RIT - School Psychology Program

ROCHESTER INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
School Psychology Program

Course 0527-749-01 Winter, 2011-2012
Vincent Pandolfi, Ph.D. Course Outline

Advanced Consultation

Class Meetings:           Tuesday & Thursday 8:00-9:50AM
                                    Building 1-3367

Instructor:                   Vincent Pandolfi, Ph.D., Ext. 475-2875
                                    vxpgla@rit.edu

Office Hours: Tuesday & Thursday 12-2pm
Or by appointment

Required Textbooks:

Conoley, J.C. & Conoley, C.W. (1992). School consultation: Practice and Training (2nd Ed). Boston:
Allyn and Bacon.

Required Readings:

See attached.

Course Description:

This course focuses on conceptual and practical issues in school-based consultation. The course will review: (a) contextual influences on student learning and behavior, and on professional practice, (b) the defining characteristics of consultation and the consultation process within a specific problem-solving framework, and (c) consultation issues relevant to addressing both student-focused and systems-level problems. An emphasis is placed on how consultation can assist schools in building their capacity to develop and implement effective services for students with a wide range of needs. Students are expected to demonstrate their knowledge and beginning competencies in consultation through exams, class participation, and completion of a case-study.

Course Objectives:

Through this course, students will demonstrate:

Knowledge of contextual influences on student learning and professional practice;
Knowledge of selected best practices in promoting favorable student outcomes;
Knowledge of various consultation models, especially behavioral consultation;
Knowledge and beginning competency in applying a problem-solving model utilized in consultation;
Knowledge of methods designed to foster home-school-community collaboration;
Knowledge of methods utilized to promote needed systems-level change; and
Beginning competency in developing a written consultation report.

Course Requirements:

Participation: The participation grade is based on attendance, discussions of class material, and participation in classroom activities, including case presentations (described below). The instructor should be notified of any absences from class. Students are not penalized for absences that are beyond one’s control (e.g., illness, transportation problem, weather). Absences that are due to other circumstances (e.g., attendance at a professional conference) should be addressed with the instructor at the earliest convenience. A pattern of absences resulting in significant loss of classroom time, for any reason, will be considered on a case-by-case basis by the instructor.

Case Study: Each student will complete one case study at his or her practicum site. For this course requirement, you will assume the role of a school-based consultant who was asked to evaluate the classroom management practices of one teacher and make recommendations for improvement.

The goals of the case study are to: (a) formally assess the level of academic engagement and behavioral adjustment for all students in ONE target classroom utilizing methods discussed in class, (b) use multiple methods to assess all relevant aspects of the classroom ecology (context) that affect academic engagement and behavior, (c) identify strengths and weaknesses of the classroom ecology, and (d) make recommendations to improve classroom management and instructional practices.

Each student is expected to: (a) identify ONE classroom to observe, which may be a general or special education classroom, (b) conduct THREE direct observations of academic engagement, student behavior, and the instructional context, and (c) conduct ONE teacher interview. The specific methods and measures used will be reviewed in class. All data collected must be turned in at the end of the quarter, and should be presented during two case presentations (described below). The observations should occur on at least two different days, and there should be at least one observation conducted in the morning and one in the afternoon. Expect the observations to last at least 30-45 minutes each time. Collectively, the direct observation and interview data should address all major contextual/ecological influences on student learning and behavior.

Case presentations are an important part of the participation grade, and allow students to practice case conceptualization and case presentation skills. It will also afford each student the opportunity to receive feedback prior to submitting a final consultation report. TWO brief case presentations will occur twice during the quarter. The first presentation (approximately 10-15 minutes) will focus on: (a) an initial overview of the case, (b) data collected to date, (c) a preliminary conceptualization and analysis of the most important issues, (d) a specific plan for next steps (e.g., additional data collection, development of recommendations), and (e) answering questions from the instructor and class. The second presentation (15-20 minutes) will focus on: (a) a final summary of ONE or TWO of the most significant findings to emerge from data collection, (b) a brief presentation of recommendations that address the most important findings, and (c) answering questions from the instructor and class.

Consultation Report: Each student will submit a consultation report that describes and summarizes case study findings. The specific content and format for the report will be reviewed in class. The report must be no more than 7 pages, single-spaced with 12 point font and one-inch margins. Papers that do not conform to formatting requirements will incur a 5 point penalty, and material exceeding 7 pages will not be read. All papers will be evaluated according to scoring criteria which will be disseminated during the quarter.

Exams: Two exams will be given during the quarter. Exams will assess student mastery of course material presented during lectures and in assigned readings.

Grading:

            Participation                            = 25%
            Consultation Report                = 25%
Exam I                                                = 25%
            Exam II                                   = 25%

Assignments submitted after the assigned due date are subject to a 15 point deduction. No make-up exams will be given. If a student misses an exam, a “0” will be entered into the student’s grade. Exceptions to these rules are assessed on a case-by-case basis; however, the final decision pertaining to any student grade is made at the instructor’s discretion.

Electronic Devices

As a courtesy, all electronic devices should be turned off or in silent mode during class. Use of electronic devices for purposes other than for fulfilling course requirements will be directly addressed by the instructor, and can result in a lower participation grade. In the unusual circumstance where a student must immediately address a private matter (e.g., family emergency), he or she may excuse him-/herself and address the matter without penalty.

The main exceptions to this rule are: (a) use of electronic devices for note-taking, and (b) use of electronic devices that represent an accommodation for a disability.

Academic Honesty:

All students will abide by the RIT Academic Honesty Policy (see attached) and the guidelines set forth in the RIT School Psychology Program Student Handbook.

Individuals with Disabilities:

Persons with disabilities requiring specific accommodations should speak privately with the instructor to discuss and plan for individualized needs. It is the student’s responsibility to initiate this discussion.

Course Outline

Week Date Topics Readings

1 11/29 Introduction & Overview CC 1
12/1 Expanding School Psych. Roles Sheridan & Gutkin (2000)

2 12/6 Legal Issues Prasse (2008)
12/8 Ethical Considerations Jacob & Hartshorne (2007)

3 12/13 A Model of Student Learning Carroll (1963), Watson et al. (2011)
12/15 PBIS

4          1/10                 Response to Intervention (RTI)          Ysseldyke & Christenson (1987), Englert (1984)
                                                                                                Stein et al. (1998)
            1/12                 Consultation Models                           CC 2, Tindal et al. (1990)
                                    Consultation Process: Planning/Entry CC 3-4, Redmon et al. (1985)

5 1/17 Consultation Process (cont’d) Kratochwill (1985)
1/19 Consultation Process (cont’d)

6 1/24 EXAM I
1/26 Case Presentation #1

7          1/31                 Case Presentation #1 (cont’d)
            2/2                   Providing Feedback & Recommendations
                                    Report Writing

8 2/7 Evaluating Consultation CC 5-6, Lewis & Newcomer (2002)
2/9 Systems-Level Consultation Curtis et al. (2008), Knoff et al. (2008)

9 2/14 Case Presentation #2
2/16 Case Presentation #2 (cont’d)

10        2/21                 Case Presentation #2 (cont’d)
                                    PAPERS DUE
            2/23                 NASP

11        2/28                 EXAM II

Required Readings

Carroll, J.B. (1963). A model of school learning. Teachers College Record, 64, 723-733.

Curtis, M.J., Castillo, J.M., & Cohen, R.M. (2008). Best practices in system-level change. In A.
Thomas and J. Grimes (Eds.), Best practices in school psychology V (pp.887-902). Bethesda, MD:
National Association of School Psychologists.

Englert, C.S. (1984). Effective direct instruction practices in special education settings. Remedial and Special
Education, 5(2), 38-47.

Jacob, S.J. & Hartshorne, T.S. (2007). Indirect services I: Ethical-legal issues in working with teachers and
parents. In S. Jacob and T.S. Hartshorne, Ethics and law for school psychologists (5th ed. pp. 230-247).
Hoboken, N.J.: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Kratochwill, T.R. (1985). Selection of target behaviors in behavioral consultation. Behavioral Assessment,
7, 49-61.

Knoff, H.M. (2008). Best practices in strategic planning, organizational development, and school
effectiveness. In A. Thomas and J. Grimes (Eds.), Best practices in school psychology V (pp.903-916). Bethesda, MD: National Association of School Psychologists.

Lewis, T.J. & Newcomer, L.L. (2002). Examining the efficacy of school-based consultation:
Recommendations for improving outcomes. In J.K. Luiselli and C. Diament (Eds.), Behavior
Psychology in the Schools: Innovations in Evaluation, Support, and Consultation. Haworth Press.

Prasse, D.P. (2008). Best practices in school psychology and the law. In A. Thomas and J. Grimes (Eds.),
Best practices in school psychology V (pp.1903-1920). Bethesda, MD: National Association of School
Psychologists.

Redmon, W.K., Cullari, S., & Farris, H.E. (1985). An analysis of some important tasks and phases in
consultation. Journal of Community Psychology, 13, 375-386.

Sheridan, S.M. & Gutkin, T.B. (2000). The ecology of school psychology: Examining and changing our
paradigm for the 21st century. School Psychology Review, 29(4), 485-502.

Stein, M., Carnine, D., & Dixon, R. (1998). Direct instruction: Integrating curriculum design and effective
teaching practice. Intervention in School and Clinic, 33(4), 227-234.

Tindal, G., Shinn, M.R., & Rodden-Nord, K. (1990). Contextually based school consultation: Influential
Variables. Exceptional Children, 56(4), 324-336.

Watson, S.M.R., Gable, R.A., & Greenwood, C.R. (2011). Combining ecobehavioral assessment, functional
assessment, and response to intervention to promote more effective classroom instruction. Remedial
and Special Education, 32(4), 334-344.

Ysseldyke, J.E. & Christenson, S.L. (1987). Evaluating students’ instructional environments. Remedial and
Special Education, 8(3), 17-24.