A REVIEW OF ASHA CERTIFICATION, LICENSURE AND
N.Y. STATE CERTIFICATION FOR TEACHING STUDENTS WITH SPEECH AND
LANGUAGE DISABILITIES (TSSLD) REVISED 8/10 BY C. CECCONI
ASHA CERTIFICATE OF CLINICAL COMPETENCE:
The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) is the nationally
recognized professional association for clinical and research practice in the area of
communication behaviors and disorders. ASHA’s Certificate of Clinical Competence
(CCC), which is granted in speech-language pathology and in audiology, permits the
holder to provide independent clinical services and to supervise the clinical practice of
student trainees and clinicians who do not hold certification. ASHA is also the
accrediting agent for Master’s level programs in Speech-Language Pathology and
Audiology.
Requirements for ASHA CCC (January, 2005):
1. Master’s or Doctoral degree in speech-language pathology or audiology
from a Council on Academic Accreditation approved program.
2. 400 clock hours of clinical practice to include 25 hrs of observation and 325
hrs at graduate level in area of certification (i.e., SLP or A); must include
experiences across the lifespan, culturally and linguistically diverse
backgrounds, various levels of severity, and across the scope of practice.
3. A score of 600 or better on the National Teachers Examinations (NTE) in
Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology (Content Specialty Exam)
4. The Clinical Fellowship – 9 months of full-time supervised professional
experience involving 4 hours/month of monitoring activities
5. Membership in ASHA prior to application
6. Continuing education requirement: 3 Continuing education units CEUs (30
hours) /3 years. Takes effect January 1, 2005
LICENSURE
Licensure is the state’s mechanism for regulating professional practice. All states with
licensure requirements have a designated agency, which regulates licensure (consult
ASHA for characteristics of state licensure laws). Licensure regulates professional
education, rules of professional conduct and the ability to engage in professional practice.
As such, this is the required credential in agencies, which receive third party payments
such as Medicaid, insurance coverage, Health Department monies, etc. In many states
requirements for licensure are compatible with the ASHA CCC, but may have continuing
education requirements for maintenance of a current license.
License Requirements in New York State
Regulations of the Commissioner, obtained from:
http://www.op.nysed.gov/prof/slpa/part52-sla.htm, 8/25/10.
From Part 52, Registration of Curricula
Effective, October 9, 2008
Speech-Language Pathology | Audiology
§52.36 Speech-Language Pathology.
a. Definitions. As used in this section:
1. Acceptable certifying agency shall mean an organization accepted by the
department as a reliable authority for the purpose of certifying speech-
language pathologists, applying its criteria for granting certification in a
fair, consistent, and non-discriminatory manner.
2. Supervision shall mean supervision by a speech-language pathologist
licensed in New York State, except that supervision of any experience
acquired outside New York State or in an exempt setting as established in
section 8207 of the Education Law, may be provided by a person
approved for supervision by an acceptable certifying agency or a person
holding the Certificate of Clinical Competence from the American
Speech-Language Hearing Association.
b. In addition to meeting all applicable provisions of this Part, to be registered as a
program recognized as leading to licensure in speech-language pathology, which
meets the requirements of section 75.1 of this Title, the program shall:
1. be a program in speech-language pathology leading to a master's or higher
degree or its equivalent, from a college or university acceptable to the
department, which includes at least 75 semester hours or the equivalent,
provided that at least 36 semester hours of the program or the equivalent
are at the master's or higher degree level;
2. contain curricular content that includes, but is not limited to, each of the
following content areas:
i. human communication processes and sciences: at least 12 semester
hours or the equivalent, which shall include, but need not be
limited to, course content in the normal anatomy and physiology of
speech and swallowing; cognitive and linguistic bases of language;
and neural bases of speech, hearing, language and swallowing.
ii. professional practice areas in speech-language pathology: at least
36 semester hours or the equivalent, which shall include, but need
not be limited to, course content in multicultural issues and in
diagnostic assessment and treatment of persons with disorders of:
a. articulation/phonology;
b. fluency;
c. voice and resonance;
d. receptive and expressive language;
e. literacy;
f. hearing; and
g. swallowing.
iii. additional semester hours in the above or related areas: at least 27
semester hours or the equivalent, in the above content areas, which
may include, but need not be limited to, content in audiology/aural
rehabilitation, cognitive/psychosocial aspects of communication,
cleft palate/craniofacial anomalies, augmentative and alternative
communication (AAC), research methodology, counseling,
professional issues, ethics, infection control and issues related to
the prevention of communication disorders; and
3. include a practicum in speech-language pathology of at least 400 clock
hours under supervision, at least 375 clock hours of which shall be in
direct client contact, at least 25 clock hours of which shall be in clinical
observation and at least 325 clock hours of which shall be at the master's
or higher degree level.
General Requirements
Any use of the title "Speech-Language Pathologist" or "Audiologist" within New York
State requires licensure, except in certain "exempt" settings. These settings include:
Federal, State or local governments
Public or nonpublic elementary or secondary schools
Colleges and universities
Note: To provide speech services in a public school in New York State, "Teacher
Certification" is the appropriate credential. For information regarding teacher
certification, contact the Office of Teaching Initiatives at 518-474-3901.
To be licensed as a speech-language pathologist or audiologist in New York State you
must:
be of good moral character;
be at least 21 years of age; and
meet education, examination and experience requirements.
Mail your application and fee to:
NYS Education Department, Office of the Professions
P.O. Box 22063
Albany, NY 12201
Experience Requirements for Clinical Fellowship
You must complete a minimum of nine months of supervised experience in speech-
language pathology or audiology. (Any break in time, e.g., maternity leave or, in a school
setting, summer break, should be compensated for in the ending date.) The experience
cannot begin until after all requirements (including any examinations or completion of a
thesis) for the graduate degree are satisfied.1
1
With one exception: licensure applicants who are candidates for Au.D. degrees may
begin the required experience BEFORE the Au.D. degree is awarded if they have
completed all prerequisite Au.D. coursework and practica.
Nature of Experience
Your experience should include direct clinical work with patients or students,
consultations, record keeping, and any other duties relevant to clinical practice. At least
two thirds of the experience should involve direct clinical contact with persons who have
communication disorders. Time spent in academic teaching, research, or administrative
activities that do not deal directly with patient management should not be counted as
professional experience in this context. No partial credit can be given for unsatisfactory
completion of supervised experience.
Part-time or Full-time Experience
The supervised experience must be completed within a four-year period with not more
than two employers, and may be full-time or part-time:
Full-time: At least 36 weeks (e.g., September 10 to June 10) of continuous employment
consisting of at least 35 hours per week.
Part-time: Continuous periods of employment of not less than six months, accumulated at
the rate of not less than two days per week and consisting of not less than 12 hours per
week with any one employer. Applicants employed part-time should contact the Board
office to determine the total amount of time required under these conditions.
Supervision of Experience
Your supervisor should meet with and observe you on a regular basis to review and
evaluate your experience and to foster your professional development. For additional
information see the "Guidelines for Evaluating Applicants Experience" and Form 4A.
Supervision must be provided where you work by an individual licensed in New York
State in the field for which you seek licensure. However, experience acquired in another
state or in an exempt setting such as a public or nonpublic school may be supervised by a
person holding the appropriate Certificate of Clinical Competence of the American
Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA).
Examination Requirements
You must pass the Specialty Area test of the Praxis Series, Praxis II, administered by the
Educational Testing Service (ETS) in your licensure area.
New York State's acceptable passing score is 600.
Examination scores must be sent directly from ETS. Request scores to be sent to
agency code R7747.
ETS retains scores for ten years. If your scores are no longer available from the
testing service, they may be verified by ASHA. Contact ASHA at:
ASHA
10801 Rockville Pike
Rockville, MD 20852
Phone: 800-638-8255
E-mail: actioncenter@asha.org
Web: www.asha.org
The examination is administered at over 400 test centers throughout the nation. Schedule
information and registration materials for the examination may be obtained directly from
ETS by calling 609-771-7395, or writing to The Praxis Series, Educational Testing
Service, PO Box 6051, Princeton, NJ 08541-6051 or on the Web at www.ets.org.
INITIAL TSSLD CREDENTIAL
1. Bachelor of Science degree in TSSLD from a NYSED approved program.
2. Supervised practica of at least 150 hours that include students with speech
and language disabilities in early childhood (birth-grade 2), childhood (grades
1-6), middle childhood (grades 5-9) and adolescence (grades 7-12)
3. Satisfactory level of performance on two components of the New York State
Teacher Certification Examinations: the Liberal Arts and Sciences Test (LAST)
and the Assessment of Teaching Skills-Written (ATS-W). Passing scores on
these two tests have been established as 220 on a scale of 100 to 300.
4. New York State Commissioner of Education requires candidates to complete
a fingerprinting procedure to support a criminal history background check prior
to certification.
PROFESSIONAL TSSLD CREDENTIAL
In addition to the above requirements, all candidates for the Professional Certification in
TSSLD must complete a master’s degree in speech-language pathology or its equivalent
and meet the standards required for New York State Licensure. Applicants for the
Professional Certification must have successfully completed three years of employment
in an approved educational environment that includes one year of mentored teaching.
To maintain Professional Certification, individuals must complete 175 hrs of Professional
Development related to their students’ learning needs every 5 years.
RESOURCES
Questions regarding ASHA CCC can be addressed to:
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
10801 Rockville Pike
Rockville, Maryland 20852
(301) 897-5700
Attn: certification
http://www.asha.org/certification/
Questions regarding professional licensure in N.Y. State:
The University of the State of New York
The State Education Department
Division of Professional Licensing Services
Cultural Education Center
Albany, New York 12230
(518) 474-3827
Attn: Speech-Language Pathology-Audiology
http://www.op.nysed.gov/speech.htm
Questions regarding Teaching Certification:
Division of Teacher Education and Certification
State Education Department
Albany, New York 12230
http://www.highered.nysed.gov/tcert/certificate/home.html
or local certification offices generally located at B.O.C.E.S.
Dr. Schissel should receive a KASA Verification From from SLPA Dept. web site when
you apply for your CCC-SLP