Professional Development and Practices Committee
Committee Report – July, 2004

Introduction:

Peter Farrell and Bob Clark met at the NASP meeting in March, 2004 in Dallas to discuss the future direction of the Professional Development Committee of ISPA.  Transition in the leadership of the committee and the cancellation of the Colloquium in China in 2003 have slowed the progress of the PDC. In our March meeting, I outlined a process the PDC might follow for the coming year.  I have been awarded a year-long sabbatical from my university to work, in part, on the activities of the PDC of ISPA.  I write this report to first review the history of the PDC’s activities over the last five years, then to explain the proposed activities to be undertaken during the coming year, and to solicit the EC’s comments and authorization.

History of PDC Activities – 1999-2004:

The following is the chronology of activities of the PDC to date:

1998-1999 -  At the meeting of the PDC at the 1999 Colloquium, Tom Oakland, Chryse Hatzichristou, and others

met to discuss the development of Standards for Accrediting Professional Preparations Programs in School Psychology.  Over the course of that year, drawing on international sources, a first draft of the Standards were developed.

1999-2000 – Tom Oakland and I presented the 1^st Draft of the Standards at the Leadership Workshop at the

Colloquium in 2000.  Comments from EC members and Leadership Workshop participants contributed to the modification of the standards of the year.

2000-2001 - Tom Oakland and I presented the revised 2nd Draft of the Standards at the Leadership Workshop at

the Colloquium in 2001.  EC members and Leadership Workshop participants were asked to comment in detail on the draft standards either at the Colloquium or via mail following it.  About ten people commented specifically on the draft.

2001-2002 – Modifications to the Standards were made consistent with comments offered at and following the

Colloquium.   The Standards have remained substantially unchanged since this time period.  However, the EC did authorize that a survey be conducted to explore interest in accreditation activities for ISPA.  Tom Oakland initiated this activity in the Fall, 2002.

2002-2003 – Peg Dawson asked me to assume responsibility for the survey in the fall, 2002.  Based some additional

feedback, the survey was revised and an initial list of possible survey participants was developed.  I worked with two graduate students (Bohac & Sweeney) to review literature in the area and to further analyze the comments of Leadership Workshop participants on the Standards.  Copies of their work is available on request.  However, the survey was never distributed.

2003-2004 – Another graduate student (Feingold) assisted me in adapting the survey for electronic distribution

(www.websurveyor.com). 

July/August 2004 – PDC Meeting at 26^th Colloquium, Exeter.  Next steps and suggested agenda follows.

As noted in the Introduction, I have received a sabbatical from my university.  I proposed to my university colleagues that I would work with the ISPA and I set for my self the following purpose and goals for the sabbatical:

The purpose of the sabbatical is to bring to conclusion activities begun late in 1998 in conjunction with my activities as co-chair and now chairperson of the Professional Development Committee of the International School Psychology Association (ISPA).  The activities include:

1.      development of standards for the preparation of School Psychologists internationally, and,

2.      development of School Psychology professional preparation program accreditation guidelines and implementation strategies within a diverse international professional regulatory environment.

I recognize that I do not work for myself but for the EC and the ISPA.  I have been dissatisfied and disappointed that I have not yet fulfilled the promise of the initial PDC activities in standards development.  I want to work with the EC and ISPA during the following 12 months to substantially advance the PDC activities undertaken in the history outlined above.  Therefore, I hope that the following issues can be addressed at the PDC meeting in Exeter.  To that end I propose the following agenda.

Tentative PDC Agenda (sequence not necessarily in this order)

1 -        Review of the History of the Committee to Date

2 -            Recommendations for Committee membership

3 -            Discussion of the

·        2002 Draft (#3) of the Standards for Accrediting Professional Preparations Programs in School Psychology

·        what to do next with the Standards.  Do they need to be reconsidered by the EC?  Do they need to be formally adopted by the EC?  Does the ISPA membership need to formally adopt them?

4 -            Discussion of the Draft Survey on International School Psychology program accreditation under ISPA.

5 -            Discussion of Strategic and Tactical steps to follow in the coming year (2004-2005) with presentation

scheduled at the 2005, 27^th Colloquium in Greece.

6 -            Discussion of “Optimistic” Goals for PDC

·        New PDC members selected during Exeter Colloquium

·        List of survey respondents identified at Colloquium

·        Survey of School Psychology Program Directors/Faculty conducted, September 2004

·        Results reported to EC Fall (ca. November)

·        Based on EC discussions, PDC discussions, survey results, Draft #3 Standards are revised and “adopted” by ISPA by whatever procedures, EC determines or exist for such action.

·        Develop during balance of 2004-05 and prior to 2005 Colloquium, a first Draft of an “Accreditation Handbook” that will be presented for review and discussion in Greece.

I welcome your comments on the contents of this report and the tentative agenda.

Respectfully submitted.

Bob Clark, National-Louis University, Evanston, IL 60201, USA

Bclark@nl.edu

             Professional Development and Practices Committee
Committee Report – February, 2003

Goal I: Complete the distribution of the ISPA survey and analyze the data. 

• Activity 1: Identify International School Psychology training programs and distribute the ISPA    survey via email.
  
  Progress so far: Have solicited the assistance of two graduate students (Ginger Bohac & Jean Sweeney) who are working on their Ed.S. theses and a colleague at Loyola University of Chicago (Dr. Nancy Scott). The graduate students are assisting in:

•       identification of professional training programs worldwide (in process),

•       identification of relevant literature on professional psychology accreditation  internationally (in process),

•       data collection and analysis, and,

•       follow-up of selected professional preparation programs via an email interview to gather additional qualitative data on the topic of international program recognition.

Nancy Scott is assisting me in the write-up of the final report. I may not be able to attend the colloquium due to a family commitment and Dr. Scott would be available to present the results and respond to the EC’s questions.

Data collection procedures:

•       finalize the wording of cover letter and survey (see attached draft for comment),

•       disseminate to selected North American school psychology professional preparation programs (both NASP & APA programs),

•       disseminate to all possible school psychology professional preparation programs internationally,

•       identify a small number (e.g., 4 to 6) professional preparation programs who would be willing to respond to a slightly longer survey (more of an email chat) the purpose of which is to gain further clarification of what programs would be interested in and hope to derive from program recognition from ISPA.

Timeline:        Expect

•         the initial email survey data to be collected by first week of April, 2003,

•         the follow-up email qualitative data collected by mid-May.

Activity 2: Analyze the survey data and prepare a report for the 2003 Colloquium.

Progress so far: In process.

Timeline: Expect:

•         those data to be analyzed and compiled by the fourth week of April,

•         the qualitative data to be compiled and analyzed by the end of May,

•         report for EC to be prepared in May and finalized the second week in June,

•         presented to EC at the 2003 Colloquia by me and Dr. Nancy Scott.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Goal II: Put previously reviewed ISPA Professional Training Standards into form for possible distribution and discussion by the ISPA Executive Committee.

Activity 1: Compare previous drafts of the document and prepare a “final” draft for EC discussion.

Progress so far: Previous drafts are archived and annotated comments have been recorded.

Timeline: Expect work to be completed and attached as an addendum to EC report by mid June 2003.

Bob Clark, Chair.