Abstract:

Research has demonstrated that K-12 online educational enrollments are proliferating around the globe, and that the statistics regarding characteristics of the enrollees often represent a bimodal distribution. At one end of the continuum are those highly motivated and academically talented pupils who are seeking enrichment and desiring to learn at an appropriately accelerated pace. However, at the other end of that spectrum are students who are often highly at-risk for academic failure due to previous challenges in adapting to the traditional school environment including achievement gaps, mental health issues, legal restrictions, and/or family instability. We propose that school psychologists are uniquely suited to meet the needs of students across the academic adjustment continuum through their focus as practitioners who apply psychological theory and practice to the educational environment (in this case - the virtual one). Within brick-and-mortar learning environments, school psychologists fulfill roles and functions related to academic intervention, behavioral intervention, cognitive assessment, teacher consultation, individual counseling/therapy, group counseling/therapy, and crisis intervention. Although the actual service delivery in an online environment may differ in structure and modality, the technological medium of online school offers some benefits for data collection and intervention even beyond those available in more traditional educational formats. The current presentation will offer an overview of opportunities and challenges for school psychological services and an implementation guide to improve the learning outcomes for the growing number of students engaging in K-12 online learning.

Keywords:

K-12 online learning, school psychology, psychological services.