NASP 2009 Annual Convention

Educational Sessions

Lists of mini-skills, papers, symposia, posters, and special sessions will be available on the NASP website, www.nasponline.org/conventions, beginning in January 2009.

Special Sessions
Special sessions are sponsored by NASP leaders and committees to address specific projects and priorities of the association. This year’s special sessions include a wide variety of presentations that are described in detail at www.nasponline.org/conventions. Please note that special sessions are developed by particular workgroups and interest groups; unlike mini-skills, papers, posters, and symposia, the content of special sessions was not reviewed through the regular masked review process.

Mini-Skills Presentations
These in-depth sessions are designed to teach participants specific skills, such as research skills, counseling techniques, or specific assessment methods. Each session is 1 hour and 50 minutes, allowing for comprehensive presentations and ample time for questions and answers.

Paper Presentations
NASP is fortunate to have a wide variety of members who will be presenting convention papers on a broad range of topics related to the profession of school psychology, including innovative practice, research, program evaluation, data-based practice, and other areas of interest. Each session is scheduled for 50 minutes and includes time for questions from session participants.

Symposia Presentations
Symposia include three or more papers on a common theme. Presented together, they provide several views on a single topic or issue. Following the presentations, a discussant provides reactions to the papers presented. Ample time for questions from participants is available during the 80-minute time blocks allocated for symposia.

Poster Presentations
Poster presentations are visual displays that provide an informal, interactive format for the presentation of research, data, and innovative practices. Multiple posters are displayed concurrently during each 80-minute poster session. Posters on related topics are presented during the same session. Participants can read one, several, or all posters during the 80-minute sessions and discuss the posters with the authors.

Participant Information Exchange (PIE)
New to the poster sessions at this year’s convention will be Participant Information Exchanges (PIEs). In PIEs, presenters sit at round tables with a small group of interested participants. They briefly present on their topic for 10–15 minutes, and then engage participants in a structured discussion of their work and its application, using a list of discussion questions. Participants will be able to move from table to table or sit and interact with the group. Five PIEs will be scheduled during each poster session. PIE presenters will be solicited from among approved poster presenters.

Advanced Sessions to Earn NASP Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Credit
The Boston convention will include a strand of invited sessions specifically designed for more advanced practitioners. Several of these sessions will be sponsored by the Society for the Study of School Psychology and will target improvement of participants’ research, statistics, and methodology skills. Other sessions will be sponsored by the NCSP Board and will focus on Tier 1 and 3 interventions.

In addition, participants in these sessions will be eligible to receive a certificate of attendance documenting NASP CPD credit. Participants who want documentation of attendance will need to sign in at the beginning of each session and complete an evaluation at the end of each session. These sessions will count toward the 25 hours of NASP CPD credit that will be required for NCSP renewal beginning in 2010. This is a new member service that is included in your convention registration! A list of these sessions will be available on the NASP website, www.nasponline.org/conventions, beginning in January 2009.