Abstract
Children across the country are not meeting benchmarks in reading and mathematics, which has a range of adverse academic and life outcomes. It is essential for educators to deliver high-quality evidence-based interventions to strengthen learning trajectories. School psychologists are in a strong position to support educators and children in this endeavor. Trainers of school psychologists have a unique opportunity to develop and supervise field-based trainee experiences aligned with NASP domains related to multi-tiered academic instruction and intervention systems in order to strengthen relevant trainee skills and prepare new generations of school psychologists. However, little attention has been given to evaluating these preservice school psychology training experiences. The present study aimed to describe a clinic- based practicum experience, evaluate practicum student skills in domains related to academic intervention delivery, and explore the effectiveness of academic interventions for client reading and math performance. Data were collected from a sample of 13 practicum students, 22 clients, and 2 supervisors. Results indicated that supervisors rated student professional knowledge and skills highly, students reported significant self-improvement in their professional knowledge and skills, university and site supervisors rated student professional behavior highly and in correlation with each other, and clients demonstrated gains in all academic skills. Study limitations, implications for school psychology trainers, and future directions are discussed.
