Georgia Southern University’s College of Education received notification that its Ed.S. in School Psychology program has been awarded full-approval/national recognition status from the National Association of School Psychologists, a recognition of the program’s demonstrated consistency with NASP standards. Georgia Southern is one of only three universities in the state of Georgia with NASP-approved school psychology programs and has the only specialist degree program in the state that is nationally-recognized and NASP-approved.

Program Director Dawn Tysinger, Ph.D., said she and the fellow school psychology faculty are “thrilled to be granted this prestigious seal of high quality training.”

“For our future graduate students, this means they are assured that their education and experiences within the program meet the highest national standards,” explained Tysinger. “For our current graduate students, this means that they are automatically eligible for the Nationally Certified School Psychologist Credential upon passing the Praxis II exam. The licensure/certification processes for our alumni are facilitated across the country, and they are eligible for additional stipends in some states.”

The NASP review process is an important indicator of quality graduate education in school psychology, comprehensive content and extensive and properly supervised field experiences and internships, as judged by trained national reviewers.

“The process of NASP approval involves a multi-year evaluation where faculty members collect, analyze and interpret data on every aspect of the program design and student outcomes as they align with the NASP Standards for Training and Field Placement for Programs in School Psychology,” explained Tysinger. “The submission to NASP comprises hundreds of pages of evidence that is reviewed and critiqued by a review team and then the Program Accreditation Board to determine program quality and render an approval decision.”

Associate Dean of Graduate Education and Research Tracy Linderholm, Ph.D., expressed that this acknowledgement echoes the hard work of the program’s faculty.

“The faculty in this program are very forward thinking and are constantly making refinements to the curriculum and program procedures to better meet the needs of their students as they train to become practicing school psychologists,” said Linderholm.

Georgia Southern’s NASP accreditation will be in effect for seven years, the maximum period granted by NASP.

School psychology program faculty include Terry Diamondurous, Ph.D., Dawn Tysinger, Ph.D., and Jeff Tysinger, Ph.D.