Fall conference. Well attended. Presenters. Well-informed. Members. Priceless. SCASP hopes that you, as our members feel the same way. We had a very large attendance for all days of preconference and conference this year. That means you value the professional development and peer contact experiences SCASP provides for you. Our membership has been steadily increasing and so I thank you for spreading the word and recruiting. We are very close in meeting our membership growth goal but just missed this number for the Fall Conference. Our Program co-chairs are already at work to finalize the upcoming Spring Conference presentations based on your SCASP survey data. If you have any requests, or ideas, please let Catherine Oxner or Carole Sorrenti know so they can investigate those possibilities.

Carole Sorrenti, NASP delegate, and I recently returned from attending the Southeast Regional Leadership meeting in Louisville, Kentucky. NASP provided an information-packed three-day training and it was very helpful to be able to collaborate with our neighboring states to hear about what the organizations have chosen as their focuses. In many, many ways, SCASP is a forerunner with professional and organization development. Other states in our area are also planning to develop PRePARE trainings based on NASP’s request. This new crisis development model was developed by school psychologists and provides much more school-based, functional training than the training SCASP sponsored for NOVA a few years ago. In addition, other states in our region have addressed NCSP reciprocity and stipends at state and local district levels. On the leadership listserve, this is a topic of much discussion---some associations have not targeted this as an issue to address. Our legislative chair, Bob Cantrell, has been in contact with the SC Department of Education to develop a plan for addressing this issue in our state. Lynn Collins has also spoken to each of the regional representatives and asked for flagships districts who may be interested in beginning a movement to initiate NCSP parity; the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards NBCT credentialing process is equivalent to our NASP-accredited graduate training, and certification process. For the NCSP credential, in fact, the continuing professional development requirements exceed that of the NBCT credential for which some educators receive a stipend of up to $12, 500 per year for the ten-year certificate. NASP has parity materials available on their new website if you would like more information. Or, contact Lynn Collins. Lastly, NASP asked each state association to develop a strategic plan and to develop an Ethics/Professional Standards Committee. We were happy to share that we already have this committee, chaired by Betsy Chesno Grier, and have a strategic plan in place for the organization. Further development of this strategic plan is scheduled for the Spring Retreat. Please contact your regional representative if you would like to be involved in the plan development.

Thank you once again for your participation and membership in SCASP. We need your input to make the association even better. Please make it a new year’s resolution to recruit a member, talk about SCASP’s benefits at your staff meeting, renew your own membership if you have not, or get involved with SCASP. Each of our chairpersons would be glad to hear from you and include you as much or as little as you can afford to commit yourself. If you can not be part of a committee, please feel free to offer ideas and especially to provide SCASP archival data for the upcoming 40th Anniversary celebration in Fall 2007.

Take care,

Susan Kreh Beck, EdS, NCSP
SCASP President