School Counseling& and&School& Psychology& Credentials& … · 2016-11-15 · A test (or subtest)...

School

Counseling and School Psychology Credentials Handbook

Academic Year 2016-‐2017

Colleen Keirn, Assessment Coordinator

Contents

Introduction ......................................................................................................................................................................... 2 Key Points to Remember ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 2

Professional Employment file ........................................................................................................................................ 2 CTC Fingerprint Clearance Process (Certificate of Clearance) ........................................................................... 3 Options to Establish Your Moral Fitness Status ....................................................................................................... 3 Credential Requirements ................................................................................................................................................ 4 Admission Requirement ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 4

A. Moral Fitness Clearance by CTC ................................................................................................................................................... 4 Before Fieldwork ..................................................................................................................................................................................................... 5

A. Completion of the Basic Skills Requirement (BSR) ................................................................................................................... 5 Additional Requirements ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 6

A. BA on Transcript/Credential Coursework ...................................................................................................................................... 6 G. Completion of Counselor Preparation Program ............................................................................................................................ 6

Recommendation Process (aka How to Get Your Credential) ............................................................................ 6 Summary, How to Get Your Credential .......................................................................................................................................................... 8

Employment Options during the Program ................................................................................................................ 8 University Internship .................................................................................................................................................................................... 9

Extraordinary Circumstances ........................................................................................................................................ 9 Appendix A ........................................................................................................................................................................ 11 CTC Online ............................................................................................................................................................................................................... 11 Option 2 .................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 11 This is not an acceptable document for submission. ............................................................................................................................ 12

Appendix B ........................................................................................................................................................................ 13 Online Application Process .............................................................................................................................................................................. 13

Introduction Congratulations on being admitted to the School Psychology or School Counseling credential program in the Saint Mary's College Kalmanovitz School of Education (KSOE). The purpose of this handbook is to make your credential application process as easy and efficient as possible. As Credential Analyst, it is my job to recommend you to the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC) when you have completed your program and fulfilled all other credential requirements. The following pages explain both the KSOE recommendation process and the current state credential requirements. Please read this handbook carefully. You will not get a credential until you have fully satisfied all the State of California requirements that are in effect on the day you make your application. Unlike college policies, State standards are set by law and these laws and regulations change from time to time. You will be held to the legal requirements in effect on the day your application reaches CTC, not those in effect at the time when you began, or even when you finished, your program at KSOE. If you have any questions, please contact the Credential Office, located in the KSOE building. My name is Colleen Keirn and my phone number is (925) 631-4889, my email is clk6[at]stmarys[hyphen]ca[dot]edu. You can sign up for an in-person meeting with me via this link: 30 Minute In-Person Meeting Or you can sign up for a phone appointment with me via this link: 15 Minute Phone Call Please make sure you have checked first to see whether the answer to your question is in this handbook.

Key Points to Remember • If you complete your program in spring and plan to work as a counselor or psychologist in the

following fall, you need to have your degree verification online form submitted no later than July 15 or December 15 for fall completers. If you submit your documents after this date, there is no guarantee that your credential will be posted in time for you to start your job in August.

• Keep copies of all of documents that you submit to KSOE. Due to FERPA laws, SMC/KSOE cannot

release, make copies, or send documents to another agency, to you, or to another person.

Professional Employment file Keep copies of all original documents to be turned in to KSOE for your credential application file. Always keep copies of ALL material submitted to the Credential Office, KSOE or CTC for your own records as we will not be able to make copies of any documents submitted to us. Your place in the counseling profession will be secured by documents and papers issued by a variety of organizations and institutions. If you have not already begun to do so, you should immediately establish your own personal Professional Employment file. Such a file should first contain your Basic Skills Requirement (BSR), and TB exam results and extra, sealed copies of all your official college transcripts. As you progress in the program, fingerprint information, further exam results, and your Saint Mary's transcript should be added. Finally, the file should include copies of your CTC credential record.

Please remember that it is your responsibility to provide such documentation to any current or prospective employer. It is not possible for the KSOE or the Credential Office to either collect these documents for you or to provide copies of them either to you or to other agencies. Documents submitted to the KSOE will not be returned to either students or applicants nor forwarded to any other agency other than the CTC for any purpose other than credentialing.

CTC Fingerprint Clearance Process (Certificate of Clearance) As part of the admissions process to Saint Mary’s, you will have received information explaining why the CTC maintains a moral fitness procedure and how that procedure will impact you. The KSOE needs to ascertain immediately if there is any question concerning your fitness to be in a school with children. The State of California requires that all teachers, counselors and administrators working with students in public schools meet the requirements for a Certificate of Clearance (CoC). This process will verify that you do not have a criminal or personal history that would render you unacceptable for school service. Once this clearance is established, the CTC will receive follow-up reports if you are ever arrested for a crime. If you have been convicted of a crime in the past, it may affect your ability to become a credential holder. You will need to include an explanation of the circumstances of the event with your CoC application. It is to your advantage to accept responsibility for your actions and to indicate that you do not intend to repeat the conduct in the future. If you have questions about this documentation, please contact the Credential Analyst to set up a confidential phone or in-person meeting to discuss how best to address this issue. The CTC does not share information with other government or security agencies, so you will need to complete this process even if you already hold some other form of official clearance from some other government entity. This is true even if the clearance is from another California state agency or a branch of the federal government. If you hold a credential that is indicated on your CTC record, typically you do not need to repeat this process. That is true only in the case of a credential issued by the CTC, not by any district or county office. You will not be admitted to your credential program prior to establishing that you have at least begun the fitness process and paid CTC for your initial application. Only when the fitness process has been completed and a document issued in your name by CTC are you officially cleared to participate in field work and observations at K-12 school sites. (Please note that some school districts may at their discretion impose additional clearance procedures before you may be allowed on their facilities. It is your responsibility to pay for this clearance if necessary.)

Options to Establish Your Moral Fitness Status Your moral fitness status must be established prior to any fieldwork. If you have already completed the CTC Clearance Process: Provide your program assistant with a PDF of your CTC credential record by email. Appropriate documents include, but are not limited to, items such as a:

a) Certificate of Clearance (CoC) in process from the CTC website b) 30-Day Substitute Permit c) Children’s Center Permit

d) Activity Supervision Clearance Certificate e) Variable Term Waiver f) Certificate of Clearance (CoC)

If you have not yet completed the CTC Clearance Process: Remember that this is an admissions requirement. You must supply the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the FBI with your fingerprints by the Live Scan process, using the appropriate CTC forms. You can contact the DOJ on the web at http://ag.ca.gov/fingerprints/publications/contact.php for information about sites which offer the Live Scan service in the Bay Area. Instructions for how to complete the CoC requirement can be found here: http://www.ctc.ca.gov/credentials/leaflets/cl900.pdf If you have any “yes” answers to the moral fitness questions, and would like to discuss strategies for how to respond to the questions in a way that will allow your application to move through the process in a timely manner, please make an appointment with the Credential Analyst to have a confidential conversation. Remember to pay for your document in a timely manner The status of your CoC during the application process can be tracked at the CTC website (www.ctc.ca.gov) using the Online Services function at any time. If you have not answered yes to one of the fitness questions, the process should be completed in 10 working days, counting from the day you made your payment for the CoC. If your CoC application is taking significantly longer than that, you should contact the CTC’s Division of Professional Practices between 12:00 to 4:45 PM Monday to Friday at 1-888-921-2682 (Option #5) to check the status of the recommendation. It may have become stuck at some point in the process and your call should get it unstuck. More information about the online application process can be found here. http://www.ctc.ca.gov/educator-discipline/self-reporting.html You must provide proof that the moral fitness process is underway prior to admission to the program and the process must be COMPLETED prior to the start of any classroom placement.

Credential Requirements

Admission Requirement

A. Moral Fitness Clearance by CTC See Previous section on Moral Fitness or CTC Clearance Process. Before a candidate can participate in any PK-12 school placement, they must have received moral fitness clearance from the CTC. That means that a CoC or other credential or permit must be ISSUED by the Commission in the student’s name prior to the beginning of ANY fieldwork course. It is best to complete the process as soon as possible after beginning the program as some school sites may require the student to have CTC clearance to visit their campus.

Before Fieldwork A. Completion of the Basic Skills Requirement (BSR) Demonstration of proficiency in basic skills (reading, writing and mathematics) is a requirement that must be met prior to participation in the daily student teaching course. In recent years SB 1209 and SB 1186 have established new routes for candidates to fulfill this requirement in addition to passing CBEST exam. Unlike other examinations taken to meet credential requirements, a BSR score DOES NOT have a five-year time limit. Once fulfilled, the requirement is met for life. BSR Options It is important to note that to fulfill the requirement you must complete one of the options listed below in its entirety. It is the student's responsibility to have proof that one of these options for the BSR has been fulfilled on file in the Credential Office before beginning the daily student teaching course. You must complete all components of one of the options: results from more than one option CANNOT be combined. More information about all of the acceptable methods to meet the basic skills requirement can be found here: http://www.ctc.ca.gov/credentials/leaflets/cl667.pdf A test (or subtest) for the CBEST and CSET may be taken as many times as necessary to achieve a passing score. If you wish to retake a test/subtest, you must wait 45 calendar days before retaking the test on computer. Test results are released within 4 weeks of the test date. Test results are available for 45 days as PDF documents, which you may view, print, and save for your records. If 45 or more days have passed since the test results release date, a fee of $10 is required for additional copies. For more information, consult the Pearson Evaluation Systems website at http://www.ctcexams.nesinc.com/ CBEST: At the moment, CBEST is still the best option for fulfilling this requirement. CBEST is offered in its paper and pencil format six times a year, once every two months at sites throughout the state. At a slightly increased cost the CBEST is also available in a computer-based format at test sites throughout the country. Particularly if the candidate is in a rush to complete the BSR requirement the computer option is offered more frequently than the regular paper exam. The current registration fee for the paper CBEST is $41 and is $102 for the computer-based option. If a student would like help in preparing for the CBEST, in addition to the preparation workshops available in the area and the published exam prep guides, the website www.achievementtech.com provides help on increasing basic skills in writing, reading and math at a reasonable cost. Exams from other States: The CTC has verified which states offer Basic Skills exam requirements for their teachers that are equivalent to CBEST. Candidates who have passed such an exam in one of those states will only need to provide proof of passage of the exam to verify completion of the California BSR. Check with the Credential Office to see if a teacher Basic Skills test you have passed in another state meets the BSR requirement. Pass the CSU Early Assessment Program or the CSU Placement Examinations: This option is not a practical route for those who did not pursue it either in high school or while enrolled at a CSU campus as an undergraduate. The Early Assessment Program is generally taken in the 11th grade. The

CSU Placement exams are generally taken just prior to or during the freshman year in college. The detailed information about this BSR option, and more information on other options, please see: http://www.ctc.ca.gov/credentials/leaflets/cl667.pdf

Additional Requirements By the End of Your First Semester A. BA on Transcript/Credential Coursework The credential requires that the student has earned a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited institution or its equivalent. It is required that all baccalaureate coursework be completed before entering the credential program. The student must provide the counseling program with an official transcript for all coursework leading to the bachelor's degree including community college transcripts. If you have a bachelor's degree from outside the United States, CTC requires that you have your degree coursework analyzed to determine its equivalency to academic work done in the United States. The names of the organizations which are authorized to conduct these foreign degree evaluations can be found at: http://www.ctc.ca.gov/credentials/leaflets/cl635.pdf . Should the evaluating agency find your degree is not comparable to a US degree from a regionally accredited college, you will either need to obtain a US degree or use a higher degree in place of your bachelor's degree. It is the student's responsibility to have all necessary official transcripts and evaluations on file with the Credential Office before a recommendation for any preliminary credential will be forwarded to CTC. To Complete Your Credential File G. Completion of Counselor Preparation Program Before a recommendation for any credential can be made, the student must complete the courses which make up the KSOE Counseling Preparation Program. All courses in the program must be completed with a grade of B- or higher. Before a Credential recommendation may be forwarded to CTC, the approval of the Program Director must be secured. The student does not need to take any additional steps to see that this is done. Once all final application materials are received, a student's file is sent to the Program Director. If less than one-half of a student's counselor preparation program was taken at KSOE, the college residency requirement has not been met, and the Credential Office will not formally recommend the student for the credential. It should be noted that neither competency evaluations nor challenged courses may be used to meet this residency requirement.

Recommendation Process (aka How to Get Your Credential)

At the conclusion of your counseling program courses, after all grades are posted (no incomplete grades) to your GaelXpress account, it is your responsibility to complete the degree verification process. Degree Verification Process More information can be found on the SMC Commencement web page.

Commencement 2017 will take place on Sunday, May 28, 2017 at 10 a.m. All students who are in a Credential or Degree Program* and expect to complete their program in Academic Year 2016-2017, are required to register for Commencement and pay the $125 Graduate Commencement and Degree Processing Fees. This fee must be paid and registration completed whether or not you will be participating in the actual Commencement ceremony. The fee will be billed to your GaelXpress account after you register for Commencement. *For students completing a Degree and Credential Program simultaneously in Academic Year 2016-2017, ONLY complete the Graduate Commencement Registration one time only. You will only be billed for one fee, $125 to your GaelXpress account. The Graduate Commencement Registration (GCR)** online form must be submitted electronically no later than Friday, March 17, 2017. Please note, fees are no longer collected at KSOE, the fee will be billed to your GaelXpress account after you register and prior to Commencement. ** If you have a name that is different than the name on your official records, you must submit a name change form to the Registrar. Once you have submitted the GCR, we will run a degree audit to determine if you have registered for all the courses needed for the credential or degree. If the audit process discovers any issues, you will be notified by your Program Director so the situation can be resolved in a timely manner. Note: Participation in the Commencement ceremony is subject to KSOE Program Director approval. If you are not approved for participation, you will be notified by your Program Director. Official degree posting for Degree Programs only, completing in 2016-2017 academic year: After the completed Graduate Commencement Registration form has been submitted, the Degree Verification Petition form must be submitted online. The form is submitted after all requirements have been met in order to post your degree. This is for both degree and credential and credential only candidates. Please view the Deadline Matrix for further information about dates for completing your master’s thesis/project within your term. Submit all of the following documents as attachments to the Degree Verification Form. Incomplete application packets will not be accepted and will be discarded. Documents needed for your Degree Verification Process to begin:

A. Commencement Registration confirmation email. B. An unofficial transcript showing all of your grades posted to GaelXpress. (**For School Counseling

students, the thesis does not need to be completed to get your credential.) C. Receipt of uploading your thesis to ProQuest or a copy of your passing CPCE exam results. (**N/A

for School Counseling credential only candidates.) D. A copy of your completed signature page, if completing a thesis. (**N/A for School Counseling

candidates.) When your final degree verification packet is received, the Credential Analyst will review your file for the KSOE program requirements. Your complete credential file will then be passed on to the Program Director for approval. The Program Director’s responsibility at this stage will be to determine whether or not you have successfully completed the Credential Preparation Program. If the program has been successfully completed, the Program Director will so indicate and return the file to the Credential Office. If the Program Director has any concerns or the program has not been successfully completed, program approval will be denied until the concerns are resolved. No recommendation to CTC will be made before the Program Director signs off on program completion. In general, this process takes a couple of weeks, although it may take longer during holiday or semester break periods, including all summer months. When the Program Director’s approval has been received, and all other documentation is complete, your file is ready for online recommendation to CTC. Once your file in the Credential Office is complete and the Program Director has verified your program completion, the Credential Analyst will submit an online recommendation to CTC for your credential. You will receive an email notification of the recommendation and must respond on the CTC website (www.ctc.ca.gov) within 45 days to complete your portion of the application process. If you fail to pay for your credential, the recommendation will not be complete and will expire after 45 calendar days. Once you have done your part of the process you will receive an email in confirmation that you can show to employing districts. Your credential document should be posted online (www.ctc.ca.gov) within 10 working days, if you do not have outstanding moral fitness and/or other clearance issues. Your credential will normally date from the day you complete the final credential requirement, though the date may be later if the Credential Office does not receive the necessary documentation in a timely manner.

Summary, How to Get Your Credential

1) Complete all of your requirements including basic skills, documentation and coursework; 2) Submit the Degree Verification form and all attached documents; 3) Make sure your email is updated on the CTC’s web site; 4) Wait for an email indicating that your PD is signing your documents; 5) Wait for an email from the CTC indicating that the recommendation has been submitted; 6) Respond to that email and pay the fee; 7) Wait for another email from the CTC indicating that your credential has been issued.

Employment Options during the Program

Districts with pressing needs, under certain circumstances, may employ less-than fully credentialed school psychologists under specific conditions, one of which is participation in a program to earn the credential required for the position to which they have been assigned.

Under FERPA laws, neither the Credential Office nor KSOE may supply you with original or copies of the transcripts you have submitted as part of the application process. You need to request copies of your transcripts from the issuing colleges or universities. As noted above, you should establish your own permanent professional employment file of documents related to your teaching career, which include transcripts and exam scores. If you have misplaced your documents, you will need to contact the testing agency, university or issuing agency for additional copies. KSOE staff will not make copies for you under any circumstances. University Internship The School Psychology credential program has been approved by the CTC to offer internships. However, before a district can hire a KSOE student as an intern the district must have a current Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the KSOE and that contract needs to be signed-off by the local bargaining unit and approved by the school board of the district in public session. To qualify to be hired as an intern the student must have a job offer from an eligible district, have passed a BSR exam option, have fulfilled the required KSOE coursework and have a negative TB test on file at KSOE. Consult your Program Director for the current list of required courses and required steps to get your intern credential.

Extraordinary Circumstances During your program there may be an instance when specific, extraordinary circumstances make it impossible for you to comply with certain KSOE Credential Office procedures. In that event, you must make a cogent and convincing written request to the KSOE Dean for an exemption from standard Credential Office procedure. The Dean will make a decision in consultation with the Program Director and the Credential Analyst in as timely a manner as possible. The student needs to understand that the KSOE may not waive, modify, or exclude any state or federal requirement or regulation for a credential.

Appendices

Appendix A Moral Fitness Documentation

Option 1

CTC Online

You can find your credential record at www.ctc.ca.gov. Go to Online Services for Educators, then click on the Educators Page, log in, and there you'll see your credential record. Take a screen shot, covert it to PDF and upload that document to TaskStream.

The credential record needs to include:

1) Your name 2) The document number 3) The document title 4) The term of the document 5) The status 6) The issuance date 7) The expiration date 8) The original issuance date

Option 2

This is another acceptable view. It shows all of the important information, too.

This is not an acceptable document for submission.

It lacks unique information like document numbers, there is no way to verify that this is not a forgery. Please DO NOT submit this version.

Appendix B

Online Application Process http://www.ctc.ca.gov/credentials/online-services/pdf/recommend-tips.pdf

Commission on Teacher Credentialing Page 1 of 7 Recommend Tips 7/2015

Online Services for Educators

Quick tips-How to Complete Your Online Recommendation

1. From the Commission’s Home page www.ctc.ca.gov, click the Online Services for

Educators navigation button

2. Select the Educator Login button.

3. You may receive a Security Warning. If so, follow the instructions to add our website to your list of Trusted Sites.


4. Log in to your personal profile on

the secure Educator Page using your SSN and date of birth.

5. Verify your personal information on your Profile page. Click Next.


6. Your personal Educator Page provides a view of your document history. Under the heading “Recommends,” click on the arrow in the left column to highlight the document your program sponsor or other agency has submitted

NOTE: If your program sponsor or

employer informed you that it has submitted an application for a document but it does not appear on this screen, stop here and contact the agency immediately for assistance.

DO NOT COMPLETE A NEW

WEB APPLICATION IN PLACE OF A RECOMMENDATION FOR A PRELIMINARY OR CLEAR CREDENTIAL! The Web Application process is only for persons seeking a Certificate of Clearance or an Activity Supervisor Clearance Certificate.

7. Click on the small blue-gray arrow on the end to highlight the row. Then click on the drop down box and select “Yes.”


8. Select “Complete” to continue the

application process.

NOTE: Recommended documents will only appear for 90 days. If the recommendation application is not completed and paid for within this timeframe, it will be purged by the system and the agency must resubmit the application. If you see an error on the document submitted, enter a Return Reason and select the Return Application to Authorized Agency button. After a document is returned, it will no longer appear on this page until it is resubmitted by the program sponsor or employer.

9. Read the entire Disclosure page for the Professional Fitness questions. Pay particular to the last part before continuing:

Warning: You will be required to certify (or declare) that the forgoing statements in this application are true and correct, by doing so, you are also stating that you understand: • That the information you provide is true and correct; • Any and all instructions related to your application; • Failure to disclose any information requested is falsification of your application and the Commission may reject or deny your application or take disciplinary action against your credential. • The Commission may reject your application if it is incomplete and it will be delayed; and • Fees are nonrefundable and earned upon receipt. If you have any questions, you can contact the Commission anytime by email at [email protected] or leave a voice mail at (916) 322-4974.

Click Next.

Return Reason Here


10. Answer each of the Professional Fitness Questions. If you need assistance completing the Professional Fitness Questions, click on this link for help.

Complete the Oath and Affidavit, and click Submit Payment. Click Submit Payment only once!

11. On this page, click the Process Payment button to move forward to the next step.

12. The display shows the document applied for and the amount to pay. Click the Continue button.


13. Complete the billing verification

information for LexisNexis. Choose to pay with credit card (can also use debit card with Visa or MasterCard logo). Click Continue button when finished.

14. Verify all the payment information is correct, including email address. Click Complete Payment button. Do not click the Complete Payment button more than once!

NOTE: The application fee is earned upon receipt and is not refundable. (Reference: Title 5, California Code of Regulations, Section 80487)


14. Use the 1st link provided to obtain a printable receipt for your reference.

15. After printing your receipt, you

can return to CTC Online with the link “To return to the CTC application, please click here.”

16. The final landing page provides directions back to the Educator page or to log out of CTC Online.

Note: If you answered “yes” to any of the Personal and Professional Fitness questions you may be required to send supporting materials to the Commission as per the instructions provided.

School Counseling& and&School& Psychology& Credentials& … · 2016-11-15 · A test (or subtest)...

Documents

Transcript of School Counseling& and&School& Psychology& Credentials& … · 2016-11-15 · A test (or subtest)...