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NOVEMBER 17, 2006

Certified School Psychologists' Assessments Accepted by CLBC


Douglas Agar, Ph.D
BCASP Membership Secretary
2418 Driftwood Drive
Sooke, BC V0S 1N0

TO: Directors of Student Support Services:

Dear Sir/Madam:


As you are aware Community Living British Columbia (CLBC) recently decided that it could no longer accept psycho-educational assessments completed by school psychologists for the purposes of establishing eligibility for its services. The rationale for this directive was that, in order to ensure equity and consistency in response to individuals with developmental disabilities, CLBC needs confirmation that a person meets the criteria for ‘mental retardation’ as specified in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders – 4th Edition (DSM IV).

Psycho-educational assessments must be conducted under those provisions by individuals specifically qualified to do so with the purpose of determining a ‘diagnosis’ of mental retardation as defined by DSM-IV as opposed to an educational assessment. Registered psychologists, with a focus in this area, were determined that they were the professional group in the position to apply and interpret the test results. Findings could also withstand questioning or legal challenges in a coherent fashion.

CLBC and BCASP have discussed how the capacity to provide assessments could be expanded to include Certified School Psychologists. Certified School Psychologists are exceptionally well-trained and often in the best position to make a determination of developmental disability based upon the established diagnostic criteria of the (DSM-IV).

As a result, CLBC is now willing to accept psycho-educational assessments completed by both Registered Psychologists and Certified School Psychologists who are members in good standing with BCASP.

However, in order for these psycho-educational assessments to be accepted by CLBC for both children and youth, they will need to confirm the presence of a developmental disability reflecting the diagnostic criteria of the DSM-IV for Mental Retardation – Mild (317), Moderate (318.0), Severe (318.1), or (318.2) Profound.

Therefore, it is crucial that the Certified School Psychologists in your School District comply with this requirement of CLBC to assist your intellectually impaired students in potentially accessing services from CLBC. We trust that you will convey to your Certified School Psychologists the significance of this determination by CLBC.

BCASP thanks you in advance for your utmost consideration in this matter.

Respectfully,

______________________
Douglas Agar, PhD.


Cc: BCASP Membership
Paula Grant, Community Living British Columbia
Susan Kennedy, Ministry of Education
Helen Myers, Ministry of Education


SUMMER 2006

Ministry of Education Seeks Support From BCASP (read President's Message)

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE (click here)


MAY 2006

SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGY: A Letter from the Deputy Minister of Education

The Exemption Clause Continues. Deputy Minister Expects All Practicing School Psychologists to be Members of BCASP or BCCP.

Letter from Deputy Minister (click for PDF File)


March 2006

CPA VISIT TO VICTORIA AND THEIR WISH TO HAVE A MEETING WITH SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGISTS

Juanita Mureika is on the board of the Canadian Psychologial Association and sent the following request to us.

"Sandy Stanton gave me your name as a person who might help me set up a visit with school psychologists in the Victoria area during the upcoming CPA Board meetings in March. Over the past number of years, the Board has been doing an Ambassador program, during which they attempt to meet with local psychologist constituent groups and hear the local issues. Since I’ve been on the Board, I’ve been trying to meet specifically with school psychologists, and I think hearing those issues has been particularly instructive to the Board. I certainly think that the BC school psychs would have many interesting issues to raise."

Ambassador Program Goals:

1. The opportunity for CPA to meet with psychologists across the country in all areas of the discipline.
2. The opportunity to describe some of the issues CPA is addressing and activities CPA is engaged in that are pertinent to the specific interests of the psychologists we are meeting with.
3. The opportunity to facilitate a dialogue that brings forward issues important to meeting attendees.
4. The opportunity to facilitate a collegial discussion that goes to solutions when possible.:


A meeting has been arranged for 4 - 5:30pm on March 10th at the Delta Victoria Ocean Pointe, 45 Songhees Road, Victoria. All interested school psychologists are welcome to attend. For more information please contact Doug Agar.

dagar@sd62.bc.ca or dnpagar@telus.net


February 2006

BCTF Letter re School Psychology

MEMO TO: Presidents

COPIES TO: Executive Committee, Administrative Staff

FROM: Lynne Sinclair

DATE: February 21,2006

SUBJECT: School Psychologists

As you know, the government has been in discussions over the placement and governance of school psychologists. The ministries of health and education are engaged in discussions which will decide whether, for example, school psychologists must be members of the College of Psychologists of British Columbia and be moved from the Ministry of Education to the Ministry of Health in terms of political control and direction.

Recently, locals have been telling us that they cannot find enough qualified school psychologists to perform the backlog of assessments. School boards have raised the notion of contracting out in some cases. The Federation is concerned that this will inevitably lead to a deterioration in the specialist service that school psychologists provide, with their expert and inside understanding of education and the needs of students. Eighty five percent of school psychologists, for example, have teacher certificates. In addition, contracting out such a service would violate our collective agreement.

The Federation recently wrote to the minister for the third or fourth time (each time a different minister) to raise the jurisdictional issues yet again and to raise the real concerns that the Federation and school psychologists have about the implications and difficulties of having to belong to the College of Psychologists of British Columbia and being under the jurisdiction ofthe Ministry of Health instead of education.

In reply, the minister for the first time is more encouraging in terms of response. She says that an informal survey shows that 85% of school psychologists are already members of the BC College of Teachers (and therefore regulated) and that the remainder were members of the College of Psychologists of British Columbia with a specialized training in school psychology. Some are members of both colleges. There are a few where services are contracted due to the unavailability of staff. She mentions that the BC Association of School Psychologists are concerned also about the availability of school psychologists and the collegiality and collaboration between them and teachers, should they be moved to a different ministry, be contracted out, or forced to be members of a college that does not focus on education/school psychologists. More importantly, she acknowledges that "the role of school psychologist is important for education planning and that knowledge and experience in teaching and learning are important to psychologists' work in school districts."

Although no date is given, she is confident that a resolution will be reached in the near future. We have received similar assurances over the last three years, yet our school psychologist members remain in limbo, some even threatened with the loss oftheir job should the Ministry of Health and the College of Psychologists of British Columbia (which has rigorous standards of membership based upon the practice of clinical psychology) take over.

Please pass this information on to your school psychologist members and let me know of any information that you hear from the field. You may also want to urge school boards to continue to press for a resolution that preserves school psychology as a speciality within the Ministry of Education and membership in the BC College of Teachers as the appropriate placement.