About MCARS
How MCARS is used
The MCARS is designed to be part of the decision-making process when school teams determine the need for mandated counseling services and interventions within a student’s educational program. Mandated counseling services are generally included in the student’s IEP or 504 Plan. MCARS should be completed by gathering input from various members of the school team (e.g., teachers, school psychologists, school counselors, related service providers, nurses, administrators, etc.) to ensure comprehensive, data-based decision making. Mandated counseling is typically offered when a student’s functioning in school is significantly impacted by social, emotional, or behavioral concerns. The MCARS assesses students’ functioning across several areas to help teams make informed choices about support and services.
Our Story
MCARS was developed out of a shared commitment to improve how schools identify and support students. Dr. Kelly and Dr. Naglieri recognized a gap: multi-disciplinary student teams needed a tool that was both research-based and practical for everyday use. By bringing together decades of expertise in school psychology and education, they created MCARS to deliver clear insights that help schools make better decisions while keeping fairness and accuracy at the forefront.
Our Mission and Vision
MCARS was created by Dr. John Kelly and Dr. Jack A. Naglieri to give multi-disciplinary student teams a practical, evidence-based tool for making recommendations for mandated counseling as a related service as part of students’ IEPs or 504 Plans. Our mission is to simplify the assessment process, identify indicators often associated with mandated counseling, and support decisions that benefit both students and schools. Our vision is to ensure that students’ social, emotional, and behavioral needs are understood fairly and addressed through appropriate support services, while mitigating unsupported referrals for counseling services.
About the Authors
Dr. John Kelly
John Kelly, PhD has been a school psychologist for 38 years and is an Adjunct Professor in the School Psychology Graduate Programs at St. John’s University in New York and at The University of the Virgin Islands. Dr. Kelly is a retired school psychologist from the Commack School District on Long Island, NY, where he worked for 35 years. He recently returned from working on St. Croix in the US Virgin Islands for the VI Department of Education, where he helped develop social and emotional programs for the schools. He earned his Ph.D. in Clinical and School Psychology from Hofstra University. Dr. Kelly has presented at numerous national and international conferences on topics that include mental and behavioral health services for children, advocacy training for school psychologists, legislative issues related to education and children, leadership development, violence and bullying prevention, and suicide awareness. Dr. Kelly is a former member of the Executive Board of the New York Association of School Psychologists (NYASP) and is a Past-President of the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP).
Dr. Kelly has received numerous state and national awards, including the NYS School Practitioner of the Year in 2001 and the NASP School Psychologist of the Year in 2003.
Dr. Jack A. Naglieri
Jack A. Naglieri, PhD is a Senior Research Scientist at the Devereux Center for Resilient Children. He started out as a school psychologist in 1975, earned a PhD in 1979, and held university positions at Northern Arizona University, The Ohio State University, and George Mason University. Throughout these years he focused on applied educational and psychological research and the development of psychological and educational measurement tools. Dr. Naglieri is the author of the Naglieri Nonverbal Ability Test and the Naglieri General Ability Tests: Verbal, Nonverbal, and Quantitative. He is also well known for his PASS neurocognitive theory as measured with the Cognitive Assessment System-2nd Edition and the instructional handouts book Helping Children Learn-2nd Edition.
Dr. Naglieri has consistently emphasized the role tests play in accurate diagnosis, relevance to classroom intervention, and especially fair assessment based on sound theory.
For more information about Dr. Naglieri please visit NaglieriGiftedTests.com and JackNaglieri.com