SCASP HISTORY

Written by Sandra C. Manning, Ph.D., NCSP

The 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, the 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 1967, the University of South Carolina school psychology majors took the Wisconsin State Association of School Psychologists bylaws and constitution given them by Dr. Tindal and Dr. Ed 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 McWhirt became the first president of SCASP (thus, SCASP predates NASP by two years.)

Because the membership was comprised 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 very few faculty members 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 School Psychology Workshop, thus enabling the membership to learn from speakers such as Dr. Donald Hammill 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 Evaluator position came into being.  SCASP fought for either the proper supervision or elimination of this position since its conception.

Let’s Grow 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 Psych Scene, SCASP’s newsletter, appeared in the fall of 1973, replacing the newsletters which previous presidents had written and sent to the membership.  In 1973 a task force was formed to study PL 93-380 Guidelines.  By 1975 the budget 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 while SCASP had 163.  In the spring of 1976 the association honored Dr. Edward Emfinger with a plaque of appreciation and life time membership in SCASP.  In 1978 the membership was divided into seven regions.  It was 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 the Executive Committee of the South Carolina Association of School Superintendents.  Sharon Finuf also served as an expert witness 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 these growth years, the membership tripled.  The speakers at the meetings were individuals with national reputations and the association had actively entered the political arena. 

The passage of PL 94-142 solidified the need for school psychologists in the schools.  Although Winthrop University, in Rock Hill, SC began training school psychologists at the Master’s level in the 1960s, it obtained approval from the state for its Specialist in School Psychology Degree in 1978.

Let’s Celebrate 1978-1990

In 1978 two 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, USC Professor of School Psychology

Distinguished Educator—Dr. Robert Black, Director of Special Education at the State Department of Education

The names of the Awards were changed in 1983 to Outstanding Contributions to School Psychology and Outstanding Contributions to Education.  There was a lot of discussion at Board meetings about the name of the Awards and in 1987 the SCASP board decided to create an award that would be our state’s School Psychologist of the Year.  At this time a third award was established.  This award was named Excellence in the Practice of School Psychology.  In 1990 one last name change was made.  Outstanding Contributions to School Psychology was changed to Outstanding Contributions in the Field of School Psychology. 

During the 1980s, SCASP conferences were large celebratory learning venues.  In the spring of 1982, SCASP met jointly with the Georgia Association of School Psychologists in Augusta, Georgia.  The conference theme was “A Global Approach To School Psychology” with featured speakers Dr. Asa Hillard on “Psychological Assessment Beyond Larry P.” and Dr. John Guidubaldi, NASP President, 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.  SCASP continued to hold conferences in the spring and fall with the spring conference being held in Myrtle Beach, Charleston, or Hilton Head.  During the latter part of the 1980s, they were held jointly with the South Carolina Psychological Association. 

During the 1980s, SCASP also continued to work on professional issues.  Dr. Reid Johnson, SCASP President 1978-79, dedicated several years and many hours in efforts to have South Carolina’s standards for school psychology certification upgraded.  While SCASPs efforts were not 100% successful, some important revisions were made.  Effective July 1, 1983 no new educational evaluator certificates were to be issued and provisions for the internship at Level I, II, and III were instituted.  John Reeves, Susan Forman, and Leah Burris 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.  This was not implemented but SCASP participated in the nomination of a school psychologist to the State Board of Examiners in Psychology and the addition of a lay person to the board. 

The first Editor of The School Psych Scene was appointed in 1980.  There have been 12 editors.  Sandra Manning who served 12 years was the longest serving editor and Kathy Trout who served 7 years was the second longest serving editor.  The President’s message has always been an important means of communicating with members.  In the mid 1980’s the newsletter was first professionally printed in a standard format.  Each editor shaped the newsletter in different and personal ways.  An electronic copy of the newsletter was first offered to members as an option instead of a printed copy in 2007.  Since 2012, it has been distributed as an electronic copy only.

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 would be contributed to NASP.  A constitution revision in May 1989 changed the membership of the board from two regional representatives to all six regions having a representative on the board. The six regional representatives comprised the Nominations committee.

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 of actions for SCASP.  In 1985, SCASP developed a budget for the first time.   A long range plan was developed in 1988 which delineated SCASP mission and goals.  The SCASP mission was:

1. Work to facilitate optimal education for all children;

2. Improve quality of school psychological services in SC; and

3.  Provide services to membership

Although the goals changed, this mission remained the same for the next decade.

Governor Dick Riley proclaimed the first SC School Psychology Week May 5-9, 1986.  Those in attendance at the signing were SCASP President, Shirley Vickery and Board members, John Hogan, Carolyn Traylor, Sandra Manning, Bob Cantrell, Beth Lowman, and Jean Ligon.  SCASP has continued to request a School Psychology Week proclamation from every Governor since that year.

What’s in a Name 1990-2000

Many changes to SCASP occurred in the 1990’s.  We upgraded our computer system and created a presence on the Web.  In 1991, after several years of planning and a dues increase, the Board hired a part-time Executive Director to assist the volunteer board, to provide continuity, and to create a central point of contact for SCASP.  Sandra Manning, a school psychologist and former SCASP board member was hired and served in this capacity until 2010. 

But the biggest issue that SCASP attacked in the 1990s was the private practice of non-doctoral school psychologists.  In 1994, SCASP President Don Graham received 16 to 18 requests from members urging SCASP to pursue a Bill for Licensure of Master’s level school psychologists.  In response, in the fall of 1994, then SCASP President, Gary Alderman, formed an ad hoc committee to study this issue.  During this time, Patricia Pruitt and Bob Cantrell were appointed co-chairs of SCASP’s Professional Standards Committee and Joann Claytor was chair of the Legislative committee.  In 1996 a listing of joint Legislative/Professional Standards Committees showed 23 members.  It is hard to summarize the level of legislative activity, time, energy, resources, and manpower that SCASP was able to mobilize during 1995-98 to successfully achieve non-doctoral licensure. 

A report in December 1995 by the Task Force on Health Care Workforce Regulation recommended non-doctoral licensure of psychologists as a way of increasing access to mental health care.  In early 1996, a bill was introduced in the House of Representatives to provide licensure for non-doctoral school psychologists.  At the recommendation of legislators, SCASP attempted to negotiate differences with the Board of Examiners in Psychology and the South Carolina Psychological Association.  Instead of compromise, in 1997 a practice act was introduced in the legislature that would have limited the scope and practice of any non-doctoral psychologist and SCASP again spent much time, energy, and resources to make sure that school psychologists could continue to practice and call themselves school psychologists. 

It was recommended to SCASP that we attempt to obtain licensure under the Licensed Professional Counselor Board as they already licensed non-doctoral providers.  SCASP member Dave Evans wrote the bill and it was introduced in 1998.  SCASP, through many fund-raising efforts including donations from members and garage sales, employed a professional lobbyist to represent us at the State House.  Because of the time spent by SCASP members, including Connie Schulze, Joann Claytor, Jan Willis, Madge Connor, Naomi Palmer and Patricia Pruitt, at the legislature over the past 3 years, SCASP had established working relationships with several Senators and Representatives who supported our efforts.  SCASP had known for about a year that the name “school psychologist” would be a hard battle to win for non-doctoral providers.  Publically, the legislative committee insisted on the name but privately they started considering alternative titles.  Finally in a Senate office at the end of the legislative session in 1998, SCASP was told that the only remaining hold-up for passage was the title and to come up with a new name before the day was over or the legislation would be dead.  The legislative committee who were currently in the Senate office met and agreed on Licensed Psycho-Educational Specialist (LPES), a title that had privately been considered for several months. 

In 1998, SCASP was vibrant from success.  We had 300 members and had achieved a massive goal.  SCASP was positioned to enter the 21^st century as a major contributor to the educational landscape of South Carolina.

A School Psychology Association for the 21^st Century 2000-2015

Going forward with this legislative success, in 2000, SCASP lobbied for the Nationally Certified School Psychologist (NCSP) that is awarded by NASP to be included in the legislation providing monetary incentives for teachers to become certified by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS).  When the legislation passed, no one other than teachers were included but the legislation included a requirement that the SC State Department of Education conduct a study of the national certification standards of several other educational professions including school psychologists.  The study was conducted by SERVE and released in March 2001.  The report concluded that the purpose and the process to become a Nationally Board Certified Teacher was “qualitatively different” than the process and purpose of the NCSP.  This report brought the legislative success that SCASP had enjoyed to a screeching halt and hindered any attempt to find legislative supporters for including monetary incentives for the NCSP. 

During the years 2001-2008, there are several articles in the newsletter requesting interest from SCASP members about legislative issues but no real interest or enthusiasm was demonstrated for legislative action.  During this time, SCASP continued to send leadership to Washington to attend NASP’s Public Policy Institute (PPI).  In 2007-2008, Bob Cantrell, a former SCASP legislative chair and PPI alum approached the Board with the idea of working on achieving NCSP reciprocity in South Carolina.  This would allow school psychologists who have received the NCSP to qualify for SC State Dept. of Education certification without going through the full process of certification.  Bob learned that this could be achieved without legislative action but only required SDE approval.  Bob and a few other members met with officials from the SDE certification office in February of 2008.  With information from NASP, this request was approved in a few weeks.  SCASP had achieved another victory for school psychologists wanting to work in SC.