Year 1 Practicum - Walpole, MA
Upon entering graduate school at Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology (MSPP), I have had the opportunity to be a practicum student in an elementary school in Walpole, Massachusetts. At my practicum placement I was given the opportunity to work as the site coordinator of a program called Primary Project. Primary Project is a program that is for students who may be at-risk for school adjustment problems. These students are screened into the program by their classroom teachers and participate in child-lead, non-directed play for half hour sessions over the course of twelve weeks. As the site coordinator, I had the responsibility to work with the teachers and be a liaison between the Child Associates (CA), teachers, and the program director at MSPP. I was responsible for scheduling and collecting data from the teachers as well as being a CA seeing three different students. This experience has taught me the foundation of counseling skills and the skill of active reflective listening. I also have had the experience of learning how to coordinate with teachers and other staff within the school setting.
At my practicum placement I have had the experience to learn about different types of assessments utilized in my school system. I was able to gain proficiency in administration and scoring of: cognitive measures, such as the WISC-IV and the WAIS-IV; achievement measures, such as the WIAT-III and KeyMath; progress monitoring measures, such as DIBELS; and social emotional measures and rating scales, such the BASC-2 and Conners-3. The cognitive, achievement, social emotional, and rating scales measures were utilized for data-based decision making for student eligibility for services. For progress monitoring, I was able to meet with a student once a week over the course of twenty weeks to track how she was doing in gaining reading fluency and comprehension. By the end of the twenty weeks, she was above benchmark for her year.
During the first half of the year, I was able to work with the school guidance counselor once a week. While working with the guidance counselor, I was able to participate and aide in social groups she ran during lunch. The social groups that were run on the day I was there were for kindergarten, first, third, and fifth graders. The focus of each group varied based on grade level. The kindergarten, first and third graders focused on “expected” vs. “unexpected behaviors” as well as developing appropriate social connections with peers. The fifth graders focus was on social connections, as well as planning and organizing in preparation for middle school.
For course work, I was able to run a research project at my practicum introducing students to mindfulness. I was able to run a Mindfulness-Based group for students who are exhibiting high levels of anxiety in the classroom. Group was run over the course of six weeks utilizing a set curriculum teaching students how to recognize anxious thoughts and learn different types of coping methods.
Under the supervision of my supervisor, I was able to participate in consultation with classroom teachers regarding behavior plans for two students. The first behavior plan was for a student in kindergarten with sensory-motor issues. His plan consisted on tracking his behavior and having him work towards earning choice time. Another aspect of the plan was to give him a sensory diet. I was able to work closely with the school’s Occupational Therapist to learn the student’s sensory diet and meet with him in the mornings to carry out this aspect of his plan. The second student was a first grade student who demonstrated inappropriate behaviors in the classroom. I conducted a Functional Behavioral Assessment (FBA) for the student and developed a behavior plan based on his needs. When my supervisor consulted with the classroom teachers for both of these students, I was able to attend and observe the best way to communicate with teachers regarding students.
Overall, my experience has been a positive one. I was able to gain experience in a variety of areas including: assessment, preventative programs, consultation and research in an elementary school setting. These opportunities have allowed for me to experience what it is like to be a school psychologist in the Walpole school system. I was able to work and build rapport with teachers in a variety of the grades (K-5) as well as with the Moderate Special Needs teachers, Reading Specialists, Guidance Counselor, and Occupational Therapist. Having practicum experience in the first year of the program has been beneficial in allowing for me to connect what I am learning to a real life application in the school system.
At my practicum placement I have had the experience to learn about different types of assessments utilized in my school system. I was able to gain proficiency in administration and scoring of: cognitive measures, such as the WISC-IV and the WAIS-IV; achievement measures, such as the WIAT-III and KeyMath; progress monitoring measures, such as DIBELS; and social emotional measures and rating scales, such the BASC-2 and Conners-3. The cognitive, achievement, social emotional, and rating scales measures were utilized for data-based decision making for student eligibility for services. For progress monitoring, I was able to meet with a student once a week over the course of twenty weeks to track how she was doing in gaining reading fluency and comprehension. By the end of the twenty weeks, she was above benchmark for her year.
During the first half of the year, I was able to work with the school guidance counselor once a week. While working with the guidance counselor, I was able to participate and aide in social groups she ran during lunch. The social groups that were run on the day I was there were for kindergarten, first, third, and fifth graders. The focus of each group varied based on grade level. The kindergarten, first and third graders focused on “expected” vs. “unexpected behaviors” as well as developing appropriate social connections with peers. The fifth graders focus was on social connections, as well as planning and organizing in preparation for middle school.
For course work, I was able to run a research project at my practicum introducing students to mindfulness. I was able to run a Mindfulness-Based group for students who are exhibiting high levels of anxiety in the classroom. Group was run over the course of six weeks utilizing a set curriculum teaching students how to recognize anxious thoughts and learn different types of coping methods.
Under the supervision of my supervisor, I was able to participate in consultation with classroom teachers regarding behavior plans for two students. The first behavior plan was for a student in kindergarten with sensory-motor issues. His plan consisted on tracking his behavior and having him work towards earning choice time. Another aspect of the plan was to give him a sensory diet. I was able to work closely with the school’s Occupational Therapist to learn the student’s sensory diet and meet with him in the mornings to carry out this aspect of his plan. The second student was a first grade student who demonstrated inappropriate behaviors in the classroom. I conducted a Functional Behavioral Assessment (FBA) for the student and developed a behavior plan based on his needs. When my supervisor consulted with the classroom teachers for both of these students, I was able to attend and observe the best way to communicate with teachers regarding students.
Overall, my experience has been a positive one. I was able to gain experience in a variety of areas including: assessment, preventative programs, consultation and research in an elementary school setting. These opportunities have allowed for me to experience what it is like to be a school psychologist in the Walpole school system. I was able to work and build rapport with teachers in a variety of the grades (K-5) as well as with the Moderate Special Needs teachers, Reading Specialists, Guidance Counselor, and Occupational Therapist. Having practicum experience in the first year of the program has been beneficial in allowing for me to connect what I am learning to a real life application in the school system.
Katie Zofcin Walpole, MA Field Log | |
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