SCASP History
1967-1983
Prepared by then USC graduate student Jane BlairThe Early Years, 1967-1972
Although SCASP was born in the fall of 1967, complete with
constitution and president, Ron McWhirt, its conception goes
back to an earlier time, fall of 1966. Dr. Ralph Tindall was
teaching a seminar in school psychology for the second time
in South Carolina. The students in that seminar produced
papers about various professional concerns. One of these
papers, authored by Marion Burns, was concerned with the
value of a professional organization to a school
psychologist. The idea of a professional organization
appealed to the school psychology students. The first group
of students was about to go forth as interns and they could
see the need for an organization to further support them in
their attempt to serve the children of South Carolina. In the
spring of 1987 the University of South Carolina school
psychology majors took the Wisconsin State Association of
School Psychologists bylaws and constitution given them by
Dr. Tindall and Dr. Emfinger in a Chinese restaurant in Five
Points. it was there that the first constitution was accepted
by the group in May, 1967. It was termed revised because it
was a revision of Wisconsin's or perhaps Ohio's,
constitution. In the fall of 1967 Ron McWhlrt became the
first president of SCASP (thus, SCASP predates NASP by two
years).
Because the membership was cornprised for the most part of
doctoral students in school psychology, the constitution at
that time provided that enrollment in a doctoral program as a
full-time student met the requirements for full membership.
Dr. Tindall and Dr. Emfinger were concerned that the
organization might become dominated by the school psychology
faculty at the University. They tried very hard to make it
the students' organization. Dr. Emfinger tried to have
inserted into the constitution a statement prohibiting USC
faculty members' eligibility for elective office. It is
interesting to note that over the years only one faculty
member ever served as president of SCASP. As the students
moved out across the state as interns or new Ph.D. school
psychologists, the meeting place was changed from Five Points
to the Dodd's House Restaurant at the Columbia Airport. With
a membership whose numbers were small (1970 there were 34
full members, 8 associate members - for a grand total of 42)
the speakers at the fall and spring meetings were local
experts. For example, in the fall of 1969 Dr. Joseph Hungate,
Dean of the USC School of Social Work spoke on the topic "The
Social Work Training Program and the Need for Effective
Psychologist-Social Worker Relationships in the School
Setting." The program for the fall meeting in 1971 was "To
Modify or Not to Modify a Debate by the Membership." In the
spring of 1971 the spring meeting was held in conjunction
with the USC Spring SchooI Psychology Workshop, thus enabling
the membership to learn from speakers such as Dr. Donald Ham
mill from Temple University and Dr. Leon Liebovitz, Director
of Special Services, Memphis, Tennessee. It was during the
early years, 1969-1970, in the push toward certification,
that the Educational Evaluation position came in-to being.
The organization has been fighting for either the proper
supervision or elimination of this position ever since its
conception.
The Middle Years, 1973-1978
The years 1973 through 1978 saw not only continued growth
in the membership but continued enhancement of the attempts
to improve psychological services in the state by improving
the quality of the service and the preparation of the
professional. The School Scene, SCASP's journal,
appeared in the fall of 1973, replacing the newsletters which
previous presidents had sent to the membership. In 1973 a
task force was formed to study 93-380 Guidelines. By 1975 the
Treasury was sufficiently large enough to bring Dr. Donald
Bersoff of Yale University Law School to speak about DHEW due
process regulations.
From 1975 to 1977 Frances Welch served as NASP delegate
although SCASP was not officially affiliated with NASP until
1976. In 1976 NASP had 36 members in South Carolina whereas
SCASP had 163. In the spring of 1976 the association honored
Dr. Edward Emfinger with a plaque of appreciation. By 1978
the membership was divided into seven regions. It was during
the 1977-1978 term that Sharon Finuf and Dr. Mackie McQueen
made presentations and reports to the Senate Education
Committee, the Education and Public Works Committee and
Executive Committee of South Carolina Association of School
Superintendents. Sharon Finuf also served as an expert
witnesss during hearings on the need for services for the
handicapped to the Senate Education Committee and the South
Carolina Legislative-Governor's Committee on Mental Health
and Retardation. During the middle years the membership
tripled. The speakers at the meetings were individuals with
national reputations and the association had actively entered
the political arena.
1978 to 1982
In 1978 two new awards were created: Distinguished School
Psychologist and Distinguished Educator. The first recipients
of these awards, presented in the spring of 1979, were:
Distinguished School Psychologist - Dr. Ralph Tindall
Distinguished Educator - Dr. Robert Black
Conference themes between 1978 to 1982 included but were not
limited to Severe and Profound: A Public School
Responsibility, Non Biased Assessment and Adaptive Behavior
(Dr. Dan Reschly), and Vocational School Psychology (Dr.
Thomas Hohenshil). Other conferences dealt with several
issues and included such presentations as Psychopharmacology
"Effects of Psychoactive Drugs on Children's Behavior," (Dr.
Doug Cowart), Teaching Parents To Handle Behavior Problems of
Their Children: A Parent Training Workshop (Dr. Rex Forehand)
and general social and school problems such as Children and
Divorce, Sexual Abuse, Effective Discipline, and Parenting
Techniques.
In the spring of 1982 SCASP met jointly with the Georgia
Association of School Psychology in Augusta, Georgia. The
conference theme was "A Global Approach To School Psychology"
with featured speakers Dr. Asa Hilliard on "Psychological
Assessment Beyond Larry P." and Dr. John Guidubaldi on
"Changes In Family Status and Their Impact On Children. Small
group sessions included Helping Children Cope with Death,
Latchkey Children, Evaluation of The Hearing Impaired,
Psychoeducational Model for the Identification of Behavior
Disorders, and Neuropsychology Bases of Common Learning and
Behavioral Problems.
By the early 1980's it was very evident that SCASP had
broadened its areas of interest and expertise over the years.
While SCASP's conferences have improved in quality and scope,
SCASP had also broadened its efforts in professional issues.
Dr. Reid Johnson dedicated several years and many hours in
efforts to have South Carolina's standards for school
psychology certification upgraded. While efforts were not one
hundred percent fruitful at that time some revisions were
made. Effective July 1,1983 no new educational evaluator
certificates will be issued and provisions for the internship
of Level I, II, and Ill school psychologists are provided
for. John Reeves, Sue Forman, and Leah Burriss directed
efforts at licensure of school psychologists in South
Carolina. Their ad hoc committee went on record as supporting
licensure of non-doctoral school psychologists when
individuals met certification standards of NASP. Positive
outcomes of efforts included SCASP participation in the
nomination of a school psychologist to the Board of Examiners
and the addition of a lay person to the board. NASP's Olympia
conference was held in 1981 to examine issues influencing
school psychology into the 21st century. From that
conference, SCASP planned a working retreat in the fall of
1982 on the future of school psychology in South Carolina.
Continuing professional development had been pursued by Garry
White and Reid Johnson. Garry had made contacts in
coordinating higher institution offerings with the state
association. Garry also distributed a CPD needs survey in the
Spring 1982 Conference materials.
A constitution revision in October of 1981 added a student
membership status, changed the member-at-large board member
to two regional representatives, and added an article of
dissolution where upon dissolution of SCASP assets will be
contributed to NASP. In February of 1982 SCASP held its first
Executive Board retreat where board members, regional
chairpersons, and committee chairpersons met to study and
plan future course adtions for SCASP.
Thus, by the early 1980's SCASP had emerged as a
full-fledged professional organization, viable, growing,
concerned and independent with a membership of approximately
200 members and a treasury of over $3,000.00 from a group of
a dozen or more improvised graduate students and two
concerned professionals.
Early 80's to the present
by Dr. Bob Cantrell - presented at the Spring Conference
1999
During the 70's SCASP spent considerable time attempting
to get school psychologists into the Defined Minimum Program,
working on the "identity" of school psychologists, attracting
enough psychologists and money to keep the organization going
and the like. during the 70's I witnessed many individuals
giving a great deal of their valuable time.
During the 1980's SCASP worked on getting school
psychologists into the Defined Minimum Program, worked on our
"identity," worked with the Legislature on the abolition of
corporal punishment in the schools, made efforts to convince
the SACS to incorporate school psychologists as part of their
standards and thought of finally revising the REDBOOK. As it
was in the 70's, the 80's witnessed many individuals on the
executive board of SCASP, committee members and some regional
groups giving a great deal of their time and energy.
During the 90's SCASP updated its computer system,
developed a Website, continued to work on, you guessed it,
our "identity," were counted in the Defined Minimum Program
(we finally made this one under a different name) and
actually revised the REDBOOK (but then it was hidden in a
pile of red tape). [It was also during this time that in
1991, after several years of planning the Board decided to
hire a staff person to assist the volunteer Board and to
provide continuity and a central point of contact for SCASP.
Sandy Manning, Ph.D., a school psychologist was hired as this
person, and continues to be SCASP's Executive Director.]
It was within the last few years that I believe SCASP
became an adult. The evidence of that began at the start of
the REDBOOK revision process, and culminated in passage of
the Masters' Licensure for School Psychologists. During the
REDBOOK process no longer was the Executive Board of SCASP
the driving force behind the initiative. Through the
structure set up by the State Department of Education, and
input by the Executive Board, either through nomination,
volunteer or coercive efforts by all those described above, a
good many members were engaged with the REDBOOK process in
the first year. Some were caught in the REDBOOK vortex as
"the editing team" for years, but this was the start of SCASP
working as a team.
But in my opinion, it was SCASP's efforts to pass the
Licensure Bill that the final change occurred. The preview of
that change started in 1994 when Don Graham, the president of
SCASP received 16 to 18 requests from members urging SCASP to
pursue a Bill for Licensure of Master's level school
psychologists. In response, that next fall, Gary Alderman,
then current president, called for an "ad hoc" committee to
be formed to study their proposal. This was the start over
five years ago that saw SCASP's executive board, executive
director, regional chairs, regional groups, and individual
members working together for a common purpose which
culminated in passage of that bill in the summer of
1998.
As members of SCASP it is time to recognize not only our
accomplishments as an organization but also to recognize
individuals. Thank you Mark Posey for setting up SCASP's
computer system, setting up our web site and its maintenance.
Thank you all of you who served on a REDBOOK committee. A
special thanks to you who spent the last few years serving as
final editors. Beth Lowman, Laura Mohr, Bob Hatchette,
Shirley Vickery, Kathy Trout, Sandra Hamlin, Deborah Williams
and Marlene Meetze
Thank you all of you who helped out in some way with the
Licensure Bill. A special thanks to those who had major or
supporting roles throughout the last few years with this
SCASP endeavor: Joe Prus, Gary Alderman, Sandy Manning,
Antigo Martin, Gloria Marcus, Mary Lou Drummond, Penny
Rogers, Tom Brandner, Doug Williams, Roy Fowler, Jack Lieb
and Jan Harbison. Within our membership there was a core
group, that I do not believe without their general and
individual efforts that this bill we call the licensure for
Master's level psychologists would have come into being. They
gave thousands of dollars of their own money and countless
hours of their time. They are Dave Evans, who wrote the bill,
Connie Schulze, Joann Claytor, Jan Willis, Madge Connor,
Naomi Palmer and Trisha Pruitt. Thank you for hanging in
there.
We want to give the award for the OUTSTANDING
CONTRIBUTIONS IN THE FIELD OF SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGY to one of
these individuals who I believe, that if not for their work
within the last few months of the legislative action, that we
would not today have the privilege of putting LPES on our
signature line. It was not only her central location to be of
use in this endeavor but her willingness to dedicate her
effort for timely intervention. These interventions were
carried out with the passion of a missionary, the accuracy of
a cruise missile and the effect of a B-1 bomber. Of course, I
am talking about our very own friend and colleague, Dr.
Trisha Pruitt.
This page will continue to be updated and filled in as pertinent information becomes available and as SCASP continues to serve as leader in the professional development of South Carolina's school psychologists.