(a) The minimum requirements for the services credential with a specialization in pupil personnel services are a baccalaureate degree or higher degree from a regionally accredited institution of higher education, a fifth year of study, and any specialized and professional preparation that the commission shall require, including (1) completion of a commission-approved program of supervised field experience that includes direct classroom contact, jointly sponsored by a school district and a college or university or (2) a program of professional preparation pursuant to subdivision (d).

(b) The services credential with a specialization in pupil personnel services shall authorize the holder to perform, at all grade levels, the pupil personnel service approved by the commission as designated on the credential, which may include, but need not be limited to, school counseling, school psychology, child welfare and attendance services, and school social work.

Ask a legal question, get an answer ASAP!
Click here to chat with a lawyer about your rights.

(c) The commission shall continue to issue credentials with a specialization in pupil personnel services under the law as it read on December 31, 1986, for a time period of two years from the effective date of regulations adopted for the issuance of certificates under the new program required by this section, to any candidate in the process of obtaining a services credential with a specialization in pupil personnel services through a previously approved program of study.

(d) For a services credential with a specialization in pupil personnel services in the area of child welfare and attendance services, the commission may approve a program of professional preparation offered by a local educational agency if the program of professional preparation meets standards of program quality and effectiveness that have been adopted by the commission.

(Amended by Stats. 2023, Ch. 175, Sec. 1. (SB 223) Effective January 1, 2024.)