Ariz. Admin. Code § 7-2-617

Current through Register Vol. 30, No. 49, December 6, 2024

Section R7-2-617 - Other Professional Certificates

A. All certificates are subject to the general certification provisions in R7-2-607 and the renewal requirements in R7-2-619.

B. Standard School Counselor Certificate - grades PreK through 12.

1. The school counselor certificate is optional but may be required by local governing boards.

2. The requirements are:

a. A master's or more advanced degree,

b. Completion of a graduate program in guidance and counseling,

c. A valid fingerprint clearance card issued by the Arizona Department of Public Safety, and

d. One of the following:

i. Completion of a supervised counseling practicum in school counseling;

ii. Two years of verified, full-time experience as a school counselor; or

iii. Three years of verified teaching experience.

3. The certificate may be renewed consistent with the provisions of R7-2-619 that may include continuing education in the area of college and career readiness.

4. Applicants may meet the requirements in subsection (B)(2)(b) with completion of one of the following:

a. Completion of a graduate program in counseling, social work, or psychology and six semester hours of courses in any of the following areas: school counseling, college and career guidance, or academic advising; or

b. A valid license as an associate counselor, professional counselor, master or clinical social worker, or marriage and family therapist issued by the Arizona Board for Behavioral Health Examiners and six semester hours of courses in any of the following areas: school counseling, college and career guidance, or academic advising; or

c. Completion of a graduate program in academic advising and six semester hours of courses in school counseling to include any of the following areas: social and emotional development, mental health counseling, trauma and disaster counseling, multiculturalism in counseling, theories of counseling, foundations of school counseling, or child and adolescent counseling.

5. Applicants who otherwise qualify but are deficient in the required six semester hours of courses described in subsection (B)(4)(a), (b), or (c) may receive a Standard School Counselor certificate with a deficiency in the required courses to be completed within three years. If an applicant fails to meet this requirement within the prescribed time, the Department of Education shall temporarily suspend the certificate, but the suspension is not considered a disciplinary action and the individual shall be allowed to correct the deficiency within the remaining timeframe of the certificate.

6. Applicants who otherwise qualify but are deficient in the requirements prescribed in subsection (B)(2)(d) may receive a Standard School Counselor certificate with a deficiency in the required experience or practicum to be completed within three years. If an applicant fails to meet this requirement within the prescribed time, the Department of Education shall temporarily suspend the certificate, but the suspension is not considered a disciplinary action and the individual shall be allowed to correct the deficiency within the remaining timeframe of the certificate.

C. Standard School Psychologist Certificate - grades PreK through 12

1. A standard school psychologist certificate is required for all personnel whose primary responsibility is in the role of a school psychologist providing services that include but are not limited to the duties of student psychoeducational assessment, therapeutic consultation and intervention, and involvement in the process of determination of student disabilities or disorders.

2. The requirements are:

a. A master's or more advanced degree;

b. Completion of a graduate program in school psychology consisting of at least 60 graduate semester hours, or completion of a doctoral program in psychology and completion of a re-training program in school psychology from an accredited institution or Board approved program with a letter of institutional endorsement from the head of the school psychology program;

c. A supervised internship of at least 1200 clock hours with a minimum of 600 of those hours in a school setting. Three years experience as a certified school psychologist within the last 10 years may be substituted for the internship requirement; and

d. A valid fingerprint clearance card issued by the Arizona Department of Public Safety.

3. Any of the following may be substituted for the requirement described in subsection (C)(3)(b):

a. Five years experience within the last 10 years working full time in the capacity of a school psychologist in a school setting serving any portion of grades kindergarten through 12; or

b. A Nationally Certified School Psychologist Credential; or

c. A diploma in school psychology from the American Board of School Psychology.

D. Standard Speech-Language Pathologist Certificate - grades PreK through 12

1. The standard speech-language pathologist certificate is required for school-based speech-language pathologists.

2. The certificate may be renewed consistent with the provisions of R7-2-619 with relevant professional development in the field of speech pathology, or professional development in the areas of articulation, voice, fluency, language, low incidence disabilities, curriculum and instruction, professional issues and ethics, or service delivery models.

3. The requirements are:

a. A master's or more advanced degree, from an accredited institution, in speech pathology or communication disorders;

b. A minimum of 250 clinical clock hours supervised by a university or a speech-language pathologist with a certificate of clinical competence;

c. A certificate of clinical competence, or a passing score on the national exam, or a passing score on the speech and language impaired special education portion of the Arizona Teacher Proficiency Assessment; and

d. A valid fingerprint clearance card issued by the Arizona Department of Public Safety.

E. Standard Speech-Language Technician - grades PreK through 12

1. The standard speech-language technician certificate is required for school-based speech-language professionals.

2. No new applications for a speech-language technician certificate will be accepted after June 30, 2014.

3. The certificate may be renewed consistent with the provisions of R7-2-619 with professional development in the areas of articulation, voice, fluency, language disorders, low incidence disabilities, professional issues and ethics, or service delivery models.

4. The requirements are:

a. A bachelor's degree from an accredited program in Speech-Language Pathology, Speech Hearing Sciences, or Communication Disorders;

b. A minimum of 50 hours of university supervised observation;

c. A minimum of 150 university clinical clock hours, or 150 clock hours supervised by a master's level licensed speech-language pathologist, or two years' experience as a school speech-language therapist or technician;

d. A passing score on the speech and language impaired special education portion of the Arizona Teacher Proficiency Assessment; and

e. A valid fingerprint clearance card issued by the Arizona Department of Public Safety.

F. Standard School Social Worker Certificate - grades PreK through 12

1. The standard School Social Worker certificate is optional but may be required by local governing boards.

2. The requirements are:

a. Master's or more advanced degree in Social Work from an accredited institution or completion of a Board approved school social worker program;

b. A valid fingerprint clearance issued by the Arizona Department of Public Safety; and

c. One of the following:

i. Completion of at least 6 semester hours of practicum in Social Work in a school setting completed through an accredited institution; or

ii. One year of full time experience as a Social Worker in a setting which primarily serves children in preschool through grade 12.

Ariz. Admin. Code § R7-2-617

Adopted effective December 4, 1998 (Supp. 98-4). Amended by emergency rulemaking under A.R.S. § 41-1026 at 8 A.A.R. 5139, effective November 19, 2002 for a period of 180 days (Supp. 02-4). Emergency rulemaking renewed under A.R.S. § 41-1026(D) at 9 A.A.R. 1547, effective April 29, 2003 for a period of 180 days (Supp. 03-2). Emergency rulemaking repealed under A.R.S. § 41-1026(E) and permanent R7-2-617 amended by final rulemaking at 9 A.A.R. 3950, effective October 21, 2003 (Supp. 03-3). Amended by exempt rulemaking at 15 A.A.R. 1264, effective May 22, 2006 (Supp. 09-1). Former R7-2-617 recodified to R7-2-618; new R7-2-617 recodified from R7-2-616 at 15 A.A.R. 2146, effective August 25, 2008 (Supp. 09-4). Former R7-2-617 recodified to R7-2-618; new R7-2-617 recodified from R7-2-616 at 16 A.A.R. 68, effective December 8, 2008 (Supp. 10-1). R7-2-617 "Prekindergarten" corrected to "PreK" at request of the Board, Office File No. M09-444, filed November 24, 2009 (Supp. 10-1). Office corrected labeling error in subsection (C) under A.R.S. § 41-1011 and A.A.C. R1-1-108(Supp. 10-4). Amended by exempt rulemaking at 21 A.A.R. 2009, effective 10/28/2013. Amended by exempt rulemaking at 23 A.A.R. 231, effective 12/19/2016. Amended by exempt rulemaking at 24 A.A.R. 195, effective 8/9/2017. Amended by final exempt rulemaking at 24 A.A.R. 2947, effective 9/24/2018. Amended by final exempt rulemaking at 28 A.A.R. 276, effective 4/29/2019.