National Association of School Psychologists
Encyclopedia
The National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) is the major national professional organization for school psychologists
in the United States
. Its stated mission
is to "represent and support school psychology through leadership to enhance the mental health
and educational competence of all children."
NASP provides standards for ethics and practice, and approves graduate training programs that sufficiently adhere to its training guidelines. NASP is a constituent member of the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education
(NCATE) and although NCATE accredits units (such as colleges of education
), not programs, it does provide "national recognition" status to NASP-approved programs located in units accredited by NCATE. http://nasponline.org/certification/NASPapproved.html
The organization also offers an opportunity for those who have successfully completed their graduate coursework, participated in a 1200-hour internship with at least 600 hours in a school setting, and received a score of at least 660 on the School Psychologist Praxis II Examination to apply for National Certification in School Psychology.
While the American Psychological Association
(APA) serves similar purposes through Division 16, one way that NASP differs fundamentally from the APA is in that it officially recognizes the specialist degree
as the entry-level degree for the field, as opposed to the doctoral degree. The two organizations, however, are more complementary than competing. Many view NASP as the governing body for sub-doctoral school psychologists and the APA as the governing body for doctoral-level school psychologists, although there are many doctoral-level school psychologists who belong to NASP. Further, NASP approval of graduate programs does not compete with APA accreditation; the APA does not accredit non-doctoral programs http://www.apa.org/ed/accreditation/schoolpsy.html, and NASP will more quickly approve programs that have already been APA-accredited http://www.nasponline.org/certification/APA_programs.html.
The National Association of School Psychologists distributes two publications: School Psychology Review, which is the second-largest psychology academic journal and includes research and theory related to school psychology, and Communiqué, which is the official newspaper of NASP, covering news, events, innovative practices, legislative developments, and other topics relevant to the field.
The 2011/2012 NASP Executive Council:
School psychology
School psychology is a field that applies principles of clinical psychology and educational psychology to the diagnosis and treatment of children's and adolescents' behavioral and learning problems...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Its stated mission
Mission statement
A mission statement is a statement of the purpose of a company or organization. The mission statement should guide the actions of the organization, spell out its overall goal, provide a path, and guide decision-making...
is to "represent and support school psychology through leadership to enhance the mental health
Mental health
Mental health describes either a level of cognitive or emotional well-being or an absence of a mental disorder. From perspectives of the discipline of positive psychology or holism mental health may include an individual's ability to enjoy life and procure a balance between life activities and...
and educational competence of all children."
NASP provides standards for ethics and practice, and approves graduate training programs that sufficiently adhere to its training guidelines. NASP is a constituent member of the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education
National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education
The National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education was founded in 1954 to accredit teacher certification programs at U.S. colleges and universities. NCATE is a council of educators created to ensure and raise the quality of preparation for their profession. NCATE is recognized by the U.S....
(NCATE) and although NCATE accredits units (such as colleges of education
School of education
In the United States and Canada, a school of education is a division within a university that is devoted to scholarship in the field of education, which is an interdisciplinary branch of the social sciences encompassing sociology, psychology, linguistics, economics, political science, public...
), not programs, it does provide "national recognition" status to NASP-approved programs located in units accredited by NCATE. http://nasponline.org/certification/NASPapproved.html
The organization also offers an opportunity for those who have successfully completed their graduate coursework, participated in a 1200-hour internship with at least 600 hours in a school setting, and received a score of at least 660 on the School Psychologist Praxis II Examination to apply for National Certification in School Psychology.
While the American Psychological Association
American Psychological Association
The American Psychological Association is the largest scientific and professional organization of psychologists in the United States. It is the world's largest association of psychologists with around 154,000 members including scientists, educators, clinicians, consultants and students. The APA...
(APA) serves similar purposes through Division 16, one way that NASP differs fundamentally from the APA is in that it officially recognizes the specialist degree
Specialist degree
-The Specialist degree in the Commonwealth of Independent States:The specialist degree was the only first degree in the former Soviet Union and currently is being phased out by the bakalvr's - magister's degrees....
as the entry-level degree for the field, as opposed to the doctoral degree. The two organizations, however, are more complementary than competing. Many view NASP as the governing body for sub-doctoral school psychologists and the APA as the governing body for doctoral-level school psychologists, although there are many doctoral-level school psychologists who belong to NASP. Further, NASP approval of graduate programs does not compete with APA accreditation; the APA does not accredit non-doctoral programs http://www.apa.org/ed/accreditation/schoolpsy.html, and NASP will more quickly approve programs that have already been APA-accredited http://www.nasponline.org/certification/APA_programs.html.
The National Association of School Psychologists distributes two publications: School Psychology Review, which is the second-largest psychology academic journal and includes research and theory related to school psychology, and Communiqué, which is the official newspaper of NASP, covering news, events, innovative practices, legislative developments, and other topics relevant to the field.
The 2011/2012 NASP Executive Council:
- NASP President — Philip Lazarus
- President-Elect — Amy Smith
- Past President — Kathleen Minke
- Secretary — Sarah Valley-Gray
- Treasurer — Ron Benner