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School Psychology

photoSchool Psychology at LSU is an APA‡ and NASP accredited program that is small and collegial. Each student has intensive and frequent contact with faculty members, particularly his or her major professor. Because the program has a student-faculty ratio of approximately 6:1, abundant opportunity is provided for students to learn directly about being a psychologist instead of merely attending classes. The program embraces a scientist/practitioner model of training and is designed to develop psychologists who use scientific problem-solving techniques in their research as well as their practice. The orientation is behavioral/ecological, with a focus on children as they function within family, school, and community systems. The program strongly emphasizes the training of school psychologists who are agents of change in children’s lives. The development of consultation, behavior analytic, and intervention/treatment skills is strongly emphasized. The program prepares students to develop interventions for behavior and academic problems and offers a course sequence that has been approved by the Behavior Analyst Certification Board to fulfill one of the requirements for sitting for the national board certification examination in behavior analysis. There is a strong focus on "hands on" work in schools, clinics, hospitals and institutions. Employment opportunities in these settings after graduation are now plentiful. Approximately 30% of graduates work in university settings.


The school psychology faculty are nationally recognized scholars in their areas of inquiry and training. They have won a variety of awards for scholarship. They have served or currently serve as editor and associate editor of journals in psychology and education. All of the school psychology faculty have obtained grants to support their research and training work. The school psychology program has been identified as among the top 3 in school psychology programs nationally in scholarly productivity based upon a paper published in School Psychology Quarterly, the scholarly journal for school psychology within APA.


Because faculty and students are active in creating new knowledge through research, graduate students can expect solid evidence-based training incorporating the most recent developments in the field. Graduates of the program are recruited heavily by schools, hospitals, institutions, and universities. Program graduates hold faculty positions at Utah State University, Marcus Center (Emory University), Miami University, University of British Columbia, the University of California – Santa Barbara, and Oklahoma State University. In school systems, graduates typically hold leadership or administrative positions, depending on their interest.


Required Course Work for the PhD in School Psychology at LSU


I. Departmental Required Courses

Qualifying Core Courses


During your first 2 years you must complete the following courses. It is recommended that as many of these classes as possible be taken during the first year of graduate school. An earned grade of an A or a B is required to have completed these courses.

  • Biological Basis of Behavior (7034)
  • Cognitive Basis of Behavior (7030)
  • Social Basis of Behavior (7040)
  • History of Modern Psychology (4008)

And two of the four methodology courses:

  • Measurement of Behavior (7020)
  • Methodology and Research (7117)
  • Intermediate Statistics (4111)
  • Advanced Statistics (7111)

• You have two attempts to complete these qualifying core classes. Failure to pass these courses with an A or B within your first two years will result in dismissal from the program. If you wait to take the course until year two of your studies you will get only one attempt to earn an A or B.

•Only one qualifying core course may be failed. Failure of two qualifying core courses will result in immediate dismissal from the program.

• Please check with your major professor regarding the methodology sequence and your career goals. You may be required to take more than two courses from this sequence.

• If you feel you have a particularly strong background in one or more of the core areas, you may take the final exam in any course; you will have satisfied the core requirement if you earn a grade of “A” or “B.” You must secure a letter from the course instructor giving your exam grade for inclusion in your file, as evidence of satisfying this requirement.

• Additionally, the School Psychology program requires all students to complete 7117, 4111, and 7111.

II. School Psychology Required Courses

You must successfully complete( with a grade of A or B) the following courses before going on internship:

  • Psychological Assessment I (7125)
  • Psychoeducational Assessment (7165)
  • Cultural Diversity in Counseling and Therapy (7929)
  • Ethical, Legal, and Professional Issues in School Psychology (7060)
  • School Psychological Consultation (7660)
  • School-Based Psychological Interventions (7973)
  • Developmental Disorders and Psychopathology of Children (7171)
  • Current Problems in School Psychology (7968)
  • Child Behavior Therapy (7972)
  • Advanced Seminar in Behavior Analysis (7947, 3 Seminars are required)
    • Theories and Concepts of Behavior Analysis
    • Research Methods and Applications in Behavior Analysis
    • Behavioral Perspectives on Child and Adolescent Development
  • Psychological Assessment Practicum (7688, joint enrolled with clinical students)
  • Practicum in School Psychology (7668, 3 Semesters)
  • Practicum in School Psychology (7669, 3 Semesters)
  • Thesis Research (8000)

You must successfully complete the following courses to complete the PhD in school psychology:

  • Internship in School Psychology (7969, minimum of 2 Semesters)
  • Dissertation Research (9000)

In addition, student’s major professor or program of study committee may require that students take Applied Behavioral Analysis (4080) in preparation for advanced graduate study. This decision will be made after evaluation of each individual student’s background in ABA.

Waiving Required Courses

The Department of Psychology does not permit any transfer credit for the required qualifying core courses. Students may either take the course or they can attempt to obtain exemption from taking the course by taking the course’s cumulative final. If a student takes that final and receives a B or better they will not be required to take that course.

In relatively rare instances students are granted exemption from one or more required courses in the doctoral School Psychology Doctoral training curriculum. In order to be granted an exemption the student is required to have completed substantially equivalent training in another graduate training program that the faculty judges to be sufficient to prepare the student to complete the demanding graduate specialty examination in school psychology and to be sufficient preparation for internship. The prior course of training may be a single course or an entire sequence of courses. The critical consideration is not that the student has a course with the same or similar name to an LSU course, but that the material covered was substantially equivalent to the LSU course and that the level of rigor expected of students was similarly equivalent. Waivers have been granted, but they are uncommon. Students wishing to apply for a waiver must first review their request with their major professor. If the major professor supports the application the student is required to submit the request to the program director along with the syllabus for the relevant courses and any supporting materials the program director may request. If the request is approved a memo to that effect will be placed in the student’s departmental folder.

School Psychology Training Objectives

The faculty of the School Psychology Program at LSU has adopted the following training goals to help organize and guide our training efforts across the four years that students are typically on campus. The assessments of these goals and objectives are integrated into both the ongoing evaluation of students’ progression through the curriculum and in their evaluation each semester in their applied training. Potential applicants who would like more detailed information about the School Psychology Program at LSU are encouraged to examine the School Psychology Student Handbook that can be obtained from the link for current graduate students on the Department’s website.

LSU School Psychology Program Training Goals and Objectives

1. Foundations. Program graduates will demonstrate understanding of fundamental principles influencing human behavior.

1.1. Program graduates will demonstrate understanding of critical biological, cognitive, social, developmental, and environmental factors influencing human behavior.

1.1.1. Training Assessment: Successful completion of the psychology core as specified by the Department of Psychology plus completion of the Behavioral Perspectives on Child Development graduate seminar.

Assessment standard: Completing all departmental core courses plus the developmental course with a B or better.


1.2. Program graduates will demonstrate understanding of ecobehavioral models of person-environment interaction and how this influences behavior.

1.2.1. Training Assessment: Successful completion of Theories and Concepts of Behavior Analysis and Research Methodology and Application in Behavior Analysis.

Assessment standard: Completing courses with a B or better.

1.2.2. Training Assessment: Successful completion of the applied behavior analysis domain of the comprehensive doctoral specialty examination.

Assessment standard: Passing evaluation of written and oral examination by a committee of five faculty members including the representative of the Dean of the Graduate School.

1.3. Program graduates will demonstrate the ability to transfer understanding of basic principles of human behavior to applied specific contexts to generate hypotheses regarding mechanisms governing the behavior of individuals.

1.3.1. Training Assessment: Observation of case formulations by practica supervisor.

Assessment standard: Presentation of multiple case formulations in practica supervision which the student integrates basic psychological processes into case formulation as evaluated by practica supervisor.

2. Assessment. Program graduates will use assessments that meet current professional standards for practice to guide diagnostic determination, intervention design, and monitor the progress of clients they serve.

2.1. Program graduates will demonstrate mastery of the technical issues relevant to the selection and interpretation of assessment devices in school psychology.


2.1.1. Training Assessment:
Successful completion of Psychological Assessment I and Psychoeducational Assessment.

Assessment standard: Completing courses with a B or better.

2.1.2. Training Assessment: Successful completion of the assessment domain of the comprehensive doctoral specialty examination.

Assessment standard: Passing evaluation of written and oral examination by a committee of five faculty members including the representative of the Dean of the Graduate School.

2.2. Program graduates will demonstrate a clear understanding of the different technical qualities that are desirable in assessment tools that are used for diagnostic determination, treatment planning, and progress monitoring.

2.2.1. Training Assessment: Successful completion of Psychological Assessment I and Psychoeducational Assessment. Successful completion of the assessment domain of the comprehensive doctoral specialty examination.

Assessment standard: Completing courses with a B or better. Passing evaluation of written and oral examination by a committee of five faculty members including the representative of the Dean of the Graduate School.

2.3. Program graduates will devise, implement, and interpret assessment plans to screen referral concerns for purposes of triage and problem identification.

2.3.1. Training Assessment: Successful completion of initial interviews of parents, educators, and students in applied settings. Successful use of brief screening measures in practica. See the practica assessment matrix.

Assessment standard: Completion of preliminary/screening assessments including interviews, academic screening, and/or behavioral screening. Practica supervisor must grade at least four initial screening assessments as appropriate for practice with minimal supervision.

2.4. Program graduates will devise, implement, and interpret assessment data in a professionally appropriate manner to reach diagnostic determinations based on the relevant diagnostic criteria.

2.4.1. Training Assessment: Successful completion of diagnostic psychoeducational evaluation with complete report and client conference. See the practica assessment matrix.

Assessment standard: Completion of at least two complete psychoeducational evaluations with report and conference that are graded as appropriate for practice with limited supervision. The final reports to meet this objective must be passed by two faculty members who are licensed psychologists.

2.5. Program graduates will devise and implement behavioral, functional, and curriculum based assessments to develop case formulations that guide intervention planning.

2.5.1. Training Assessment: Successful completion of functional behavioral assessments to guide problem identification and hypothesis generation. See the practica assessment matrix.

Assessment standard: Completion of at least two complete assessments with accurate case formulations graded as appropriate for practice with limited supervision.

2.5.2. Training Assessment: Implementation of curriculum based academic assessments in reading, mathematics, and written expression to guide problem identification and hypothesis generation. See the practica assessment matrix.

Assessment standard: Completion of at least four complete assessments with accurate case formulations graded as appropriate for practice with limited supervision.

2.6. Program graduates will write technically sound professional reports of assessment outcomes that are appropriate to the needs of the target consumer.

2.6.1. Training Assessment: Review of written reports. See the practica assessment matrix.

Assessment standard: Completion of at least two complete psychoeducational evaluations with reports that are graded as appropriate for practice with limited supervision. The final reports to meet this objective must be passed by two licensed faculty members.

2.7. Program graduates will demonstrate effective communication skills in describing assessment reports in case studies and conferences with parents, educators, and other service consumers.

2.7.1. Training Assessment: Observation of case conference meetings. See the practica assessment matrix.

Assessment standard: Completion of at least two evaluation conferences that are graded as appropriate for practice with limited supervision. The final reports to meet this objective must be passed by two faculty members who are licensed psychologists.

 

3. Intervention. Program graduates will design and implement evidenced-based therapeutic interventions that meet the needs of children, adolescents and families across educational and community settings.

3.1. Program graduates will demonstrate mastery of fundamental behavior analytic principles governing human behavior.

3.1.1. Training Assessment: Successful completion of Theories and Concepts of Behavior Analysis and Research Methodology and Application in Behavior Analysis.

Assessment standard: Completing courses with a B or better.

3.1.2. Training Assessment: Successful completion of the applied behavior analysis domain of the comprehensive doctoral specialty examination.

Assessment standard: Passing evaluation of written and oral examination by a committee of five faculty members including the representative of the Dean of the Graduate School.

3.2. Program graduates will demonstrate understanding of the primary research literature regarding evidence for the efficacy of interventions for social, behavioral, and emotional concerns evident in children and youth.

3.2.1. Training Assessment: Successful completion of School-Based Psychological Interventions and Child Behavior Therapy.

Assessment standard: Completing courses with a B or better.

3.2.2. Training Assessment: Successful completion of the intervention domain of the comprehensive doctoral specialty examination.

Assessment standard: Passing evaluation of written and oral examination by a committee of five faculty members including the representative of the Dean of the Graduate School.

3.3. Program graduates will demonstrate understanding of the primary research literature regarding evidence for the efficacy of interventions for academic concerns evident in children and youth.


3.3.1. Training Assessment:
Successful completion of School-Based Psychological Interventions.

Assessment standard: Completing course with a B or better.

3.3.2. Training Assessment: Successful completion of the intervention domain of the comprehensive doctoral specialty examination.

Assessment standard: Passing evaluation of written and oral examination by a committee of five faculty members including the representative of the Dean of the Graduate School.

3.4. Program graduates will use assessment data to design interventions that match the needs of children and youth exhibiting social and behavioral concerns.


3.4.1. Training Assessment:
Presentation of case formulations in practica supervision. See the practica assessment matrix.

Assessment standard: Completion of at least two case formulations that are graded as appropriate for practice with limited supervision by the practica supervisor.

3.5. Program graduates will use assessment data to design interventions that match the needs of children/youth exhibiting academic concerns.


3.5.1. Training Assessment:
Presentation of case formulations in practica supervision. See the practica assessment matrix.

Assessment standard: Completion of at least two case formulations that are graded as appropriate for practice with limited supervision by the practica supervisor.


3.6.
Program graduates will produce written intervention plans that are sufficiently clear and specific that they are useful to parents, educators, and children/youth.


3.6.1. Training Assessment:
Review of written plans. See the practica assessment matrix.

Assessment standard: Completion of at least written intervention plans for academic concerns and two written intervention plans for social/behavioral concerns that are clear and useful and are graded as appropriate for practice with limited supervision.


3.7. Program graduates will demonstrate effective communication skills in developing intervention plans with parents, educators, and children/youth.

3.7.1. Training Assessment: Observation of case meetings relevant to interventions. See the practica assessment matrix.

Assessment standard: Completion of case conferences reviewing intervention plans that are graded as appropriate for practice with limited supervision by the practicum supervisor.

4. Consultation. Program graduates will demonstrate competence consulting with parents, children/youth, and educators regarding social, behavioral, emotional, developmental, and academic concerns.

4.1. Program graduates will demonstrate a strong foundation in the professional literature regarding effective consultation by school psychologists.

4.1.1. Training Assessment: Successful completion of School Psychological Consultation.

Assessment standard: Completing courses with a B or better.

4.1.2. Training Assessment: Successful completion of the consultation domain of the comprehensive doctoral specialty examination.

Assessment standard: Passing evaluation of written and oral examination by a committee of five faculty members including the representative of the Dean of the Graduate School.

4.2. Program graduates will demonstrate competence in implementing the Behavioral Consultation Model.

4.2.1. Training Assessment: Presentation of case formulations in practica supervision and observation in practice settings. See the practica assessment matrix.

Assessment standard: Completion of at least two complete cases that are graded as appropriate for practice with limited supervision by the practica supervisor.


4.3. Program graduates will demonstrate competence in supporting intervention implementation by parents and educators as well as supporting progress monitoring, trouble shooting, and implementation monitoring.

4.3.1. Training Assessment: Presentation of case formulations in practica supervision and observation in practice settings. See the practica assessment matrix.

Assessment standard: Completion of at least two complete consultation cases providing systematic support for implementation and progress monitoring graded as appropriate for practice with limited supervision by the practica supervisor.

4.4. Program graduates will demonstrate effectiveness in consulting with and providing workplace embedded professional development to educators.

4.4.1. Training Assessment: Presentation of case summaries in practica supervision and observation in practice settings working with educators. See the practica assessment matrix.

Assessment standard: Completion of at least two consultation cases that require providing systematic training support for practicing educators that are graded as appropriate for practice with limited supervision by the practica supervisor.

4.5. Program graduates will demonstrate effectiveness in consulting with and providing services to parents including parent education.

4.5.1. Training Assessment: Presentation of case summaries in practica supervision and observation in practice settings working with parents. See the practica assessment matrix.

Assessment standard: Completion of a parent consultation case that required parent training that is graded as appropriate for practice with limited supervision by the practica supervisor.

5. Law, Ethics, & Culture. Program graduates will demonstrate an understanding of the fundamental legal and ethical principles underlying the practice of school psychology and exhibit practice that is congruent with those principles. Fundamental to this goal is respect for the diversity of individual and cultural differences.

5.1. Program graduates will demonstrate mastery of the guides to ethical conduct published by APA, NASP, and the BACB.

5.1.1. Training Assessment: Successful completion of Ethical, Legal, and Professional Issues in School Psychology as well as Cultural Diversity in Counseling and Therapy.

Assessment standard: Completing courses with a B or better.

5.1.2. Training Assessment: Successful completion of the law and ethics domain of the comprehensive doctoral specialty examination.

Assessment standard: Passing evaluation of written and oral examination by a committee of five faculty members including the representative of the Dean of the Graduate School.

5.2. Program graduates will be able to describe critical laws governing school psychology practice such as the mandatory reporter statute, IDEIA, and Section 504.

5.2.1. Training Assessment: Successful completion of Ethical, Legal, and Professional Issues in School Psychology.

Assessment standard: Completing course with a B or better.

5.2.2. Training Assessment: Successful completion of the law and ethics domain of the comprehensive doctoral specialty examination.

Assessment standard: Passing evaluation of written and oral examination by a committee of five faculty members including the representative of the Dean of the Graduate School.


5.3. Program graduates will demonstrate an understanding of the regulations governing the exchange of client information in education and applied psychology.

5.3.1. Training Assessment: Successful completion of Ethical, Legal, and Professional Issues in School Psychology.

Assessment standard: Completing course with a B or better.

5.3.2. Training Assessment: Successful completion of the law and ethics domain of the comprehensive doctoral specialty examination.

Assessment standard: Passing evaluation of written and oral examination by a committee of five faculty members including the representative of the Dean of the Graduate School.

5.3.3. Training Assessment: Presentation of case summaries in practica supervision and observation of practice. See the practica assessment matrix.

Assessment standard: Completion of at least 10 consulting, intervention, and/or assessment contacts in which professional standards for the exchange of information are evident.

5.4. Program graduates will demonstrate an understanding of the issues surrounding critical issues of culture, equity, and outcomes in education, assessment, and the evidence for the efficacy of psychological services.

5.4.1. Training Assessment: Successful completion of Ethical, Legal, and Professional Issues in School Psychology as well as Cultural Diversity in Counseling and Therapy.

Assessment standard: Completing courses with a B or better.

5.4.2. Training Assessment: Successful completion of the law and ethics domain of the comprehensive doctoral specialty examination.

Assessment standard: Passing evaluation of written and oral examination by a committee of five faculty members including the representative of the Dean of the Graduate School.


5.5. Program graduates will conduct their applied and research activities in a manner that is congruent with both ethical and legal standards for professional conduct. This includes demonstrating respect for the dignity of others.

5.5.1. Training Assessment: Presentation of case summaries in practica supervision and observation of practice. See the practica assessment matrix.

Assessment standard: Completion of at least 10 consulting, intervention, and/or assessment contacts in which professional standards ethical and culturally sensitive practice are evident.

5.5.2. Training Assessment: Students will submit and have approved at least one protocol to the LSU IRB.

Assessment standard: An approved IRB application.

6. Research. Program graduate will contribute to the development of new knowledge within psychology.

6.1. Program graduates will demonstrate mastery of diverse research methodologies.

6.1.1. Training Assessment: Successful completion of Methodology and Research; Intermediate Statistics; Advanced Statistics; and Research Methodology and Application in Behavior Analysis.

Assessment standard: Completing courses with a B or better.

6.1.2. Training Assessment: Successful completion of the research methodology and applied behavior analysis domains of the comprehensive doctoral specialty examination.

Assessment standard: Passing evaluation of written and oral examination by a committee of five faculty members including the representative of the Dean of the Graduate School.

6.2. Program graduates will demonstrate the ability to synthesize and summarize the research literature within a specific domain.

6.2.1. Training Assessment: Successful completion of the introductory chapters of the thesis and dissertation.

Assessment standard: Passing evaluation of the thesis and dissertation proposals by a faculty committee (3 members for thesis and 4 for dissertation).

6.3. Program graduates will use the existing literature to formulate a research question, formulate a study design, and appropriate analytic strategy for resultant data.

6.3.1. Training Assessment: Successful completion of the statement of rationale and method sections of the thesis and dissertation.

Assessment standard: Passing evaluation of the dissertation proposals by a committee of at least four faculty members.

6.4. Program graduates will complete original research that makes a substantive contribution to psychology including skill in scientific writing.

6.4.1. Training Assessment: Successful completion of the thesis and dissertation.

Assessment standard: Passing evaluation of the dissertation by a committee of five faculty members including the representative of the Dean of the Graduate School.

Data Regarding Matriculation through the LSU School Psychology Program

The following data describe aspects of our students’ progress through the School Psychology Program at LSU. The data are based on students over the last 7 years.

 

Admissions

 

Mean number of applicants

22

Mean number of offers of admission

5.4

Mean size of entering classes

4.4

Mean GRE Verbal

511

Mean GRE Quantitative
615
Mean undergraduate GPA
3.5
   
Financial Support

 

Percentage of students offered graduate assistantships over the past 5 years:

100%

 

 

Internships

 

Internships (number/percentage)

17/100%

Paid Internships (number/percentage)

17/100%

APPIC Member Internships

16/94%

APA Accredited Internships

16/94%

CDSPP Conforming Internships

16/94%

Two year half time Internships

0/0%

 

 

Attrition

 

Percentage of students leaving the program

14%

 

 

Time to Program Completion*

 

Mean years to program completion

5.9

Median years to program completion

5.5

Percentage in 5 years or less

31%

Percentage in 5-6 years

44%

Percentage in 6-7 years

13%

Percentage in 7+ years

12%

 

Current Program Costs

Current Fees and tuition at LSU for full time graduate students is range from $2,266 to $2,326 for in state students per semester based upon course load. For out of state students the range is $6,416 to $6,476 per semester. However, all students currently enrolled in the school psychology program at LSU have graduate assistantships. Graduate assistantships include full tuition waivers and waiver of the non-resident surcharge in addition to their salary. As a result, students’ current real costs for full time attendance range from $770 to $830 per semester. Over the last 5 years all students in the PhD program in psychology have been offered a university funded departmental assistantship, externship, or grant funded assistantship.

Additionally, assistantships also include access to medical insurance with the University defraying the bulk of the costs. Current student contribution to the medical insurance premium range from $63 per semester to $117 depending upon the level of coverage the student elects to have. Participation in the health insurance program is optional.

School Faculty

Clayton R. Cook · Assistant Professor; Ph.D., University of California-Riverside · Use of response to intervention procedures within a multi-tiered model of service delivery to address the social, emotional and behavioral problems of students; development and validation of progress monitoring tools for social behavior; individualized positive behavior support; school-based treatment of clinically exotic problems (e.g., tic disorders, selective mutism); rigorous synthesis (e.g., evidence-based review or meta-analysis) of the scientific research.

Frank M. Gresham Professor; Ph.D., University of South Carolina • Application of response to intervention strategies within a problem solving model to remediate academic and social behavioral difficulties in school settings; social skills assessment and training; interventions for severe emotional, behavioral, and social behavioral difficulties in schools; enhancing the integrity of interventions delivered in schools.

George H. NoellProfessor; Director of School Psychology; Ph.D., University of California – Riverside • Behavioral consultation and child behavior therapy; value added assessment of teacher preparation; assessments that guide treatment design; treatment implementation by care givers; intervention for young, at-risk children, and children with high incidence handicaps.

Jeffrey H. TigerAssistant Professor; Ph.D., University of Kansas • Applied behavior analysis; developmental disabilities; autism; preschool classroom management; functional analysis of behavior.

For more information on School Psychology, please contact Dr. Noell at gnoell@lsu.edu.