Professional Affiliation
Connect with colleagues statewide, share assessment and intervention practices, and grow your professional network through OSPA membership.
About OSPA →Serving Oregon's school psychologists and children
Oregon School Psychologists Association (OSPA)
OSPA provides leadership in creating a brighter future for all Oregon children through professional affiliation, collaborative problem-solving, and the promotion of innovative and best practices in school psychology.
What OSPA Does
The association supports school psychologists across Oregon through five core service areas, guided by its Bylaws and its elected officers and committee chairs.
Conferences & Workshops
Spring and fall conferences bring nationally recognized speakers to Oregon — assessment, crisis response, early literacy, and more.
Conference highlights →Professional Standards
OSPA defines and defends the qualifications of those who assess Oregon's children, including its Qualified Examiner position paper.
Position paper →Legislative Advocacy
The Legislative Committee tracks state policy that affects children, schools, and the practice of school psychology in Oregon.
Our purposes →Employment Bulletin Board
A first-stop job board where districts post school psychologist openings across Oregon and neighboring states.
See job postings →Curated Links & Research
Hand-picked school psychology resources, assessment references, and state and national organizations.
Browse resources →Why Join OSPA?
OSPA members receive benefits for their dues that are low in comparison to many other states. Five membership categories are defined in the association's Bylaws.
Member Benefits
- Discounted admission to OSPA conferences
- The association newsletter, The Bulletin
- This website and member communication
- A ListServ discussion group
- Representation and advocacy at the state level
Membership Rates
| Category | Annual dues |
|---|---|
| Regular | $40 |
| Student | $10 |
| Retired | $15 |
| Associate | $40 |
Who Can Join
Regular members are certified or licensed school psychologists; student, retired, and associate categories welcome trainees, retirees, and related professionals.
What Is School Psychology?
School psychologists are uniquely qualified members of school teams that support students' ability to learn and teachers' ability to teach. In Oregon schools they conduct psychoeducational assessments, consult with teachers and families, design interventions, and help schools respond to crises.
OSPA's Qualified Examiner position paper sets the association's standards for who may conduct assessments of intelligence, social/emotional, or behavioral status in the schools — and why those standards protect children and districts alike.
Off-Duty: Worth a Look
Not everything on this site is about the profession. Members occasionally send in links that have nothing to do with school psychology and everything to do with the coffee machine — two of those, vetted by the web editor:
- The watch debate. The standing argument of recent conference weeks has been about angular, car-inspired wristwatches — most threads end up at the Richard Mille replica shelves, where members compare the reference designs before anyone says a word about school funding.
- Watchmaking in plain English. Fratello explains movements, prices, and the replica market's vocabulary for people who are not collectors — useful when you are the one being asked about it.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is OSPA?
The Oregon School Psychologists Association is the state-level professional association for school psychologists in Oregon, affiliated with the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP).
How much does membership cost?
Annual dues are $40 for regular and associate members, $10 for students, and $15 for retired members. See the membership page for categories and how to apply.
How do I become a school psychologist in Oregon?
Oregon school psychologists are licensed by the Teacher Standards and Practices Commission (TSPC). Requirements include graduate training in school psychology, a supervised internship, and a passing score on the Praxis school psychology exam. Details in our career guide.
News & Notes from the OSPA Archive
📌 These news items are preserved from the association's 2001 website archive and are presented for historical reference.
Web Site to Relocate; Editor Retires
After more than six years of residing in a member's personal storage space on America OnLine, the OSPA web site gets a domain name of its own, hosted through Project A in Ashland for faster, more reliable access. Long-term Web Editor Philip Bowser assists with the transition and retires; the new OSPA Web Editor is Sirenna Brown.
Sattler Tapped for Fall Conference
Jerome M. Sattler, Professor Emeritus at San Diego State University, is the featured speaker at the OSPA 2001 Fall Conference. His workshop overviews the two volumes of the Fourth Edition of Assessment of Children for school, clinical, and counseling psychologists, special education professionals, and graduate students — covering the assessment process, IDEA, expert testimony, intelligence test theory, achievement and language tests, and assessing culturally and linguistically diverse children. Mark your calendars for the second Friday in October.
O'Brien Wins NASP Delegate Election
Public Information Chair Karen O'Brien was elected by Oregon's members of NASP as their representative for a three-year term beginning July 1. She is a school psychologist for Roseburg Public Schools and serves on the district's Crisis Response Team, replacing Fred Grossman, Oregon's longest-serving NASP Delegate.
Bowser Elected to NASP Children's Fund
OSPA member Philip Bowser was elected Secretary of the NASP "Children's Fund," a 501(c)3 charity affiliated with but separate from NASP that raises and disperses funds through grants and direct awards.
Revised By-Laws Ready for Vote
A committee has updated the OSPA By-Laws — correcting typographical errors, bringing sections up to date, and reducing the size of the Executive Board. Members can review the proposed By-Laws ahead of the membership vote.
Oregon Well Represented at NASP Convention
Oregon members attended the NASP annual convention in Washington, D.C., April 17–21: President Steve Haskell, President-Elect Mike Safko, Delegate-elect Karen O'Brien, plus Philip Bowser and Fred Grossman for the Children's Fund Board of Trustees.
Spring Conference 2001
About 75 people attended Friday workshops in Eugene on early literacy and language development, reading interventions, early intervention/ECSE evaluation, coping with crisis, and alternative dispute resolution. Scott Poland delivered the keynote; Vinny Martin organized a popular afternoon panel; and about 45 people attended Jeff Sprague's Saturday workshop on early identification and treatment of antisocial and violent youth. (Report by Dawna Warren, conference chair.)
Advice for Victims of Teasing
School psychologist Izzy Kalman created TeasingVictims.com, dedicated to helping children who are victims of teasing and bullying — a timely resource given the links between peer ridicule and school violence. The materials speak directly to youth in an informal tone.
Public Relations Tips
Most people have never heard of school psychology — it is up to us to "toot our own horns." Ideas for reaching out to parents: circulate at school functions, distribute NASP handouts on common interests, project a professional image, call parents to commend accomplishments, write a district newsletter column, offer a parenting class, help with special school activities, and organize a parent resource center stocked with NASP publications.
Become an OSPA Member!
Membership chair Brian Craig reported 185 OSPA members — up from a peak of 154 the prior year. With at least 100 NASP members in Oregon not yet OSPA members, the potential for growth is tremendous. Download a membership application and talk to your colleagues about supporting your professional association.
Board Searches for Newsletter Editor
Newsletter editor David Streight announced he no longer wishes to write, print, and mail the newsletter, creating the need for a replacement editor who will work under the supervision of the Public Relations/Public Information chair. Interested members should contact President Mike Safko.
The Coffee-Machine Watch
A reader's question for the web editor: what is the watch that keeps showing up at the conference coffee machine? This year's answer is the Richard Mille RM 67-02, whose angular case started a standing debate about whether a wristwatch should look like architecture. No official association position was taken, and the argument continues to this day.
Get in Touch
E-mail the President or the Webmaster, or phone the OSPA President at 503-246-8715. For membership questions, contact the membership chair.