(1) The program requires that successful candidates: 

(a) demonstrate an understanding of the integrated and comprehensive training philosophy/mission, goals, objectives, program of study, and supervised practice; 

(b) demonstrate knowledge of these domains in the field of school psychology by:

(i)  applying data-based decision making and accountability through varied models and methods of assessment and data collection for identifying strengths and needs; developing effective interventions, services, and programs, and measuring progress and outcomes within a multi-tiered system of supports;

(ii)  using a problem-solving framework as the basis for all professional activities;

(iii)  collecting data systematically from multiple sources as a foundation for decision making at the individual, group, and system levels, and considering ecological factors including, but not limited, to classroom, family, and community characteristics as a context for assessment and intervention;

(iv) applying varied models and strategies of consultation, collaboration, and communication applicable to individuals, families, groups, and systems, and methods to promote effective implementation of services;

(v) applying effective interventions and instructional support to develop academic skills through a thorough understanding of biological, cultural, and social influences on academic skills, human learning, cognitive, and developmental processes, and evidence-based curricula and instructional strategies;

(vi) applying interventions, as well as mental and behavioral health services to develop social and life skills to promote understanding of biological, cultural, developmental, and social influences on behavior and mental health, behavioral and emotional impacts on learning and life skills, and evidence-based strategies;

(vii) understanding individual differences, abilities, disabilities, and other individual student characteristics, principles, and research related to diversity factors for children, families, and schools, factors related to culture, including American Indians and tribes in Montana, context, and individual and role difference; evidence-based strategies and adaptive skills to enhance services and address potential influences related to diversity in development, learning, and behavioral health;

(viii) applying evidence-based schoolwide practices, implementation science, systems' structures, organization and theory, policy development, and climate to promote learning, positive behavior, and mental health;

(ix) applying principles and research related to well-being, resilience, and risk factors in learning and mental and behavioral health, supporting services in schools and communities, multi-tiered prevention, and evidence-based strategies to respond to crises and to create and maintain safe, effective, and supportive learning environments for students and school staff;

(x) applying principles and research related to family systems, strengths, needs, and culture; evidence-based strategies to support family influences on childrenꞌs learning and mental health; and strategies to develop collaboration between families and schools;

(xi)  applying evidence-based strategies to enhance services in both general and special education and to address potential influences by providing professional services that promote effective functioning for individuals, families, and schools;

(xii) applying research, design, statistics, measurement, varied data collection and analysis techniques, and program evaluation sufficient for understanding research and interpreting data in applied settings;

(xiii) applying the history and foundations of school psychology; multiple service models and methods; ethical, legal, and professional standards; and other factors related to professional identity of school psychologists' legal, ethical, and professional practice; and

(xiv) integrating information technology into school psychologist practice and utilizing various techniques and technology resources for data collection, measurement, and analysis to support effective practices at the individual, group, and system levels.

(2) The provider shall ensure candidates complete supervised and sequenced practica experiences that:

(a) are distinct from and occur prior to the internship;

(b) occur at scheduled time(s), are of sufficient length, and are in settings appropriate and relevant to the specific training program objectives and student competency development;

(c) have a direct and obvious relationship to the objectives for which the practica are intended; are designed collaboratively between the school psychology program and placement agencies; demonstrate a commitment to candidate learning; are consistent with program goals; and ensure the development of professional competencies;

(d) occur under conditions of supervision appropriate to the specific training objectives of the program;

(e) provide appropriate recognition through the awarding of academic credit;

(f) occur with university involvement appropriate to the specific training objectives of the program and have program oversight to ensure appropriate placement, and diverse activities to address national practice model and program objectives, adequate supervision, and collaboration between the practicum site and practicum site supervisors;

(g) are systematically evaluated in a manner consistent with the specific training objectives of the program and use performance-based evaluations that are systematic and designed to ensure that candidates demonstrate professional work characteristics and competencies; and

(h) are conducted in accordance with current legal-ethical standards for the profession.

(3) The comprehensive internship is the culminating experience in school psychology graduate preparation. The successful school psychologist candidates:

(a) demonstrate, under supervision, their ability to integrate knowledge and skills in providing a broad range of school psychological services and the internship experience:

(i) is provided at or near the end of the formal training period;

(ii) is designed according to a written plan that provides the student opportunities to gain experience in the delivery of a broad range of school psychological services;

(iii) occurs in a setting appropriate to the specific training objectives of the program;

(iv) is provided appropriate recognition through the awarding of academic credit;

(v) occurs under conditions of appropriate supervision (field-based internship supervisors shall hold a valid credential as a school psychologist for that portion of the internship that is in a school setting, and the portion of the internship, which appropriately may be in a nonschool setting, requires supervision by an appropriately credentialed psychologist);

(vi) is supervised (field-based internship supervisors are responsible for no more than two interns at any given time, and university internship supervisors are responsible for no more than 12 interns at any given time);

(vii) is based on a positive working relationship and represents a collaborative effort between the university program and field-based supervisors to provide an effective learning experience for the student and university internship supervisors provide at least one on-site contact per semester with each intern and supervisor;

(viii) is a provision for participation in continuing professional development activities;

(ix) is systematically evaluated for quality in a manner consistent with the specific training objectives of the program;

(x) is conducted in a manner consistent with the current legal-ethical standards of the profession;

(xi) occurs on a full-time basis over a period of one academic year, or on a half-time basis over a period of two consecutive academic years, and at least 600 hours of the internship are completed in a school setting;

(xii)  is a diversified learning experience that includes a variety of professional roles and functions for the intern to attain professional competencies through carefully supervised activities;

(xiii)  addresses all National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) domains of practice;

(xiv)  has a written agreement that specifies the term of appointment terms of compensation;

(xv)  supports services for the intern commensurate as to what is provided the agency's school psychologist;

(xvi)  provides access to continuing educational activities;

(xvii)  has appropriately and regularly scheduled supervision; and

(xviii)  is provided appropriate recognition through the awarding of academic credit;

(b) accept an internship placement that provides appropriate support for the internship experience including:

(i) a written agreement specifying the period of appointment and any terms of compensation;

(ii) a schedule of appointments, expense reimbursement, a safe and secure work environment, adequate office space, and support services consistent with that afforded agency school psychologists;

(iii) provision for participation in continuing professional development activities;

(iv) release time for internship supervision; and

(v) a commitment to the internship as a diversified training experience.

(4) The provider ensures that a school psychology program employs systematic, comprehensive assessment of candidate knowledge, skills, and professional work characteristics needed for effective practice as early-practitioner, independent school psychologists. A key aspect of program accountability is the assessment of candidate ability to provide, and evaluate the impact of, direct and indirect services to children and youth, families, and schools.  Faculty must be involved in the evaluation of candidate skill application including, but not limited to, products such as individual, group, or system-wide case studies, program evaluations, and psychoeducational evaluations, and use assessment results to evaluate and improve the program. The provider ensures that school psychology graduate programs:

(a) establish and maintain an accountability program that employs a variety of methods to assess the candidate knowledge, skills, and professional work characteristics consistent with the national practice model, including results on licensing exams, course-embedded methods, practicum and capabilities of school psychology candidates intern evaluations, and performance-based products that include assessment of the impact that interns and graduates have on services to children, youth, families, and other consumers;

(b) incorporate different sources of process and performance information including, but not limited to, instructional evaluation, performance portfolios, field supervisor evaluations, systematic valid procedures are used to evaluate and improve the quality of the program, candidate/graduate performance on licensing/certification examinations, and alumni follow-ups, as appropriate, to evaluate and improve components of the program. The assessment of practicum outcomes must include a formal evaluation process of all candidates conducted by field supervisors and/or program faculty.  The assessment is expected to focus on specific competencies and professional work characteristics and be based on observations or other evaluation methods.  The evaluation criteria or benchmark is expected to be relevant to the professional developmental stage of the candidate at the particular level of the practica;

(c) apply specific published criteria, both objective and qualitative, for the assessment and admission of candidates to the program at each level and for candidate retention and progression in the program. The internship outcomes include formative and summative performance-based evaluations completed by faculty and field-based supervisors that are systematic, address the academic and professional competencies, and ensure that interns attain the competencies, as well as demonstrate the professional work characteristics needed for effective practice as an early-career, independent school psychologist;

(d) employ a systematic process that ensures that all students possess the knowledge and professional expertise to collaborate with families and school and community based professionals in designing, implementing, and evaluating interventions that effectively respond to the educational and mental health needs of children and youth where the candidate must:

(i)  demonstrate evidence of the ability to provide and evaluate the impact of direct and indirect intervention-based services for children and youth, families, and schools; and

(ii)  provide evidence of services in the form of two performance-based products, one of which can be completed during practica and one product must have a primary focus on academic/cognitive skills and another with a primary focus on mental and behavioral health.  Faculty must evaluate candidates' products;

(e)  utilize systematic procedures to evaluate and improve the quality of the program.  Different sources of process and performance information including, but not limited to, instructional evaluation, performance portfolios, field supervisor evaluations, and candidate/graduate performance on licensing/certification examinations are used, as appropriate, to evaluate and improve the program;

(f)  is comprehensive, sequential, and experiential, and it fosters the number of development credit hours acquired for candidates' professional identity as school psychologists, as reflected in the following:

(i)  clear identification as a "school psychology program" and communication of a program framework or model, in which its philosophy/mission is represented in explicit goals and objectives for school psychology competencies that candidates are expected to attain;

(ii)  an integrated, sequential program of study and supervised field experiences that are based on the program's philosophy/mission, goals, and objectives and are consistent across candidates;

(iii)  full-time, part-time, or alternative types of enrollment that provide multiple and systematic opportunities through courses, seminars, coursework, supervised practices, and other comprehensive program activities for candidates to develop and encourage an affiliation with peers, faculty, and the profession;

(iv)  multiple instructional delivery methods including, but not limited to, online, face to face, or hybrid may be utilized, the program documents that it provides supervision and evaluates candidate learning outcomes relevant to particular courses and field experiences not open exclusively to graduate students in a systematic manner;

(v)  use of a systematic process to ensure that candidates demonstrate the student's knowledge and skills needed for effective school psychology service delivery; the ability to integrate competencies across NASP domains of school psychology practice; and direct, measurable effects on children and youth, families, schools, and other consumers; and

(vi)  use of data from multiple measures, including performance-based evaluation regarding candidates and program; graduates (including, but not limited to, employment, licensure/certification, satisfaction) to improve the quality of the program;

(g) exclude credit requirements for undergraduate study, study that is remedial, or study which is designed to remove deficiencies in meeting requirements for program admission; and

(h) include a full-time continuous residency or an alternate planned experience for all students and programs allowing alternate planned experiences as a substitute for full-time residency must demonstrate how those experiences are equivalent to experiences commonly associated with residency requirements.

(5) The provider ensures that specialist-level programs follow the standards described by a national accrediting entity, and:

(a) specialist-level programs consist of a minimum of three years of full-time study or the equivalent at the graduate level;

(b) the program shall include at least 60 graduate semester hours or the equivalent, at least 54 hours of which are exclusive of credit for the supervised internship experience;

(c) institutional documentation of program completion shall be provided; and

(d) specialist level programs include a minimum of one academic year of supervised internship experience consisting of a minimum of 1200 clock hours, including a minimum of 600 hours in a school meeting.

(6) The provider ensures that doctoral programs follow the standards described by NASP. Doctoral programs provide greater depth in multiple domains of school psychology training and practice as specified in these standards. The provider ensures that:

(a) doctoral programs consist of a minimum of four years of full-time study or the equivalent at the graduate level;

(b) the program includes a minimum of 90 graduate semester hours or the equivalent, at least 78 of which are exclusive of credit for the doctoral supervised internship experience and any terminal doctoral project (e.g., dissertation) and shall culminate in institutional documentation; and

(c) the program includes a minimum of one academic year of doctoral supervised internship experience consisting of a minimum of 1500 clock hours, including a minimum of 600 hours in a school setting, as part of a doctoral program or prior specialist degree, or 600 hours of advanced practicum experience.