About FirstLine Schools

In 1998, FirstLine Schools started the first charter school in New Orleans.  FirstLine now operates four Pre-K-8th grade schools and one K-8th grade school.  Our mission is to create and inspire great open admissions public schools in New Orleans. 

Our faculty is a diverse and talented group dedicated to our students’ success and to their own growth as teachers.  Our schools are led by leaders who hold themselves accountable for student achievement and teacher development.

Position Summary:

The Network School Psychologist / Evaluation Coordinator will work across all FirstLine Schools and will: consult with teachers, families, and other school-employed mental health professionals (i.e. school counselors, school social workers) to improve support strategies; collaborate with network student support team  to improve school-wide practices and policies; and collaborate with community providers to coordinate needed services.  This position will also have primary responsibility for conducting and coordinating comprehensive psycho-educational evaluations.  Other responsibilities include serving as SBLC team member when the team is making decisions around evaluations and meeting with Special Education and RTI Coordinators to review upcoming evaluations. This position is a member of the Schools Team and E-Team.

Position Responsibilities:

The responsibilities for this position will be, although not limited to, the following:

Evaluation and Re-evaluation 

• Evaluate referred students in accordance with Bulletin 1508 – Pupil Appraisal Handbook and the National Association of School Psychologists’ (NASP) ethical standards.
• Re-evaluate special education students to update information and to recommend adjustments in their educational programs.
• Communicate regularly with families and school-based stakeholders about the progress made by students.

School Programming

• Participate in IEP meetings in order to explain and interpret findings and recommendations to parents, teachers, principals and other appropriate personnel.
• Collaborate with RTI coordinators to ensure adequate, efficient and timely data collection on scholar learning and growth.
• Become fluent in the school-based interventions being used to inform scholars’ strengths and deficits when moving from RTI to evaluation
• Assist in planning, development, and evaluation of intervention programs to meet identified learning and social-emotional needs.
• Make referrals to and help coordinate community intervention services provided in schools.

Consultation and Training

• Educate teachers and other staff members involved in the IEP process about the different types of assessment, what they mean, and why they are important.
• Educate teachers and other support staff members about the varying disabilities and diagnoses to assist all relevant team members in preparing for how disabilities present themselves in the classroom.
• Provide or assist  in the provision of professional learning on topics such as pupil appraisal services, special education eligibility criteria, exceptional students, learning styles, intervention techniques, RTI and other areas of expertise.
• Consult with school based student support staff in developing behavior intervention plans for children with special needs. 

Compliance

• Maintain accurate  assessment records on all students in accordance with the requirements of the local, state, and federal laws, regulations and policies; as well as, FirstLine network policies.
• Interpret out of state or non-1508 evaluations.
• Ensure all mandated timelines for evaluations and state counts are met 100% of the time.
• Supervises and manages Network School Psychologist and approves associated evaluation notes. 

Education & Experience:

• Doctorate, Master’s, or Specialist in School Psychology required  
• Certified in school psychology in state of Louisiana required 
• Licensed in school psychology in state of Louisiana required
• Two (2) years experience as a supervising psychologist, including the approval of evaluation notes required
• Have completed APA accredited internship (preferred)  
• Experience working in Response to Intervention (RtI) models (strongly preferred) 
• Experience completing psychoeducational evaluations for preschool-8th grade children  
• Experience with Bulletin 1508 (preferred) 
• Bilingual - English/Spanish (preferred)
• Experience working with students with a range of disabilities (learning disabilities, emotional and behavioral disorders, autism, etc.) 

Desired Qualities & Characteristics:

• Believe in every student’s ability to achieve in a rigorous college or career prep curriculum
• Achieve results based on agreed-upon expectations
• Take personal responsibility 
• Highly detail-oriented 
• Collaborate effectively with a range of stakeholders 
• Share a commitment to creating great schools in New Orleans
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Model the FirstLine values of Service, Learning, Collaboration, Results and Fun
• Strong communication, relationship building and interpersonal skills
• Up to date knowledge of current Special Education laws, literature, and relevant research.
• Desire for constant feedback and growth
• Ability to build systems used by multiple collaborators 

Physical Requirements:

While performing the duties of this job, the employee may be required to sit, walk, stand, talk, and hear. 

Light lifting of equipment may be required (up to 20 lbs.)

Position reports to: Director of Student Support Services

Salary is competitive and commensurate with experience. FirstLine Schools offers a comprehensive benefits package with a generous 403b plan.

FirstLine Schools provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, marital status, amnesty, or status as a covered veteran in accordance with applicable federal, state and local laws.