School Psychology Certification & Continuing Professional Development

Kentucky School Psychologist Continuing Education Requirements

Kentucky school psychologists are certified through the Education Professional Standards Board. The Standard Certificate for School Psychologist is valid for five years and has a school-psychology-specific renewal requirement. School psychologists may renew through professional experience plus continuing professional development or through graduate study related to school psychology.

72 Continuing Professional Development Hours

5 Years Standard Certificate Cycle

3 Years School Psychologist Experience With the 72-Hour Route

Important: Kentucky provides two primary renewal pathways for the Standard Certificate for School Psychologist: (1) at least 3 years of experience as a school psychologist during the certification period plus 72 hours of continuing professional development activities, or (2) 6 semester hours of graduate training related to school psychology.

Kentucky School Psychologist Requirements at a Glance

Credential

Standard Certificate for School Psychologist

Certification Authority

Kentucky Education Professional Standards Board (EPSB)

Standard Certificate Term

5 years

Renewal Route 1

At least 3 years of school psychologist experience during the certification period plus 72 hours of continuing professional development activities

Renewal Route 2

6 semester hours of graduate training related to school psychology

NCSP Initial Certification Pathway

A valid Nationally Certified School Psychologist credential is recognized as a pathway to the Kentucky Standard Certificate

Scope of Certificate

School-based practice in common schools and other elementary, secondary, and vocational school settings; the certificate does not authorize private practice outside those settings

72 Hours of Continuing Professional Development

One Kentucky renewal pathway requires completion of 72 hours of continuing professional development activities during the five-year certification period.

This pathway must also include at least three years of experience as a school psychologist during the same certification period.

The Kentucky school psychologist regulation does not divide the 72 hours into separate mandatory ethics, legal, cultural competence, or other subject-area categories.

Three Years of School Psychologist Experience

Kentucky's 72-hour professional development route is not based on continuing education alone.

The regulation also requires the certificate holder to document at least three years of experience as a school psychologist within each certification period.

Important: A school psychologist using the 72-hour route should not treat the professional development requirement as the only renewal condition. The three-year experience requirement is part of the same renewal pathway.

Alternative: Six Semester Hours of Graduate Training

Kentucky also provides an alternative renewal route that does not use the 72-hour CPD formula.

A Standard Certificate for School Psychologist may be renewed with 6 semester hours of graduate training related to school psychology.

Graduate Credit Route

6 graduate semester hours

Coursework must be related to school psychology.

Kentucky Renewal Pathways Compared

CPD Route

72 hours of continuing professional development plus at least 3 years of school psychologist experience during the certification period

Graduate Training Route

6 semester hours of graduate training related to school psychology

Renewal Cycle

5 years

Professional Development for Kentucky School Psychologists

Kentucky's school psychologist regulation describes the requirement broadly as continuing professional development activities. Professional development used for renewal should be relevant to maintaining or improving professional competence in school psychology.

Relevant topics may include:

Psychoeducational assessment
Academic intervention
Behavior assessment and intervention
Special education law
Section 504
School psychology ethics
Data-based decision making

School mental and behavioral health
Consultation and collaboration
Trauma-informed practice
Family-school collaboration
Culturally responsive practice
Evidence-based interventions
Schoolwide prevention and support systems

Do NASP-Approved Courses Count in Kentucky?

NASP-approved continuing professional development is highly relevant to Kentucky's school psychologist renewal requirement because the state requires continuing professional development specifically for school psychologists.

Kentucky school psychology professional resources have historically identified NASP-approved professional development as acceptable toward the state's 72-hour continuing professional development requirement.

Because the governing Kentucky regulation itself does not name an exclusive list of approved CPD providers, school psychologists should retain documentation showing the course content, provider, completion date, and number of professional development hours and verify any individual EPSB documentation requirements at renewal.

NASP-APPROVED PROVIDER

Child & School Psychology CE

Child & School Psychology CE is a NASP Approved Provider, Provider #1152.

Our courses provide documented continuing professional development developed for school psychologists and related professionals.

Qualifying courses may be used toward applicable NCSP continuing professional development requirements and may also be relevant to Kentucky's 72-hour school psychologist CPD requirement.

Kentucky school psychologists should retain their completion certificates and confirm current EPSB renewal documentation requirements when applying for certificate renewal.

NCSP Is an Initial Kentucky Certification Pathway

Kentucky expressly recognizes the Nationally Certified School Psychologist (NCSP) credential as one route to the Standard Certificate for School Psychologist.

Kentucky's regulation provides two primary routes to the Standard Certificate:

Approved Preparation Program

Complete an approved school psychology preparation program at an institution that adheres to NASP standards and satisfy the applicable assessment requirement.

NCSP Pathway

Hold a valid Nationally Certified School Psychologist credential issued through the national school psychology certification system.

Does a Current NCSP Automatically Renew the Kentucky Certificate?

Kentucky expressly recognizes the NCSP for issuance of the Standard Certificate.

The renewal section of the Kentucky regulation, however, separately lists the state's renewal requirements as:

Three years of school psychologist experience plus 72 hours of continuing professional development; or
Six semester hours of graduate training related to school psychology.

Important: I would not advertise a current NCSP by itself as automatically replacing Kentucky's certificate-renewal requirements. The regulation clearly identifies NCSP as an initial certification pathway, while renewal has its own separate requirements.

Can Online Continuing Education Count in Kentucky?

Kentucky's school psychologist regulation does not restrict the 72-hour requirement to traditional in-person courses.

Online professional development that is relevant to school psychology, documents actual professional development hours, and satisfies current EPSB requirements may therefore be appropriate for the continuing professional development pathway.

School psychologists should retain a certificate showing:

Participant name
Course title
Professional development provider
Date of completion
Number of professional development hours
Relevant provider or approval information

Kentucky Provisional School Psychologist Certificate

Kentucky also issues a Provisional Certificate for School Psychologist while the individual completes the required internship experience.

The provisional certificate is generally issued for one year.

It may be renewed for an additional year when the individual is serving in the school psychologist position on a half-time basis.

The internship may be completed full time during one school year or half time during two consecutive school years.

Kentucky Standard Certificate for School Psychologist

After qualifying for the Standard Certificate, the school psychologist receives a credential that is valid for five years.

The certificate may then be renewed for subsequent five-year periods when the applicable school psychologist renewal requirements are met.

Scope of the Kentucky School Psychologist Certificate

Kentucky's Standard Certificate authorizes the individual to serve in the position of school psychologist in:

Kentucky common schools;
Other elementary schools;
Secondary schools; and
Vocational schools.

Important: The EPSB School Psychologist certificate does not authorize private psychological practice outside school settings.

School Psychologist Certificate vs. Kentucky Psychology License

Kentucky's EPSB School Psychologist certificate is different from credentials regulated by the Kentucky Board of Examiners of Psychology.

Individuals who separately hold a psychology-board credential must comply with the renewal and continuing education requirements that apply to that professional license.

Current Kentucky psychology-board regulations generally require 39 continuing education hours for renewal of covered psychology licenses and certificates.

Keep the credentials separate: The 39-hour psychology-board requirement is not the renewal rule for the EPSB Standard Certificate for School Psychologist. The school credential uses the 72-hour-plus-experience or six-graduate-credit renewal routes described above.

Kentucky Credential Comparison

EPSB Standard School Psychologist Certificate

5-year certificate; 72 hours of CPD plus 3 years of experience, or 6 graduate semester hours related to school psychology

NCSP

Separate national credential with NASP continuing professional development requirements; also recognized as a Kentucky initial certification pathway

Kentucky Psychology Board Credential

Separate professional credential with its own continuing education and renewal requirements

Online Continuing Education for Kentucky School Psychologists

Child & School Psychology CE provides self-paced online professional development designed specifically for school psychologists and related professionals.

Courses address assessment, intervention, behavior, ethics, special education law, Section 504, student mental health, data-based decision making, and evidence-based school psychology practice.

We are a NASP Approved Provider, Provider #1152. Qualifying courses may be used toward applicable NCSP continuing professional development requirements and may also be relevant to Kentucky's 72-hour school psychologist continuing professional development requirement.

Kentucky school psychologists should retain completion certificates and verify current EPSB documentation requirements when applying professional development toward state certificate renewal.

View Online CE Courses

Also Maintaining Your NCSP?

Kentucky recognizes a valid NCSP as one pathway to the Standard Certificate for School Psychologist, and NASP-approved professional development may support maintenance of the national credential.

Kentucky certificate renewal and NCSP renewal have separate requirements, so school psychologists maintaining both credentials should make sure their professional development satisfies the requirements applicable to each.

View NCSP CPD Requirements

Official Kentucky Resources

Certification and professional development requirements may change. School psychologists should verify current requirements with the Kentucky Education Professional Standards Board before submitting a renewal application.

Requirements reviewed September 2026. This page is provided for informational purposes and is not a substitute for current guidance from the Kentucky Education Professional Standards Board or other applicable licensing authority.