School Psychologist @ Lafayette Elementary

Our mission is to help our students reach their full potential through creative, challenging, and joyful learning experiences in a supportive, nurturing environment that integrates the arts into all we do. We are driven by our core values of a growth-mindset, joy, kindness, inclusion, and integrity.

$5K Signing Bonus available for new/returning-to-DCPS providers.

Our public school students need your expertise, passion and leadership.

We are looking for highly motivated and skilled talent to join our team at District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS). We seek individuals who are passionate about transforming the DC school system and making a significant difference in the lives of public school students, parents, principals, teachers, and central office employees.

DCPS serves 50,000 students in the nation's capital through the efforts of approximately 4,000 educators in 118 schools. As part of a comprehensive reform effort to become the preeminent urban school system in America, DCPS intends to have the highest-performing, best paid, most satisfied, and most honored educator force in the nation and a distinctive central office staff whose work supports and drives instructional excellence and significant achievement gains for DCPS students.

Position Overview

The position is located in the District of Columbia Public Schools, School Culture Division. The school psychologist provides a full range of school psychological services to children in grades PreK3 through 12, preventive services, including screening and assessment, designing remedial educational programs, individual and group consultation with school staff, parents, and outside agencies as appropriate. The incumbent functions as a member of the school’s multidisciplinary team to interpret evaluation results and determine the student’s eligibility for special services, appropriate programming, and ongoing progress. The school-based School Psychologists will report to the school principal and the Program Manager, School Psychology.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

The below statements are intended to describe the general nature and scope of work being performed by this position. This is not a complete listing of all responsibilities, duties, and/or skills required. Other clinical duties may be assigned.

  • Identifies appropriate interventions to strengthen academic and behavioral skills within the school setting. Monitors the progress and the fidelity of interventions implemented at Tier II and Tier III level.
  • Utilize curriculum-based measures and other measures of student progress to identify students in need of intervention and provide various means of assessment to specify the area of weakness.
  • Supports leadership in designing and developing evidence-based models that best fit the needs of the students.
  • Progress monitoring the data over intervals of time to determine the effectiveness of the interventions implemented, adjusting interventions as needed.
  • Serves in a consultative role to offer prevention and intervention strategies related to increase learning and behavioral skills of students.
  • Provides meaningful, helpful suggestions to school teams regarding behavior management, social skill development, conflict resolution, and instructional strategies.
  • Provides various small group counseling for students with social, emotional and/or behavioral concerns.
  • Develops appropriate interventions and strategies to assist individual students in academic growth and school adjustment.
  • Selects, administers, scores, and interprets approved individual psychological assessments, using instruments and procedures approved by DCPS to determine eligibility for special education services in accordance with regulatory requirements.
  • Prepares and completes evaluation reports utilizing the format approved by DCPS that is provides meaningful data and recommendations to teachers and guardians. Reports include information from a variety of sources, including parents, nurse, teachers, community organizations, etc.
  • Uploads assessment reports to system upon completion and documents all due diligence efforts made.
  • Core member of the school crisis team and the central office crisis rotation.
  • Serves as the MTSS coordinator to assist in facilitating meetings and ensuring fidelity.
  • Integral participant in the 504, Eligibility, Parent and School Mental Health and meetings.
  • Attends due process hearings as requested.
  • Required to attend all mandatory monthly staff meetings, case conferences, trainings, and professional developments.

Qualifications

  • Master's Degree in School Psychology, Educational or Clinical psychology from an accredited institution, to include forty-two (42) semester hours of graduate level coursework and five hundred (500) clock hours of satisfactory field experience in a preK through 12 school setting under the supervision of a certified school psychologist. See DCMR 1659.1 for additional details regarding required graduate level coursework.
  • Certification as a School Psychologist by the District of Columbia Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE).
  • Two years of school psychology experience required.
  • Ability to administer, analyze psychological and educational assessments and write quality comprehensive reports.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $68,950.00 - $104,348.00 per year

Benefits:

  • 401(k)
  • Dental insurance
  • Health insurance
  • Paid time off
  • Vision insurance

Work Location: In person

Back to blog

Common Interview Questions And Answers

1. HOW DO YOU PLAN YOUR DAY?

This is what this question poses: When do you focus and start working seriously? What are the hours you work optimally? Are you a night owl? A morning bird? Remote teams can be made up of people working on different shifts and around the world, so you won't necessarily be stuck in the 9-5 schedule if it's not for you...

2. HOW DO YOU USE THE DIFFERENT COMMUNICATION TOOLS IN DIFFERENT SITUATIONS?

When you're working on a remote team, there's no way to chat in the hallway between meetings or catch up on the latest project during an office carpool. Therefore, virtual communication will be absolutely essential to get your work done...

3. WHAT IS "WORKING REMOTE" REALLY FOR YOU?

Many people want to work remotely because of the flexibility it allows. You can work anywhere and at any time of the day...

4. WHAT DO YOU NEED IN YOUR PHYSICAL WORKSPACE TO SUCCEED IN YOUR WORK?

With this question, companies are looking to see what equipment they may need to provide you with and to verify how aware you are of what remote working could mean for you physically and logistically...

5. HOW DO YOU PROCESS INFORMATION?

Several years ago, I was working in a team to plan a big event. My supervisor made us all work as a team before the big day. One of our activities has been to find out how each of us processes information...

6. HOW DO YOU MANAGE THE CALENDAR AND THE PROGRAM? WHICH APPLICATIONS / SYSTEM DO YOU USE?

Or you may receive even more specific questions, such as: What's on your calendar? Do you plan blocks of time to do certain types of work? Do you have an open calendar that everyone can see?...

7. HOW DO YOU ORGANIZE FILES, LINKS, AND TABS ON YOUR COMPUTER?

Just like your schedule, how you track files and other information is very important. After all, everything is digital!...

8. HOW TO PRIORITIZE WORK?

The day I watched Marie Forleo's film separating the important from the urgent, my life changed. Not all remote jobs start fast, but most of them are...

9. HOW DO YOU PREPARE FOR A MEETING AND PREPARE A MEETING? WHAT DO YOU SEE HAPPENING DURING THE MEETING?

Just as communication is essential when working remotely, so is organization. Because you won't have those opportunities in the elevator or a casual conversation in the lunchroom, you should take advantage of the little time you have in a video or phone conference...

10. HOW DO YOU USE TECHNOLOGY ON A DAILY BASIS, IN YOUR WORK AND FOR YOUR PLEASURE?

This is a great question because it shows your comfort level with technology, which is very important for a remote worker because you will be working with technology over time...