News

If you know of anything going on in Minnesota, education, the world, etc. that would be a good for Minnesota School Psychologists, please email our webmaster at mspaonlinewebmaster@gmail.com with the information that you'd like us to post. We will email you to confirm its posting. 


  • 3 May 2019 12:50 PM | Anne Zaslofsky (Administrator)

    https://stjohns.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_aV4cYWuVXthSYfz

    My name is Veronica Milito and I am a doctoral candidate in the school psychology doctoral program at St. John’s University. I am writing to ask assistance from members of your organization to participate in my research study, which focuses on the role of homework in clinical work with youth.

    As per the requirements for hosting a study, I have attached a brief description of the study, a copy of the consent form (Appendix A), demographic information questionnaire (Appendix B), written vignettes (Appendix C), supplementary questions (Appendix D), and a copy of the IRB approval memo. 

    res Appendix A.docx

    res Appendix B.docx

    res Appendix C.docx

    res Appendix D.docx

    res Therapeutic Homework Among Youth Study.docx


  • 1 May 2019 3:54 PM | Anne Zaslofsky (Administrator)
    Create your own user feedback survey
  • 29 Apr 2019 3:22 PM | Anne Zaslofsky (Administrator)

    Minnesota’s Graduation Rates Continue to Rise

    Rates up for all student groups; gaps between student groups reduced but remain

    ROSEVILLE, MN - More Minnesota seniors than ever before graduated in 2018, with 55,869 students—83.2 percent of the graduating class overall, the state’s highest graduation rate on record—achieving the honor and moving on to career and college. Additionally, 3,641 students from earlier classes also earned their diplomas in 2018, graduating five, six, or seven years after beginning high school.

    Minnesota's four-year graduation rate has increased over the last 5 years

    “Graduating high school is a critical step on every student’s path to find their own success,” said Education Commissioner Mary Cathryn Ricker. “In Minnesota, we do not give up on our students. Behind every single data point in this year’s historic graduation rate, I not only see the unique stories of individual students, but also the hard work that educators, administrators, coaches and families put into supporting the needs of our students so they could reach this important milestone.”

    Graduation rates increased statewide for all racial/ethnic student groups this year, as well as for English learners, students receiving special education services, and students qualifying for free or reduced-price meals. Over the past five years, black students—who increased 7.2 percentage points—saw the largest increase.

    During this same period:

    • American Indian/Alaska Native students increased by 2.8 percentage points.
    • Asian students increased by 4.2 percentage points.
    • Hispanic students increased by 3.6 percentage points.
    • Students identifying as two or more races increased by 3 percentage points.
    • Students receiving special education services increased by 4 percentage points.
    • English learners increased by 2.5 percentage points.
    • Students eligible for free or reduced-price meals increased by 3.5 percentage points.

    Since 2014, graduation rates for white students have increased by 1.9 percentage points. When looking at students of color and American Indian students together, we find they have increased by 4.9 percentage points during that same time. This change represents an almost 15 percent reduction in the gap between white and nonwhite students. Putting the growth in student terms, 977 more students of color and American Indian students, including 515 more black students, graduated with the Class of 2018 than if graduation rates had stayed at 2014 levels.

    “I am proud that the graduation gap is closing, but I am not satisfied,” said Commissioner Ricker. “As we move forward, I am eager to partner with communities across our state to better support all of our students.”

    Over the last 5 years, MN's overall grad rate has increased, along with rates for each racial/ethnic group

    Eliminating disparities that are predictable based on race, ethnicity and income level has been one of the state’s highest educational priorities. Schools across the state are employing numerous approaches to support their students to reach graduation, increase the value of reaching the milestone, and building a pathway to career and college.

    Districts across the state have developed innovative learning environments focused on ensuring all students have access to career and college-ready opportunities. Some of the noteworthy programs include:

    • Minnesota bilingual and multilingual seals and certificates of world language proficiency are awards given to graduating seniors by districts in recognition of students who, in grades 10, 11 or 12, have demonstrated required language levels in a language in addition to English. In 2018, more than 1,600 Minnesota graduates received bilingual or multilingual seals in 14 languages: Arabic, American Sign Language, Chinese, French, German, Hmong, Japanese, Karen, Portuguese, Russian, Somali, Spanish, Tamil and Thai. This year, students are also testing in Vietnamese and Oromo, and development of Ojibwe, Dakota/Lakota, Lao and Cambodian is underway.
    • Postsecondary Enrollment Options (PSEO) and Concurrent Enrollment both give high school students the opportunity to take college courses to earn high school and college credits simultaneously. In 2018, 7,164 Minnesota public school students participated in PSEO, including 1,934 students of color or American Indian students. More than 32,000 students participated in concurrent enrollment.
    • State-approved alternative programs (SAAPs) provide opportunities for students who have experienced or are experiencing difficulty in the traditional education system. Approximately 52,000 students in grades 8-12 are currently enrolled in SAAPs.
    • Early/Middle College Programs are unique partnerships between state-approved alternative programs and postsecondary institutions offering structured academic and nonacademic supports for students to be successful. Thirty-three districts partnered with 16 postsecondary institutions in 2018, serving approximately 350 students across the state.
    • Advanced Placement (AP) provides more than 35 college-level courses and exams to high school students. Participating colleges grant credit or appropriate placement to students who scored a 3, 4 or 5 on the AP exam. In 2018, more than 60 percent of Minnesota students taking an AP course scored a 3, 4 or 5 on the AP exam.
    • International Baccalaureate (IB) programs offer four highly respected programs of international education that span the primary, middle and secondary school years. Twenty-seven districts, charters and private schools have IB programs in place.
    • Online schools provide students the opportunity to make up credits for graduation or engage in learning on a different platform than the traditional school to better meet their needs. Approximately 19,000 Minnesota students participate in online learning schools.

    “Educators know that each student learns differently, which is why I am so encouraged to see the growth in creative programming,” said Ricker. “It is this type of innovation, including awarding students a seal of biliteracy for their language abilities, that will help students stay in school and receive their diploma.”

    Accountability and Supports for Struggling High Schools

    The U.S. Department of Education approved Minnesota’s state plan under the Every Student Succeeds Act in January 2018. In the plan, Minnesota set an ambitious goal that by 2020, 90 percent of Minnesota students will graduate in four years, and no single student group’s graduation rate will be below 85 percent. This goal reflects the state’s strong commitment to equity and ensuring every Minnesota student receives a high school diploma, and is bolstered by the state’s plan to identify for support any public high school with a four-year graduation rate below 67 percent overall, or for any student group.

    “We recognize that the goal we set for 2020 was ambitious, and it must be,” said Commissioner Ricker. “One Minnesota includes a commitment to support all our students to graduate.”

    Minnesota Department of Education Sharing #MNGraduates Stories

    All day Tuesday, April 23, the department will be celebrating Minnesota graduates on social media with the hashtag #MNGraduates, highlighting their stories of accomplishment and the many ways in which Minnesota schools support and never give up on students. We have encouraged schools to join in by sharing positive stories, and we hope news media will also be a part of sharing with Minnesotans the great things going on in their schools, and the accomplishments of these young people as they move on to the next stage of their lives.

    More About the Data

    Graduation data are available on the Minnesota Report Card, presented in an easy-to-read, mobile-friendly layout that includes charts and graphs illustrating trends and results for all student groups.

    View the complete statewide, district, school and county graduation rates in an Excel spreadsheet by visiting our Data Reports and Analytics page. Under category, choose "Graduation Rate" to access graduation indicator files for each year.

    View data on enrollment in developmental education in Minnesota colleges and universities on the Minnesota Statewide Longitudinal Education Data System (SLEDS).


  • 29 Apr 2019 3:13 PM | Anne Zaslofsky (Administrator)

    https://udenver.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_4Pfc0ufJesCnwFv

    UDenver research1.pdf

    UDenver research2.pdf

    UDenver research3.docx

    "My name is Pete Gladstone, and I am a doctoral student of school psychology at the University of Denver.  I am conducting a survey study that investigates school psychologists’ knowledge of, training in, and use of evidence-based self-determination interventions for students with disabilities.  

    This survey is only meant to be completed by school psychologists who are currently practicing at least two (2) days per week in middle and/or high schools. If you are a school psychologist currently practicing in middle/high schools, I would sincerely appreciate your participation in this survey https://udenver.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_4Pfc0ufJesCnwFv. For the first 120 participants, a $1 donation will be made to the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities in your honor. Your response is extremely valuable, as it will help to guide the way that school psychologists are prepared to help students with disabilities achieve their postsecondary goals. 

    The survey is voluntary and confidential, and should take approximately six (6) minutes.  The research conducted in this study has been approved by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) at the University of Denver (DU).  There are no foreseeable significant risks to participating in this study.

    If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the researcher, Pete Gladstone, at peter.gladstone@du.edu.  Or, you may contact the dissertation chair, Devadrita Talapatra, Ph.D., at devadrita.talapatra@du.edu.  If you have any questions about the IRB process at DU, please contact Ms. Mary Travis at mary.travis@du.edu.  Thank you for your time and dedication to school psychology!"

    Sincerely,

    Pete Gladstone, MA

    Doctoral Student

    Child, Family, and School Psychology

    Morgridge College of Education

    University of Denver

    peter.gladstone@du.edu

  • 29 Apr 2019 3:02 PM | Anne Zaslofsky (Administrator)

    MSPA is proud to announce the 2019 Midwinter Conference Silent Auction proceeds were donated to YouthLink MN. 

    YouthLink works with homeless youth, ages 16-23. We are located in downtown Minneapolis, and serve youth across the Twin Cities. (https://www.youthlinkmn.org/)

  • 9 Apr 2019 3:44 PM | Anne Zaslofsky (Administrator)

    Link to the study: https://stjohns.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_7PpPRqort3TEeVL

    The purpose of this study is to develop a new evaluative tool that can be used by psychologists to assess the quality of the adapted tests and scales that they may be using in practice. Participation in this study will involve completing an online survey in which this tool is applied to evaluate a fictionalized measure. Participants will also be asked to complete a demographic and professional background questionnaire. It is anticipated that participation will take approximately 45 minutes.

    The study is intended for psychologists and psychology graduate students from all specializations, including school, counseling, and clinical backgrounds, who would be interested in taking part in this study.

    D Duke 1217 123 ext approved.pdf

    IRB Application_Deborah Duke Dissertation.pdf

  • 2 Apr 2019 9:54 AM | Anne Zaslofsky (Administrator)

    In celebration of Diversity, we share the following with you….

    New Poets of Native Nations

    New Poets of Native Nations gathers poets of diverse ages, styles, languages, and tribal affiliations to present the extraordinary range and power of new Native poetry. Editor Heid E. Erdrich has selected twenty-one poets whose first books were published after the year 2000 to highlight the exciting works of poets coming up after Joy Harjo and Sherman Alexie. Collected here are poems of great breadth—long narratives, political outcries, experimental works, and traditional lyrics—and the result is an essential anthology of some of the best poets writing now.

    Poets include Tacey M. Atsitty, Trevino L. Brings Plenty, Julian Talamantez Brolaski, Laura Da’, Natalie Diaz, Jennifer Elise Foerster, Eric Gansworth, Gordon Henry, Jr., Sy Hoahwah, LeAnne Howe, Layli Long Soldier, Janet McAdams, Brandy Nalani McDougall, Margaret Noodin, dg nanouk okpik, Craig Santos Perez, Tommy Pico, Cedar Sigo, M. L. Smoker, Gwen Westerman, Karenne Wood


  • 28 Mar 2019 10:05 AM | Anne Zaslofsky (Administrator)

    Through collective efforts across many agencies we are able to have a screening of Intelligent Lives here in Minnesota.  Intelligent Lives stars three pioneering young American adults with intellectual disabilities who challenge perceptions of intelligence as they try to navigate high school, college and the workforce.  Academy Award winning actor and narrator Chris Cooper contextualizes the lives of these central characters through the emotional story of his son Jesse.

    On April 30th,  2019  there will be a  film screening of Intelligent Lives with Dan Habib followed by a panel discussion from 6pm – 9 pm at South High School.

    On May 1st,  2019, there will be panel discussion with representatives of organization who can help Minnesota move forward with collaborative efforts to help advance education, employment and housing for people living with disabilities. This event is from 9:00AM – 11:30AM at the John B. Davis Education Center in Minneapolis.

    There is no charge for either event and they are open to the public. However, registration is required. Additional information  can be found at this registration link http://IntelligentLivesMN.EventBrite.com . In addition, I have attached a flyer for additional information.

  • 12 Mar 2019 9:11 AM | Anne Zaslofsky (Administrator)

    COPS AND NO COUNSELORS

    How the Lack of School Mental Health Staff is Harming Students

    The U.S. Department of Education recently required every public school to report the number of social workers, nurses, and psychologists employed for the first time in history. Data about school counselors had been required previously, but this report provides the first state-level student-to-staff ratio comparison for these other school-based mental health personnel, along with school counselors. It reviews state-level student-to-school-based mental health personnel ratios as well as data concerning law enforcement in schools. The report also reviews school arrests and referrals to law enforcement data, with particular attention to disparities by race and disability status. A key finding of the report is that schools are under-resourced and students are overcriminalized.

    DOWNLOAD REPORT   https://www.aclu.org/report/cops-and-no-counselors

    MSPA  and NASP’s  Strategic and Legislative Agenda support School Psychologist’s as Mental Health Providers.   This ACLU report provides crucial data and finding. Thanks to Melissa Reeves for sharing this important information. 

    Submitted by Marilyn Leifgren and Dr. Sally Baas, Legislative Co-Chairs


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