1. A Paradigm Shift: Integration of Positive Psychology into the Schools and Implications for Assessment
Sarah Napolitan, Ed.S., NCSP
Bensalem Township School District
Indiana University of Pennsylvania

2. Overview The Medical Model Positive Psychology
History, Origin, and Shortcomings
Positive Psychology
Beneficiaries
Resilience/Developmental Assets
Positive Psychological Approaches to Assessment
Specific assessments, measures, tests, scales
Positive Psychological Approaches to the Psychoeducational Evaluation
Application to Intervention
Conclusions

3. A Brief History Prior to WWII Post WWII Development of three goals
Cure mental illness
Make the lives of all people more fulfilling
Enhance and identify human excellence
Post WWII
Focus of psychology shifted
Enter the medical model IQ
Mental health
(Terjesen, Jacofsky, Froh & DiGuiseppe, 2004)

4. The Medical Model Physical, mental, academic, social, etc.
Primary foundation
Pathology, deficit, abnormal
Physical, mental, academic, social, etc.
Treatment, therapy, programming
Alleviate deficits, restore normalcy

5. Concerns Surrounding this Model
Issues with the Medical Model
Reach and applicability to diverse groups in need
Effectiveness with longstanding ‘dysfunction’ (Cowen & Kilmer, 2002)
Positive aspects of existence overlooked
subjective well-being
happiness
quality of life
positive emotion (Chaufouleas & Bray, 2004).

6. School Psychology and the Medical Model
Most function within this model
Focus on identifying deficits within children
to make placement decisions and/or for service delivery
identification of a deficit or pathology will guide treatment
Cognitive tests, achievement tests, and behavioral scales
primarily used as instruments deigned to pinpoint the extent to which a student is exhibiting a deficit

7. “Prescribing” to the Deficit
When a student is ‘prescribed’ a treatment according to their deficit
Directly related to a struggle (reading or math)
Can experience significant frustration and a decrease in their self-confidence
Drop Out Rate
31% of students classified as having SLD, 29% of students with Mental Retardation, and 56% of students with an Emotional Disturbance
(U.S. Department of Education, 2005).

8. The Birth of Positive Psychology
Search for empirically supported research
Documenting the positive effects of a variety of strengths
Act as buffers against what psychologists have been studying for so long (mental illness, anxiety, etc.)
optimism
interpersonal skills
faith
work ethic
hope
honesty
perseverance
insight
creativity
future-mindedness
(Seligman & Csikszentmihalyi, 2000).

9. Positive Psychology Components
Positive personal traits that contribute to a positive life experience
Implications for mental and physical health
The fostering of excellence (including giftedness)
Well-being
Development of positivity
Neuroscience and heritability
Enjoyment and pleasure
Authenticity
Buffering
These areas encompass the positive aspects of human existence
being further examined to determine their benefits
how they can be fostered in people to help children and adults

10. Positive Psychology and School Psychology
Not a new concept (2000 APA)
Consultation
Strengths-based approaches
Resiliency

11. Positive Psychology and School Psychology,
Who Benefits?

12. Positive Psychology and School Psychology: At-risk Youth
Chen (1993)
Children at-risk for school failure
reported to have positive experiences of being effective and productive when working in their areas of strength
Gardner- Harvard
promoting a likely increase of
their own feelings of
satisfaction and self-worth

13. Had the assessment been limited to these two areas (reading and math), these children’s strengths would have gone undetected and could not have served as a bridge for extending interest and involvement to other areas of the curriculum (Chen, 1993).

14. Positive Psychology and School Psychology: Cultural Implications
School psychologists with more multicultural expertise think from a strengths perspective rather than diagnostically
Strict separation of church and state when working with children and families, despite the fact that spirituality and faith may be a
primary source of support for that
family/child (Jones 2008).

15. “By learning about and exploring strengths within a given culture, the school psychologist learns what supports are currently working, who is involved with providing that support, and how to facilitate growth within that culture and the support network (Jones, 2008, p.1779)”

16. Positive Psychology and School Psychology: Urban School Psychology
Strengths-based approach
students have inherent strengths
strengths may not coincide with the belief systems that traditionally spring from middle-class values

17. Urban School Psychology
When working with at-risk youth in urban settings
Practitioners reportedly focus “only on the negatives” (Miranda & Olivo, 2008, p.1184)
Difficult to see positive aspects that a student exhibits
May inhibit the identification of a solution (Miranda & Olivo, 2008).

18. Positive Programming: Resiliency and the Developmental Assets

19. Competence Development and Resiliency
Directly related to certain competencies that serve as buffers to protect students from stress
Important that school psychologists pay attention and utilize what positive psychology has found in these areas (positive assessments)
Enhancing personal competencies and protective factors across multiple environments is necessary to foster resiliency in whole populations of children and youth
(Clonan, Chafouleas, McDougal, & Riley-Tillman, 2004)

20. Developmental Assets Programming
Programs for at-risk students aimed at prevention which utilize developmental assets and resiliency building with at-risk students yield promising results
(Edwards, Mumford, Shillingford, & Serra-Rodan, 2007)
Using these internal and external developmental assets to build resiliency has been shown to be an effective preventative program for at-risk students
(Morrison, Brown, D’Incau, O’Farrell, & Furlong, 2006)

21. Programs to Foster Resilience
Positive Behavioral Intervention Support (PBIS)
Skillstreaming
Penn Resiliency Program
Group intervention for late elementary and middle school students
Teaches cognitive-behavioral and social problem-solving skills and is based in part on cognitive-behavioral theories of depression by Aaron Beck, Albert Ellis, and Martin Seligman
Olweus Bullying Program
Promote social norms that are positive
Skillbuilding, structuring and integration of school and family efforts
Fishful Thinking (new!)
Helping parents foster resilience, optimism and support in their children

22. Positive Psychological Approaches to Assessment for School Psychologists

23. Why Positive Assessment?
Developmental assets, resiliency factors, specific personality characteristics, and motivation levels
facilitate and enhance
happiness, physical health,
mental health, and
academic performance
(Post, 2005; Gomez & Mei-Mei, 2006; Park & Peterson, 2003; Gillham, Gallop, & Seligman, 2007; Cox, 2006)

24. Applicability to the Field
Reliable and valid instruments to assess these attributes
Direct linkages to interventions tailored to strength-building, strength enhancement
application of these strengths in the academic setting.

25. Positive Psychological Assessments: Strengths

26. Assessment of Happiness
Authentic Happiness Index (AHI)
Contains 24 items
Homework assignments, child can complete individually to increase
Good reliability and validity
Shown to increase a person’s level of happiness
Online ( and free
(Seligman, Steen, Park, & Peterson, 2005)

27. Strength Assessment VIA Signature Strength Survey for Children
180-item assessment
yields upwards of 24 different strengths in order of prevalence for the child
Good reliability and validity
School psychologists could use the VIA for children and encourage strength usage
Guide to empower children
Strength recognition
(Seligman, Steen, Park, & Peterson, 2005)

28. Assessment of Perceived Life Quality
PQOL Scale
Good reliability and validity
Allow school psychologists to see how the student views their own classroom and life experience
Able to determine what variables need altered for best fostering of positive behavior
(Huebner, Suldo, Smith, & McKnight, 2004)

29. Linking Assessment to Intervention
Gain insight concerning how a student perceives his or her own life
implement interventions based on the results
Interventions have been found which could possibly increase a child's PQOL
strengthening family and peer supports through parent consultation and social skills training
increased involvement in meaningful and structured activities (increased flow)
improvement in problem-solving skills
aim to enhance the fit between the student and their environment.
properly mediate behavior and environmental influences
(Huebner, et. al., 2004).

30. Positive Psychological Assessments: Personality

31. Assessment of Hopefulness
Children's Hope Scale (CHS)
Identifies children who exhibit high hope levels (ages 8-16)
Good reliability and validity
These children can serve as models for other children who may benefit from more hopeful thinking (Terjesen, et. al., 2004).
Peer thinking programs to enhance positive thought?

32. Attributional Style
Seligman's Children's Attributional Style Questionnaire (1995) sample not available
For students ages 8-13
includes 48 items divided equally between positive (‘You get an ‘‘A’’ on a test’) and negative events (‘You break a glass’)
Each option represents the presence or absence of one attribution dimension (for example, an internal or external cause)
Child believes events to be caused primarily by internal or external factors and gives insight into a child's locus of control
Good reliability and validity
Can request a sample for nonprofit research

33. Curiosity and Exploration
The Curiosity and Exploration Inventory (CEI)
self-report instrument
individual differences in the recognition, pursuit, and integration of novel and challenging experiences and information
shows moderately large positive relationships with intrinsic motivation, reward sensitivity, openness to experience, and subjective vitality
School psychologists may use this assessment in order to simultaneously examine motivation, positive affect, and sensitivity to rewards that can help guide
interventions for motivation increase and
reward appropriateness
(Kashdan, Rose & Fincham, in press)

34. Linking Assessment to Intervention
Add attributional style to intervention design in order to enhance locus of control or take into consideration when implementing interventions
Incorporating assessment results and providing specific goals for the child within the IEP

35. What about the deficits?
School psychologists and educators will be addressing and reinforcing student strengths, and thereby indirectly addressing student weaknesses (Terjesen, et. al.,
2004).
School psychologists are asking
a different question, yet still
providing an answer

36. Positive Assessment: School Success and School Environment

37. Assessment of School Success
School Success Profile (SSP)
(Bowen, Woolley, Richman, & Bowen, 2001)
junior high and high school students
Elementary School Success Profile (ESSP)
Grade 3-5
(Bowen, 2006)

38. Assessment of School Success
Measures the social environmental domains of neighborhood, school, friends, and family and collecting data from multiple sources, including parents, teachers, and children
Assesses student well-being, behavior, and school performance.
Free corresponding web site (www. schoolsuccessprofile.org) with links to evidence based interventions
Good reliability and validity

39. Positive Assessment of School Environment
Assessing a students’ perceived quality of school life
Multidimensional Students’ Life Satisfaction Scale (MSLSS)
Emphasizing what teacher is doing correctly
Showing the particular school consistent strengths that are found within multiple students’ self-reports
(MSLSS; Huebner, 1994)

40. Positive Assessment of School Environment
Patterns of strengths and weaknesses
allow school psychologists to identify supports already in place within the instructional environment
help teachers and districts maintain a positive perspective on their performance while still drawing attention to areas of need
(MSLSS; Huebner, 1994)

41. Positive Approaches to the Psychoeducational Evaluation Process

42. Positive Psychology and the Psychoeducational Evaluation (Gleason, 2007)
Observations
observing the student holistically
interpretations grounded in context
noticing what the child can do rather than what he or she cannot do
studying the events and contextual conditions that occur during the "best" times
using quantitative measures that focus on strengths
and identifying potential next steps
What motivates this student?

43. Positive Psychology and the Psychoeducational Evaluation (Gleason, 2007)
Parent/Teacher Interviews
asking parents what their child responds best to
what tribulations their child may have overcome
inquiring as to their child’s specific strengths
“What classroom tasks does this child enjoy? What have you done that helps this student the most?”
set the stage for outlining a students’ strengths and incorporating similar activities or instructional strategies into a child’s SDI/goals

44. Positive Psychology and the Psychoeducational Evaluation (Gleason, 2007)
Student Interviews
Student interviews can involve their own perception of their strengths, desires, and dreams
A vocational assessment (SDS) is especially appropriate to glean more information pertaining to career development in terms of strengths and interests

45. Positive Psychology and the Psychoeducational Evaluation (Gleason, 2007)
Adaptive Measures/Behavioral Scales
Behavioral Assessment System for Children-Second Edition (BASC-II) or the Adaptive Behavior Assessment System (ABAS)
point out relative strengths and utilize those strengths in program development
provide a source of hope and enjoyment for a student within their education

46. Positive Psychology and the Psychoeducational Evaluation (Gleason, 2007)
Feedback/MDE
strengths should always be reported to teachers and parents
MDE/IEP meetings can include creative brainstorming of interventions to match student strengths
example, if John is close to his uncle and loves animals but is struggling in reading, have John read books about animals with his uncle

47. Application to Intervention
Protective Factor/ Strength
Risk Factor/ Need
Positive Linkage to Intervention
Parent reports child loves to be around/work with younger children
Child is highly disruptive during art class
Arrange for child to be helper/co-teacher for kindergarten art class 1-2 times/week

48. Application to Intervention
Protective Factor/ Strength
Risk Factor/ Need
Positive Linkage to Intervention
Child loves to create things and put things together
Child cannot follow classroom routine
Put daily routine in puzzle form, have child cut it out and put it together for the class

49. Application to Intervention
Protective Factor/ Strength
Risk Factor/ Need
Positive Linkage to Intervention
Student had very high “A” score on SDS
Student is having trouble knowing when assignments are due
Have student create their own calendar in art class and insert homework assignments

50. Conclusion
Majority of scales, questionnaires, and assessments have good test-retest reliability and validity
many have not been applied directly to an academic setting
have not been used for programming or intervention
leaving much room for more research and exploration.
Medical Model presents problems which could be alleviated- or at least balanced- by this new and hopeful methodology

51. Conclusion Assessments outlined alter instructional environment
provide “jumping off” points for building developmental assets and resiliency
incorporate preventative measures for students who are identified as at-risk
assess the instructional environment in a way that is less threatening to teachers and schools

52. Conclusion
Positive assessment has the potential to help school psychologists provide hope, support, and appropriate interventions to students, parents, and schools
manner consistent with all of the goals of psychology
without a sole focus on deficits

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