Pupil Personnel Services Credential School Psychology

Lead Faculty: Dr. Susan M. Eldred

This credential authorizes the holder to serve as a school psychologist in a school setting at any grade level P-12. This credential is valid for a maximum of five years. Candidates should see “Admissions to Credential Programs” for specific admission information.

Candidates who have completed an appropriate master’s degree in counseling, social work or psychology from this or another regionally-accredited institution can work toward a Pupil Personnel Services Credential with a School Psychology Specialization (i.e. without receiving another master’s degree). To meet state of California required competencies for the credential; candidates must complete either the entire Master of Science in School Psychology or the prerequisites and requirements for the MS in School Psychology not already met in graduate coursework. Course equivalence cannot be granted for life experiences.

Candidates may participate in a university internship if they are able to secure a position with an employing agency that meets the standards of the university internship program. The program for a PPSP university internship is identical to the program for the non-university interns. For more information, contact a Credential Advisor.

Admission Requirements

• Candidates must hold an accredited master’s degree and be admitted to National University.
• Complete all program prerequisites (MTH 210, PSY 430, PSY 301 and TED 430)
• Enroll in PED 504, (School Psychology Orientation).
• Attendance to all sessions is mandatory (make-up session not available) and completion of required assignments is mandatory.
• Receive a credential packet and complete a Write Placer exam (occurs in PED 504) that is reviewed and signed by faculty advisor for admission to School Psychology program.
• Return the credential packet to the credential advisor by the end of the PED 604 course, otherwise candidates will receive an “U” for the course. See a credential advisor for specific information regarding any of these requirements.
• Successful completion of PED 504 and all pre-requisites is mandatory prior to program admission.

Program Advisement
All coursework must be completed within seven years with a 3.0 GPA. Candidates who are absent for a period of 12 months or more must re-enroll and re-matriculate under a new catalog.

All PPSP candidates will be assigned a faculty advisor. Candidates must meet with a faculty advisor for evaluation of prior coursework to meet program prerequisites. Only PED 504 and prerequisites can be taken prior to admission.

Prior coursework at either undergraduate or graduate levels can only be waived by a faculty advisor.

All candidates are expected to meet with their assigned faculty advisor at the following times: (1) upon admission into the program, (2) after 5 classes, (3) before starting their practicum and internship, (4) at the exit of the program.

Candidates who receive a grade lower than a “B minus” in two or more courses will be evaluated by the faculty and will be required to repeat the course at their own expense before being allowed to continue in the program.

Program Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the program, candidates will be able to:

• Demonstrates adept/advanced skills in all aspects of psycho-educational assessment; keeps current with technology in the field; presents information and teaches others new assessment techniques; becomes expert at aspects of various disabilities/ learning problems of children and teaches others ways to evaluate
• Demonstrates outstanding leadership skills; well-versed in communicating results and information to others; demonstrates and applies consultation/collaboration techniques and models, and teaches those to others
• Demonstrates ability to independently researches cutting edge technologies related to learning, and learning problems; fully aware of current theories and is adept at instructing others; presents information on advances in the field; is completely competent in practice.
• Demonstrates full implementation of school-wide programs for social/behavioral needs of children; keeps up to date on emerging interventions and techniques; provides in-service training and expertise in the area of social and behavioral interventions
• Demonstrates advanced training and competence in working with individuals with diverse backgrounds; teaches other techniques and concerns for working with individuals of specific backgrounds.
• Demonstrates expertise in school systems knowledge and practice; works at both local and district level in programming and planning for effective schools; is knowledgeable about cutting edge technologies and programs for effective schools and teaches that material to others
• Demonstrates expertise in crisis prevention and intervention; consults with others in developing and implementing programs; demonstrates extensive knowledge in specific health related disorders and school-related safety issues; provides education and training in working with specific candidate populations
• Demonstrates expertise in collaboration skills; consults with others in developing programs and obtaining resources; acts as a resource to the school and community
• Demonstrates in-expert knowledge and ability in research; consults with others in developing and evaluating intervention or research plans; continues with independent research; produces published, or publishable, material
• Demonstrates in-depth knowledge of legal issues and shows the highest ethical standards in practice; educates others in developing ethical decision-based models for practice
• Demonstrates in-depth knowledge and understanding of technologies related to the field; can instruct others in the uses available; and can assess and make program or system-wide decisions for technology use.
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Requirements

Program Requirements- PPSP Credential
To receive a PPSP credential, there is a minimum graduate residency requirement of 61.5 quarter units. However, the actual number of units allowable for transfer will be based on equivalent graduate work completed at another institution, as it applies to this degree and if the units were not used in earning another advanced degree.

Advancement to Candidacy
Advancement to Candidacy is a process and is one of several evaluative steps to help ensure that program objectives are met and that candidate outcomes are attained.

After admission as a degree and credential seeking candidate, a candidate must also Advance to Candidacy. To qualify for candidacy, a candidate must:

• Complete prerequisite coursework or equivalent (MTH 210, PSY 430, PSY 301, and TED 430)
• Complete PED 504, first four graduate PED courses with no grade lower than a B minus
• If a candidate earns less than 3.0 GPA upon completion of the above courses, the candidate will not Advance to Candidacy. The candidate will be required to meet with faculty advisor. A plan for remediation or possible dismissal from the program will be considered.

Program Prerequisites (4 courses; 18 quarter units)
MTH 210 - Introduction to Probability and Statistics
PSY 301 - Child and Adolescent Development
PSY 430 - Introduction to Psychopathology
Ted 430 - Teaching Children with Special Needs

Note: Only PED 504 and prerequisites can be taken prior to admission.

Program Requirements (18 courses; 76.5 quarter units)
PED 504 - School Psychology Orientation
PED 665 - Tests and Measurements (All undergraduate pre-requisites and PED 504 must be completed)
PED 666 - Human Neuropsychology
PED 652 - Child Psychopharmacology
PED 680 - Roles, Issues and Ethics

Advancement to Candidacy
PED 670 - Advanced Social Psychology
PED 667 - Advanced Child Psychopathology

PED 683 - Program Evaluation
CED 600 - Applied Child/Adolescent Development
CED 601 - Consultation in the Schools
CED 610 - Advanced Counseling Theories & Methods
   (Prerequisite: CED 600)
PED 671 - Cognitive Assessment
   (Prerequisites: PED 665, PED 680, CED 601)
PED 672 - Psycho-Academic Assessment
   (Prerequisite: PED 671)
PED 673 - Emotional/Behavioral Assessment
   (Prerequisite: PED 672)
PED 674 - Special Populations Assessment
   (Prerequisite: PED 673)
PED 664 - Curriculum Based Assessment
   (Prerequisite: PED 674)
PED 676 - Intro Applied Behavior Analysis
PED 678 - Practicum in School Psychology (3 quarter units)
   (Prerequisites: all courses including undergraduate prerequisites)

Practicum (450 hours)

• Candidates should refer to the current Graduate Handbook 2010 for School Psychology for specific information about the practicum and internship requirements.
• Candidates are required to complete ALL 450 hours of practicum prior to starting their internship. Candidates must complete the practicum experience under the supervision of a credentialed and experienced (three years) school psychologist. National University school psychology candidates will complete school-based practicum during the PED 678 course (3-month course).
• In PED 678 (Practicum in School Psychology) candidates will do their practicum hours and experiences only in public school based settings(according to CCTC requirements). PED 678 course instructor and a school site psychologist through completion of course requirements will evaluate candidate performance.
• Complete PED 678 course.

NOTE: Candidates cannot be placed at practicum or internship sites where they are currently or have recently been employed. Dual roles and relationships will be prohibited. Discovery of such activity will result in candidates being removed from that site with accrued hours not counting toward practicum or internship.

Internship Prerequisites
Before candidates can begin the internship, they must:

• Provide proof of Certificate of Clearance
• Provide verification of a TB Clearance
• Pass the CBEST)
• Complete prerequisite coursework, all CED and PED courses (except PED 685)
• Complete 450 hours of logged, approved practicum
• Submit an Internship application and be assigned a University Supervisor.
• Internship and PED 685 are then scheduled by the Credential Advisor.

Internship Requirements (5 courses; 21 quarter units)
(1200 hours/2 levels)

A minimum of 1200 clock hours is required. The candidate will draft a plan with the Site Supervisor and University Supervisor, meet weekly for two hours with Site Supervisor for supervision, keep weekly logs of each 300 hours of internship, and submit logs to University Supervisor. The internship consists of the following:

• No more than two sites at one time with no more than two Site Supervisors at one time
• Includes two levels (Elementary and Secondary)

PED 685 - Internship Seminar
PED 687 - School Psychology Internship I (300 hours)
PED 688 - School Psychology Internship II (300 hours)
PED 689 - School Psychology Internship III (300 hours)
PED 690 - School Psychology Internship IV (300 hours)

Exit Requirements
In order to receive a Master’s degree and a PPSP credential, candidates must complete all courses and internship within seven years and fulfill the following requirements:

• Successful completion of all coursework, portfolio, practicum, internship and the exit process.
• Schedule and complete an exit appointment with faculty advisor or University Supervisor
• Pass ETS National Praxis (#0401) examination-School Psychology (passage score is 148)
• Complete Program Evaluation Form-School Psychology
• Submit written evaluations of performance in Internship experiences by Site Supervisor to University Supervisor
• Successful completion of an exit appointment with credential advisor to receive final clearance and credential documents
• Have a zero account balance

Credential Application Information
Candidates are expected to complete their internship either on a full time basis of 8 months (40 hours per week) or part time basis of 16 months (20 hours per week). Less that 20 hours per week at the internship site will be not approved. Upon successful completion of the coursework and internship, candidates must meet with a credential advisor to receive, complete and submit the Commission on Teacher Credentialing application form for the PPSP School Psychology credential.

Program Information

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Program Locations

• Bakersfield Campus
• Costa Mesa Campus
• Fresno Campus
• Los Angeles Campus
• Sacramento Campus
• Spectrum Business Park Campus

Related Downloads

• Careers in School Psychology