The Psychology Credential Program at Cal State Long Beach kicked off a new project last week that sets out to improve psychology grad student training in understanding how to foster academic success for children with achievement deficits and disabilities.
The $755,000 grant that sparked the program offers 44 students the chance to take a leadership role assisting schools’ special and general education teachers.
Kristi Hagans, an assistant professor, School Psychology Program coordinator and investigator of the project, was in disbelief when she learned CSULB received the grant.
“My colleague and I have unsuccessfully applied for this grant three other times,” Hagans said. “We decided that the fourth would be the last. I was hesitant to inform anyone [that we had been awarded the grant] for fear that I had been ‘punked.'”
Thanks to the grant, students will attend weekly seminars discussing research literature and engage in mentoring and research with faculty members.
The project, entitled “Training School Psychologists as Instructional Consultants in a Response to Intervention Model,” using what Hagans calls a “scientist-practitioner” approach. Students will study research methods and apply that knowledge to case studies in and outside of CSULB.
Hagans has started meeting with the CSULB Educational Psychology Clinic to discuss the logistics of recruiting school-age clients with academic needs.
“I am also in the process of developing a syllabi for the grant seminars that will be held weekly starting spring of ’09 that will provide students with advanced instruction and mentoring on [the Response to Intervention Model],” Hagans stated.
Hagans is also working with school personnel to employ new school reform initiatives.
“I met with [Orange Country Department of Education] on Friday and we’re going to work on recruiting interested schools,” Hagans said. “In [Long Beach Unified School District], the principal at Franklin Middle School has voiced interest in having our students work with his school staff.”
The goal of the program is “to have students completing hours in the College of Education’s Educational Psychology Clinic, which has 21 individual client rooms with one-way windows for observation,” Hagans said.
“This will allow program faculty the opportunity to directly observe and supervise students engaged in [the Response to Intervention Model] activities with pre K-12 students from the community. As a result, when students are acquiring hours in schools, they will require less supervision and be more prepared to take a leadership role in assisting schools in implementing [the Response to Intervention Model].”
Sam, who declined to give last name, a grad student in the master of science in organizational psychology program said, “I read an article in class the other day that said around 30 percent of people were actually in the workforce helping children with special needs. I think [the program] will increase department diversity, give a greater perspective and gain different insights.
There will be a lot more opportunities and anything that advances education is awesome.”
Amanda Sparks, a junior psychology major, said, “The program is a good idea, a lot of kids will benefit.”
Hagans said the program is still not quite “on” yet. The curriculum is taking form, but recruitment of students still needs to take place.
“We need to interview current school [psychology] students who are interested in participating in the program,” she said.
There are currently 11 first-year psychology students who will be interviewed in the next two weeks. The program will admit three associates over the next three years to obtain 44 students in all.
The grant was given to the school of psychology in the College of Education. The school of psychology requires 60 units in an advanced credential program, meaning students must have a bachelor’s or master’s to apply to the program.
