal prompts. This reflects a student competence enhancement inindependence skills. The educational team plans to continue the intervention while decreasing the number of promptsprovided during transitions to further develop the student’s independence skills. The educational team has generalizedthis strategy for use in other aspects of the student’s instructional program including vocational training.


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Domains of Competence:

1. Interpersonal and Collaborative Skills2. Diversity Awareness and Sensitive Service Delivery3. Technological Applications4. Professional, Legal, Ethical, and Social

Responsibility5. Data-Based Decision Making & Accountability6. Systems-Based Service Delivery7. Enhancing the Development of Cognitive and

Academic Skills8. Enhancing the Development of Wellness, Social

Skills and Life Competencies

BLUEPRINT III PRACTICE EXEMPLAR II

Student Competence Enhancement Focus: (check one or more)

____ Effective Instruction and Development of Cognitive/Academic Skills____ Wellness, Mental Health and the Development of Life Competencies

Level of Intervention: (check one or more)

____ Level I: Universal Intervention____ Level II: Targeted Intervention____ Level III: Intensive Intervention

Practice Description:

The school psychologist wanted to bring the consultation model to the school(s) served and move them to preventionand early intervention rather than the IEP team meeting/test model more typical of services. The school psychologistperceived the school as a system and wanted to implement system-wide changes. To do this, the school psychologistdeveloped a multi-pronged approach. The first goal was to introduce the idea of a systematic social skills trainingprogram in the primary grades. The second goal was to have teachers become familiar with the presence of the schoolpsychologist in their classrooms as an advocate, helper, and educator/psychologist who can help with instructionalobjectives and delivery. The third goal was to empower teachers to learn more effective behavioral management skills.Fourth was having the staff and administration see the school psychologist as a problem solver and informationsource. Fifth was to make daily child performance and information more readily accessible to parents throughtechnology. The final goal was to raise awareness of the existence of the school psychologist by writing articles for theschool newsletter as often as feasible on a topic important to the principal.

School Psychologist’s Involvement in This Practice Including Illustration of Relevant Domains of Competence:

1. Introduction of a social skills training program in the primary grades by:

a. Introducing information over a three-year period using part of the Stop & Think/Project Achieve system.

b. Training primary grade teachers to use the program and providing support the first year as they implemented the program and designed the instruction.

c. Keeping data on the number of referrals, types of referrals, and sources of the greatest number of referrals to the main office, comparing this data to previous years and providing targeted assistance.

d. Maintain effectiveness by providing on-going support year-to-year.

Domains Addressed: Level 1 (Universal) and Level II (Targeted) interventions: 1, 5, 7, 8

2. The second goal was to have teachers become familiar with the presence of the school psychologist in classes through a multi-year plan by:

a. Entering classrooms, helping students, watching instruction and developing working relationships with staffthe first year.

b. Making suggestions regarding instruction in reading and math, consulting with teachers about specificstudents and the class as a whole during the second year.


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Domains of Competence:

1. Interpersonal and Collaborative Skills2. Diversity Awareness and Sensitive Service Delivery3. Technological Applications4. Professional, Legal, Ethical, and Social

Responsibility5. Data-Based Decision Making & Accountability6. Systems-Based Service Delivery7. Enhancing the Development of Cognitive and

Academic Skills8. Enhancing the Development of Wellness, Social

Skills and Life Competencies

c. Attending staff meetings as a participant and contributor of information on “authentic” learning, andpresenting information on student motivation during the third year.

d. Serving as secretary for the School Improvement team during the fourth year.e. Cowriting a reading grant funded by the NASP Children’s Fund in and dovetailing it with the NEA/NFL Read

Across America program.Domains Addressed: Level I (Universal): 1, 4, 6

3. Empowering teachers to learn more effective behavioral management skills by:

a. Coupling social skills with behavioral management techniques for the general education population throughdevelopment of a PowerPoint presentation and follow up consultation.

b. Assisting teachers in the implementation of effective data keeping for all students and for targeted students.c. Assisting teachers when analyzing data to compare student progress behaviorally and academically noting

how the changes in teacher management of the classroom affects outcome.d. Introducing self-management programs including use of a computer based program.Domains Addressed: Level I (Universal) and Level II (Targeted) interventions: 3, 5, 7, 8

4. Developing working relationships as a problem solver and source of information by:

a. Providing information to teachers, administrators and teachers formally during school team meetings(IEP/SST) and informally in the teacher’s lounge and hallways.

b. Discussing research on a topic and following up with copies of articles or summaries of information. Domains Addressed: Level I (Universal) and Level II (Targeted) interventions: 1, 4, 7, 8

5. Making daily child performance and information readily accessible to parents through technology by:

a. Developing and introducing daily email home notes on targeted students’ performance.b. Teaching classroom teachers how to use a template, copy attachments, and save data.c. Presenting data to teachers using Excel and graphs and using data during student team meetings.Domains Addressed: Level I (Universal) and Level II (Targeted) interventions: 1, 3, 5

6. Raising awareness of the school psychologist in the system by writing articles for the school newsletter by:

a. Writing articles for the school newsletter, following Alex Thomas’ suggestion to de-stealth the professionsystematically, and making schools and communities aware of the existence and work of the schoolpsychologist.

b. Generating ideas for articles by asking the school principal about her concerns. For example, the principal wasconcerned about the speed of parents’ cars at the end of the day. The article written to addressing thisconcern was on prosocial behavior.

Domains Addressed: Level I (Universal): 1, 8

Impact on Student Competence Enhancement and Capacity Building of Individuals and Systems:

The initiative built teacher capacity to use technology and data collection to inform parents, track progress, makedecisions, and provide Level I and Level II interventions for all students and specific students. The initiative fosteredcollaborative skills, built social responsibility, and focused the interventions on academic areas. It included parents aspartners by recognizing the primacy of parental involvement with the school and brought the largest number ofparents and students ever to the school in the evening for a night of reading.


The following training exemplars illustrate how school psychology preparation programs provide training in specificDomains of Competence; how these relate to the program’s conceptual model of training; and the manner in which theprogram addresses, assesses, and documents student/graduate attainment of competency in the identified objectives.

BLUEPRINT III TRAINING EXEMPLAR I

Domains of Competence That Relates to Program Objective: (check one or more)

____ Interpersonal and Collaborative Skills____ Diversity Awareness and Sensitive Service Delivery____ Technological Applications____ Professional, Legal, Ethical, and Social Responsibility____ Data-Based Decision Making & Accountability____ Systems-Based Service Delivery____ Enhancing the Development of Cognitive and Academic Skills____ Enhancing the Development of Wellness, Social Skills and Life Competencies

Program Objective:

• Understand and assess the culture and norms of schools in order to optimize entry into schools and makeimportant contributions to the school system

• Serve as change agents to improve the quality of education for all students with whom they work

Description of Way(s) Program Addresses Program Objective:

Students are exposed to the concept of schools as systems in the first course they take, PSYC 713 Role of the SchoolPsychologist, through lectures, readings, and activities. They shadow a school psychologist in a local school system andintegrate what they learn from class readings regarding the organization and operation of schools with what theyobserve. In PSYC 731 School-Based Consultation, students must demonstrate proficiency in analyzing a school’s cultureand organizational structure to enhance systematic problem solving. Enhancing entry into a system and effectivelymanaging resistance are also key learning outcomes of this course. During Practicum I and II (PSYC 771 and 773),lectures and activities address understanding school and teacher-level factors that contribute to effective schools.

Students are introduced to the concept of school psychologists as change agents in PSYC 713 Role of the SchoolPsychologist and again in PSYC 790 Ethical, Legal and Professional Issues in Psychology. It is an expectation of theirPracticum and Internship that students will demonstrate behaviors consistent with their prior learning regarding entryinto systems, managing resistance, and serving as change agents within their schools.


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• Specific class assignments [e.g., a journal thatintegrates classroom learning with observations in aschool setting (PSYC 713); reading/activity packethighlighting research on effective schools (PSYC 771)]

• Comprehensive Examination

• Field Supervisor Evaluations in School PsychologyPracticum I

• Intern Supervisor Evaluations

• Employer Surveys

• Class assignments are graded according to rubricsthat outline expectations for each assignment.Faculty considers scores above 90% to be evidencethat skills in this domain have been attained.

• One of four required essays is related to systems-level consultation. Students must pass this question,based on a scoring rubric, in order to pass thecomprehensive examination.

• Practicum I field supervisors rate students on a scaleof 1 to 3 on the item, “Seeks to understand theculture and norms of schools.” Ratings of 2 indicatethat the student is able to use skill with assistance;ratings of 3 indicate that the student is able to usethe skill independently. Faculty considersaggregated ratings over 2.8 to be evidence thatskills in this domain have been attained.

• Internship field supervisors rate the degree to whichinterns understand schools and other settings assystems, on a scale of 1 through 4. A rating of 3indicates that the student “demonstratescompetency at the intern level” and a rating of 4indicates that the student “demonstratescompetency at a beginning school psychologistlevel.” Faculty considers aggregated ratings above3.5 to indicate competency in this domain.

• Employers of recent graduates provide ratings on ascale of 1–4 on whether or not the new employeeunderstood schools and other settings as systemswhen they began employment. Ratings of 3 indicatethat the new employee “demonstrated strongcompetence in this domain and required onlyminimal guidance/supervision” and ratings of 4indicate that the employee “demonstrated strongcompetence in this domain and required no furthersupervision.” Faculty considers aggregated ratingsabove 3 to indicate competency in this domain.


Description of Way(s) Program AssessesStudent/Trainee Progress on Objective:

Description of Way(s) Program DocumentsStudent Attainment of Objective:

• Review of students’ grades in coursework relevant tothis objective; evaluation of students’ professionaldispositions, using the Professional DispositionsAssessment form completed by course instructorsduring each semester of year I.

• The program’s policies on Student Retention andGraduation require that students maintain an overallGPA of 3.0 or above and that they obtain a grade ofB or better in SPSY 795 and SPSY 894S. TheProfessional Dispositions Assessment form utilizes ascale ranging from 1 (unacceptable) to 3 (target) foreach of the five competency domains: Humandiversity, communication skills, interpersonalrelationship, personal/professional responsibility,and personal growth/adaptability. Studentattainment is indicated by the maintenance of a GPAof 3.0 (a grade of B) or better on requiredcoursework relevant to this objective as well as byratings of 2 (acceptable) or above on all competencydomains of the Professional Dispositions Assessment.

BLUEPRINT III TRAINING EXEMPLAR II

Domains of Competence That Relates to Program Objective: (check one or more)

____ Interpersonal and Collaborative Skills____ Diversity Awareness and Sensitive Service Delivery____ Technological Applications____ Professional, Legal, Ethical, and Social Responsibility____ Data-Based Decision Making & Accountability____ Systems-Based Service Delivery____ Enhancing the Development of Cognitive and Academic Skills____ Enhancing the Development of Wellness, Social Skills and Life Competencies

Program Objective:

Develop communication, collaboration, and consultation skills and the ability to engage positively in teamwork efforts.

Description of Way(s) Program Addresses Program Objective:

This objective is addressed through the following courses, practica, and internship experience:SPSY 768 ConsultationSPSY 771 Principles and Practice of School PsychologySPSY 799 Behavioral Collaboration and InterventionCGPS 761 Counseling Theories and Social-Cultural FoundationsSPSY 795 School Psychology Practicum I & IISPSY 894S Internship in School Psychology


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• Evaluation of students’ practicum performance,using the School Psychology Practicum StudentEvaluation form completed by field-basedsupervisors at two points, December and May,during year II; evaluation of students’ professionaldispositions, using the Professional DispositionsAssessment form completed by field-basedsupervisors at two points, December and May,during year II.

• Field-based supervisor evaluation of interns’performance, using the Internship Evaluation Form-Site Supervisor’s, at two points, December and May,during the internship year.

• Faculty evaluation of students’ performancedocuments included in the competency domains oftheir Professional Product Portfolio relevant to thistraining objective: (a) Development ofCommunication, Collaboration, Consultation, andCounseling Skills and (b) Reflective Practice.

• The School Psychology Practicum Student Evaluationform utilizes a 3-point scale, ranging from 1 (belowaverage) to 3 (above average). Student attainment isindicated by ratings of 2 or above on both the SchoolPsychology Practicum Student Evaluation (ratingitems pertinent to this objective) and theProfessional Dispositions Assessment.

• The Internship Evaluation Form-Site Supervisor’sutilizes a 5-point scale, ranging from 1(unsatisfactory) to 5 (outstanding) and is comprisedof two broad sections: Competencies/Skills andProfessional Dispositions. Student attainment isindicated by ratings of 3 (acceptable) or above onthe items relevant to this training objective in theCompetencies/Skills section as well as by ratings of3 or above on all items in the ProfessionalDispositions section.

• The rubric for portfolio evaluation utilizes a scaleranging from 1 (not acceptable) to 3 (exceptional) foreach competency domain. Student attainment onthis training objective is indicated by an averagerating of 2 (acceptable) or above across theperformance documents included in the domainsrelevant to this training objective.



You must be the change you wish to see in the world.—Gandhi

In Blueprint II, the concluding section was titled,What if all of this happens? It was argued that it wouldnot all happen. Yet, school psychology has moved far inthe past decade, and as a field we have taken increasingresponsibility and become better advocates for our ownfuture. It has been said, “You can and should shape yourown future because, if you don’t, someone else surelywill” (Barker, 1985, p. 11). Now, in Blueprint III, thequestion should be phrased, “How do we ensure schoolpsychology continues to move forward?” According toWebster’s dictionary, a “blueprint” is defined as “aprogram of action.” The intention of each Blueprintpublication, including this one, has been to provideschool psychologists with a vision for developing such aprogram of action as a profession and as individualprofessionals.

Since Blueprint II was published, a new century hasdawned. The recommendations for training and practicein Blueprint III have evolved from multiple sources,reflecting current issues in our society, especially thecontext of schools and schooling today. These includenew laws and new priorities, some of which haveemerged from our own advocacy. Changes in the largerworld around us have, and will continue to influence usto reexamine our practices and assumptions. Blueprint IIIintegrates evolutionary developments within schoolpsychology research, training, and practice into anexpanded vision for the field. We have increasinglyemployed a systems perspective rather than thetraditional, narrower psychometric lens, and this shift isreflected in the domains described in Blueprint III.

Although changes in the practice of schoolpsychology are apparent, much remains the same as ten

years ago. School psychologists, both trainers andpractitioners, struggle with change. As one schoolpsychologist declared, “There is a battle going on and itis inside my head.” Some of the discord within our ownranks is a reaction to the distress and uncertainty ofchange. In contemplating the snail pace of change ineducation, Sarason (1993) noted that “being imprisonedin tradition, being resistant to and fearful of anythingother than superficial change and window dressing,puzzled by the failure of past efforts, allergic to fads andfashions, disenchanted with quick fixes—such attitudesand reactions are not those of villains” (p. 13).

As Blueprint II concluded, so must Blueprint III:There is more to accomplish and great opportunity to doso. That has not changed. Each Blueprint has challengedus to continue constructing a future for schoolpsychology that enhances our services to children andyouth, their parents/caregivers, and the school andcommunity professionals with whom we work side byside. Blueprint III provides a contemporary view of theoutcomes of our work, the delivery system through whichthese objectives are best achieved, and the foundationaland functional Domains of Competence we perceive ascentral to school psychology. We anticipate that theBlueprint III model will promote considerable dialogueand contribute to the continuing evolution of ourdiscipline, as well as inform our individual and systemspartners in their complementary work.

FootnotePractice exemplars were provided by Christy Stewart andCarrie F. De La Cruz (Northern Suburban SpecialEducation District), and by Rivka Olley (BaltimoreCounty Public Schools). Training exemplars wereprovided by Susan Bartels (Towson University) and Hee-sook Choi (University of South Dakota)


Barker, J. A. (1989). Discovering the future: The business of paradigms. St. Paul, MN: ILI Press.Sarason, S. B. (1993). The case for change: Rethinking the preparation of educators. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.Ysseldyke, J. E. (1985). School psychology: The state of the art. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota National School

Psychology Inservice Training Network.Ysseldyke, J. E., Reynolds, M., & Weinberg, R. A. (1984). School psychology: A blueprint for training and practice.

Minneapolis: University of Minnesota National School Psychology Inservice Training Network.Ysseldyke, J. E., Dawson, P., Lehr, C., Reschly, D., Reynolds, M., & Telzrow, C. (1997). School psychology: A blueprint for

training and practice II. Bethesda, MD: National Association of School Psychologists.

M A K I N G I T H A P P E N

R E F E R E N C E S


Enhancing the Development ofWellness, Social Skills, and LifeCompetencies

Enhancing the Development ofCognitive and Academic Skills

Systems-Based Service Delivery

Data-Based Decision Making &Accountability

Professional, Legal, Ethical, andSocial Responsibility

Technological Applications

Diversity Awareness andSensitive Service Delivery

Interpersonal and CollaborativeSkills

Domain Description

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Com

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sSchool psychologists should be the leading mental health experts inschools who are knowledgeable about development in social,affective, and adaptive domains and are able to identify and applysound principles of behavior change within these domains in orderto help design and implement prevention and intervention programsto promote wellness and resiliency.

School psychologists help schools develop challenging butachievable cognitive and academic goals for all students, taking intoaccount the need to adjust expectations for individual students, orto implement alternative ways to monitor or assess individualstudent progress toward goal or standards accomplishment.

School psychologists should provide leadership in developingschools as safe, caring, and inviting places in which there is a senseof community, in which contributions of all persons are valued, inwhich there are high expectations of excellence for all students, andwhere home-school-agency partnerships are valued.

School psychologists should be good problem solvers who collectinformation that aids in understanding problems, making decisionsabout appropriate interventions, assessing educational outcomes,and making accountability decisions.

School psychologists should be prepared to practice in ways thatmeet all appropriate ethical, professional, and legal standards inorder to enhance the quality of services and protect the rights of allparties, and should maintain certification or licensure whileattending continuing education functions as necessary and required.

School psychologists should be able to apply technology to improveoutcomes and to support all other domains.

School psychologists must be able to recognize when issues ofdiversity affect the manner and nature of interactions with otherpeople and organizations and must have the ability to modify oradapt their practices in response to those being served.

School psychologists should demonstrate strong interpersonalskills, the ability to work effectively and collaboratively with peopleand agencies, and characteristics such as the ability to listen, adapt,tolerate ambiguity, and be patient in difficult situations.


The opinions expressed throughout this document are solely those of the authors. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions or ideas ofNASP, and nothing in this document should be considered the official policy or position of the association.

© 2006 National Association of School Psychologists