Job Description

School Psychologist

KIPP MA is looking for a committed, ambitious, and culturally competent School Psychologist to become part of a vibrant educational team. KIPP MA psychologists are responsible for delivering effective, high-quality consultation, assessment, and intervention services to aid student achievement and ensure that students are progressing on their individual goals. The School Psychologist will also approach the work with a sense of possibility, seeing challenges as opportunities for creative problem solving. As a result, the School Psychologist will contribute to amplifying our children’s potential by creating a school experience that affirms, values, and challenges students each day. The School Psychologist will support all KIPP MA schools and will report directly to the Director of Special Education.

This role requires consistent and reliable demonstration of the following essential job functions and key responsibilities:

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Consultation, Assessment, and Intervention

• Evaluate and screen students to assess cognitive, academic and social-emotional and behavioral needs

• Write evaluation reports including all cognitive, academic, social-emotional, and behavior assessments and goals

• Number of Reports Per Month: School psychologists will be responsible for, at most, 10 evaluation reports per month. Evaluation reports that are due in the same month past the 10 report boundary will be outsourced to contracting school psychologists or paused until the KIPP school psychologist is able to complete it.

• Maintain logs and ongoing assessments to evaluate student progress and complete progress reports

• Deliver crisis response and intervention services to students, families, and staff when needed

• Routinely gather evidence of positive outcomes resulting from psychological services

• Receive and review available developmental information from school and outside resources about student behavior(s) and select evidence-supported or evidence-based psychological interventions

Student and Family Engagement

• Work in conjunction with the IEP Team to create IEPs for annual reviews and provides input for students who are involved with the three-year re-evaluation

• Attend family conferences as needed

• Coordinate outreach activities that support our students and families including pediatricians, outside counseling agencies and agencies such as DCF, DMH, etc.

• Conduct home visits and works with families to help students make positive behavioral changes

School and Community Support

• Provide consultation to classroom teachers pertaining to student progress, behavior management techniques and establishing individualized behavior management plans

• Meet federal and state mandates as well as local policies in performance of duties

• Participate in special education meetings

• Participate in dispute resolution meetings, hearings, and mediation settlement meetings as needed

• Complete Medicaid reimbursement activities

General Requirements and Responsibilities

• Embody KIPP MA’s Code of Conduct by acting with integrity, leading with humanity, centering self-awareness and critical consciousness, taking personal responsibility, and engaging productively

• Participate and engage in regional professional development and community events as required

• Demonstrated ability to collect and interpret data, evaluate, reason, define problems, establish facts, draw valid conclusions, and make reasonable judgments and decisions in a timely manner in accordance with the needs of the school

• Self-awareness, flexibility and emotional intelligence to navigate a setting with students who express diverse needs

• The consistent use of interpersonal and self-management skills to effectively support behavioral and emotional needs of students to ensure a safe and inclusive environment, as well as build relationships and manage conflict with students, staff, and caregivers

• Effective communication skills to perform assigned duties and to meaningfully exchange information with students, staff, families and others in person, through written communication, in front of groups, and on virtual platforms

• Physical mobility to move self in various positions in order to execute duties effectively, which may include kneeling, walking, pushing/pulling, squatting, twisting, turning, bending, stooping and reaching overhead

• Physical strength sufficient to periodically lift and/or carry 20 pounds of materials or supplies and to physically restrain a student to keep from harming themself and/or others in an emergency situation

• Manual dexterity sufficient to perform repetitive hand/wrist/arm motions and to operate a computer and office equipment

KIPP MA staff are supported in their demanding work by experienced and dedicated leadership and staff who have themselves proven successful in their role. Our KIPP MA Executive Leadership Teams maintain consistent systems and procedures designed to permit staff to do their best work.

In addition to the responsibilities listed above, there will occasionally be other duties as assigned that staff will engage in to help promote a positive and safe learning environment and culture.

Qualifications

QUALIFICATIONS

• Love and unwavering belief in the high potential of all students

• Commitment to anti-racism and equity

• Demonstrated ability to drive student growth and achievement and to create a warm, inclusive, rigorous learning environment

• Completion of Master’s degree or higher in school psychology approved by the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP), including an advanced practicum of 1,200 hours, 600 of which must be in a school setting;

• Possession of MA DESE School Psychologist License;

• Experience with Special Education processes (IEP meetings, documentation, initial referrals)

• An eagerness to set ambitious, challenging, and tangible goals, and a relentless drive to achieve them

• Computer literacy and baseline familiarity with Google Suite

• An ability to thrive in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment and a capacity to remain calm and focused when faced with unexpected challenges

• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, including strong public speaking skills

• Fluent Spanish or Haitian Creole speakers strongly encouraged to apply

• Pass Criminal Background Checks

KIPP MA is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We believe in the importance of being a diverse, equitable, and inclusive organization that enables all of our students and staff to thrive. We are committed to building an exceptional team that reflects the diverse backgrounds and experiences of our students. We also strive to ensure an inclusive community by creating a space for meaningful dialogue about issues of race and identity for our staff and students. We hire without consideration to race, religion, creed, color, national origin, age, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status, or disability.

Additional Information

What We Offer
The minimum salary range for this exempt position is $70,000 to $85,000 (per 1.0 FTE/45 hours). The role includes a $1,000 signing bonus—and an annual $2,000 retention bonus in subsequent years, as well as other bonuses, when eligible. This role follows our School Year calendar. For more about what we offer, how to apply and more about KIPP MA, please visit this link HERE.