After nearly 29 years of hard work and devoted service, Barbara Holty, senior AP/AR accountant, will be retiring from PAR this week.

Barb’s attention to detail, willingness to put in extra time and effort, and commitment to excellence pale in comparison to her incredible thoughtfulness, unending kindness, and extreme warmth. Barb will truly be missed here at PAR. Below, we share a few stories as we send Barb on to her well-deserved next step.

 Donna Drackett, executive vice president and chief financial officer: I have many stories about Barb, but two stand out. My very first day at PAR, I was sitting in my office reviewing some new employee documentation. Barb stepped in my office and shared with me, “Honey, the girls and I were talking and we wanted to let you know that amongst the five of us, we have over 75 years of experience at PAR.” Truth is, there is nothing I had to worry about in my new role, as my team had done it all and had everything covered! I was blessed beyond belief to come into a department with so much experience!

Years ago, I received a call from a Customer. One of the many things that Barb was responsible for throughout the years was collections on our accounts receivable. When Customers were past due, Barb had the fun job of reaching out to obtain payment status. A Customer (who was in collections) called me to share that Barb was the nicest person that had ever worked with her to collect an outstanding accounts receivable. Not many collections specialists receive compliments or appreciation—but knowing how Barb treated everyone with the utmost respect, it didn’t surprise me!

Barb has been such an important team member for so many incredible years. We are sad to see her go, but pray that her future endeavors are filled with abundant blessings—more than she could ever imagine! Enjoy every second of retirement!

Sue Trujillo, clinical assessment developer: With Barb’s attention to detail, my data collectors were always paid promptly!

Terri Sisson, educational assessment advisor: Barb, as a new employee, you were always there to help me when I had a question or needed guidance. I appreciate your patience and support over the past year. I wish you the happiest of retirements. You deserve it!

Tamara Dwoskin, customer relationship manager: I am proud to say that I have worked with Barb for over a quarter of a century. To me, she is a friend, confidant, and one of the vital members of our PAR family. Barb is one of my very favorite people because she is not only one of the strongest people I know, but also one of the most caring and devoted to her families—both at home and at work. Not a day has gone by that I do not admire her professionalism, her always matching outfits, her pleasant demeanor, and her “hum” while you work or take a break mentality. Despite any struggles, whether they were business or personal, Barb has always been one of the first people to come to me concerned and wanting to talk—really just wanting to make sure that I was alright. We have shared joy and heartache during our time here, but she never lost sight of being there for me and I will never forget that. Always one of the first to say “Hi, sweetie,” or “Are you OK, sweetie?” It’s in that genuine interest in being there for all of us, and being the best version of herself she can be, while making sure that the company bills get paid completely and on time, that I can truly say there will never be anyone I work with quite like her. I will miss Barb so much, but she deserves the most wonderful retirement possible, in good health, and surrounded by the love of her adoring family.

Frank Filippone, copywriter/project manager: Barb, your presence here at PAR will be very much missed. You always have a warm smile and a kind word for everyone you encounter and I mean always—you make all of us feel welcome and at ease, and that’s no easy task. Thanks for all you do and best wishes as you begin your next adventure!

Melissa Messer, director of product development: My most memorable account of Barb was from about 15 years ago. I was getting married and unsure yet if I was going to change my last name. She needed to order a new credit card for me—I think she was converting the entire company’s credit cards at the time, so it was a big project. She called me to confirm my name change. I shared my ambivalence with her about changing my name and she stayed on the phone with me for about 15 minutes talking through the pros and cons. She mentioned that if I had kids, they would not have the same name—which was something I had not even thought about, and ended up being the deal breaker for me. This story represents Barb’s kind heartedness in taking the time to talk through a personal issue, but also represents the hard worker and task master that she is—we were not getting off the phone until she had what she needed!

Robert Bossio, senior software developer: I hope you enjoy every day as if it were a vacation day. Congratulations on your retirement! It was a pleasure working with you.

Jamie Goland, senior editor/digital content manager: As a remote employee, I don’t get to see Barb as often as I would like. But every time I’m in the office, I always make sure to swing by the accounting department for a quick visit. Barb always takes the time out of her busy day to chat, ask about my family, and catch up. Barb, I wish you all the happiness in the world in retirement (though I’d be totally thrilled if you decided to change your mind and stay).

Nancy Fazioli, sales operations coordinator: Every year, Barb headed up the walk to raise money for juvenile diabetes. She always prepared lunch for the walkers the day before the race to thank them for walking.

Daniel McFadden, director of customer support: In a company that is filled with kind and friendly people, Barb has always been one of the kindest. She has a full-body laugh that just cannot be faked. I've enjoyed trying to make her laugh over the many years we’ve worked together. Although I'm very sad I won’t get to see her every day, I’m very happy that she’ll be getting to spend more time with her family. I wish her all the best!

Kristin Greco, chief executive officer: When I think of Barb, her smile and cheerful greeting are always what come first to mind. I can hear her saying “Hi, sweetie! How is your day?” She is always festive for each holiday—showing her warmth and spirit for celebrating. She is so dedicated to her family—always gushing over her daughters, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Her warmth and loving spirit will certainly be missed here by her PAR family. She is a ray of sunshine to each day.

 Barb, you will be missed by your PAR family, but we wish you the very best in retirement!

A photo of Barbara Holty from early on in her career at PAR.

Earlier this month, the Society of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology (SCCAP) of the American Psychological Association (APA) gave out the very first R. Bob Smith III, PhD, Excellence in Assessment Award.

The award, named after PAR’s Executive Chairman and Founder, R. Bob Smith III, PhD, will be given annually during APA’s national convention to an individual, group, or organization that has advanced the field of scientific assessment in individual psychological functioning, mental health, learning, or social and intellectual development. The award is unique in that recipients will be asked to present a workshop at the APA national convention designed to instruct practitioners in the use of a cutting-edge psychological assessment product or procedure or on a topic clinically relevant to psychological assessment.

This year, the award was given to Thomas Achenbach, PhD. Dr. Achenbach’s wife, Leslie Rescorla, accepted the award on his behalf.

Have you tried the new PARiConnect 3.0? Now PARiConnect isn’t just the most reliable platform in the online assessment industry, it is the fastest, as well! Plus, its new intuitive design and upgraded features make it the platform you enjoy using! We’ve taken Customer feedback and used it to make the platform even better for you! Here are a few features that we’ve added:

Group clients to keep organized! PARiConnect allows you to create groups of clients. Organize clinicians with their own client rosters, as well.

Change labels as needed. Account settings allow you to customize the labels used throughout the system to better suit your purposes. Personalize terms like client or student, depending on your setting.

Filter your caseload easily. New filter capabilities allow you to easily search by assessment, Client ID, name, and more!

Save your favorites. Save your most-used assessments under My Favorites and quickly access the tools you use most.

Established users can sign right in to your account to see the upgrades for yourself. All client data and inventory has transferred over seamlessly. New users can get started with 3 FREE uses. Simply sign up!

To learn more about PARiConnect 3.0, view an on-demand video tour now or read more about the new features.

We can’t wait for you to try it for yourself!

The American Psychological Association’s Annual Convention starts Thursday and PAR will be there. This year’s convention is extra special to PAR as our executive chairman and founder will be honored with an award in his name—the R. Bob Smith III, PhD Psychological Assessment Award. Congratulations, Bob! 

PARiConnect isn’t just the most reliable platform in the online assessment industry, its new intuitive design and upgraded features make it the platform you enjoy using! Here are five things you should know about the updates we’ve made to make your experience even better!

1.      Updated home, client, and report screens. An improved home screen offers a quick view of your most recently added clients as well as links to the most commonly used functions. For Account Supervisors, PARiConnect 3.0 offers a new page that allows you to view the entire client roster in aggregate across all clinicians. Finally, an enhanced report screen provides easy access to completed reports. This screens offers the ability to filter and sort by client name, client ID, group, report, assessment, and test date range.

2.      New e-mail templates. You now have the ability to save e-mail templates for future use. This feature is available to all users with the ability to assign assessments. The ability to save a user's chosen settings for future e-mailed assessments has also been added.

3.      Multi-client assessment abilities. All users will now have the ability to assign a single assessment to multiple clients at the same time. This new feature will help to accelerate the assessment process, particularly when e-mailing assessments.

4.      Search for assessments. A more streamlined filter was added to the Assess page, which allows users to type in the name of a client or an assessment. Furthermore, selecting all will display all assessments and forms available on PARiConnect; selecting My Favorites will display the assessments you have selected to appear in that list.

5.      Assessment filter abilities. A more streamlined filter appears on the Assess page. This allows you to view your client or group list alphabetically or by date created.

Established users can sign right in to your account to see the upgrades for yourself. All client data and inventory has transferred over seamlessly. New users can get started with 3 FREE uses. Simply sign up!

Teachers and parents have long known that when students are diagnosed with dyslexia at a young age, tailored reading interventions and accommodations can help them achieve academic success. However, until a few years ago, there were few legal mandates that defined how (or if) schools should screen for dyslexia and implement interventions. Many students with dyslexia were not being identified, and many of those students who needed help still weren’t getting it.  

In 2013, only two states required universal screening for dyslexia in schools. Now, thanks in part to a push for mandatory early screening tests, teacher training, and remediation programs from the grassroots group Decoding Dyslexia, there are only five remaining states that don’t have dyslexia legislation that’s either been passed or is pending.  

One of the most common elements of these laws is the implementation of universal dyslexia screening and intervention. However, dyslexia is not a one-size-fits-all reading disorder–there are different subtypes with different symptoms that require different interventions. It is important to screen all students for dyslexia—but it’s just as important to screen accurately to ensure appropriate intervention.

The Feifer Assessment of Reading (FAR) Screening Form measures phonemic awareness, rapid automatic naming, and semantic concepts and indicates risk of dyslexia in just 15 minutes.

For students who need a more comprehensive evaluation, the FAR's 15 subtests evaluate four specific subtypes of reading disorders: dysphonetic dyslexia, surface dyslexia, mixed dyslexia, and reading comprehension deficits. Dyslexia is a brain-based disorder, and the FAR uses a brain-based approach to measure the underlying cognitive and linguistic processes that support proficient reading skills and inform diagnosis. The available FAR Interpretive Report scores all subtests and includes detailed interpretations and targeted reading interventions based on the student’s age and scores.

Learn more on our free training portal and help your struggling students go FAR.

With the launch of PARiConnect 3.0, we’ve taken Customer feedback and used it to make the platform even better for you! Here are a few features that we’ve added:

Group clients to keep organized! PARiConnect allows you to create groups of clients. Organize clinicians with their own client rosters, as well.

Change labels as needed. Account settings allow you to customize the labels used throughout the system to better suit your purposes. Personalize terms like client or student, depending on your setting.

Filter your caseload easily. New filter capabilities allow you to easily search by assessment, Client ID, name, and more!

Save your favorites. Save your most-used assessments under My Favorites and quickly access the tools you use most.

Established users can sign right in to your account to see the upgrades for yourself. All client data and inventory has transferred over seamlessly. New users can get started with 3 FREE uses. Simply sign up!

We’re proud to announce the latest addition to the PAR Training Portal!

Our newest course, Overview of the PAR Trauma Suite, provides FREE training for some of PAR’s most in-demand trauma instruments. Course content includes the Trauma Symptom Checklist for Young Children (TSCYC), Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children (TSCC), TSCC and TSCYC Screening Forms, the Trauma Symptom Inventory-2 (TSI-2), and the Detailed Assessment of Posttraumatic Stress (DAPS).

Whether you are a long-time user or are considering a purchase, this course provides greater insight into each of the products. You’ll also learn when each is most appropriate for use and see examples of how they can be used for intervention.

Remember, PAR’s Training Portal is always free and includes interactive courses, videos from test authors, and supplemental materials that serve as a resource to help you to learn more about select products. To learn more about the Training Portal or register for your free account, visit the PAR Training Portal web page.

PARiConnect 3.0 is here! Now PARiConnect isn’t just the most reliable platform in the online assessment industry, its new intuitive design and upgraded features make it the platform you enjoy using!

Established users can sign right in to your account to see the upgrades for yourself. All client data and inventory has transferred over seamlessly.

New users can get started with 3 FREE uses. Simply sign up!

To learn more about PARiConnect 3.0, view an on-demand video tour now or read more about the new features.

We can’t wait for you to try it for yourself!

It will be our busiest week of the summer as we attend two conferences, giving us more chances to meet with our Customers!

First, the National Career Development Association (NCDA) Global Career Development Conference will be held June 27-29 in Houston. Then we’ll be heading to Boston for the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) Annual Conference from June 29-July 2.

At both conferences, we’ll be featuring the Self-Directed Search (SDS). If you’re attending either conference, stop by the SDS booth (#101 at NCDA and #1108 at ASCA) to pick up a FREE SDS sample pack! You can also enter a raffle to win an SDS print kit. We’ll have product samples, and conference attendees will be eligible to take the SDS for free for a limited time. Stop by our booth for details, or just to say hello!

One more thing—we’ll be offering special discounts on any purchases made at the SDS booth during both conferences. You’ll save 15% on your order and we’ll include free ground shipping.