SECTION 463.9. Licensed Specialist in School Psychology

(a) License Requirements. An applicant for licensure as a specialist in school psychology must:

(1) hold an appropriate graduate degree;

(2) provide proof of specific graduate level coursework;

(3) provide proof of an acceptable internship;

(4) provide proof of passage of all examinations required by the Council; and

(5) meet the requirements imposed under §501.2525(a)(3) - (9) of the Occupations Code.

(b) Applicants who hold active certification as a Nationally Certified School Psychologist (NCSP) are considered to have met all requirements for licensure under this rule except for passage of the Jurisprudence Examination. Applicants relying upon this subsection must provide the Council with their NCSP certification number.

(c) Applicants who graduated from a training program accredited or approved by the National Association of School Psychologists or accredited in School Psychology by the American Psychological Association are considered to have met all training and internship requirements for licensure under this rule. Applicants relying upon this subsection must submit an official transcript indicating the degree and date the degree was awarded or conferred.

(d) Appropriate Graduate Degrees.

(1) Applicants who do not hold active NCSP certification, or who did not graduate from a training program accredited or 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 institution of higher education. For purposes of this rule, a graduate degree in psychology means the name of the candidate's major or program of study is titled psychology.

(2) Applicants applying under this subsection 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 institution of higher education. A maximum of 12 internship hours may be counted toward this requirement.

(3) An applicant who holds a graduate degree that does not qualify under subsection (d)(1) but meets the requirements of subsection (d)(2) is considered to have an appropriate graduate degree if the applicant holds a certificate of completion from a graduate-level training program designed to train individuals from related disciplines in the practice of school psychology.

(e) Applicants applying under subsection (d) of this section 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.

(f) Applicants applying under subsection (d) of this section must have completed an internship with a minimum of 1200 hours and that meets the following criteria:

(1) At least 600 of the internship hours must have been completed in a public school.

(2) 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 Council §463.11(d)(1) and (d)(2)(C) of this title.

(3) 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.

(4) 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.

(5) Unless authorized by the Council, supervised experience received from a supervisor practicing with a restricted license may not be utilized to satisfy the requirements of this rule.

(6) Internship hours must be obtained in not more than two placements. A school district, consortium, and educational co-op are each considered one placement.

(7) Internship hours must be obtained in not less than one or more than two academic years.

(8) An individual completing an internship under this rule must be designated as an intern.

(9) 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.

(10) The internship must include direct intern application of assessment, intervention, behavior management, and consultation, for children representing a range of ages, populations and needs.

(g) Provision of psychological services in the public schools by unlicensed individuals.

(1) An unlicensed individual may provide psychological services under supervision in the public schools if:

(A) 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; or

(B) 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 Council that has not been denied or returned.

(2) An unlicensed individual may not provide psychological services in a private school setting unless the activities or services provided are exempt under §501.004 of the Psychologists' Licensing Act.

(3) An unlicensed individual may not engage in the practice of psychology under paragraph (1)(B) of this subsection for more than forty-five days following receipt of the application by the Council.

(4) The authority to practice referenced in paragraph (1)(B) of this subsection is limited to the first or initial application filed by an individual under this rule, but is not applicable to any subsequent applications filed under this rule.

Source Note: The provisions of this §463.9 adopted to be effective October 7, 2020, 45 TexReg 7000; amended to be effective September 19, 2021, 46 TexReg 6259; amended to be effective March 7, 2023, 48 TexReg 1297