584-070-0012

Initial I School Counselor License

(1) Upon filing a correct and complete application in form and manner prescribed by the commission, a qualified applicant may be granted an Initial I School Counselor License for three years.

(2) The Initial I School Counselor License is valid as designated for regular counseling at early childhood and elementary grade levels; at elementary and middle-level grade levels; or at middle and high school grade levels, or at all four levels.

(a) The license is also valid for substitute counseling at any level; and

(b) The license is also valid for substitute teaching at any level in any specialty.

(3) To be eligible for an Initial I School Counselor License, an applicant must satisfy all of the following general preparation requirements:

(a) A teaching experience satisfied in one of the following ways:

(A) Two academic years or 360 hours of experience as a full-time licensed teacher in a public education setting or in a regionally accredited private school in any state or other U.S. jurisdiction; or

(B) Completion of a practicum approved by the commission in teaching at any grade authorization level, as part of an initial graduate program or separately; or

(C) Other evidence of equivalent educational experience approved by the Executive Director.

(b) A master's or higher degree in counseling, education, or related behavioral sciences from a regionally accredited institution in the United States, or the foreign equivalent of such degree approved by the commission. [,together with any equally accredited bachelor's degree;] A master’s degree or higher from a regionally accredited institution validates a non-regionally accredited bachelor’s degree.

(c) Completion in Oregon or another U.S. jurisdiction [, as part of the master's degree or separately,] of an initial graduate program in school counseling at an institution approved [for counselor education] or accepted by the commission[;]. Programs completed out-of-state must be accompanied by a non-provisional license issued by the state in which the program is approved.

(d) [A] Obtain a passing score as currently specified by the commission on a test of professional knowledge for school counselors, or five years of experience counseling full time on a non-provisional license valid for the assignment in a public school or regionally accredited private school in any U.S. jurisdiction before holding any Oregon license[;].

[(e) Receive a passing score as currently specified by the commission on a test of basic verbal and computational skills; (See OAR 584-036-0080 and 584-036-0082 for information related to Basic Skills Tests.)]

[(f)] (e) Obtain a passing score on a commission-adopted test of knowledge of U.S. and Oregon civil rights laws and professional ethics[; and].

[(g)] (f) Furnish fingerprints in the manner prescribed by the commission and provide satisfactory responses to the character questions contained in the commission’s licensure application. (See also, OAR 584-036-0062 for Criminal Records Check Requirement.)

(4) The Initial I School Counselor License may be renewed [two times] one time for three years for Oregon prepared counselors and eighteen months for out-of-state prepared counselors upon showing progress toward completion of either the Continuing or Initial II School Counselor License. [renewal requirements as described in OAR 584-070-0014 during the life of the Initial I School Counselor License under the following conditions: (a)] The progress must meet or exceed the equivalent of 3 semester [hours] or 4.5 quarter hours of graduate coursework germane to the license or directly germane to public school employment. [; and]

[(b)] (5) The educator must qualify for a Continuing or an Initial II School Counselor License upon expiration of [ten] six (6) years following the date the first Initial or Transitional School Counselor License was issued. [if the license was issued prior to July 1, 2005. All School Counselor Licenses issued after June 30, 2005 must qualify for an Initial II School Counselor License upon the expiration of nine years following the date the first Initial School Counselor License was issued; and]

[(c) If the Initial I School Counselor license was issued on the basis of an out-of-state non-provisional license rather than completion of an Oregon-approved program; the educator must have completed any incomplete requirements in subsection (3) above; ]

[(d) If the educator is eligible for application of OAR 584-048-0062, Special Provisions for Renewal of Personnel Service Licenses. ]

[(5)] (6) The Executive Director may grant an extension to the Initial I School Counselor License for a term determined by the director, if and only if extraordinary circumstances [can be] are demonstrated that the school counselor was unable to complete the requirements for the Continuing or Initial II School Counselor License during the life of the Initial I School Counselor License.

[(6)] (7) School counselor licenses are authorized for grade levels that are the same as those used to authorize teachers (see OAR 584-060-0051 and 584-060-0052), except that the levels are authorized in pairs: early childhood and elementary (ECE/ELE); or middle-level and high school (ML/HS).

(a) Early childhood and elementary authorization is valid up through grade eight in any school.

(b) Middle level and high school authorization is valid in grades five through twelve in any school.

(c) The Initial I School Counselor License is authorized for either two or four grade authorization levels, i.e., one or both pairs, on the basis of professional education, experience, previous licensure, and specialized academic course work verified by one of the following:

(A) Evidence verified by an Oregon-approved School Counseling Program; or

(B) An out-of-state non-provisional School Counselor License valid for all grade levels;

[(7)] (8) On an Initial I School Counselor License authorized for only two levels, the remaining pair of levels can be added prior to attainment of the Initial II School Counselor or the Continuing School Counselor License. The remaining levels will be added upon acquisition of practical experience in one of two ways:

(a) A practicum of four (4) semester hours or six (6) quarter hours at either or both of the paired new grade authorization levels, entailing a minimum of 200 clock hours, in an institution approved to prepare for those grade authorization levels; or

(b) One academic year at either or both of the paired new grade authorization levels as permitted in subsection [(8)] (9) below.

[(8)] (9) A counselor authorized for only one of the paired grade authorization levels may counsel in the remaining unauthorized grade levels for a period of not more than three years while pursuing authorization at the other paired authorization grade levels upon request for a conditional assignment permit pursuant to OAR 584-036-0081.

(10) Effective July 1, 2011, School Counseling Licenses will be authorized for all grade-levels.

Stat. Auth.: ORS 342
Stats. Implemented: ORS 342.120 – 342.430; 342.455-342.495, 342.553 [342.143, 342.153, 342.165, 342.223 - 342.232]
Hist.: