Bilingual Track

Certification as a Bilingual Psychologist   
To obtain certification as a bilingual school psychologist in NY State, a student must pass the NYS bilingual tests (Language Proficiency Assessments). Both foreign and American born students must take the Target Language Proficiency Assessment (TLPA), which verifies second language competency. Foreign born students must also take the English Language Proficiency Assessment for Nonclassroom Personnel (ELPA-N), which verifies English language competency. Both tests are administered by National Evaluation Systems under contract with the New York State Education Department.

Be aware that NYS does not have a TLPA for every language and does not offer bilingual certification for every language. Thus, students should make sure that the target language they are interested in is one for which the NYS certification is available.

More detailed information on bilingual certification and the requisite testing is available online at the New York State Education Department website: http://www.nysed.gov/. Students can also contact the State Department directly by telephone at 518-474-3901.

Enrollment in the Bilingual Track
Students must obtain approval from the Program Director to enroll in the bilingual track. Enrollment in the bilingual track is not contingent upon passing the NYS bilingual certification exams. Students are expected to take the NYSTC exam in the first semester of attendance prior to taking PSY 661B.  Bilingual track students who do not have the NYSTC exam credentials are still eligible to take the coursework for the bilingual track. Such students will become certified as monolingual school psychologists and can then apply the diversity training and education received toward whatever population they choose to work with. Bilingual courses can also be taken by students not officially in the bilingual track; however, students must obtain permission from the Program Director.

The curriculum requirements for the bilingual school psychology program meet the requirements for Bilingual Certification by the NYS Education Department in the following manner:

1. Twelve courses (36 credits) in the general school psychology program are also required of students in the bilingual program.
2. The following four courses in the program were altered to reflect material required by the New York State Department of Education for Bilingual Certification:
   • Developmental Psychology (PSY 623) includes more discussion of cross-cultural perspectives in child development.
   • Interviewing and Case Formulation (PSY 666) includes readings in counseling and interviewing culturally diverse children.
   • Child and Adolescent Personality Assessment I (PSY 671) includes instruction on the use of a new personality test standardized with African American and Hispanic youth (the TEMAS).
   • School Psychology Internship Seminar I (PSY 752B) includes instruction on the State Education Department’s regulations concerning the assessment and placement of bilingual children.
3. Practicum I & II (PSY 761B & 762B) provides students in their second year (prior to their internship) practicum experience in serving bilingual children and their families. These courses are similar in structure to the courses taken by the regular school psychology program (PSY 761 & 762), except that students in these courses are supervised by a bilingual school psychologist and are trained to provide school psychological services to bilingual children and their families.
4. Three courses (9 credits) are also required for students in the bilingual program. These include: "Psychoeducational Assessment of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Children" (PSY 662B), "Cultural Diversity in Psychological Services" (PSY 627), and "Psycholinguistics and the Practice of School Psychology with Bilingual Populations" (PSY 729). 

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