(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
.[; and]
[(3)Reference letters from three
different individuals licensed as psychologists or specialists in
school psychology, or credentialed in school psychology in their respective
jurisdictions.]
(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.
(1)Applicants must have completed a minimum of 1200
hours, of which 600 must be in a public school. A formal internship
or other site-based training 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 be obtained in accordance
with Board rule §463.11(c)(1) and (c)(2)(C) of this title (relating
to Licensed Psychologist). The internship in the public school must
be supervised by an individual qualified in accordance with Board
rule §465.38 of this title (relating to Psychological Services
in the Schools). Internship which is not obtained in a public school
must be supervised by a licensed psychologist. No experience with
a supervisor who is related within the second degree of affinity or
within the second degree by consanguinity to the person, or is under
Board disciplinary order, may be considered for specialist in school
psychology licensure. Internships may not involve more than two sites
(a school district is considered one site) and must be obtained in
not less than one or more than two academic years. These individuals
must be designated as interns. Direct, systematic supervision must
involve a minimum of one face-to-face contact hour per week or two
consecutive face-to-face contact hours once every two weeks with the
intern. The internship must include direct intern application of assessment,
intervention, behavior management, and consultation, for children
representing a range of ages, populations and needs.
(2)Applicants must have completed an internship with
a minimum of 1200 hours. The internship must also meet the following
criteria:
(A)At least 600 of the internship hours must have
been completed in a public school.
(B)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.
(C)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.
(D)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.
(E)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.
(F)Internship hours must be obtained in not more than
two placements. A school district, consortium, and educational co-op
are each considered one placement.
(G)Internship hours must be obtained in not less than
one or more than two academic years.
(H)An individual completing an internship under this
rule must be designated as an intern.
(I)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.
(J)The internship must include direct intern application
of assessment, intervention, behavior management, and consultation,
for children representing a range of ages, populations and needs.
(3)Paragraph (2) of this subsection, along with all
of its subparts, shall take effect, supersede, and take the place
of paragraph (1) of this subsection on September 1, 2017.
(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. An unlicensed individual may provide
psychological services under supervision in the public schools if:
(1)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;
(2)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
(3)the individual has been issued a trainee status
letter.
The agency certifies that legal counsel has
reviewed the proposal and found it to be within the state agency's
legal
authority to adopt.
Filed with the Office
of the Secretary of State on March 9, 2017
TRD-201700948 Darrel D. Spinks
Executive Director
Texas State Board of Examiners of Psychologists
Earliest possible date of adoption: April 23, 2017
For further information, please call: (512) 305-7706
|