Why is ProblemSolving Important in School Psychology

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Why is Problem-Solving Important in School
Psychology?

• Rachel Brown-Chidsey, Ph.D., NCSP
• University of Southern Maine

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Module Overview

• Definition of Problem Solving
• Purpose of Problem Solving
• Benefits of Problem Solving
• Case Example
• Summary
• Review Questions

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Definition of Problem Solving

• Problem-solving school psychology practices are
  based on the following definition of a problem
• Problem the distance between what is expected
  and what is occurring
• Problem-solving is the work of reducing the
  distance between what is expected and what is
  occurring

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Problem-Solving Steps (Deno, 1995)

• Problem identification Someone thinks theres a
  problem
• Problem definition The size of the problem is
  described in measurable ways and a hypothesis
  about the cause is developed
• Exploring solutions A possible solution is tried
• Monitoring progress Weekly student progress is
  measured to see if the solution works
• Problem (re)solution The student meets the
  learning goal or a new solution is tried

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Purpose of Problem Solving

• Problem solving activities are designed to
  achieve three main goals
• Clearly state what is expected of students
• Identify how close a student is to meeting the
  goal(s)
• Identify instructional methods best suited to
  help students meet goal(s)

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Establishing Expectations

• Having clear expectations for what students
  should be able to do at each grade level
  clarifies the learning objectives for students,
  teachers and parents
• Clear expectations provide a more equitable and
  accessible curriculum because they avoid the
  presence of a hidden curriculum
• Hidden curriculum refers to knowledge and skills
  students should have already learned or are
  expected to learn despite it not being stated
  specifically
• Example expecting all students to say please
  and thank you during classroom interactions

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Expectations and Standards

• Recent initiatives in all 50 U.S. states have
  resulted in state-level learning standards
• These standards provide grade level expectations
  for all students
• Standards can only be achieved if effective
  instruction is used

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Measuring Progress

• Student attainment of standards can only be known
  if sensitive measures of knowledge and skills are
  used
• Problem solving school psychology practices rely
  on assessment measures that can reliably indicate
  how close a student is to a learning goal
• State exams are not sufficient measures of
  student progress

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Problem Solving Measures

• Two major types of problem solving assessments
  are used
• Benchmark these are baseline measures of a
  students knowledge and skills in the curriculum
  being taught
• Usually done 3 times/year
• Progress Monitoring These are regular measures
  of a students progress toward learning goal(s)
• Usually done weekly

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Why is Regular Assessment Necessary for
Problem-Solving?

• If you dont know where you are going, any road
  will get you there (George Harrison)
• Only by measuring how close a student is to the
  learning expectations can teachers know how much
  instruction is needed
• Only by measuring student progress regularly can
  teachers know if the instruction is working

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How is Problem Solving Different from Traditional
Assessment?

• Traditional assessment focuses on finding out
  whether a student has a disability
• This is a deficit focused model
• Problem solving assessment focuses on finding out
  what kind of instruction a student needs to be
  successful in school and life
• This is a success focused model

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Benefits of Problem Solving

• Focuses on students skills and strengths instead
  of weaknesses and deficits
• Points directly to the type of instruction needed
• Provides a baseline measure of student knowledge
  and skills which makes monitoring progress easy

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Summary

• Problem solving school psychology practices are
  beneficial to students because they
• Focus on student success and not deficits
• Link directly to instruction for students
• Include measurable indicators of student progress
• Prevent over-identification of learning
  disabilities

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Resources

• Brown-Chidsey, R. (Ed.). (2005). Assessment for
  intervention A problem-solving approach. New
  York Guilford Press.
• Deno, S. (1995). The school psychologist as
  problem solver. In J. Grimes A. Thoms (Eds.),
  Best practices in school psychology III (pp.
  471-484). Silver Spring, MD National Association
  of School Psychologists.
• National Association of School Psychologists.
  (2007). NASP position statement on identification
  of students with specific learning disabilities.
  Retrieved 20 September 2007 from
  http//www.nasponline.org/about_nasp/positionpaper
  s/SLDPosition_2007.pdf

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Review Questions

• The following slides include review questions
  about the information contained in this module
• Click to advance to the next slide
• After reading the slide and questions, click
  again to see the correct answer

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A) What is the definition of a problem?

• A discrepancy of 15 points or more
• The difference between what is expected and what
  is occurring
• Identified only through the use of published
  norm-referenced testing
• None of the above

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A) Answer 2

• The difference between what is expected and what
  is occurring

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B) What are the 5 stages of problem solving?

• Identification, definition, exploring solutions,
  monitoring solutions, solution
• Definition, monitoring solutions, identification,
  referral
• Benchmarking, progress monitoring, exploring
  solutions, defining, identification
• None of the above

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B) Answer 1

• Identification, definition, exploring solutions,
  monitoring solutions, solution

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C) What are 2 advantages of problem solving
practices?

• The opportunity to use advanced and extended
  testing procedures
• It is success focused and leads to instructional
  change
• It provides data on how long a problem has been
  observed
• None of the above

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C) Answer 2

• It is success focused and leads to instructional
  change

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D) True or False?

• Problem solving school psychology is compatible
  with the 2007 NASP position statement on the
  identification of students with specific learning
  disabilities

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D) Answer True

• Problem solving school psychology is very
  compatible with the 2007 NASP position statement
  on the identification of students with specific
  learning disabilities

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E) Problem solving school psychology is

• A deficit-focused method
• A discrepancy-based method
• A success-based method
• None of the above

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E) Answer 3

• A success-based method

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For More Information

• To learn more about problem solving, view the
  module entitled Problem Solving Process.