Certification patterns and requirements for school psychologists

Requirements for certification of school psychologists: A survey of recent trends.

“…In comparing the present data with other recent surveys (Bluestein & Milofsky, 1970;Traxler, 1967), the general trends in certification patterns, which were noted earlier, still persist. There is a greater number of states providing certification requirements.…”

“…This confusion between levels and grades becomes clear when comparing the results of this survey to those of the past (Bluestein & Milofsky, 1970). Five states-Connecticut, Florida, Nebraska, North Dakota, and Utah-that in the past have indicated multilevel certification policies now indicate only one level of certification with varying grades within that level.…”

“…Seven states, including Arkansas, Arizona, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, and New Mexico, indicate that they have no state certification requirements for school psychologists; nevertheless, Louisiana, Michigan, and Mississippi indicate that they are currently developing such requirements, and Arkansas indicates an interest in accomplishing this same goal. Since the last survey of state certification standards (Bluestein & Milofsky, 1970), three states-Alaska, New Hampshire, and Texas-have developed certification regulations.…”

“…Of these 20 states, 13 provide various grades of certification within the one level. Sixteen states certify two levels of school psychologists, and 5 states certify three levels, Bluestein and Milofsky (1970) indicated that "levels" and "grades" of certification are often confused. Levels of certification should imply distinct levels of functioning which are differentiated by the amount of training and the competencies required at each level.…”

“…In order to obtain a better understanding of the growth of the profession of school psychology, past studies of certification requirements of state departments of education have been helpful, particularly in shedding light on the standards for professional training (Traxler, 1967). The development of state certification standards for school psychologists is reflected by the following studies: Horrocks (1946), Hall (1949), Claytor (1950), Newland (1956), Hodges (I960), Nelson (1963), Gross, Bonham, and Bluestein (1966), Traxler (1967), and Bluestein and Milofsky (1970. Certainly, an examination of the existing criteria for certification of school psychologists will reflect the current nature of the school psychologist's roles and functions.…”