University Internship Credential Program for Pupil Personnel Services School Counseling

Lead Faculty: Dr. Lisa Rubel Spencer

The university internship pupil personnel services in school counseling credential program allows students who meet the requirements to begin service as a “paid” school counselor in their sponsoring district while completing their formal coursework preparation. Students who qualify as a university intern may begin the program upon starting a school counseling position, either at the beginning of their program or while currently enrolled in the regular pupil personnel services credential program. Intern students participate in the standard coursework and internship coursework.
National University students who are interested in becoming a university intern must complete and show verification of all prerequisite requirements.

An Internship Credential is valid for two years at the site of hire. As such, a university intern must be continuously enrolled in coursework and maintain an updated account balance. Any changes in employment status while on an internship credential must be communicated to the Credential Advisor.

This program is aligned with national standards and prepares candidates for the position of school counselor. Graduates of this program generally seek employment as school counselors in P-12 school districts and must hold a PPSC credential for public school employment.

Candidates enrolled in the degree and credential program are not awarded the master’s degree until they have completed all coursework and have successfully completed the ETS PRAXIS-School Counseling exam. All coursework must be completed prior to the Preliminary PPSC credential recommendation. Course equivalence cannot be granted for life experiences.

Program Advisement
All PPSC candidates will be assigned a faculty advisor. Candidates will meet with a faculty advisor for evaluation of prior coursework to meet program prerequisites. Only CED 604 and prerequisites can be taken prior to admission.

All candidates are expected to meet with their assigned faculty advisor at the following times: (1) upon admission into the program, (2) at several designated checkpoints, (3) before starting their internship hours (4) after completion of coursework and (5) at the completion of internship hours.

Candidates who receive a grade lower than a “B minus” in more than two courses will be evaluated by the faculty and will be required to repeat the coursework at their own expense before being allowed to continue in the program.

Program Learning Outcomes

Candidates who successfully complete the program will be able to:

• Demonstrate knowledge of major developmental theories (personality, social, physical, emotional, and cognitive development) and chronological stages of life-long human development and their impact on school behavior and learning.
• Demonstrate knowledge of common psychiatric disorders in childhood and adolescence
• Identify and effectively address relevant social and diversity concerns and crises of individuals and groups of students.
• Demonstrate knowledge and skills to advocate for cultural differences.
• Conduct needs assessments and use data to plan, develop, implement and evaluate comprehensive guidance programs.
• Apply individual counseling skills and techniques to help students cope with personal and interpersonal problems appreciating the diversity of each student..
• Apply group counseling skills and techniques to help students cope with personal and interpersonal problems appreciating the diversity of each student..
• Effectively apply positive consultative and collaborative relationships with school staff, parents, and community agencies in support of candidate academic, career, and personal/social success.
• Demonstrate knowledge of legal mandates affecting education and school counseling and apply appropriate legal and ethical standards and practices to specific counseling situations.
• Demonstrate a basic understanding of descriptive statistic, test and survey construction, as well as the purpose and uses of standardized and un-standardized group and individual assessment.
• Understand and utilize computer technology relevant to the tasks and roles of a school counselor.
• Demonstrate knowledge of learning theory, curriculum designs for diverse classrooms and development of classroom interventions strategies.
• Identify themselves as professional school counselors, understanding the history and development and trends in the profession and acting as a professional leader to enhance the field of school counseling.
• Demonstrate knowledge of major career development theories, and the impact of career development on school behavior and learning.

Requirements

State of California Prerequisites

• Passage of the CBEST
• Possession of a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college or university
• Fingerprint Clearance
• Verification of support from the intern candidate’s sponsoring district, including verification of a willingness to enter into an intern partnership with National University and a signed Memorandum of Partnership between the sponsoring district and the University. This ensures that the intern will be provided the services of a site mentor and that relevant stipulations of Education Code and Commission on Teacher Credentialing regulations are followed.
• District or agency offer of employment for the intern as a School Counselor.
• Negative TB test results

Program Prerequisites

• All candidates for the intern program must have a minimum GPA of 3.0.
• All candidates must possess an appropriate Master’s Degree or be in enrolled in the Master of Science in Educational Counseling program and meet the standard internship requirements.
• Verification of two years relevant paid experience in a P-12 public school or related system or as a licensed counselor or therapist.
• Letter of recommendation from the Principal or Administrator of the hiring school.
• Completion of an American School Counseling Association (ASCA) National Model essay

Program Requirements: PPSC Credential
A total of 13. 5-quarter units of credit may be granted for equivalent graduate work completed at another institution, as it applies to this program if completed no more than 7 years prior to application to program.

Advancement to Candidacy
Advancement to Candidacy is a process and is one of several evaluative steps to help ensure that program objectives are met and that candidate outcomes are attained.

After admission as a credential seeking candidate, a candidate must also Advance to Candidacy. To qualify for candidacy, a candidate must:

• Complete prerequisite coursework or equivalent (MTH 210 and PSY 301)
• Complete CED 604, next four graduate CED courses with a grade no lower than a B minus
• If a candidate earns less than 3.0 GPA upon completion of the above courses, the candidate will not Advance to Candidacy. The candidate will be required to meet with faculty advisor. A plan for remediation or possible dismissal from the program will be considered.

Internship Program Recommended Course Sequence

Program Prerequisites (2 courses; 9 quarter units)
MTH 210 - Introduction to Probability and Statistics
PSY 301 - Child and Adolescent Development

Internship Pre-Service Coursework (5 courses; 19.5 quarter units)
CED 604 - School Counseling Orientation (1.5 quarter units)
CED 605 - Learning & Instructional Design
CED 600 - Applied Child/Adolescent Development
CED 602 - Societal Issues in Schools
CED 606 - Development & Evaluation

The courses above must be completed for consideration of the University Internship credential

Program Requirements (8 courses; 35.0 quarter units)
CED 610 - Adv. Coun. Theories & Methods
   (Prerequisite: CED 600)
CED 611 - Group Counseling
   (Prerequisite: CED 610)
CED 603 - Multicultural Counseling
   (Prerequisite: CED 610, 611 and advancement to candidacy)
CED 601 - Consultation in the Schools
   (Prerequisite: CED 603)
CED 612 - Career & Academic Counseling
CED 613 - Psycho-Educational Assessment
CED 614 - Legal and Ethical Practices
PED 676 - Intro to Applied Behavior Analysis

Practicum (100 hours)

• Candidates should refer to the current PPS Graduate Handbook for School Counseling found at www.nu.edu for specific information about the practicum and internship requirements.
• Candidates are required to complete 100 hours of practicum throughout CED coursework.

Internship (4 courses; 16.5 quarter units)
A minimum of 600 clock hours is required. The candidate will draft a plan with the Site Supervisor and University Supervisor, meet weekly with Site Supervisor for supervision, keep weekly logs of each 200 hours of internship, and submit logs to University Supervisor. The internship consists of the following:

• No more than two sites at one time with no more than two Site Supervisors at one time
• Includes two levels (Elementary and Secondary)

CED 620 - Internship Seminar– taken concurrently with Internship
CED 616 - School Counseling Internship I (200 hours)
CED 617 - School Counseling Internship II (200 hours0
CED 618 - School Counseling Internship III (200 hours)

Exit Requirements
In order to receive a Preliminary PPSC credential, candidates must complete all courses and internship within seven years and fulfill the following requirements:

• Successful completion of all coursework, portfolio, practicum and internship.
• Successful completion of the ETS Praxis (#0420) examination in School Counseling (passage score is 570).
• Submission of written evaluations of performance in internship experiences by Site Supervisor to University Supervisor.
• Successful completion of the Exit interview with Faculty advisor or University Supervisor.
• Complete Program Evaluation Form-School Counseling.
• Schedule an exit appointment with Credential Advisor for final clearance and credential documents.
• Have a zero account balance.

Credential Application Information
Candidates are expected to complete their internship either on a full time basis of 3-4 months (40 hours per week) or part time basis of 8 months (20 hours per week). Upon successful completion of the coursework and internship, candidates must meet with a credential advisor to receive, complete and submit the Commission on Teacher Credentialing application form for the Preliminary PPSC School Counseling credential.

Program Information

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