2013 Spring Convention Agenda

7:30-9 a.m.

Registration
Continental Breakfast

9 a.m.-4 p.m.

A1: Traversing the RTI Journey Toward Educational Excellence
Kelly Schwegel, MSE, EdS
This workshop will bring participants through a journey of RtI through a psychologist's perspective of the control they have within their organization.  Participants will view sets of exemplars related to educational components such as collaboration, core instruction and intervening and explore how to analyze the effectiveness of those exemplars while engaging in tools that can be brought back to their buildings.  Sprinkled amongst each component we will explore the mindset of the instructor, students' innate gifts, the new world of educating and additional items that will prompt a global view of educating the child of today.

A2: Providing Trauma-Informed Care in Schools to Children with Abuse and Neglect Histories within the Response to Instruction (RtI) Model *
Betty V. DeBoer, Ph.D., Christin Nelson, M.S., Sarah Coolidge, EdS
The purpose of this intermediate to advanced preconference is to give school psychologists and other mental health professionals in the schools a solid foundation of applied skills and practical knowledge needed to work with children with serious emotional and/or academic issues that are common to children from trauma backgrounds within the RtI Model. Many school psychologists work with children who come from trauma backgrounds related to a history of generational poverty, abuse, or neglect but few school psychologists feel they are sufficiently trained to consult with teachers on classroom issues these students present or to effectively counsel these children. Students with trauma histories may have diagnoses such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Bi-polar disorder, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, Depression, Sensory Integration Disorder, Reactive Attachment Disorder, Adjustment Disorder or other labels. Major challenges for many of these children include emotional regulation and academic success. School psychologists need to be equipped to deal with the emotional regulation and learning differences these students with trauma backgrounds have, regardless of their actual diagnoses. The presentation will focus on working with both children with full blown trauma-related issues as well as those affected with less severe issues.   This presentation will use the RtI framework to organize content and present information on how to set up a supportive administrative climate and then how to work with traumatized children in the classroom, in small groups, and individually.  Most of the presentation will be spent on classroom and counseling strategies for dealing with common characteristics such as: the chronic fear state, emotional regulation difficulties, impulse control problems, and attention and memory challenges, (Craig, 2008, National Scientific Council on the Developing Child, 2010, Van Der Kolk, McFarlane & Weisath, 2007). Each of these challenges will be defined and illustrated with examples and specific strategies for each characteristic will be recommended (Craig, 2008, Schwartz & Davis, 2006). Comic strip conversations, the Incredible 5-Point Scale, Social Reviews, and Social Stories will be described and examples of their use will be given (Gray, 1994, Gray, 2000, Dunn Buron & Curtis, 2003). Expected Learning Outcomes:

• Participants will recognize the importance that trauma histories have in understanding behavioral and learning issues common in this population
• Participants will identify co-morbidity issues
• Participants will identify how fear and the need for safety impact students behaviorally and will have counseling strategies for dealing with these in schools
• Participants will identify how attention, memory, language and social cognition can be negatively affected by trauma and will have concrete strategies to suggest when consulting with teachers on how to deal with the academic impact of each of these in the classroom
• Participants will identify roles that problem solving teams and various school personnel can take in working with children with trauma issues
• Participants will learn how they can work with children with trauma issues within the
• Response to Intervention model and intervene at each level
• Participants will indentify how cultural differences may impact assessment and intervention

Break

12-12:45 p.m.

Lunch

5 p.m.

Board Meeting and Dinner

8-9 a.m.

Registration
Continental Breakfast

9-10:15 a.m.

Keynote:
Building Leaders
Amy R. Smith, NASP President
This keynote presentation will address the issue of leadership in education, its impact on student achievement and leadership opportunities for school psychologists. Research has found leadership to be second only to teaching as key influences on student success. Fostering a culture of leadership within the field of school psychology will strengthen our role within buildings and districts while promoting research-based school improvement activities. Learning Objectives:

1. Define leadership in education
2. Highlight research findings regarding the relationship between leadership and achievement

10:30 a.m.-12 p.m.

Concurrent Sessions:

B1: "You’re hired!": Tips to a Successful First Year as a School Psychologist
Christine E. Neddenriep, Ph.D., NCSP
Christine Neddenriep will facilitate this panel. Overview: A panel of school psychologists and current interns will answer student questions regarding getting and keeping their first job as a school psychologist. Panelists will discuss how to prepare to enter the job market and how to successfully interview for a position. Panelists will also discuss what employers are looking for in successful school psychologists and they will offer strategies to succeed in students’ first year of employment. Objectives:

• Identify how to successfully enter the job market and to prepare a resume to effectively compete for jobs as a first-year school psychologist.
• Determine how to prepare for interview questions and to market yourself to the position for which you’re applying.
• Apply suggested strategies to successfully manage your first year of employment.

B2: Managing Conflict at Earlier Stages: WSEMS Dispute Resolution Options
Jan Serak, M.A. and Nissan Bar-Lev, Ph.D.
School Psychologists are frequent participants in the early dispute resolutions options available to schools and families through the Wisconsin Special Education Mediation System (WSEMS) - mediation, facilitated IEPs, and facilitated resolution meetings.  This session includes information about each option, including:  federal and state legal underpinnings, how the processes differ, neutral intake process, WSEMS mediator/facilitator role, who may participate, agreement to mediate, collaborative problem-solving to reach agreement, preparing a written agreement, and system evaluation and outcome data.

B3: The Role of School Psychologists in Systems Change and School Improvement Planning
Amy R. Smith, NASP President
The recent political and economic climate has taken a toll on the field of education. With a heightened focus on achievement and the use of high stakes testing as the tool to determine the success or failure of a building, educators find themselves needing to develop and implement successful school improvement plans. However, systems change work is very difficult and the need for strong leadership within buildings is now stronger than ever. This presentation will explore opportunities within the school improvement planning process for school psychologists to use their unique skill set and function as valued members of building and district leadership teams.
Learning Objectives:

• Define the concepts of Systems Change and School Improvement
• Explore key elements of Systems Change and potential roles for school psychologists on School Improvement teams.

B4: "What is an Evidence Based Intervention? Choosing and Implementing Academic and Behavior Interventions That Work" *
T. Chris Riley-Tillman, Ph.D.
While the term “evidence based intervention” or EBI for short is used throughout the educational literature, there has been limited discussion with teachers, administrators and parents about what EBI actually are. In addition, where to find “the list” of EBI seems to be rather elusive to most educational professionals. This workshop will review what EBI are across the tiers of educational service and specifically focus on Tier II and III interventions that can be used in the home or classroom. In addition, the Evidence Based Network: ebi.missouri.edu will be incorporated in the workshop so that all participants take home a warehouse of intervention techniques to use in their daily practice. As a result of this workshop participate will:

• obtain a strong understanding of EBI
• learn the key issues when selecting an EBI for a specific case
• learn how to embed EBI in a school-wide problem solving process (e.g. RtI)
• have access to intervention resources to use after the the workshop

1:30-4:45 p.m.

Concurrent Sessions:

C1: "Solidifying your Role as the School Psychologist: The NASP Practice Model and Advocacy Skills"
Robert J. Dixon, Ph.D., NCSP and Heather Hurd, Ph.D., NCSP
The National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) developed the new Practice Model in 2010 as an extension of the Blueprints and Best Practices in Graduate Education as well as the new Ethics Code. This unifying Model allows School Psychologist to begin the conversation to transform their role beyond assessment to have a greater impact on children. This model, endorsed by WSPA, is important to all school psychologists and their current and future practice in the schools. This part of the session is designed to:

1. begin the conversation on what is the practice model and
2. identify how it can positively impact your role

The second half of the session will be used to inform practitioners about the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and the direct impact it could have on school psychologists and our practice in the state.  Specifically you will learn:

1. an overview of the ACA and
2. how the ACA may impact school psychologists and services for children in Wisconsin

The session will conclude with the necessary advocacy steps based on the Practice Model and the ACA to move our profession forward.

C2: GT, CCSS, EE, and RtI: Connecting Acronyms for Student Success
Elizabeth Mallegni
There are several educational initiatives that will continue to require our attention in the coming years.  Among them are the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts and for Mathematics, Educator Effectiveness, and Response to Intervention.  In this session, explore the connections between them and how they support student success, including for those who have demonstrated high ability and those who have high potential.

C3: "School Psychology Practices: Understanding Legal Implications and Guidance for Future Practices"
Matthew W. Bell
The only constant in the legal regulation of education as it applies to school psychologists is that it is an ever-changing landscape. This workshop will focus on updating participants’ learning and understanding of Wisconsin Act 125 (restraint and seclusion); students’ rights and district responsibilities for transferring students; the confidentiality, access and storage of protocols; recent DPI Complaint decisions; and relevant Federal and State case law updates. This sectional is designed to meet the NASP’s NCSP Legal Regulation (i.e., jurisprudence) of School Psychology CPD requirement. In addition, the three hours of jurisprudence can be used toward the six hour requirement of the Department of Safety & Professional Services’ Psychology Board’s requirement of ethics, jurisprudence and risk management for psychologists and private practice school psychologists. The content of the sectional is repeated on Thursday and Friday.

C4: "Beyond CBM: Behavior Assessment Options for Measuring a Child’s Response to Intervention" *
T. Chris Riley- Tillman, Ph.D.
As school wide problem solving models such as Response to Intervention become more commonly implemented in school the need for a variety of formative assessment methods is quickly increasing. It is typical to hear a teacher or administrator correctly comment, “Curriculum Based Measurement can’t use used for all topics”! One area where there is a particular dearth in options is formative behavior assessment. This is concerning in that behavior problems is one of the most commonly cited reasons for teacher frustration. This workshop will outline the core features of problem solving assessment to outline the many options for collecting data in the schools to fuel an RTI model. This workshop will focus specifically to help participants to consider a range of behavior assessment options with a specific focus on the use of Direct Behavior Ratings (commonly known as Daily Behavior report Cards) for screening and progress monitoring purposes. DBR are a flexible and feasible method of formative behavior assessment with an extensive supportive research based. The workshop will focus on training participants to rate accurately using DBR, and how to use the method and outcome data in their daily practice to monitor a child response to behavioral interventions. As a result of this workshop participates will:

• obtain a strong understanding the core elements of problem solving assessment
• learn the key issues when selecting an assessment approach for a specific case
• learn about a variety of behavior assessment options with specific focus on Direct Behavior Rating
• have access to assessment resources to use after the workshop

3:15-3:30 p.m.

Break

5-6 p.m.

Student Posters

Name: Lindsey Adams
Program: University of Wisconsin-La Crosse
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Russell Vaden
Title: Middle School Transition: Will Emotional Intelligence Help Pave the Way?
Stressful life events are ever-present for early adolescents, but the list of challenges grows longer when students transition from elementary to middle school. The current study seeks to determine if aspects of emotional intelligence can lessen the issues faced by students during their preparation for this transition. Implications of this study will be directed to educators and school psychologists working with early adolescents in this transition process.

Name: Saycha Basken
Program: University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Kimberly Knesting-Lund
Title: School Connectedness and Extracurricular Involvement
High school dropout is often related to progressive disengagement from school. This negative trajectory might be exacerbated by the transition to high school. School connectedness emerged as a protective factor that might be fostered through extracurricular participation. Research has disproportionately focused on high school students. To better understand how to promote school persistence, this study examined school connectedness and extracurricular participation in middle school students. Participants, which included 7th and 8th graders from a rural, Midwestern middle school, were given Goodenow’s Psychological Scale of School Membership and a researcher-developed survey. Results indicated that activity participation may contribute to school connectedness.

Name: McKenzie Carran
Program: University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Christine Neddenriep
Title: The Impact of a Social-Emotional Learning Intervention on Students’ Behavior and Attitudes
Second Step is a universal prevention curriculum designed to “promote social competence, reduce social-emotional problems and prevent aggression over time, by initially focusing on increasing prosocial behavior” (Hart et al., 2009, p. 105). Social-emotional learning interventions have also been associated with higher academic achievement and increased school connectedness (Frey, Nolen, Van Schoiack Edstom & Hischstein, 2005). The purpose of this quasi-experimental study is to investigate 4th grade students’ prosocial behaviors (empathy, socially responsible behavior) and knowledge in social-emotional skills prior and subsequent to the implementation of Second Step. A positive change in the students’ prosocial behavior and social-emotional knowledge associated with Second Step is expected.

Name: Mackenzie Ferguson
Program: University of Wisconsin-La Crosse
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Jocelyn Newton
Title: Acculturation of English Language Learners: Predictor for Academic Success
Hispanic students are the fastest growing population within US schools. This group also tends to experience academic difficulties. Research has shown a relationship between acculturation of English language learners (ELLs) and academic achievement. This study examines how different factors within acculturation (i.e., language usage and social relations) predict academic achievement of elementary, middle, and high school students, after controlling for language proficiency. Implications for educators and school psychologists working with ELL students will be discussed.

Name: Luci Flood
Program: University of Wisconsin- Whitewater
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Christine Neddenriep
Title: A Classroom-Wide Buddy System Approach to Improving Social Skills in Children with Autism
Teaching students with autism effective social skills is critical for supporting them in schools. Social skills peer-mediated interventions train “typically developing peers to initiate, prompt, and reinforce social interactions” with children with autism. One such program, the Buddy Skills Program, found increased social interactions in early childhood children with disabilities; however, it has not been implemented with older students with autism. This study evaluates the effectiveness of a fourth-grade classroom-wide intervention utilizing the Buddy Skills Program with two students with autism. Using a multiple baseline design across participants, it is hypothesized that the Buddy Skills program will result in increased social interaction by the children with autism and these behaviors will continue after the intervention is completed.

Name: Anthony Frank
Program: University of Wisconsin-La Crosse
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Russell Vaden
Title: The Impact of RtI Skills and Beliefs on Teacher Efficacy
Teacher efficacy has been related to attitudes towards teaching and openness to new ideas. With increasing implementation of RtI, teacher efficacy requires consideration within the RtI context. Varying levels of teacher RtI-related skills and RtI-related beliefs are examined along with their impact on levels of teacher efficacy. Results and implications to schools implementing RtI will be discussed. Attendees will learn about the implementation of the RtI process and its impact on teacher efficacy. It is hypothesized: (1) the children with autism will display increased social interactions; (2) the class will have more positive attitudes towards students with differences.

Name: Myah M. Houge
Program: University of Wisconsin-La Crosse
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Russell Vaden
Title: Childhood Depression: Impact of Teacher Efficacy and Knowledge on Referral
Childhood depression is one of the most common psychiatric disorders with the potential of having negative impacts on students’ social, emotional and academic development. This study examines the degree to which the likelihood of a teacher referring a student for mental health services for depression concerns is related to the combination of teacher efficacy and knowledge of the school-based mental health referral process. Implications for educators and school psychologists will be discussed.

Name: Kevin Krivacek
Program: University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Christine Neddenriep
Title: The Effectiveness of the Touch Math Technique
The present study is designed to determine if children with learning deficits in mathematics could increase their addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division computation skills using a dot-notation method, Touch Math. Three 3rd-grade participants with similar learning deficits in mathematics were selected for the study. A multiple-baseline design across participants was used to evaluate the effectiveness of the Touch Math program. The effectiveness of the intervention is being measured weekly using AIMSweb Math Computation (M-COMP) worksheets that measure gains made by participants in addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division fact fluency.

Name: Sara Mattox-Wright
Program: University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Kimberly Knesting-Lund
Title: A Qualitative Case Study Regarding Families Receiving McKinney Vento Services
This qualitative study is designed to gain a better understanding of one group of parents’ experiences with the Smith School District’s McKinney Vento Services and their attempt to create stability for families experiencing homelessness and increase student achievement. Using interpretivist methods, the interviews seek to describe the complexity of each unique family experience of homelessness.

Name: Brynn Parker
Program: University of Wisconsin-La Crosse
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Jocelyn Newton
Title: Early Literacy in Preschool: Are Social Skills Related to Reading?
Early literacy skills are related to later reading outcomes and overall reading achievement. Poor social skills are a risk factor for low academic achievement. This study explores the extent that learning-related social skills relate to early literacy skills in preschool, as well as the extent to which specific learning-related social skills relate to overall literacy. Implications for school psychologists in promoting and supporting positive student outcomes in preschool are discussed.

Name: Stacey Paulos
Program: University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Tracey Scherr
Title: Effects of a Culturally Sensitive School-Based Intervention on Latino Parents’ School Involvement
The present study utilizes a pretest-posttest quasi-experimental design to examine the effects of an intervention aimed at increasing the school involvement of Spanish-speaking parents. Participants will be the primary caregivers of children enrolled at three pre-kindergarten program sites within a suburban school district, as well as the classroom teachers. Parental involvement will be assessed via parent and teacher report pre- and post-intervention. It is hypothesized that participation in the intervention program will be associated with increases in Latino parents’ school involvement that are significantly larger than those differences of participants in the comparison group. An ANOVA will be conducted to determine potential effects of the intervention.

Name: Laura Rapp
Program: University of Wisconsin-La Crosse
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Jocelyn Newton
Title: The Relationship Between Persistence and Student Engagement in Youth
Persistence has been identified as a positive intellectual trait that helps people succeed during difficult situations. Research has demonstrated the importance of persistence in tasks spanning long periods of time, especially in academic endeavors. Therefore, this study will examine how six factors of student engagement predict the positive trait of persistence. The implications of this study will suggest potential points of invention to bolster persistence in school-aged youth.

Name: Kent Schafer
Program: University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Tracey Scherr
Title: Does the Presence or Absence of Communication Predict Social Skills Competencies in Students who are Deaf?
The quality of communication plays an important role in students’ psychosocial adjustment. The purpose of this study will be to investigate the effect language has on behavior. It appears that students who are deaf are at higher socio-emotional risk due to language delay. (Lukomski, 2007; 2008; Marschark, Sapere, & Convertino, 2008). This hypothesis will be tested by collecting results from a limited sample size at the Wisconsin School for the Deaf. It is believed that the results will support the fact that the degree of a student’s delay in language will result in significant differences in their socio-emotional functioning.

Name: Samantha Scherr
Program: University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Christine Neddenriep
Title: Using Social Skills Training as an Intervention for Students with Learning Difficulties
Social competence is an important aspect of child development. Unfortunately, children who have learning difficulties tend to have lower levels of social competence. This study will examine the effect that a multi-method intervention, including Skillstreaming and two peer mentors, has on three children who have both social skills deficits and learning difficulties. An ABAB design will be used with the intervention taking place for one hour a week for eight weeks. Visual inspection and PND scores of direct observation data as well as child and teacher rating scales will be used to determine the effectiveness of the intervention.

Name: Melannie Tate
Program: University of Wisconsin-La Crosse
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Betty DeBoer
Title: Assessing School Psychologists’ Knowledge of Child Sexual Abuse
Child Sexual Abuse (CSA) is a prevalent yet understudied issue, affecting an estimated 1 in 16 children nationally. With expertise in mental health, School Psychologists are in a unique position to serve CSA victims, yet their knowledge of the issue may vary considerably. Assessing this knowledge is critical for informing future prevention and intervention efforts in schools. The current study examined School Psychologist’s knowledge of CSA as a function of their level of experience.

Name: Karisa Weske
Program: University of Wisconsin-La Crosse
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Robert J. Dixon
Title: Student Engagement in High School: Impact of Teacher Support
Teachers are instrumental in facilitating a student’s relationships with the school community. By offering various types of support, teachers may positively impact the cognitive and psychological engagement of high school students. The current study examined which aspects of teacher support—as perceived by students—are predictive of school engagement. Implications for school psychologists are discussed regarding enhancing student engagement, focusing consultation services and impacting school improvement plans.

7 p.m.-?

The Bar on College Ave.

8-9 a.m.

Registration
Full Breakfast

9 a.m.-12:15 p.m.

Concurrent Sessions:

D1: "Unpacking and Repacking the Common Core State Standards: A School Psychologist’s Guide to the Behavioral, Cognitive and Self-Regulation Demands for Success."
Kathryn L. Bush, Ph.D.,  DPI Consultant for School Psychology Services; Tamara Maxwell, DPI Language Arts Consultant
Success in school requires an array of skills which are both explicitly and implicitly taught.  Some of the needed skills are learned incidentally.  In this session we will learn how to focus on not only the content demand of the standards, but also the cognitive and  behavioral demands of the standards.  The manner of teaching and evaluating intra- and interpersonal competencies for readiness will be discussed.  We will follow the process teachers will use to map the standard, and write learning targets that take these demands into account.
"Wisconsin’s Smarter Balanced Assessment: The school psychologist’s intro to this new data-based decision-making tool"
Kathryn L. Bush, Ph.D.,  DPI Consultant for School Psychology Services; Troy Couillard, Director, Office of Student Assessment
SmarterBalanced: Wisconsin has had a leadership role in the SmarterBalanced Assessment Consortium, as one of seven states serving  on the SBAC executive committee. Wisconsin’s focus has been  on creating a balanced assessment system, a group of interrelated components designed to support the teaching/learning cycle. This system of assessment tools will meet multiple needs of students and educators. Aligned to the Common Core State Standards, the SmarterBalanced summative assessment will be a computer-adaptive test, complimented by benchmark tools and formative assessment strategies. The session will provide an overview of the system, with the most up-to-date information about its implementation in Wisconsin.

D2: GT, CCSS, EE, and RtI: Connecting Acronyms for Student Success
Elizabeth Mallegni
There are several educational initiatives that will continue to require our attention in the coming years. Among them are the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts and for Mathematics, Educator Effectiveness and Response to Intervention. In this session, explore the connections between them and how they support student success, including for those who have demonstrated high ability and those who have high potential.

D3: "School Psychology Practices: Understanding Legal Implications and Guidance for Future Practices"
Matthew W. Bell
The only constant in the legal regulation of education as it applies to school psychologists is that it is an ever-changing landscape. This workshop will focus on updating participants’ learning and understanding of Wisconsin Act 125 (restraint and seclusion); students’ rights and district responsibilities for transferring students; the confidentiality, access and storage of protocols; recent DPI Complaint decisions; and relevant Federal and State case law updates. This sectional is designed to meet the NASP’s NCSP Legal Regulation (i.e., jurisprudence) of School Psychology CPD requirement. In addition, the three hours of jurisprudence can be used toward the six hour requirement of the Department of Safety & Professional Services’ Psychology Board’s requirement of ethics, jurisprudence and risk management for psychologists and private practice school psychologists. The content of the sectional is repeated on Thursday and Friday.

D4: Mental Health Screening: Procedures, Tools, and School Readiness *
Kathy Halley, Ph.D.
Mental Health Screening will discuss how to integrate screening for mental health, social-emotional and behavioral concerns within the three-tiered model of RtI and Positive Behavior Support. Selection of screening tools and types of screening tools, including self- report, parent and teacher rating, gated screenings, public domain and other screening methods will be covered. Participants will have time to assess their school's readiness to implement mental health screening and complete a plan for systems change.

10:30-10:45 a.m.

Break

12:15-1 p.m.

Lunch

1-2:30 p.m.

Keynote:
There Is NO Crying in the Teachers’ Lounge
Dave Cattoi, Ph.D.
How can we work with kids in school who wear us out all day? Simple...we need to teach kids (and teachers) what is expected of them, teach kids how to behave and how to take pride in themselves, pride in their studies and pride in their new attitude towards learning. But is it that simple? Helping kids feel good and working with teachers to help them see the good in ALL kids leads to a positive educational experience; A good day at school. Carl Rogers described unconditional positive regard as a technique that involves showing complete support and acceptance of psychotherapy clients. Let’s take that concept into the schools, into the classroom and into the hearts of teachers and students. Rogers believed that every person could achieve their goals, wishes and desires in life. We believe that every kid deserves a chance. Every kid. Let’s give schools the tools needed to help kids self-actualize and in turn, learn. Tough kids, good kids…all kids. We work in schools because we care about kids. It is not easy. If it were then everyone would do it. They don’t. We do.