In a revision to professional standards made every 10 years, the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) integrated new expectations for the training, credentialing, practice and ethical approaches for school psychologists. The updated standards could allow for more pathways to the school psychology profession, including alternate credentialing opportunities that may help schools fill vacancies.

The new standards went into effect on July 1, 2020 and are aimed at better articulating how school psychologists are trained and how they serve school communities. They allow graduate programs to include non-Ph.D. faculty in school psychology preparation programs, giving those programs more flexibility to hire faculty who have a practitioner-focused role and could help supervise prospective school psychologists as they complete internships in schools. The standards also include new guidance on how related school service providers, such as counselors or nurses, could earn school psychology credentials without starting their education from the very beginning. 

For more information, visit the NASP website by clicking here. To download a copy of the new standards document, click here. or go to: https://www.nasponline.org/x55315.xml