IEP Goals & Monitoring
[ERMHS Series #4]
Definition of ERMHS:
| Educationally Related Mental Health Services (ERMHS) are mental health services for students who qualify for special education. ERMHS supports student’s social-emotional needs. They can also help to improve the student’s academics, behavior, and overall well-being. ERMHS are individually tailored to the student’s needs and to their Individual Education Program (“IEP”) goals. ERMHS may include counseling (individual, group) and/or social work services (collaboration and case management). (source) |
Goal Setting
School Psychologists are data management experts – including knowledge of effective goal setting to promote student success. As an ERMHS provider, a School Psychologist ensures the goals set forth are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time-bound. These qualities also reduce vague goals or ones that are virtually impossible to measure.
S.M.A.R.T. Goals Breakdown:
- Specific = The goal is specific to an observable action or criteria
- Measurable = The goal can be monitored and measured to recognize success
- Attainable = Ensures the goal is something that the person can do
- Realistic = Matches the type of support, and time frame, to make the goal reasonable
- Time-Bound = Clearly identifies an end-date or end point by which the goal is achieved
Not only do students need to see their progress over time, but so do their teachers and parents. Even the provider will want to know if their services are helping! Adequate goals are one component that helps keep things clear for all involved. The “SMART” goal framework also helps in defining these goals.
Recommendation
Use the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) framework (the Wheel) to develop ERMHS goals. These 5 competencies cover many of the skills deficits for which students are often referred for school-based counseling, and other behavioral difficulties. By using a consistent framework (i.e., CASEL), it provides you and your team with common language.
Progress Monitoring
Typically, the ERMHS provider is a service provider on a student’s written plan (i.e., IEP). As such, you will be required to complete progress reports on your goals. School Psychologists, specifically, are very skilled in monitoring data and reporting out summaries. A progress report is no different.
SMART goals make reporting progress easier. The tools used to help build the child’s skills should also be designed in a way that makes progress monitoring easier. For example, building a child’s social skills – reducing feelings of social anxiety – can be done with a rubric. Your rating of particular skills using a rubric makes progress monitoring go smoothly. This would also provide a permanent product to share at IEP meetings or with parents during a consultation.
Progress Monitoring Tools for School Psychologists:
- Rubric
- Structured Observation Notes
- Parent and Teacher Interviews
- Student Interview
- Survey/Questionnaire
- Scenarios
Reminder…
The National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) also recognizes the fact that School Psychologists may provide ERMHS – and related – mental health supports to students. Domain 4 reads:
Domain 4: Mental and Behavioral Health Services and Interventions
School psychologists understand the biological, cultural, developmental, and social influences on mental and behavioral health, behavioral and emotional impacts on learning, and evidence-based strategies to promote social–emotional functioning. School psychologists, in collaboration with others, design, implement, and evaluate services that promote resilience and positive behavior, support socialization and adaptive skills, and enhance mental and behavioral health.
So yes, School Psychologists can provide ERMHS to students within the school setting as appropriate. These supports should be clearly defined and aligned with specific goals to help students address educationally-based difficulties! When appropriate, other support staff (e.g., school counselor or school social worker) may be the best positioned to work with a student – but do not discount the influential role that a School Psychologist can play.
Keywords: goals, progress monitoring, IEP, service, student support, school psychologist, psychologist, school, ermhs, special education
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