Graduate Course Descriptions

In this course, students will integrate prior coursework on instruction, assessment, intervention, and consultation with their practicum experiences. Students will develop advanced skills in applying data-based decision-making processes and behavioral consultation models to identify and analyze behaviors of concern, develop and implement appropriate interventions, collect data regarding the interventions’ effectiveness and acceptability, and to make decisions regarding the effectiveness of the intervention. Students will utilize data from their practicum (completed concurrently with this course). Case conceptualization and presentation skills will be practiced. Treatment integrity, intervention acceptability, and effect size data will be gathered and interpreted. Written and graphical data presentation will be reviewed.

This course prepares students to anticipate and respond to crises in educational settings. The role of the educational specialist in crisis prevention and intervention will be discussed. School climate and positive behavioral supports will be reviewed, with particular focus on strategies to create a positive culture, sense of community, schoolfamily- community partnerships, and respect for diversity. Implications for creating teaching and learning environments conducive to positive cognitive, academic, and socio-emotional development will be discussed. Research on prevalence of crises, steps in developing crisis plans, and strategies for responding to different types of crises (e.g., school violence, natural disaster, illness/death of school community members) and for supporting self, colleagues, and students in the aftermath of crises will be discussed.

This course examines instructional techniques, assessments, and interventions as they apply to diverse learners, including children with exceptionalities and English Language Learners. Research on academic skill acquisition will be discussed. Use and interpretation of authentic, screening, diagnostic, formative, benchmark, and summative assessments will be reviewed. Ethical and evidence-based instructional and intervention techniques will be emphasized (Prerequisite: either PSYC 641 or PSYC 663).

This course addresses theories, models, and processes of consultation, including collaborative, consultee-centered, mental health, behavioral, and instructional consultation. Functional assessment of behavior and positive behavioral supports; direct and indirect interventions with individuals and groups; strategies for crisis prevention and management; systems-level consultation; and program evaluation will be explored. The role of the educational specialist (i.e., school counselor and school psychologist) within the school system are reviewed. Methods of collaboration among school-based professionals, with families, and with community agencies are emphasized.

This course builds upon PSYC 654. Norm- and criterion-referenced academic assessment tools used to examine students’ risk for academic difficulty and/or eligibility for interventions, including special education, are discussed. Administration, interpretation, and report-writing skills will be developed. Data-based decision-making will be emphasized. Application of assessments to diverse learners, including children with exceptionalities and English Language Learners, will be discussed.

This course critically examines the issues related to assessing psychological characteristics and educational achievement. Reliability, validity, item analysis, units and levels of measurement, and use of multiple measures in selection, prediction, and diagnosis are explored. Properties of cognitive, academic, and personality assessment measures are addressed. Technological issues and applications as they pertain to psychological assessment are discussed. Ethical issues in assessment are explored.

Students will learn to administer, score, interpret, and report results of various measures of cognitive functioning. Multicultural assessment practices and diversity issues will be reviewed. Educational and clinical applications of individual assessment, diagnostic measures of intelligence, and observation techniques will be examined. Best practices, ethical standards, theoretical frameworks for assessment, and supplemental norm- and criterion-referenced assessment measures and techniques will be reviewed. (Pre-requisites: PSYC 663)

Students will increase their proficiency in planning, conducting, and interpreting the data resulting from comprehensive and individualized assessments. Cognitive assessment, academic achievement assessment, curriculum-based assessment, and socioemotional/ behavioral assessment methods for preschool and school-age children will be reviewed and practiced. Knowledge of and skills in cross-battery and integrated assessment will be developed. Case conceptualization and report writing skills will be practiced.

Review of moderate and serious pathological and diagnostic schemas using DSM, with secondary emphasis on treatment implications. Strategies for assessing and formulating clinical and cultural material are examined. Students are introduced to symptom clusters which distinguish different mental health problems and are presented with a dimensional model for understanding diagnosis within the context of personality styles. Implications for diversity are examined. Open only to Psy.D. students.