ABSTRACT
Preinternship practicum or externship training has long been a topic of discussion in the general psychology literature (Lewis, Hatcher, & Pate, 2005; Ko & Rodolfa, 2005; Hatcher & Lassiter, 2004) and specifically in the school psychology literature (Brown, 1981; Brown, & Minke, 1986; Clair, Osterman, Kiraly, Klausmeier, & Graff, 1971; Crespi & Lopez, 1998; Harrison & Prus, 2008; Kramer & Ryabik, 1981; Pryzwansky, 1971; Welsh, Wilmoth, & Hodnut, 1999). Both the American Psychological Association’s (APA’s) Guidelines and Principles for Accreditation of Programs in Professional Psychology (APA, 2000) and the National Association of School Psychologists’ (NASP’s) Standards for Training and Field Placement Programs in School Psychology (NASP, 2000) have established requirements for preinternship supervised practica as required components of preservice professional preparation. For example, in Section III of the NASP Standards for Training, “Field Experiences/Internship,” Item 3.1 stipulates that “closely supervised practicum experiences that include the development and evaluation of specific skills are distinct from and precede culminating internship experiences that require the integration and application of the full range of school psychology competencies and domains.” Although the NASP standards are explicit regarding the number of hours required for the internship (1,200 hr), the NASP standards do not offer such specificity regarding number of hours required or recommended at the practicum level.
