The Virginia Academy of School Psychologist (VASP) supports school psychologists in promoting and advocating for the educational and mental health development of all Virginia's students, schools, families, and communities. To assist in determining the appropriateness of this rules change, we would like to make the board aware of the following information related to the training of school psychologists.
The National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) provides a national certification (NCSP) with the following requirements:
Applicants must complete an organized program of study that is officially titled "School Psychology" that consists of at least 60 graduate semester/90 quarter hours. At least 54 graduate semester/81 quarter hours must be exclusive of credit for the supervised internship experience.
Successful completion of a 1,200-hour internship in school psychology, of which at least 600 hours must be in a school setting.
NCSP applicants must achieve a passing score of 147 on the Praxis School Psychologist exam #5402 .
For the first renewal of the NCSP credential for all new NCSPs obtaining the credential after January 1, 2016, there should be evidence of having successfully completed a minimum of 1 academic year of professional support from a mentor or supervisor. For professional practice within a school setting, supervision or mentoring shall be provided by a credentialed school psychologist with a minimum of three years of experience. For any portion of the experience that is accumulated in a nonschool setting, supervision or mentoring shall be provided by a psychologist appropriately credentialed for practice in that setting. Supervision and/or mentoring conducted either individually or within a group for a minimum average of 1 hour per week is recommended.
Those holding the NCSP credential must complete a minimum of 75 hours of continuing professional development (CPD) activities within 36 months of renewal and maintain documentation of activities. At least 10 of the 75 CPD hours must come from a NASP- or APA-approved provider. NCSPs must also accrue 3 hours of CPD regarding ethical practice and/or the legal regulation of school psychology; and 3 hours in equity, diversity, and inclusion; both of which may be met with any appropriate CPD activity category.
School psychologists who graduate from NASP approved programs are trained in the following areas: Data collection and analysis; Assessment; Progress monitoring; School-wide practices to promote learning; Resilience and risk factors; Consultation and collaboration; Academic/learning interventions; Mental health interventions; Behavioral interventions; Instructional support; Prevention and intervention services; Special education services; Crisis preparedness, response, and recovery; Family-school-community collaboration; Diversity in development and learning; Research and program evaluation; and Professional ethics, school law, and systems.
As mental health and educational professionals, we are acutely aware of the difficulties families face in accessing necessary psychological services both inside and outside of the school setting. As an association we would like to encourage flexible problem solving to help address this need.