DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Professional Standards Board

PROPOSED

PUBLIC NOTICE

Educational Impact Analysis Pursuant to 14 Del. C. §122(d)

1583 School Psychologist

A. TYPE OF REGULATORY ACTION REQUESTED

Amendment to Existing Regulation

B. SYNOPSIS OF SUBJECT MATTER OF REGULATION

Pursuant to 14 Del.C. §§1203 and 1205(b), the Professional Standards Board ("Board"), acting in consultation and cooperation with the Delaware Department of Education ("Department"), developed amendments to 14 DE Admin. Code 1583 School Psychologist. The regulation concerns the requirements for a School Psychologist Standard Certificate in accordance with 14 Del.C. §1220. The proposed amendments include revising a defined term in Section 2.0; adding the option of a new Praxis Subject Assessment in Section 4.0; adding subsection 5.2, which concerns the disclosure of an applicant's criminal conviction history; moving the section concerning the Secretary of Education's review of standard certificate applications to Section 6.0; and adding Section 10.0, which concerns applicants' and Educators' contact information with the Department and specifies how they can change their name or address.

Persons wishing to present their views regarding this matter may do so in writing by submitting them to the Department of Education, Office of the Secretary, Attn: Regulation Review, 401 Federal Street, Suite 2, Dover, Delaware 19901 or through the Department's online submission form at https://education.delaware.gov/community/delaware-education-laws-and-regulations/provide-public-comment/ by the close of business (4:30 p.m. EST) on or before December 2, 2022. Any person who wishes to receive a copy of the proposed regulation may obtain a copy from the Department at the Office of the Secretary on the second floor of the Townsend Building, 401 Federal Street, Dover, Delaware.

C. IMPACT CRITERIA

1. Will the amended regulation help improve student achievement as measured against state achievement standards? The education, knowledge, and skill requirements in Section 4.0 are designed to improve the quality of the educator workforce, which will help to improve student achievement.

2. Will the amended regulation help ensure that all students receive an equitable education? The education, knowledge, and skill requirements in Section 4.0 are designed to improve the quality of the educator workforce, which will help to ensure students in Delaware public schools receive an equitable education.

3. Will the amended regulation help to ensure all students' health and safety are adequately protected? The amended regulation addresses a standard certificate for educators and is not designed to help ensure students' health and safety is protected.

4. Will the amended regulation help to ensure that all students' legal rights are respected? The amended regulation addresses a standard certificate for educators and is not designed to help ensure students' legal rights are respected.

5. Will the amended regulation preserve the necessary authority and flexibility of decision-makers at the local board and school level? The amended regulation does not change authority and flexibility of decision makers at the local board and school level. By statute (14 Del.C. §1224), a school district or charter school may request that the Secretary of Education review the credentials of an applicant who does not meet the requirements for a School Psychologist Standard Certificate but whose effectiveness is documented by the district or school. Section 6.0 is consistent with the statute.

6. Will the amended regulation place unnecessary reporting or administrative requirements or mandates upon decision makers at the local board and school levels? The amended regulation does not place unnecessary reporting or administrative requirements or mandates upon decision makers at the local board and school levels. The application requirements in Section 5.0 apply to individual applicants. In addition, the requirements in Section 10.0 apply to individual applicants and Educators.

7. Will decision making authority and accountability for addressing the subject to be regulated be placed in the same entity? The Department implements the rules and regulations promulgated and adopted pursuant to 14 Del.C. Ch. 12 relating to licensure and certification of educators.

8. Will the amended regulation be consistent with and not an impediment to the implementation of other state educational policies, in particular to state educational policies addressing achievement in the core academic subjects of mathematics, science, language arts, and social studies? The amended regulation is consistent with, and not an impediment to, the implementation of other state educational policies, and in particular to state educational policies addressing achievement in the core academic subjects of mathematics, science, language arts, and social studies.

9. Is there a less burdensome method for addressing the purpose of the amended regulation? There is not a less burdensome method for addressing the purpose of this amended regulation.

10. What is the cost to the state and to the local school boards of compliance with the amended regulation? There is no expected cost to the state and to the local school boards of complying with this amended regulation.

1583 School Psychologist

This regulation shall apply to the issuance of a School Psychologist Standard Certificate pursuant to 14 Del.C. §1220(a). The School Psychologist Standard Certificate is required for all school psychologists providing services to children in Delaware public schools.

The following words and terms, when used in this regulation, shall have the following meaning:

“Department” means the Delaware Department of Education.

“Educator” means a person licensed and certified by the State under 14 Del.C. Ch. 12 to engage in the practice of instruction, administration or other related professional support services in Delaware public schools, including charter schools, pursuant to rules and regulations promulgated by the Professional Standards Board and approved by the State Board of Education. The term ‘educator’ does not include substitute teachers.

"Employing Authority" means any entity which employs educators, and includes, but is not limited to, school districts, charter schools, boards of directors, and management companies.

“Immorality” means conduct which is inconsistent with the rules and principles of morality expected of an educator and may reasonably be found to impair an educator’s effectiveness by reason of the educator’s unfitness or otherwise.

“License” means a credential which authorizes the holder to engage in the practice for which the license is issued.

“Regionally Accredited” means educational accreditation by a regional accrediting agency that is recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education as a reliable authority concerning the quality of education offered by the institutions of higher education it accredits, including Middle States Commission on Higher Education.

“Standard Certificate” means a credential issued to certify that an educator has the prescribed knowledge, skill or education to practice in a particular area, teach a particular subject, or teach a category of students.

“Standards Board” means the Professional Standards Board established pursuant to 14 Del.C. §1201.

“Valid and Current License or Certificate” means a current full or permanent certificate or license as an educator issued by another state or jurisdiction. This means the educator applicant is fully credentialed by having met all of the requirements for full licensure or certification as an educator in another state or jurisdiction and is in good standing in that state or jurisdiction. It does not include temporary, emergency, conditional certificates of eligibility or expired certificates or licenses issued from another state or jurisdiction.

3.1 In accordance with 14 Del.C. §1220(a), the Department shall issue a School Psychologist Standard Certificate to an applicant who:

3.1.1 Holds a valid Delaware Initial, Continuing, or Advanced License or Standard or Professional Status Certificate issued by the Department prior to August 31, 2003 and meets the requirements set forth in Section 4.0 of this regulation;

3.1.2 Has met the requirements for an educator’s license in Delaware and presents proof of a Valid and Current License or Certificate as a school psychologist issued by another state or jurisdiction.

3.2 Notwithstanding any provision to the contrary herein, the Department shall not act on an application for a School Psychologist Standard Certificate if the applicant is under official investigation by any national, state, or local authority with the power to issue educator licenses or certifications. The Department shall not act where the allegations include but are not limited to conduct such as Immorality, misconduct in office, incompetence, willful neglect of duty, disloyalty, or falsification of credentials until the applicant provides evidence of the investigation’s resolution.

4.1 An applicant for a School Psychologist Standard Certificate shall have satisfied the requirements in subsections 4.1.1 through 4.1.3.

4.1.1 The applicant shall have earned one of following:

4.1.1.1 An Educational Specialist (Ed.S.) degree, the equivalent of an Ed.S. degree, or a doctoral degree through a program approved by the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) at a Regionally Accredited college or university. The equivalent of an Ed.S. degree means a degree earned by completing a specialist-level program of study in school psychology that includes a minimum of three 3 years of full-time study at the graduate level or the equivalent, inclusive of structured field experiences, and at least 60 graduate semester hours or the equivalent, with at least 54 hours exclusive of credit for the supervised specialist-level internship; or

4.1.1.2 A doctoral degree in school psychology through a program approved by the American Psychological Association (APA) at a Regionally Accredited college or university.

4.1.2 The applicant shall have achieved a minimum score of 147 on the Praxis Subject Assessment - School Psychology (ETS Test Code # 5042). the minimum score on 1 of the following examinations:

4.1.2.1 A minimum score of 147 on the Praxis Subject Assessment - School Psychology (ETS Test Code # 5042); or

4.1.2.2 A minimum score of 155 on the Praxis Subject Assessment - School Psychologist (ETS Test Code #5403).

4.1.3 The applicant shall have completed a supervised, culminating, comprehensive field experience of at least 1,200 hours, 600 hours of which must have been completed in an educational setting, in an institution or agency that is approved by the applicant’s graduate program or the Department, completed at or near the end of formal training, through which the applicant had the opportunity to integrate and apply professional knowledge and skills acquired in prior courses and practica as well as to acquire new competencies consistent with training program goals.

4.2 Notwithstanding subsection 4.1, the Department may issue a School Psychologist Standard Certificate to an applicant who holds a Nationally Certified School Psychologist (NCSP) certificate from NASP that is in good standing.

5.1 If an applicant is applying for an Initial License, a Standard Certificate must be applied for simultaneously with the application for the Initial License, and the applicant shall also provide all required documentation for the License.

5.2 If the applicant is also applying for the issuance or renewal of an educator's license or paraeducator's permit, the applicant must disclose the applicant's criminal conviction history upon application. Failure to disclose a criminal conviction history is grounds for denial of the license or permit application as specified in 14 Del.C. §1219 and it could delay the processing or result in the denial of the application for a School Psychologist Standard Certificate.

5.2 5.3 For applicants who are applying for the School Psychologist Standard Certificate under subsections 3.1.1 and 4.1, the following documentation is required:

5.2.1 5.3.1 Official transcript from the applicant’s Regionally Accredited college or university.

5.2.1.1 5.3.1.1 Electronic transcripts may be submitted by the Employing Authority or by the applicant’s Regionally Accredited college or university; or

5.2.1.2 5.3.1.2 Sealed paper transcripts may be submitted.

5.2.1.3 5.3.1.3 The Department will not accept copies of transcripts; and

5.2.2 5.3.2 Official score on the Praxis Subject Assessment as provided in subsection 4.1.2;

5.2.3 5.3.3 The Department-approved form verifying the applicant’s completion of the requirement in subsection 4.1.3; and

5.2.4 5.3.4 Additional documentation as required by the Department.

5.3 5.4 For applicants who are applying for the School Psychologist Standard Certificate under subsections 3.1.1 and 4.2, the following documentation is required:

5.3.1 5.4.1 Documentation that the applicant holds a NCSP certificate from NASP that is in good standing; and

5.3.2 5.4.2 Additional documentation as required by the Department.

5.4 5.5 For applicants who are applying for the School Psychologist Standard Certificate under subsection 3.1.2, the following documentation is required:

5.4.1 5.5.1 An official copy of the Valid and Current License or Certificate; and

5.4.2 5.5.2 Additional documentation as required by the Department.

6.1 The Secretary of Education may, upon the written request of a local school district or charter school, review credentials submitted in an application for a School Psychologist Standard Certificate on an individual basis and grant such a Standard Certificate to an applicant who otherwise does not meet the requirements for a School Psychologist Standard Certificate but whose effectiveness is documented by the local school district or charter school.

6.1.1 For school districts, requests shall be approved by the superintendent of the school district.

6.1.2 For charter schools, requests concerning the head of school of the charter school shall be approved by the charter school's board of directors and requests concerning all other applicants shall be approved by the charter school's head of school.

6.1 7.1 A School Psychologist Standard Certificate is valid regardless of the assignment or employment status of the holder provided that the Educator's License remains current and valid.

6.2 7.2 A School Psychologist Standard Certificate is not subject to renewal.

7.1 8.1 An Educator's School Psychologist Standard Certificate may be revoked, suspended, or limited for cause as provided in 14 DE Admin. Code 1514 Limitation, Suspension, and Revocation of Licenses, Certificates, and Permits.

7.2 8.2 An Educator's School Psychologist Standard Certificate shall be revoked if the Educator's Initial, Continuing, or Advanced License or Professional Status Certificate is revoked or the Educator made a materially false or misleading statement in the Educator's application in accordance with 14 Del.C. §1222.

7.3 8.3 An Educator whose certificate is noticed for disciplinary action is entitled to a full and fair hearing before the Standards Board. Hearings shall be conducted in accordance with 14 DE Admin. Code 1515 Hearing Procedures and Rules.

8.1 The Secretary of Education may, upon the written request of a local school district or charter school, review credentials submitted in an application for a School Psychologist Standard Certificate on an individual basis and grant such a Standard Certificate to an applicant who otherwise does not meet the requirements for a School Psychologist Standard Certificate but whose effectiveness is documented by the local school district or charter school.

8.1.1 For school districts, requests shall be approved by the superintendent of the school district.

8.1.2 For charter schools, requests concerning the head of school of the charter school shall be approved by the charter school's board of directors and requests concerning all other applicants shall be approved by the charter school's head of school.

The Department shall recognize a School Psychologist Standard Certificate that was issued by the Department prior to the effective date of this regulation. An Educator holding such a Standard Certificate shall be considered certified to practice as a school psychologist.

10.1 All applicants and Educators are required to update their contact information in DEEDS if their contact information changes.

10.2 An Educator who legally changes the Educator's name and wishes to change the name on the School Psychologist Standard Certificate shall provide a notarized copy of evidence of the name change such as a marriage license or court action.

10.3 An applicant or Educator whose mailing address, email address, or phone number changes shall provide the Department with the new mailing address, email address, or phone number within 14 calendar days of the change.