Psychologist's Post
Information and Links From Your School Psychologist
Hi! I'd like to introduce myself. I am Carolyn F. Bailey, Ph.D., the School Psychologist assigned to
Westover ES. I am nationally certified and have been with Montgomery County Public School since
1986. Prior to this I was a trainer of school psychologists at Howard University, Washington, DC in the
Department of Psycho-educational Studies. On this page, I would like to provide you with quick access
to information related to parenting, learning, mental health and school psychology.
School psychologists help children in a variety of ways academically, socially, and emotionally. They
collaborate with educators, parents, and other professionals to create a safe, healthy, and supportive
learning environment for all students. Typically I participate on school teams to assist students having
academic, social/emotional, or behavioral difficulties. I help staff develop academic or behavior
intervention plans, provide support with counseling and social skills development, and provide
teachers and families with information about how to support their students’ learning. Additionally, I
participate in the process which helps identify children who have educational disabilities which require
more individualized programs of support based on their specific needs.
As a Montgomery County School Psychologist, I also serve three other schools, as well as periodic
special assignments to central office. This year I am generally at Westover ES on Wednesdays.
However, I am available via email at carolyn bailey@mcpsmd.org. Please let me know if there are
questions I can answer for you or if I can help your child be more successful in school!
General Information
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What is a School Psychologist?
Back-to-School Transitions: Tips for Parents
Homework: A Guide for Parents
How do I motivate my child to learn?
How do I support my child’s emotional development?
Divorce: A Parents' Guide for Supporting Children
Keeping Children Safe on the Internet: Guidelines for Parents
Helping the Student with ADHD in the Classroom
Autism Spectrum Disorders: Intervention Options for Parents and Educators
Depression in Young Children: Information for Parents & Educators
Teaching Young Children Self-Control Skills: Information for Parents & Educators
Other Resources
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National Association of School Psychologists
The National Institute of Mental Health
Maryland State Department of Education
Montgomery County Child & Adolescent Mental Health
Maryland Coalition of Families for Children’s Mental Health
What is an Intervention?
Your child’s teacher gathers a great deal of data on your child’s academic levels and progress towards grade
level expectations. Sometimes this is done through unit or theme assessments which target information that
was specifically taught, while other times it is done periodically throughout the year (e.g., in reading) to measure
incremental progress. When a student is not making progress on a set of skills, his/her teacher may choose to
recommend the student for an intervention to target the skills on which the student is struggling. These
general education interventions are developed for children, based on the data that has been taken; the
data helps the teacher and other school personnel know the child’s area of need so that the most
appropriate evidence-based intervention can be put in place to help remediate the problem.
Interventions are generally given for six to eight weeks. Along the way and at the end of the
intervention period, data is taken to measure progress. Some students make great progress and exit
the intervention group. Other students, who perhaps have made progress but not as much as his/her
teacher would have liked, may stay in for some additional practice. A few students may continue to
struggle to make progress. For these few students, separate, more individualized interventions may be
developed to see if their rate of progress can be improved. When a student has not responded well to
such specific, targeted interventions, the team may wish to discuss whether or not evaluations are
needed to help determine the presence of a disability.
What is an FBA/BIP?
Children behave in certain ways based on what they have been taught by their parents, grandparents,
and teachers. What is expected of them changes, based on where they are and, for the most part,
children learn to differentiate the ‘rules’ from one situation to another. When children struggle,
however, to behave appropriately in school and this behavior disrupts their learning and the learning
of others, school staff may recommend conducting a Functional Behavioral Assessment, or FBA. An
FBA is a data-driven process which looks at when a behavior occurs, what the behavior looks like, and
what happens in response to the behavior. Sometimes staff will keep track of how often something
happens, in addition to when it happens. All of this data is used to try to determine why a student may
be engaging in the problem behavior. Common reasons why children engage in negative behavior
include to seek attention from others, to avoid tasks or situations, to express frustration or anger, and
to seek power or control.
Once it is clear from data collected by school staff when and why a problem behavior is occurring, they
work on developing an intervention plan to help decrease the problem behavior. Behavior
Intervention Plans, or BIPs, focus on strategies that can be used in the classroom, teaching
replacement behaviors or skills so that the student has an alternative to engaging in the negative
behavior, and reward systems to help motivate the student to change his or her behavior.
As with academic interventions, data is taken on BIPs to measure a student’s progress on the
intervention. BIPs are modified to fit the changing needs of the student; they are discontinued when a
student no longer demonstrates a need for the intervention.
What is a 504 Plan?
Section 504, of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, is a federal law that protects the civil rights of persons
with disabilities. The Act prohibits any organization that receives federal funds, such as the public
school system, from discriminating against otherwise qualified individuals because of a disability. A
student with a disability should be considered for eligibility and accommodations under Section 504 if
he/she has a physical or mental impairment which substantially limits one or more major life activities.
In the school system, ‘impairments’ or disabilities which often receive accommodations under Section
504 include (but are not limited to) Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), severe allergies,
cerebral palsy, diabetes, and epilepsy. The impairment must “substantially limit” or restrict a student’s
ability to perform a “major life activity” involved in school. These “major life activities” include
learning, caring for oneself, performing manual tasks, walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing,
working, standing, lifting, bending, reading, concentrating, thinking, and communicating. A diagnosis
of a disability does not automatically qualify a student for accommodations under Section 504. The
student must demonstrate need for accommodations, based on the comparison of his/her
performance to that of the average student in the general population.
Teachers or parents who feel a student may meet the criteria for Section 504 eligibility may request an
Educational Management Team (EMT) meeting to discuss their concerns. The EMT meeting may
include the principal, school counselor, school psychologist, pupil personnel worker, school nurse, and
any other relevant school personnel, as well as the parent and teacher. The EMT will review various
sources of information (e.g., report cards, observations, medical reports, and other data necessary to
determine whether a student is eligible for accommodations under Section 504). As mentioned
previously, a student must demonstrate need for accommodations, based on the comparison of
his/her performance to that of the average student in the general population.
Section 504 accommodations are general education accommodations designed to level the playing
field for persons with disabilities. Section 504 is not special education. If, at any time, a review of a
student’s data suggests the presence of a disability covered under the Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act (IDEA 2004) the team will refer the student to an Individualized Education Program (IEP)
Team. Parents will be asked to attend a screening meeting with the IEP Team.
What is special education?
Special education is governed by federal law under the Individuals with Disabilities Education
Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEA 2004) Public Law [108-446]. It is defined as "specially designed
instruction, at no cost to parents, to meet the unique needs of a child with a disability." Special
education provides additional services, supports and programs, for students with special needs.
Sometimes these are provided in specialized placements or environments; depending on the needs of
the child. The vast majority of students in Special Education receive services in their home school and
with nondisabled peers. The range of special education support will vary based on need. There are
many guidelines governing Special Education and the MCPS website is a good resource for parents.
What is a disability?
The term a “child with a disability” refers to a child, who has been identified with one of the state- and
federally-recognized disabilities, who needs special education services. In general, this means that, as a
result of the disability, the child is having a great deal of difficulty in the regular education program and
even with general education interventions and supports requires something more specific for that child
to learn.
The disability categories are:
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Intellectual Disability
Hearing Impairments (including deafness)
Speech and/or Language Impairments
Visual Impairments (including blindness),
Emotional Disability
Orthopedic Impairments
Autism
Deaf/blindness
Traumatic Brain Injury
Other Health Impairments
Specific Learning Disabilities
Developmental Delay
Multiple Disabilities
What do I do if I suspect my child has a disability?
You should contact your child’s teacher or a school administrator. There are a number of school-based
programs designed to assist children that are struggling in school. Educators are trained to work with
children with a wide range of learning needs. There are also school-based teams of professionals that
meet to help design, implement and monitor specific interventions to assist struggling students. Most
children respond well to these general education interventions. Parents are important members of our
teams and we want you to be a part of your child’s learning and progress.
If your child is still not making good progress, the team may decide to seek evaluations to help
determine the presence of a disability. These evaluations can only be conducted with the informed
consent of the parents and are provided at no cost to the family. Once evaluations have been
completed, the school team discusses the results with you, the parent, and determines whether or not
your child meets the eligibility criteria for one of the federally-defined educational disabilities. If
he/she does, then goals are developed and services are recommended to meet your child’s needs in
order to help remediate the problems identified through the evaluations.
There are many guidelines governing Special Education and the MCPS website is a good resource for
parents. Your school team, including the school psychologist, is there to help explain the process and
ensure that your child can learn and succeed!