(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 National Certified School Psychologist (NCSP); or   (3) 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);     (C) the score that the applicant received on the School Psychology Examination sent directly from the Education Testing Service; and     (D) three acceptable reference letters from three different individuals who are licensed as psychologists or specialists in school psychology or are credentialed in school psychology in their respective jurisdictions. (b) Training Qualifications. Candidates for licensure as a specialist in school psychology who hold a currently valid NCSP certification or who have graduated from a training program approved by the NASP or accredited in School Psychology by the APA will be considered to have met the training and internship qualifications. All other applicants must have completed a graduate degree in psychology from a regionally accredited academic institution, and have completed at least 60 graduate level semester credit hours, also from a regionally accredited academic institution, no more than 12 of which may be internship hours. All 60 hours do not have to be obtained prior to the conferral of the graduate degree and the applicant need not be formally enrolled in a psychology program to obtain graduate hours after the degree date. For purposes of this rule, a graduate degree in psychology means the name of the candidate's major or program of studies must be titled psychology. These applicants must submit evidence of graduate level coursework as follows:   (1) Psychological Foundations, including:     (A) biological bases of behavior;     (B) human learning;     (C) social bases of behavior;     (D) multi-cultural bases of behavior;     (E) child or adolescent development;     (F) psychopathology or exceptionalities;   (2) Research and Statistics;   (3) Educational Foundations, including any of the following:     (A) instructional design;     (B) organization and operation of schools;     (C) classroom management; or     (D) educational administration;   (4) Assessment, including:     (A) psychoeducational assessment;     (B) socio-emotional, including behavioral and cultural, assessment;   (5) Interventions, including:     (A) counseling;     (B) behavior management;     (C) consultation;   (6) Professional, Legal and Ethical Issues; and   (7) A Practicum. (c) Completion of internship. 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. (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 administered by the Educational Testing Service and obtain at least the current cut-off score for the NCSP before applying for the licensed specialist in school psychology. Following Board approval, an applicant for licensure as a specialist in school psychology must take and pass the Board's Jurisprudence Examination. (f) Trainee Requirements. An applicant for the specialist in school psychology license who meets all requirements, prior to taking and passing the Jurisprudence examination, may, in accordance with Board rule §465.38(4) of this title (relating to Psychological Services in the Schools), practice under supervision as a trainee for not more than one calendar year. (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 pursuant to section §501.004(a)(2) of the Act. Services may be provided if:   (1) the individual is enrolled in an internship, practicum or other site based training in a school psychology program in a regionally accredited institution of higher education, or   (2) the individual has completed an internship in a school psychology program in a regionally accredited institution of higher education and has an application for licensure as an LSSP pending before the Board and the Board has not notified the applicant that he or she does not meet the training requirements for this licensure, or   (3) the individual has been issued a trainee status letter by the Board. (h) Once an individual has completed the internship required for licensure as an LSSP and has passed the National School Psychology Exam, he or she must apply for licensure as an LSSP with the Board. After the Board has reviewed the LSSP application and approved the training of the applicant, the applicant will be issued an LSSP trainee status letter which allows the applicant to practice in accordance with the LSSP trainee requirements of this rule.

Source Note: The provisions of this §463.9 adopted to be effective October 3, 1999, 24 TexReg 8169; amended to be effective May 16, 2000, 25 TexReg 4352; amended to be effective July 8, 2001, 26 TexReg 5005; amended to be effective June 12, 2003, 28 TexReg 4557; amended to be effective March 10, 2004, 29 TexReg 2314; amended to be effective August 19, 2004, 29 TexReg 7989; amended to be effective June 5, 2008, 33 TexReg 4316; amended to be effective March 3, 2009, 34 TexReg 1432