GACE School Psychology (724) flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Thayer Conference (1954)

A landmark conference that defined the roles, training, and credentialing standards for school psychologists, shaping the modern specialist-level profession and its identity.

NASP Practice Model

A framework of ten domains describing comprehensive school psychological services, from data-based decision making and consultation to legal, ethical, and diversity practice.

NCSP credential

Nationally Certified School Psychologist credential requiring an accredited specialist or doctoral program, supervised internship, and passing the Praxis School Psychologist examination.

MTSS tiers

A three-tier prevention framework: Tier 1 universal supports for all students, Tier 2 targeted small-group interventions, and Tier 3 intensive individualized supports driven by progress data.

Scientist-practitioner model

A training and practice model in which professional decisions are grounded in peer-reviewed research and local data rather than anecdote, tradition, or intuition.

Piaget concrete operational stage

Ages roughly 7 to 11, when children master conservation, reversibility, and classification, allowing logical thought about concrete objects but not yet abstract hypotheses.

Zone of proximal development

Vygotsky's concept describing the gap between what a learner can do independently and what they can do with adult or peer scaffolding; instruction should target this zone.

Erikson industry vs. inferiority

The psychosocial stage of middle childhood (about 6 to 12) in which success in school and peer tasks builds competence, while repeated failure can produce inferiority feelings.

Bronfenbrenner microsystem

The innermost layer of the bioecological model, consisting of settings in which the child directly participates, such as family, classroom, and peer group.

Phonological awareness

The ability to detect and manipulate sounds in spoken language, including syllables and phonemes; it is a strong early predictor of later reading achievement.

Executive function

A set of cognitive processes including working memory, inhibition, and cognitive flexibility that support planning, self-regulation, and academic learning.

Standard score mean and SD

Most cognitive and achievement tests report standard scores with a mean of 100 and standard deviation of 15; a score of 85 is one SD below the mean.

Standard error of measurement

An index of score unreliability used to build confidence intervals around an obtained score; a 95 percent interval uses the score plus or minus 1.96 times the SEM.

Curriculum-based measurement

Brief, standardized probes of basic academic skills administered repeatedly to index current performance and rate of growth relative to benchmarks.

Criterion-referenced test

An assessment that compares a student's performance to a defined standard or skill criterion rather than to the performance of a norm group.

Percentile rank

The percentage of examinees in the norm group who scored at or below a given score; a percentile of 50 corresponds to the median.

Multimethod assessment

Collecting converging evidence from multiple sources, such as tests, rating scales, observations, and work samples, to increase confidence in conclusions about a student.

Functional behavior assessment

A systematic process identifying antecedents, the target behavior, and consequences to determine the behavior's function, which then guides the behavior intervention plan.

Positive reinforcement

Presenting a desirable consequence after a behavior, which increases the future frequency of that behavior; it is a core principle of behavioral intervention.

Progress monitoring decision rule

Collecting several data points over roughly six to eight weeks; if the trend line fails to meet the goal, the intervention is changed rather than continued unchanged.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy

A counseling approach targeting the links among thoughts, feelings, and behavior, often used in schools for anxiety, anger, and depressive symptoms.

Suicide risk assessment

A structured evaluation of ideation, plan, intent, and protective factors; imminent danger requires immediate referral to emergency services and guardian notification per policy.

Behavior intervention plan

A written plan derived from a functional behavior assessment that specifies prevention strategies, replacement skills to teach, and consequences to reduce problem behavior.

Behavioral consultation

A four-stage model (problem identification, problem analysis, plan implementation, plan evaluation) in which a consultant works with a teacher to solve student problems.

Conjoint behavioral consultation

A consultation model that includes parents and teachers as joint partners in defining problems, designing interventions, and monitoring student outcomes across home and school.

Problem-solving team

A school-based team that defines problems in observable terms, generates hypotheses, selects interventions, assigns responsibilities, and sets review dates.

Qualified interpreter use

Providing trained interpreters for meetings and translating key documents so families with limited English proficiency can participate meaningfully; students should not interpret.

Free appropriate public education

The IDEA guarantee of an appropriate public education for eligible students with disabilities, delivered at public expense and consistent with an individualized education program.

Least restrictive environment

The IDEA requirement that students with disabilities be educated with peers without disabilities to the maximum extent appropriate, with removal only when supports are insufficient.

Section 504 accommodations

Protections under the Rehabilitation Act prohibiting disability discrimination and requiring accommodations for students who do not qualify for special education under IDEA.

FERPA

A federal law protecting the privacy of education records, granting parents and eligible students access and limiting disclosure without consent, with specified exceptions.

Mandated reporting

A legal obligation for school personnel to report suspected child abuse or neglect to designated authorities, overriding ordinary confidentiality protections.