School Psychologist (070 Endorsement)

Unified School District #1 (USD#1) is seeking experienced and qualified individuals for the position of School Psychologist (Pupil Services Specialist) at our Correctional Facilities under the Connecticut Department of Correction (DOC).

This recruitment is continuous and may be used to fill openings in correctional facilities across the state.

We encourage those who possess a School Psychologist (#070) CT Endorsement to apply directly to this recruitment!

POSITION HIGHLIGHTS

• First shift, Monday through Friday
• Full time, 35 hours per week
• These positions may be directed to any one of our facilities based on the candidates Education Endorsement and Department needs.

The Connecticut Department of Correction is a diverse agency with a wide variety of employees from Correction Officers, to Educators, to Managers and Skilled Professionals. We value differences that make us stronger as a team and support our mission statement.

The Connecticut Department of Correction (DOC) is the agency responsible for corrections in the U.S. state of Connecticut. The agency operates 13 correctional facilities. It has its headquarters in Wethersfield. The DOC protects public safety by ensuring offenders serve their sentences of imprisonments in facilities that are safe, human, and provide re-entry programming.

The State of Connecticut, Department of Correction is a unified system; all sentenced and un-sentenced offenders are supervised by the DOC. The Department also provides supervision for offenders on parole, community release, and other discretionary release programs.

OUR SCHOOL DISTRICT

USD #1 is dedicated to providing quality educational programs for incarcerated individuals. Students are offered academic knowledge, vocational competencies, and life skills integrated with technology in a positive environment to foster lifelong learning, multicultural awareness, and a successful social transition. USD#1 offers an array of academic programming, including:

• K-12 High School Program
• Adult Basic Education (ABE)
• General Education Development (GED)
• Credit Diploma Program (CDP)
• English Second Language (ESL)/ Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), and;
• a wide variety of Career-Technical Education (CTE) programs.

Our USD#1 motto is defined by the Latin phrase on the District's seal. The phrase, "Non Sum Qualis Eram," translates into English as "I am not what I once was." The hope is that returning citizens will be provided with some of the core tools required to change their path in life through education.

YOUR ROLE

The School Psychologist will perform a full range of pupil service functions for students within the district that include educational diagnosis, counseling, and psychological services. The School Psychologist will also collaborate with the State School Teachers to offer resources and assist in planning educational programs.

As a School Psychologist, you will have the opportunity to work in the following areas:

Liaison Activities

Acts as a liaison between:

• Students and former education placements
• Outside agencies and local school programs
• The school program and institutional DOC components
• Interested parties and the school programs, particularly as it relates to transition to the community

Direct Service

• Individual and group counseling of students with respect to the social, emotional, and psychological issues related to education; as well as vocational, educational, and career planning
• Uses crises intervention skills to mediate student problems
• Administers and analyzes psychological related assessments
• Creates IEP goals in the areas of self-determination, behavior, and transition
• Prepares and delivers classroom lessons and group presentations related to appropriate vocational, career, and social/emotional topics

General Assessment & Placement

• Assists as needed with the general assessment program at the local site including the collection of information needed for educational and vocational placement and institutional classification
• Administers group and individual achievement and vocational assessment as needed
• Assists in development and administration of the process to make assessment data available for decision making
• Assists the school administrator in the development and implementation of an efficient process for the placement of students into appropriate programs

More details can be found in the class specification.

BENEFITS AND BALANCE AT THE STATE OF CONNECTICUT 

Our state has a lot to offer - from fun activities for all ages, to great food and shopping, to beautiful state parks and forests, to our diverse cultures and rich history. Connecticut is a great place to live! Learn more about Connecticut here.

What we can offer you:

• The opportunity to work for a Forbes top company: 'Forbes' State of Connecticut Ranked One of the Best Employers of 2023 - State of CT Receives National Recognition for Offering Job Growth, Competitive Benefits, and Flexible Schedule
• Professional growth and development opportunities
• A healthy work/life balance to all employees

Visit our new State Employee Benefits Overview page!

Perks of this job:

• A variety of medical and dental plans;
• Participation in a hybrid retirement plan which provides a retirement benefit, that may include retiree health insurance;
• Option to maintain State of CT Teacher Retirement Plan or enroll in the State Employee Hazardous Duty Retirement System;
• Sick and personal leave;
• Five (5) weeks of scheduled vacation time;
• A $4000 stipend is available pursuant to the terms of the collective bargaining agreement;
• Tuition Reimbursement;
• The State of CT is an eligible Public Services Loan Forgiveness employer, meaning you may be eligible to have qualifying student loans forgiven after 10 years of service.

This is an unclassified recruitment, open to the public.

For current state employees, salary calculations are not necessarily comparable from one of the three branches of state government (i.e. Executive, Legislative, Judicial) to the other.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR THIS RECRUITMENT:

• Please include any related endorsements and/or certification and licensure credential details within your application.
• This recruitment may require you to prepare a lesson plan presentation as part of the interview process.
• Be sure to select all locations you are interested and commutable to.
• This is a hazardous duty* position.

*Candidates selected for hire will be required to attend a 14-week hazardous duty training at the Maloney Center for Training & Staff Development located in Cheshire, CT. This training consists of both classroom and on the job training (one day of classroom presentation and nine days of “hands-on” physical training.) The Behavior Management Program training will education on the use of physical force as it applies to self-defense, and the maintenance of order and security within the inmate population. In order to graduate, trainees will be required to pass a written exam, as well as a practical skills test which will be scored.

TO APPLY:

• In order to be considered for this job opening, you must meet the Minimum Qualifications as listed on this job opening. You must specify your qualifications on your application.
• The minimum experience and training requirements must be met by the close date on the job opening, unless otherwise specified.
• Ensure that your application is complete and detailed before submitting it. In order to comply with Public Act 21-69, the State of Connecticut is no longer asking for resumes during the initial application process. You will not be able to make revisions once your application is submitted into the JobAps system.
• Please select all location(s) and shift(s) you are willing to work on your application. Failure to do so may result in not being considered for vacancies in that specific location or shift.
• In order to receive educational credits toward qualification for this job posting, the institution must be accredited. If the institution of higher learning is located outside of the U.S., you are responsible for providing documentation from a recognized USA accrediting service which specializes in determining foreign education equivalencies to the recruiter listed on this job posting.
• All application materials must be received by the recruiting agency by the time specified on the job opening for the position for which you are applying. Late applications may not be submitted and will not be considered. Exceptions are rare and limited to documented events that incapacitate a candidate during the entire duration of the job posting time period. It is the candidate’s obligation and responsibility to request an exception and provide a legally recognized justification to accommodate such exception. Requests should be made to DAS.SHRM@ct.gov.

FOR ASSISTANCE IN APPLYING:

• Please read or watch our Applicant Tips on How to Apply!

IMPORTANT INFORMATION AFTER YOU APPLY:

• This posting may require completion of additional referral questions (RQs). You can access these RQs via an email that will be sent to you after the posting's closing date or by visiting your JobAps Personal Status Board (Certification Questionnaires section). Your responses to these RQs must be submitted by the questionnaire's expiration date. Please regularly check your email and JobAps Personal Status Board for notifications. Please check your SPAM and/or Junk folders on a daily basis in the event an email provider places auto-notification emails in a user's spam.
• Although applicants will receive correspondence via email, as a backup they are also encouraged to sign on to their Personal Status Board on a daily basis to monitor their status, view all emailed notices and complete tasks required in the recruitment process.
• Note: At any point during the recruitment process, applicants may be required to submit additional documentation which support their qualification(s) for this position. These documents may include: a cover letter, resume, performance reviews, attendance records, supervisory references, licensure, etc., at the discretion of the hiring agency.
• Interviews will be limited to candidates whose experience and training most closely meet the requirements of the position.
• The immediate vacancy is listed above, however, applications to this recruitment may be used for future vacancies in this job class.
• Read through this helpful link to prepare for your interview.

CONNECT WITH US:

• Due to the large volume of applications received, we are unable to provide confirmation of receipt or status during the recruitment process. Updates will be available through your JobAps portal account. Should you have any questions pertaining to this recruitment, please contact Samantha.Rivera@CT.Gov
• Follow the State of Connecticut on LinkedIn.

In a state institution, facility or region within a state unified school district performs professional services within the area of pupil personnel and special education services in a school setting and serves in a resource capacity and consultant to teachers.

• Knowledge of
  • the philosophy and methods of service delivery to the assigned disciplines; 
  • the principles and practices of education and or services for special needs population; 
• Ability to
  • motivate students; 
  • communicate at the appropriate level; 
  • establish cooperative relationships with those contacted in planning educational programs; 
  • prepare written reports; 
  • perform educational testing.

A Master's degree which includes a planned program of preparation for the field in which the special services are performed.

• State of CT Endorsement #070, School Psychologist
• Experience in the identification and eligibility of Special Education Students
• Experience acting as a liaison between students, former education placements, outside agencies, local school programs, and other interested parties
• Experience with individual counseling of students
• Experience with group counseling of students
• Experience participating and contributing student information as a member of the PPT process
• Experience with promoting student development of interpersonal and intrapersonal skills through counseling and instruction
• Experience monitoring the achievement of IEP and ITP objectives

In addition to the checking of references and of facts stated in the application, a thorough background investigation of each candidate may be made prior to appointment.

AN AFFIRMATIVE ACTION/EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

The State of Connecticut is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and strongly encourages the applications of women, minorities, and persons with disabilities.

As defined by Sec. 5-196 of the Connecticut General Statutes, a job class is a position or group of positions that share general characteristics and are categorized under a single title for administrative purposes.  As such, a job class is not meant to be all-inclusive of every task and/or responsibility.