State Certification/licensure Standards for Educational Diagnosticians: A National Review

Beginning of article

Educational assessment for students with possible disabilities is an activity carried out by a diverse group of professionals. Regional and local practices determine which specific professionals within the local education agency (LEA) assume such responsibilities. Nationally, such assessments may be completed by any of the following: school psychologists, special educators, general educators, reading resource specialists, educational diagnostics specialists and others (Taylor, 1997, Venn, 2000). With the exception of school psychology, certification/licensure standards qualifying individuals for educational diagnostic practice are nonexistent in most states. As a result, establishing and maintaining the quality and uniformity of practice is a significant issue yet to be resolved (McLoughlin, 1985, Overton, 1996).

In 1998, the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) launched a constructive initiative to redress issues involving professional preparation and credentialing. CEC established the Professionally Recognized Special Educator (PRSE, 1998) to address inconsistencies characterizing certification/licensure standards. CEC established preliminary criteria for granting the PRSE Certificate in the category of Educational Diagnostician. The decision to extend an invitation to all special educators across the practitioner pool to qualify for PRSE certification may be viewed as a direct attempt to encourage, support and recognize field-wide high-level professional competency.

Effective 2001, and published in "What Every Special Educator Must Know: The Standards for the Preparation and Licensure of Special Educators" (Council for Exceptional Children, 2000) are the specific knowledge and skill standards which must be demonstrated by applicants seeking PRSE certification as educational diagnosticians. The CEC documents have been submitted to the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) for approval and are aligned with the Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (INTASC) Special Education Sub-Committee recommendations for standards and licensure of general and special education teachers …