Board Certified Specialist in School Psychology
Credential: Board Certified Specialist in School Psychology
Credentialing Agency: American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP)
Renewal Period: 10 years
The American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP), Board Certified Specialist in School Psychology credential is an advanced-level certification for School Psychologists. School Psychologists promote the educational and personal development of all learners. They diagnose, assess and consult with the objective of providing individual, group, and family intervention; they support prevention, health promotion, program development, evaluation, and research services with a special focus on the developmental processes of children and youth within the context of schools, families, and other systems. Candidates for the ABPP Board Certified Specialist in School Psychology must meet educational, experiential, training and other requirements, and must also pass the exam.
More information can be found on the certifying agency's website.
Board Certified Specialist in School Psychology
The following DOD Civilian Occupations provide training and/or experience that contributes to attaining this credential:
The following Federal Occupations provide training and/or experience that contribute to attaining this credential:
| Federal Occupation | Related As | |
|---|---|---|
| 0180 Psychology Series |  Some |
|
| 0602 Physician | Some |
The following civilian occupations are related to this credential:
| Civilian Job | Bright Outlook | Registered Apprenticeship | Local Salary Info | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clinical Psychologists |  Bright Outlook |
 find local salary |
||
| School Psychologists | Bright Outlook |
find local salary |
MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS
Eligibility Requirements (View Details)
- Credential Prerequisite: Psychology license/certificate requisite for the candidate's locale of practice
- Experience: 3 years
- Education: Doctoral
- Training
- Membership
- Other
- Fee
Note: This credential may have multiple options for becoming eligible. Listed are the minimum requirements based on the minimum degree required. To view other options, see the Eligibility tab.
Exam Requirements (View Details)
- Exam
- Written Exam
- Oral Exam
- Practical Exam
- Performance Assessment
RECERTIFICATION SUMMARY
Renewal Period: 10 years
AGENCY CONTACT INFORMATION
American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP)
514 East Capitol Avenue
Jefferson City, MO 65101
Phone: (573) 634-5607
Email: ambra@abpp.org
Credential Pre-requisite REQUIREMENTS
Candidates for the ABPP Board Certified Specialist in School Psychology must be licensed as a psychologist for independent practice at the doctoral level in a jurisdiction in the U.S., its territories, or Canada.
Education REQUIREMENTS
Candidates for the ABPP Board Certified Specialist in School Psychology must hold a doctoral degree in professional psychology conferred by the American Psychological Association (APA), Canadian Psychological Association (CPA), or other ABPP-approved institution.
Experience REQUIREMENTS
Candidates for the ABPP Board Certified Specialist in School Psychology must meet one of two options:
- For candidates whose postdoctoral degree is in School Psychology, ABPP requires that these individuals have three years of postdoctoral experience in school psychology including supervision sufficient for good standing with the individual’s state licensing board. At least one year must have been post-licensure at the independent level. Candidates must demonstrate professional identification as a school psychologist (e.g., state board of education in school psychology credential, NCSP, NASP membership, APA Division 16 membership)
- For candidates whose postdoctoral degree is not in School Psychology, ABPP requires that these individuals have five years of postdoctoral experience in school psychology including supervision sufficient for good standing with the individual’s state licensing board. Two of the five years must have been in a school setting with appropriate supervision by a licensed and credentialed doctoral level school psychologist (i.e., state, NCSP, ABPP). At least one year must have been post licensure at the independent level. Credentialed by a state board of education in school psychology or NASP membership. All applicants must self-identify as a School Psychologist and are expected to continue to identify with the specialty.
Other REQUIREMENTS
The Board Certified Specialist in School Psychology credential has the following other requirements:
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Candidates for the ABPP Board Certified Specialist in School Psychology must have internship experience that met the following criteria:
- Lasted no less than 9 months or no more than 24 months
- Consisted of a minimum of 1,500 hours with at least 600 hours in a school setting
- Appeared in a list approved by the –
- APA/CPA, or
- Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC) directory, or
- The National Canadian,
- The National Registers, or
- Meets the Council of Directors of School Psychology Programs (CDSPP) criteria, or
- Is documented as part of the requirements of an accredited professional psychology training program in School Psychology.
Oral Exam Requirement
- Assessment (core)
- Demonstrates awareness of procedures appropriate within the context of schooling for all learners, families and systems
- Conducts assessments and evaluations with skill and in accordance with standardized and/or appropriate measurement procedures
- Demonstrates awareness and/or interprets assessment and evaluation findings accurately to inform conceptualization
- Demonstrates the ability to integrate multiple data sources to inform a working hypothesis for all learners, families and systems
- Demonstrates awareness and/or applies assessment and evaluation data to the development of recommendations
- Demonstrates evaluation of progress monitoring interventions and outcomes
- Communicates both orally and in writing findings from assessments and evaluations to parents, caregiver, school personnel, and other relevant parties in an understandable and useful fashion
- Demonstrates attention to interpersonal interactions, individual and cultural diversity, ethics and legal foundations, and professional identification as related to assessment
- Intervention (core)
- Demonstrates awareness and/or manages issues responsibly related to various types of academic, behavioral, social/emotional, and systems interventions, such as limits of confidentiality, boundaries of services and other such issues
- Demonstrates awareness and/or chooses procedures appropriate for the learner, system, and/or situation
- Demonstrates knowledge of the value of evidence-based practice and the scientific and theoretical basis of the approach and/or intervention
- Demonstrates awareness and/or applies interventions with skill and knowledge
- Demonstrates attention to interpersonal interactions, individual and cultural diversity, ethics and legal foundations, and professional identification as related to intervention
- Consultation (core)
- Demonstrates awareness and/or uses consultation procedures appropriate for the context, informed by research and theory
- Demonstrates awareness and/or gathers appropriate information as background for the consultation
- Demonstrates awareness and/or conducts consultations with skill and knowledge
- Clearly communicates findings and recommendations that meet the consultee’s goals
- Demonstrates attention to interpersonal interactions, individual and cultural diversity, ethics and legal foundations, and professional identification as related to consultation
- Research and/or Evaluation (optional)
- Engages in scholarly research using appropriate methods and is aware of the importance of using appropriate statistical measurement procedures
- Demonstrates essential knowledge of components of the scientific method
- Demonstrates the ability to evaluate the effectiveness of programs and activities
- Demonstrates participation in the provision and/or receipt of external peer review (publications, poster sessions, oral presentations, grant reviewer, dissertation committees, etc.)
- Supervision (optional)
- Uses existing theory and research to conduct supervision with skill and professionalism
- Considers professional developmental stage of student or supervisee when providing supervision
- Regularly assesses effectiveness of supervision and incorporates feedback
- Maintains knowledge and implementation of current supervision approaches
- Teaching (optional)
- Uses existing theory and research to teach effectively
- Considers professional developmental stage of students when engaging in teaching activities
- Regularly assesses effectiveness of teaching and incorporates feedback
- Maintains knowledge and implementation of current teaching approaches
- Management/Administration (optional)
- Uses existing theory and research in leadership to conduct administrative and management activities
- Conducts administrative and management activity taking context into account
- Demonstrates the ability to engage in strategic alliances for a common cause
- Understands administrative and systems needs and responds appropriately
- Appropriately manages power differential in subordinate relationships
- Advocacy (optional)
- Engages in activities that publicly promote positive change based on sound scientific evidence
- Demonstrates the ability to engage in strategic alliances for a common cause
- Scientific Knowledge and Methods (foundational competency)
- Uses evidence base and theory to inform practice as a School Psychologist
- Demonstrates ongoing critical evaluation of research relevant to his or her practice and theoretical orientation
- Applies scientific methodology to solve problems in their practice
- Demonstrates attention to interpersonal interactions, individual and cultural diversity, ethics and legal foundations, as related to the application of scientific knowledge and methods
- Evidence-Based Practice (foundational competency)
- Able to articulate a cogent rationale for assessment, intervention, and consolation strategies utilized
- Demonstrates the ability to integrate relevant research and stated theoretical orientation in a meaningful way that justifies why the strategies used should attain outcome desired
- Provides empirically based assessment, intervention, and consultation strategies and engages in practices activities with demonstrated treatment efficacy (systematic and scientific evidence that the treatment works)
- Engages in practice activities with established clinical utility (e.g., feasibility, consequential validity, ecological validity)
- Demonstrates ability to recognize strengths and limitations of evidence obtained from various data sources/types of research
- Able to articulate a cogent rationale for assessment, intervention, and consolation strategies utilized
- Interdisciplinary Systems (foundational competency)
- Effectively communicates across professions and/or organizations
- Demonstrates respectful appreciation and integration of contributions and perspectives of other professions
- Demonstrates the ability to share unique contributions that school psychology can make to the issue at hand
- Demonstrates attention to interpersonal interactions, individual and cultural diversity, ethics and legal foundations, and professional identity related to interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary functioning
- Relationships (foundational competency)
- Demonstrates sensitivity to the welfare, rights, and dignity of others
- Develops and maintains productive and collaborative relationships with a broad array of individuals including learners, parents or caregivers, school personnel, colleagues, supervisees, and the public etc.
- Effectively negotiates conflictual relationships
- Demonstrates awareness of one’s own impact on others and maintains a non-defensive posture in the receipt and implementation of feedback
- Demonstrates understanding of diverse views in complicated interactions
- Individual and Cultural Diversity (foundational competency)
- Conveys knowledge about individual and cultural diversity
- Demonstrates sensitivity and responsiveness to individual and cultural diversity in each competency domain
- Conveys an awareness of the interaction between one’s own diversity characteristics and those of the people or contexts with whom or in which one is functioning as a School Psychologist
- Ethical and Legal Standards/Policy (foundational competency)
- Demonstrates knowledge about ethical standards and applies this knowledge to perform in an ethical fashion
- Demonstrates knowledge about legal standards and applies this knowledge to perform in a fashion consistent with such standards
- Professionalism (foundational competency)
- Demonstrates active participation in the profession
- Demonstrates a familiarity with current significant issues facing the profession and the implication of these issues
- Seeks consultation and supervision when needed
- Obtains ongoing training and education
- Demonstrates professionalism and awareness of professional standards in presentation of the written submission (e.g., use of APA format in references, attention to editing demands, etc.)
- Reflective Practice/Self-Assessment, Self-Care (foundational competency)
- Practices with personal and professional self-awareness
- Practices within boundaries of professional competence
- Routinely assesses strengths, weaknesses, and competency in practice
- Recognizes new competencies and engages in improving personal competencies as appropriate
- Engages in appropriate self-care
Exam Preparation Resources
There are a number of resources available to help you prepare for the Board Certified Specialist in School Psychology examination:
RECERTIFICATION
Board Certified Specialist in School Psychology
Renewal Period: 10 years
MOST
OTHER
Registered Apprenticeship