(a) Application Requirements. A completed application
for licensure as a specialist in school psychology includes the following,
in addition to the requirements set forth in Board rule §463.5
of this title (relating to Application File Requirements):
(1) Documentation of an appropriate graduate degree;
and
(2) Documentation from the National School Psychologists'
Certification Board sent directly to the Board indicating the applicant
holds current valid certification as a Nationally Certified School
Psychologist (NCSP); or documentation of the following sent directly
to the Board:
(A) transcripts that verify that the applicant has
met the requirements set forth in subsection (b) of this section;
(B) proof of the internship required by subsection
(c) of this section if the applicant did not graduate from either
a training program approved by the National Association of School
Psychologists (NASP) or a training program in school psychology accredited
by the American Psychological Association (APA); and
(C) the score that the applicant received on the School
Psychology Examination sent directly from the Education Testing Service.
(b) Training Qualifications.
(1) Applicants for licensure as a specialist in school
psychology who hold a valid NCSP certification or who have graduated
from a training program approved by the National Association of School
Psychologists or accredited in School Psychology by the American Psychological
Association will be considered to have met the training and internship
requirements of this rule.
(2) Applicants for licensure who do not hold a valid
NCSP certification, or who did not graduate from a training program
approved by the National Association of School Psychologists or accredited
in School Psychology by the American Psychological Association, must
have completed a graduate degree in psychology from a regionally accredited
academic institution. Applicants applying under this paragraph must
have completed, either as part of their graduate degree program or
after conferral of their graduate degree, at least 60 graduate level
semester credit hours from a regionally accredited academic institution.
A maximum of 12 internship hours may be counted toward the 60 hour
requirement. For purposes of this rule, a graduate degree in psychology
means the name of the candidate's major or program of studies is titled
psychology. Applicants applying under this paragraph must submit evidence
of graduate level coursework as follows:
(A) Psychological Foundations, including:
(i) biological bases of behavior;
(ii) human learning;
(iii) social bases of behavior;
(iv) multi-cultural bases of behavior;
(v) child or adolescent development;
(vi) psychopathology or exceptionalities;
(B) Research and Statistics;
(C) Educational Foundations, including any of the following:
(i) instructional design;
(ii) organization and operation of schools;
(iii) classroom management; or
(iv) educational administration;
(D) Assessment, including:
(i) psychoeducational assessment;
(ii) socio-emotional, including behavioral and cultural,
assessment;
(E) Interventions, including:
(i) counseling;
(ii) behavior management;
(iii) consultation;
(F) Professional, Legal and Ethical Issues; and
(G) A Practicum.
(c) Completion of internship. Applicants must have
completed an internship with a minimum of 1200 hours. The internship
must also meet the following criteria:
(1) At least 600 of the internship hours must have
been completed in a public school.
(2) The internship must be provided through a formal
course of supervised study from a regionally accredited institution
of higher education in which the applicant was enrolled; or the internship
must have been obtained in accordance with Board rule §463.11(d)(1)
and (d)(2)(C) of this title.
(3) Any portion of an internship completed within a
public school must be supervised by a Licensed Specialist in School
Psychology, and any portion of an internship not completed within
a public school must be supervised by a Licensed Psychologist.
(4) No experience which is obtained from a supervisor
who is related within the second degree of affinity or consanguinity
to the supervisee may be utilized.
(5) Unless authorized by the Board, supervised experience
received from a supervisor practicing with a restricted license may
not be utilized to satisfy the requirements of this rule.
(6) Internship hours must be obtained in not more than
two placements. A school district, consortium, and educational co-op
are each considered one placement.
(7) Internship hours must be obtained in not less than
one or more than two academic years.
(8) An individual completing an internship under this
rule must be designated as an intern.
(9) Interns must receive no less than two hours of
supervision per week, with no more than half being group supervision.
The amount of weekly supervision may be reduced, on a proportional
basis, for interns working less than full-time.
(10) The internship must include direct intern application
of assessment, intervention, behavior management, and consultation,
for children representing a range of ages, populations and needs.
(d) Additional Requirements. In addition to the requirements
of subsection (a) through (c) of this section, applicants for licensure
as a specialist in school psychology must meet the requirements imposed
under §501.255(a)(2) - (9) of the Psychologists' Licensing Act.
(e) Examinations. Applicants must take the National
School Psychology Examination and obtain at least the current cut-off
score for the NCSP certification before applying for licensure as
a specialist in school psychology. Following approval to sit for Board
exams, an applicant must take and pass the Jurisprudence Examination
within the time required by Board rule §463.19.
(f) Trainee Status.
(1) An applicant for the specialist in school psychology
license who has not yet passed the Board's Jurisprudence Examination,
but who otherwise meets all licensing requirements under this rule,
may practice in the public schools under the supervision of a Licensed
Specialist in School Psychology, as a trainee for not more than one
year.
(2) A trainee status letter shall be issued to an applicant
upon proof of licensing eligibility, save and except proof of passage
of the Board's Jurisprudence Examination.
(3) An individual with trainee status is subject to
all applicable laws governing the practice of psychology.
(4) A trainee's status shall be suspended or revoked
upon a showing of probable cause of a violation of the Board's rules
or any law pertaining to the practice of psychology, and the individual
may be made the subject of an eligibility proceeding. The one year
period for trainee status shall not be tolled by any suspension of
the trainee status.
(5) Following official notification from the Board
upon passage of the Jurisprudence Examination or the expiration of
one year, whichever occurs first, an individual's trainee status shall
terminate.
(6) An individual practicing under trainee status must
be designated as a trainee.
(g) Provision of psychological services in the public
schools by unlicensed individuals.
(1) An unlicensed individual may provide psychological
services under supervision in the public schools if:
(A) the individual is enrolled in an internship, practicum
or other site based training in a psychology program in a regionally
accredited institution of higher education;
(B) the individual has completed an internship that
meets the requirements of this rule, and has submitted an application
for licensure as a Licensed Specialist in School Psychology to the
Board that has not been denied, returned, or gone void under Board
rule §463.2 of this title (relating to Application Process);
or
(C) the individual has been issued a trainee status
letter.
(2) An unlicensed individual may not provide psychological
services in a private school setting unless the activities or services
provided are exempt under Section 501.004 of the Psychologists' Licensing
Act.
(3) An unlicensed individual may not engage in the
practice of psychology under paragraph (1)(B) of this subsection for
more than forty-five days following receipt of the application by
the Board.
(4) The authority to practice referenced in paragraphs
(1)(B) and (C) of this subsection is limited to the first or initial
application filed by an individual under this rule, but is not applicable
to any subsequent applications filed under this rule. The Board will
not issue more than one trainee status letter to an individual, regardless
of the number of applications filed.
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Source Note: The provisions of this §463.9 adopted to be effective April 19, 2016, 41 TexReg 2756; amended to be effective June 26, 2017, 42 TexReg 3272; amended to be effective March 17, 2019, 44 TexReg 1345 |