Or. Admin. Code § 584-435-0200

Current through Register Vol. 63, No. 12, December 1, 2024

Section 584-435-0200 - School Psychologist License: Program Standards

(1) Purpose of the Program: To prepare candidates for the School Psychologist License. Program completers must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, professional dispositions, and cultural competencies necessary to promote the academic, career, personal, and social development of pre-kindergarten to grade 12 students.

Note: The standards below have been taken from the Professional Standards of the National Association of School Psychologists, 2020 edition.

(2) Candidate Requirements:

(a) Obtain a master's or higher degree in counseling, education, or related behavior sciences from an Approved institution in the United States, or the foreign equivalent of such degree approved by the Commission and a bachelor's degree. A master's degree or a doctoral degree from an Approved institution in the United States validates a nonaccredited bachelor's degree. Candidates must submit official transcripts showing degree conferral; or

(b) Complete a Commission-approved specialist-level program or equivalent of study in school psychology (e.g., EdS, SSP, CAS, CAGS, PsyS) consisting of the following:

(A) A minimum of 3 years of full-time student at the graduate level, or the equivalent inclusive of structured field experiences;

(B) At least 60 graduate semester hours or the equivalent, with at least 54 hours exclusive of credit for the supervised specialist-level internship experience; and

(C) A supervised internship experience taken for academic credit with a minimum of 1,200 clock hours, including a minimum of 600 hours in a school setting and completed across 1 academic year on a full-time basis or 2 consecutive academic years on a half-time basis.

(3) Standard 1: Data-based Decision Making. School psychologists understand and utilize assessment methods for identifying strengths and needs; developing effective interventions, services, and programs; and measuring progress and outcomes within a multi-tiered system of supports. School psychologists use a problem-solving framework as the basis for all professional activities. School psychologists systematically collect data from multiple sources as a foundation for decision-making at the individual, group, and systems levels, and they consider ecological factors (e.g., classroom, family, and community characteristics) as a context for assessment and intervention.

(4) Standard 2: Consultation and Collaboration. School psychologists understand varied models and strategies of consultation and collaboration applicable to individuals, families, groups, and systems, as well as methods to promote effective implementation of services. As part of a systematic and comprehensive process of effective decision making and problem solving that permeates all aspects of service delivery, school psychologists demonstrate skills to consult, collaborate, and communicate effectively with others.

(5) Standard 3: Academic Interventions and Instructional Supports. School psychologists understand the biological, cultural, and social influences on academic skills; human learning, cognitive, and developmental processes; and evidence-based curricula and instructional strategies. School psychologists, in collaboration with others, use assessment and data collection methods to implement and evaluate services that support academic skill development in children.

(6) Standard 4: Mental and Behavioral Health Services and Interventions. School psychologists understand the biological, cultural, developmental, and social influences on mental and behavioral health, behavioral and emotional impacts on learning, and evidence-based strategies to promote social-emotional functioning. School psychologists, in collaboration with others, design, implement, and evaluate services that promote resilience and positive behavior, support socialization and adaptive skills, and enhance mental and behavioral health.

(7) Standard 5: School-Wide Practices to Promote Learning. School psychologists understand systems structures, organization, and theory; general and special education programming; implementation science; and evidence-based, school-wide practices that promote learning, positive behavior, and mental health. School psychologists, in collaboration with others, develop and implement practices and strategies to create and maintain safe, effective, and supportive learning environments for students and school staff.

(8) Standard 6: Services to Promote Safe and Supportive Schools. School psychologists understand principles and research related to social-emotional well-being, resilience and risk factors in learning, mental and behavioral health, services in schools and communities to support multi-tiered prevention and health promotion, and evidence-based strategies for creating safe and supportive schools. School psychologists, in collaboration with others, promote preventive and responsive services that enhance learning, mental and behavioral health, and psychological and physical safety and implement effective crisis prevention, protection, mitigation, response, and recovery.

(9) Standard 7: Family, School, and Community Collaboration. School psychologists understand principles and research related to family systems, strengths, needs, and cultures; evidence-based strategies to support positive family influences on children's learning and mental health; and strategies to develop collaboration between families and schools. School psychologists, in collaboration with others, design, implement, and evaluate services that respond to culture and context. They facilitate family and school partnerships and interactions with community agencies to enhance academic and social-behavioral outcomes for children.

(10) Standard 8: Equitable Practices for Diverse Student Populations. School psychologists have knowledge of individual differences, abilities, disabilities, and other diverse characteristics and the impact they have on development and learning. They also understand principles and research related to diversity in children, families, schools, and communities, including factors related to child development, religion, culture and cultural identity, race, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, socioeconomic status, and other variables. School psychologists implement evidence-based strategies to enhance services in both general and special education and address potential influences related to diversity. School psychologists demonstrate skills to provide professional services that promote effective functioning for individuals, families, and schools with diverse characteristics, cultures, and backgrounds through an ecological lens across multiple contexts. School psychologists recognize that equitable practices for diverse student populations, respect for diversity in development and learning, and advocacy for social justice are foundational to effective service delivery. While equality ensures that all children have the same access to general and special educational opportunities, equity ensures that each student receives what they need to benefit from these opportunities.

(11) Standard 9: Research and Evidence-Based Practice. School psychologists have knowledge of research design, statistics, measurement, and varied data collection and analysis techniques sufficient for understanding research, interpreting data, and evaluating programs in applied settings. As scientist practitioners, school psychologists evaluate and apply research as a foundation for service delivery and, in collaboration with others, use various techniques and technology resources for data collection, measurement, and analysis to support effective practices at the individual, group, and/or systems levels.

(12) Standard 10: Legal, Ethical, and Professional Practice. School psychologists have knowledge of the history and foundations of school psychology; multiple service models and methods; ethical, legal, and professional standards; and other factors related to professional identity and effective practice as school psychologists. School psychologists provide services consistent with ethical, legal, and professional standards; engage in responsive ethical and professional decision-making; collaborate with other professionals; and apply professional work characteristics needed for effective practice as school psychologists, including effective interpersonal skills, responsibility, adaptability, initiative, dependability, technological competence, advocacy skills, respect for human diversity, and a commitment to social justice and equity.

(13) Standard 11: Supervised Field Experiences in School Psychology. The program assures that all candidates complete the following practica and internship experiences:

(a) Practicum Experience. The school psychology program requires supervised practica based on program goals and NASP Graduate Preparation Standards.

(A) At a minimum, activities must include opportunities to build professional competencies in

(i) Data-based decision making, including psychoeducational assessment with recommendations;

(ii) The design, implementation, and evaluation of services that support cognitive and academic skills; and

(iii) The design, implementation, and evaluation of services that support socialization, behavioral and mental health, and emotional well-being (e.g., counseling, behavior analysis and intervention, social-emotional learning). The services can be implemented at the individual, class-wide and/or systems level. Practica opportunities may include other professional competency development based on graduate program goals.

(B) The assessment of practicum outcomes must include a formal evaluation process of all candidates conducted by field supervisors and/or program faculty. Such assessment is expected to focus on specific competencies and professional work characteristics and be based on observations and/or other evaluation methods Practica experiences do not need to comprehensively address all TSPC program standards. The evaluation criteria or benchmark is expected to be relevant to the professional developmental stage of the candidate at the particular level of the practica.

(b) Internship Experience. The school psychology program includes clinical field experiences that allow candidates to develop, practice, demonstrate, and reflect upon evidence-based practices in a graduated manner that increases in complexity.

(A) The clinical experience must be a comprehensive, supervised, and carefully evaluated internship in school psychology.

(B) The program must provide field-based supervision from a school psychologist holding the appropriate state school psychologist credential for practice in a school setting (If a portion of the internship is conducted in another setting, there must be provision of field supervision from a psychologist holding the appropriate state psychology credential for practice in the internship setting).

(C) There must be at least weekly, individual, face-to-face basis field-based supervision with structured mentoring focused on the intern's attainment of competencies.

(D) Field-based internship supervision must additionally meet the following minimum criteria: an average of at least 2 hours of supervision per full-time week or the equivalent for part-time placement. Each intern is required to receive appropriate and regularly scheduled field-supervision.

(E) The supervised internship experience must be taken for academic credit with a minimum of 1,200 clock hours, including a minimum of 600 hours in a school setting and completed across one academic year on a full-time basis or two consecutive academic years on a half-time basis.

(F) The assessment of internship outcomes includes formative and summative performance-based evaluations of interns completed by program faculty and field-based supervisors that are systematic and comprehensive and ensure that interns attain the competencies and demonstrate the professional work characteristics needed for effective practice as early career, independent school psychologists. It is expected that the intern evaluation covers all TSPC standards of School Psychology Practice.

(14) The unit assures that candidates for the School Psychologist License demonstrate knowledge, skills and competencies by completing preparation in psychological foundations and methods appropriate for prekindergarten through grade 12 (pre K-12) grade authorization levels.

Or. Admin. Code § 584-435-0200

TSPC 21-2021, adopt filed 11/15/2021, effective 1/3/2022

Statutory/Other Authority: ORS 342.147, ORS 342.165

Statutes/Other Implemented: ORS 342.138, ORS 342.147