Portland Public Schools (PPS) is seeking talented people from diverse backgrounds and experiences to lead change and inspire PPS students. At PPS, every employee, despite having different roles, is an educator. We hope to attract talented educators who model the core PPS Educator Essentials. With the District’s focus on eliminating systemic racism and its adverse impact on student learning, we seek to hire individuals who bring to our district a deep commitment to racial equity and social justice.
The District is committed to equal opportunity and nondiscrimination in all its educational and employment activities. The District prohibits discrimination based on perceived or actual race; national or ethnic origin; color; sex; religion; age; sexual orientation; gender expression or identity; pregnancy; marital status; veteran’s status; familial status; economic status or source of income; mental or physical disability or perceived disability; or military service.
504 Coordinator: Katie Loewen, kloewen@pps.net, 503-916-3337 x63337
ADA Coordinator: Jey Buno, jbuno@pps.net, 503-916-3360
Title IX Program Manager: Bobby Cruz, bcruz@pps.net, 503-839-3660
Accessibility Statement
COMPREHENSIVE SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGIST PROGRAM MISSION STATEMENT
Portland Public Schools (PPS) comprehensive school psychologists’ mission is to center student and family strengths and voice, especially the voices of Black, Indigenous, People Of Color, and Multilingual students and families, to model collaboration and compassion through relationship building with staff, students, and families and to ensure that ALL students have equitable access to realize the graduate portrait. School psychologists collaborate with school teams to achieve this mission through enhancing Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) implementation.
SPECIAL EDUCATION MISSION STATEMENT:
The Special Education Department is committed to providing instructional services in inclusive environments that will prepare students that receive special education services for life and careers.
POSITION SUMMARY:
The School Psychologist provides counseling, instruction, and mentoring for those struggling with social, emotional, and behavioral problems; increases achievement by assessing barriers to learning and determining the best instructional strategies to improve learning; promotes wellness and resilience by reinforcing communication and social skills, problem solving, anger management, self-regulation, self-determination, and optimism and enhances understanding and acceptance of diverse cultures and backgrounds. The School Psychologist partners with students, parents and schools to deliver a planned and coordinated program of psychological services through assessment and interpretation, direct intervention, consultation and training, while continuously seeking to expand their scope of competencies in order to promote the cognitive, social, and personal development of all students.
REPRESENTATIVE DUTIES:
Identify and assess the learning, development, and adjustment characteristics and needs of individuals and groups, as well as the environmental factors that affect learning and adjustment; use assessment data about the student and his/her environment(s) in developing appropriate interventions and programs.
Interprets educational policies, programs, and procedures related to psychological services; provide information, and/or education in the application of learning theory, child development, and other psychological principles to school personnel and parents.
Assist in early identification of students? learning and adjustment problems; conduct assessments appropriate to the focus of concern and according to prevailing professional standards; integrate data from assessment procedures and develop hypotheses relative to instructional and educational programming and assist in planning and developing interventions, determining program(s) eligibility and placement.
Counsel students on educational and personal adjustment issues; provide guidance to develop effective learning strategies and personal and social skills; evaluate effectiveness of individual and group interventions and modify interventions based on data collected.
Consult with teachers, other school staff, and parents about ways to facilitate learning and adjustment for individuals or groups of students.
Communicate with parents, staff and other designated personnel regarding individual student issues and concerns; plan and implement in-service programs and training for staff and/or parents.
Provide liaison and coordination between the school system and other relevant agencies to facilitate services for students and families.
Demonstrate a commitment to the Portland Public Schools Equity Initiative by developing a thorough knowledge and application of the district Racial Educational Equity Policy. Participate in staff development, in-services and trainings related to diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace and in K-12 education; model appropriate behaviors; develop, recommend and implement improvements to educational practices with awareness and understanding of their impact in a racially and culturally diverse community.
Operate a variety of school and office equipment, computer and peripheral technologies, to record information and generate lists, reports and other materials; utilize a variety of word processing, database, presentation, webpage, spreadsheet, internet, intranet and other software.
Perform related duties as assigned.
EDUCATION, TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE:
A Master's or higher degree in the behavioral sciences or their derivative therapeutic professions from a regionally accredited institution in the United States, or the foreign equivalent of such degree approved by the Oregon Teacher Standards and Practices Commission and a current School Psychology license issued by the State of Oregon, are required.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:
Bilingual/Bi-Cultural Chinese, Russian, Somali, Spanish, and Vietnamese applicants are highly desirable.
SPECIAL REQUIREMENT:
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Position requires the use of a personal automobile and possession of a valid Class C Oregon driver's license to drive to/from different locations.
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Work hours may include on- and off-campus evening and weekend activities and meetings and district, school and student functions.
EMPLOYMENT STANDARDS:
Knowledge of:
Effective counseling program needs assessment, goal setting, plan formulation and program evaluation strategies.
National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) and the American Psychological Association (APA) ethical principles and professional standards of practice.
Federal, state, and local policies and regulations in the delivery of school psychological services.
Student rights and welfare in the school and community.
Continuing education and professional development licensure requirements.
Counseling theories, models and techniques for child and adolescent individual and group counseling.
Appropriate counseling processes and techniques for individual and group sessions essential to meet developmental, preventive, and remedial needs of students.
Assessment and diagnostic procedures for determining and structuring individual and group counseling services.
Consulting processes and techniques for work with students, parents, teachers, and administrators.
Parent education programs, group guidance, teacher in-service training methods.
Educational assessment tools and techniques.
Ability to:
Identify and address learning and behavior problems that interfere with school success.
Evaluate eligibility for special education and other student support services.
Support students' social, emotional, and behavioral health.
Support parenting skills and enhance homeschool collaboration.
Make referrals and help coordinate community support services.
Provide interventions to students to support the teaching process and to maximize learning and adjustment.
Provide consultation to parents, teachers, school personnel and community agencies to enhance the learning and adjustment of students.
Deliver a planned and coordinated program of psychological services.
Assist in the planning, development, and evaluation of programs to meet identified learning and adjustment needs.
Assist students in development of cultural sensitivity and respect for individual differences; development of communication, problem-solving and decision-making skills.
Assist parents and teachers in understanding and responding to developmental levels of students.
Adhere to ethical standards of the counseling profession.
Share appropriate information about students with school personnel, parents, and community agencies.
Learn and implement Portland Public School’s Racial Equity Initiative and other board policies.
Manage workflow and perform multiple complex and responsible activities simultaneously with constantly changing priorities and deadlines.
Demonstrate a strong customer service orientation.
Maintain confidentiality and demonstrate discretion, initiative and good judgment.
Analyze situations accurately and adopt effective course(s) of action.
Establish and maintain cooperative and effective working relationships with others.
Interpret, apply and explain laws, codes, rules, regulations, policies and procedures.
Learn and operate a variety of school and office technologies and software.
In addition to a competitive salary schedule, retirement and healthcare benefits package, PPS offers a variety of additional benefits for educators*, some of which are based on eligibility requirements:
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In addition to sick leave, educators receive 3 personal/emergency and 5 family illness leave days per school year
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Professional Development Days Funds
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Professional Growth - potential to move along the salary scale throughout the school year after completion of additional credits
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Tuition Reimbursement
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Multilingual stipend, if eligible
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University Voucher Program
- this applies to regular educators, half-time or greater.
LICENSURE REQUIREMENT: School Psychologist
COMPENSATION: $72,328 - $108,071 (Annual salary based on 1.0 FTE)
WORK YEAR: 193
FTE:
