| Abstrakt: |
School psychology programs engage in an almost continuous process of external program review. State program reviews are required in order to qualify graduates for state credentials to practice in schools. At the same time, national accreditation or approval, although voluntary and aspirational, is increasingly expected or even required by some states. University trainers of school psychologists often argue that state reviews, combined with reviews by such organizations as APA, NASP, and CAEP, result in duplication of effort and unnecessarily overlapping reports. This has resulted in some trainers questioning whether state program reviews are even necessary. In order to better understand these issues, this manuscript outlines the essential history of accreditation and the current state of program reviews in school psychology. The importance of state-level program reviews, and links among national accreditation, state approval, and state credentialing to practice school psychology are discussed. The paper concludes with advocacy considerations for school psychology faculty members to apply at the state-level, university-level, and program-level. It is argued that university trainers can actively influence program review procedures and guidelines (e.g., by advocating that states accept NASP-accreditation/ approval as evidence of program rigor) and adopt strategies to complete required reviews with greater efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
