School Psychologist Licensure in Nevada: Become a School Psychologist in NV

Nevada school psychologists are licensed by the Nevada Department of Education. They are considered specialized education personnel. The credential is based on graduate education and internship (as well as having an acceptable legal and professional history).

National certification is among the pathways that an out-of-state school psychologist can use to achieve licensure in Nevada.

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Education and Training

A school psychologist will need to complete a graduate program at an accredited institution. He or she will need education and training that meets the standards found in Nevada Administrative Code (http://www.leg.state.nv.us/nac/NAC-391.html#NAC391Sec315). There are three pathways.

Option 1: The candidate may enroll in an Approved school psychology program.

Option 2: The candidate may enroll in a program that meets Nevada standards. The state has identified content areas that must be included in the course of study; it has also identified other optional areas that may be included and credited. Required and optional coursework must together equal at least 60 semester hours.

Content areas are defined in Nevada Administrative Code (NAC) 391 and include the following:

Psychology and education of normal children: This area of study must include child development, learning theories, and child and adolescent psychology. It may include other concepts like curriculum development and personality theory (as per NAC 391.317).

Psychology and education of handicapped children: This must include abnormal psychology and/or children with emotional disturbance or behavior disorder. Reading disability etiology and learning disability theories are among the other topics that may be covered.

Psycho-educational assessment: This must include individual intelligence assessment and standardized appraisal. It must also include coverage of reading disability diagnosis and treatment as well as personality or projective assessment; there must be practicum work in these two areas. Vocational assessment, neuropsychologial assessment, and gifted/ talented assessment are among the optional content areas.

Intervention techniques: There must be study of the process of counseling as well as practicum in individual counseling. There may, optionally, be coursework and practicum in group counseling and/or marriage and family counseling. Behavioral analysis and management may be covered.

Experimental design: This must include both statistics and research methodology.

Coursework in school system characteristics is listed among the optional areas. The school psychology student may study school law, multicultural education and/or pupil personnel services. A full list of optional areas of study is found in NAC 391.317.

The student will need a practicum that is taken simultaneously with, or after, the last requirements. The student will also need an internship that begins at the same time as, or after, the last requirements. The internship should be at least 1,000 hours or two semesters. At least half the internship must be spent in a school that is accredited or has been approved by the Superintendent of Public Instruction. Up to half may take place in another acceptable agency. Internship that takes place in a school setting is to be supervised by a professional who is endorsed as a school psychologist and who is employed by the school system. Internship that takes place in another agency may be supervised by a person with equivalent credentials. The internship experience is to be completed within three years.

The Nevada Department of Education will allow school psychologists who have not completed the full internship experience (as defined by state code) to be licensed if they have completed, in addition to a “partial internship”, three years of experience in another state or jurisdiction.

Option 3: Nevada will also accept the NCSP credential; this national certification is issued by the National Association of School Psychologists, or NASP. It represents at least 60 graduate semester hours and at least 1,200 total internship hours (with no fewer than 600 completed in a school setting).

Candidates who graduate from NASP-approved programs have a more direct route to certification. Candidates from non-approved programs may demonstrate competencies through submission of portfolio and case study. Detailed portfolio instructions are found in the application packet for graduates of non-approved programs (http://www.nasponline.org/certification/NON_NASP_approved_NCSP_app.pdf).

All NASP certification candidates are required to take the national school psychologist examination: Praxis II test #0401. Candidates may visit the website of Educational Testing Service, ‘ETS’, to register, pay fees, and access study materials (http://www.ets.org/praxis/nasp/requirements).

Candidates who have taken the examination in the past may have score reports sent. However, NASP will not accept scores that are more than a decade old.

Provisional Endorsement

A candidate who has completed at least one full-time semester of internship or accrued at least 500 hours of acceptable supervised experience may be issued a provisional credential provided all other requirements have been met. At least half of the credited experience must have been in the school system. The nonrenewable credential is valid for two years.

The Application Process

Nevada requires applicants to have fingerprint-based criminal background checks. The process is to be initiated before application. Fingerprint capture can be completed at any law enforcement agency. The DOE has provided a link to fingerprint locations within Nevada (http://www.nvrepository.state.nv.us/fingerprints.shtml). Costs may vary. The DOE notes that candidates should be issued Form FD-258) at the site.

Application materials can be downloaded from the ‘forms’ section of the Nevada Department of Education site (http://www.doe.nv.gov/). The application requires notarization.

The fingerprint card and background authorization should be included in the application packet. Official transcripts should be included with the application as well. (The licensing agency notes that eScrip transcripts can be accepted if they are sent directly by the school.)

There is a $161 nonrefundable fee which may be paid by money order or cashier’s check; included within this is the cost of conducting the background check. (A candidate who is applying for multiple endorsements simultaneously will pay $161 for the first and $50 each for each additional one.)

The application includes questions about legal history and about any actions against licenses. “Yes” answers require a disclosure form and additional supporting documentation. Applicants also must disclose child support status.

The DOE notes that applications should be mailed to the closest office: the Northern office in Carson City or the Southern office in Las Vegas (http://teachers.nv.gov/Resources/FAQs/Applying/Where_do_I_mail_my_application/).

Processing times vary according to the time of the year; the timeframe may be as long as eight weeks during busy months. Application status can be monitored through the DOE website. Nevada does not issue paper licenses, but will send an email when the credential has been issued. If all qualifications have not been met, deficiencies will be outlined.

Additional Information

Additional information is found on the site of the Nevada Department of Education (http://teachers.nv.gov/Licenses/Licensed_School_Personnel/). Questions may be addressed to license at doe.nv.gov. The turnaround time may be greater than 48 hours.

The Nevada Association of School Psychologists (NvASP) does not issue licenses but serves as an additional resource (http://nvasponline.org/).