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School Psychology Internship Broward County Public Schools. Broward County Schools (1 of 2). Nation’s 6th largest accredited school system 2nd largest in Florida 138 elementary, 42 middle, and 32 high schools; 16 adult/vocational centers, 10 special centers, 45 charter schools
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Broward County Schools (1 of 2) • Nation’s 6th largest accredited school system • 2nd largest in Florida • 138 elementary, 42 middle, and 32 high schools; 16 adult/vocational centers, 10 special centers, 45 charter schools • Diverse student population and staff
Broward County Schools (2 of 2) • Approximately 30,000 FTEs • Approximately 273 schools serving 240,000 students • 56 languages spoken and over 160 countries represented • Approximately 35,000 ESE students • An additional 10,000 gifted students
Psychological Services • Approximately 160 school psychologists • Four administrative areas; one district office • Unique Family Counseling Program • In 1990, received the APA/NASP Excellence in School Psychological Services Award • In 2002, received the FASP Innovative Practice in School Psychology Award for district-wide threat assessment training
Internship Facts and Figures • Up to 12 accepted for internship each year • Full-time placement required for entire academic year • Application deadline is January 31st • Interviews are conducted in February, with notification of selection by first week in March • Stipends are $110/day for a maximum of 216 days, or approximately $23,700/year • Application information available on-line at: www.browardschools.com (go to Departments, then Psychological Services, then Internship)
Internship Experiences (1 of 2) • Direct Services • Consultation and Intervention • Professional Development • Research • Specialized Services
Internship Experiences (2 of 2) • A wide range of experiences with diverse student populations and varying service delivery activities is provided by: • Placing each intern with a primary supervisor at an anchor school • Having each intern complete at least 3 rotations through other settings (e.g., preschool, E/BD centers, Autism clusters, alternative programs, etc.), with additional supervision • Providing district support for consultation and other indirect service delivery activities
Direct Services • Assessment • Counseling Individual Group
Consultation and Intervention • Collaborative problem solving model (for team-based and individual consultation cases) • Design, implementation, and evaluation of interventions in general and special education • Year long training sequence integrated into the full internship experience, with district office support
Professional Development • Participant (take advantage of district, community, state, and/or national trainings and workshops) • Trainer (present trainings and/or workshops to school or district staff)
Research • Opportunities to participate in departmental projects • Opportunities to conduct independent research, contingent on district approval
Specialized Services • Assisting with threat assessments and violence prevention activities • Assisting with crisis and recovery • Assisting with DIBELS and progress monitoring • Assisting with bilingual assessments and other ELL projects
Professional Growth • Supervision • Activities Checklist • Competencies Checklist • Rotation Evaluation • Experience Evaluation
Supervision • Supervisors, mentors, and interns are expected to have regularly scheduled meetings to discuss progress and any areas of concern • Weekly with primary supervisor • Monthly seminars at district level • Monthly support for consultation cases from district office psychologists • University level supervision as required
Activities Checklist • Throughout the year the supervisor conducts on-going evaluations and tracks progress using the Activities Checklist • To assure that each intern receives a broad array of experiences with a variety of students, and with differing service delivery activities • Used primarily for formative evaluation
Competencies Checklist • Formal evaluation is completed bi-annually using the Internship Competencies Checklist • Additional formal evaluation may be completed using required university evaluations • Both used primarily for summative evaluation
Feedback from Interns • Interns have the opportunity to provide feedback on their experience and satisfaction by completing the Rotation Evaluation and Experience Evaluation forms
Our Interns Say (1 of 3) • “This past year has been an invaluable learning experience. The opportunities I had and the challenges I overcame have made me a different person.” • “The field of school psychology is evolving, and Broward County is at the forefront of those changes, at least in Florida. I’m excited to be a part of a progressive school system . . .” • “I feel that the supervision provided was excellent.”
Our Interns Say (2 of 3) • “I had so many interesting and challenging cases this year. It has been a great learning experience, one that I can apply to my career in any setting.” • “I feel that I received the internship experience that was promised to me when I interviewed for the position, and so much more . . .”
Our Interns Say (3 of 3) • “My growth, professionally and personally, during this experience, is reflected in a greater sense of assuredness in my abilities as a school psychologist.” • “Making the decision to move back to Florida for internship was absolutely the right decision after this experience! I have learned more, and become more confident in the profession, than I ever expected.”
Internship Connections To speak with one of our former or current interns about their experience in the Broward Schools, contact Dr. Mark Lyon, Acting Director: mlyon@browardschools.com
