Course Plans & Practicum Guidelines (Appendices A, B, and F: Program & Fieldwork Guides)

Appendix A: Ph.D. in School Psychology Course Planning Guide

Course timing may change - this is only a guide. Make sure you regularly check course offerings and scheduling and update your schedule.

Standard Track Sequence

Optional Course Planning Guide - Bilingual Specialization Track

Appendix B: M.Ed. General Doctoral Degree Student Policies

(Adapted from UCSB Catalog)

Degree Time Limit

Doctoral degrees must be completed within six years from the student's date of admission for graduate study.

Scholarship

The minimum grade-point average required for the award of a doctoral degree is 3.0 in all graduate and upper division courses completed in graduate standing on any campus of the University. Please note that individual programs may have stricter requirements for acceptable grades; the School Psychology program does not accept grades lower than a B. Students who fail to maintain good standing may be placed on probation or academically dismissed. Students must meet the requirements to be in good standing to graduate.

Enrollment Requirements

All graduate degree-seeking students must be continuously enrolled. Continuous enrollment is defined as completing, with grades assigned, a minimum of four unit hours of graduate credit. Colleges and programs may have additional requirements. Students on an approved leave of absence are not subject to the enrollment requirement for the time approved for the leave.

Appendix F: Practicum Guidelines and Procedures

To align with APA and NASP training standards, the UCSB doctoral school psychology program endorses APA's Standards of Accreditation for Health Service Psychology and NASP's Standards for Graduate Preparation of School Psychologists. The practicum (i.e., fieldwork) is a core aspect of the clinical training curriculum, and its successful completion is required for applying to internship and conferral of the Ph.D. degree. In addition to demonstrating satisfactory performance in fieldwork courses, students have several responsibilities related to documentation of practicum activities, receiving site supervision, and evaluating the fieldwork experience.

Furthermore, optional fieldwork experiences outside of the required school-based practicum sequence (i.e., experiences in clinic, community mental health, or hospital settings) may involve an application and/or interview, along with additional onboarding processes (e.g., background check, drug testing, special trainings) that may be required by the agency. These practicum guidelines are intended to orient students to the fieldwork sequence and expectations, and to specify student, supervisor, and faculty responsibilities. These guidelines are program policy; dispensation from these guidelines is granted only with approval of the school psychology faculty.

Program Fieldwork Sequence

*Students who are making timely progress toward the Ph.D. degree will apply for internship during the Fall quarter of Year 4.
**Student must enroll into both CNCSP 279ABC and CNCSP 275 to be eligible for the school psychology credential.

Year 2: Practicum / Fieldwork

CNCSP 274 D, E, F is a three-quarter long course open only to second-year school psychology students. The course requires each student to spend a minimum of 10-15 hours per week (450 hours over the course of the year) in an approved school practicum site under the supervision of a credentialed school psychologist. A UCSB faculty member provides weekly supervision. Course content is designed to meet competency standards as required by California Commission on Teacher Credentialing, the National Association of School Psychologists, and the American Psychological Association. This year has a particular emphasis on school-based services. Students are expected to compile a comprehensive portfolio of academic and field experiences by the end of the second-year practicum.

Attendance

Attendance is mandatory at each and every class session. The information covered in each seminar is absolutely critical to understanding the legal and ethical practice as a school psychologist. Also, your presence is critical for the learning experiences of your classmates. In case of an emergency, illness, or other critical event, consideration may be given to developing an alternative arrangement for the student to make up the material (once in the entire year is acceptable; more than that is not likely acceptable except in unusual circumstances). Students may not miss class for alternative professional development. Unexcused absences are grounds for not passing the class. Students who fail to pass a single quarter of the CNCSP 274 sequence will be excused from the sequence and must retake the entire CNCSP 274DEF series the following year.

Weekly Logs & Fieldwork Plans

Students must keep track of their hours and activities. Students must maintain their own record of the hours they work and what types of activities they engage in during their hours. A final, detailed, comprehensive log maintained by the student must be included in the portfolio.

The University supervisor works with each student to refine individualized fieldwork plans based on the NASP Domains of Professional Practice. Each quarter, the student must gain feedback from the fieldwork supervisor and turn in the evaluation along with an updated plan (due the last day of class each quarter).

Year 3 and 4: Advanced Doctoral Fieldwork

CNCSP 274GHI is a three-quarter long course sequence open only to third- and fourth-year doctoral school psychology students. These activities occur within local schools but do not count towards the school psychology credential. During the third year, the course requires each student to spend two days per week in an approved school fieldwork site under the supervision of UCSB faculty and typically also includes on-site supervision from an appropriately credentialed school psychologist. In the fourth year, school-based fieldwork is optional.

Hours and Appropriate School Settings

A minimum of 750 clock hours of practicum is required. However, to ensure competitiveness for the internship application process, students are strongly encouraged to complete additional hours beyond this minimum requirement. Students without previous experience as a school psychologist cannot waive any practicum requirements and must participate in CNCSP274 DEF in Year 2 and CNCSP 274 GHI in Year 3. Additionally, for the summer before Year 2, students must enroll into CNCSP 271A for 1 credit unit during Summer Session G to begin fieldwork in mid-August.

Supplemental Practicum Experiences in Clinics and Community Agencies

Students have the option to engage in additional or supplemental fieldwork in clinics, community mental health agencies, and hospitals. In Years 2 and 3, students are permitted to engage in no more than 4 hours of supplemental fieldwork (due to the 10-15 hours required for school-based fieldwork). Settings that have accepted students in the past include the Hosford Clinic, KAC, CALM, and Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital.

Supervision Requirements & Direct Observation

Supervision consists of scheduled, weekly meetings with an assigned supervisor (staff of the fieldwork site) who is a credentialed school psychologist or licensed psychologist with a minimum of 3 years of professional experience. Students should receive three or more hours per week of supervision, including one hour individual face-to-face with the site supervisor and two hours of group supervision with the University supervisor.

The APA Commission on Accreditation requires direct observation of practicum training (either live or electronically). This allows supervisors to provide an accurate assessment of competency development.

Guidelines for Logging Hours and Direct Client Contact

Students are required to track their practicum hours by logging them using the Time2Track electronic system (external site). Students should adhere to current APPIC guidelines when recording their fieldwork activities. Consult the APPIC website (external site) for further guidance. Students are expected to spend approximately 50% of their time in direct contact activities.