Goals and competencies

As a Minnesota School Psychology Consortium (MNSPIC) intern, you’ll be tasked with meeting the following goals and supporting competencies.

Develop skills in the broad areas of school psychology practice. This includes assessment, consultation, intervention, and systems consultation or change. Interns should:

  • Use assessment data to identify a student’s strengths and needs, and to understand problems.
  • Use assessment data to measure progress and accomplishments
    Implement academic interventions and demonstrate positive change in student performance
  • Implement behavioral or social/emotional interventions and demonstrate positive change in student performance
  • Demonstrate knowledge of schools and other settings as systems and work with individuals and groups to facilitate policies and practices that create and maintain safe, supportive, and effective learning environments for children and others.

Work effectively with adults and children from a variety of backgrounds in order to facilitate positive outcomes for individuals. Interns should:

  • Tailor strategies to individual characteristics, strengths, and needs, with attention to diversity.
  • Work effectively with families, educators, and others in the community to promote and provide comprehensive services to children and families.

Deepen their knowledge of professional ethics and legal requirements necessary for school psychology practice. Interns should:

  • Be knowledgeable about and adhere to ethical, professional, and legal standards of practice.
  • Demonstrate the ability to reach an ethical conclusion when presented with an ethical dilemma.

Interns will participate in two hours of didactic training per week. This may be provided by the district or by the consortium. The consortium will coordinate a series of didactic opportunities at participating internship sites that all interns and supervisors may attend. Examples of training activities include:

  • Participation in a state or national conference
  • Case consultation with a secondary supervisor
  • District-provided professional development
  • Monthly school psychologist meetings with a didactic component
  • Topical training in area of site expertise or otherwise provided by consortium or other agency.