School Psychologist Certification & Continuing Education Requirements

Florida School Psychologist Continuing Education Requirements

Florida has two different credentialing systems that may apply to school psychologists. School psychologists working in Florida schools may hold a Florida Department of Education School Psychologist (PK–12) educator certificate, while some practitioners also hold a separate Florida Department of Health school psychologist license. Each credential has different renewal and continuing education requirements.

120 FDOE Inservice Points Equivalent

5 Years Florida Professional Certificate Cycle

30 DOH-Licensed School Psychologist CE Hours Per Biennium

Florida has two different systems. A Florida Department of Education School Psychologist (PK–12) Professional Certificate generally renews with the equivalent of 6 semester hours of college credit, or 120 approved Florida inservice points. A separately licensed school psychologist through the Florida Department of Health generally completes 30 CE hours every biennium. These are different credentials with different renewal rules.

Which Florida School Psychology Credential Do You Have?

FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

School Psychologist (PK–12) Educator Certificate

120 Points

The Florida Professional Educator Certificate is the school-based credential used by school psychologists working in positions for which Florida educator certification is required.

The professional certificate is generally valid for five school years.

FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH

Licensed School Psychologist

30 CE Hours

Florida also separately licenses school psychologists through the Department of Health's Office of School Psychology.

This license has its own continuing education rules and should not be confused with the Department of Education educator certificate.

Florida Department of Education School Psychologist Requirements

Credential

School Psychologist (Grades PK–12), Specialty Class

Credentialing Agency

Florida Department of Education, Bureau of Educator Certification

Professional Certificate Term

5 school years

Renewal Requirement

6 semester hours of college credit or acceptable equivalents

Inservice Equivalent

120 approved Florida inservice points

Students With Disabilities Requirement

At least 1 semester hour or 20 approved inservice points in teaching students with disabilities

College Credit Conversion

1 semester hour = 20 approved Florida inservice points for renewal-equivalency purposes

120 Inservice Points or 6 Semester Hours

Florida requires educators renewing a Professional Certificate to earn six semester hours of college credit during the validity period of the certificate.

Florida permits approved inservice points to substitute for college credit. Under the current FDOE conversion, 20 approved inservice points equal one semester hour.

Therefore:

20 inservice points = 1 semester hour

60 inservice points = 3 semester hours

120 inservice points = 6 semester hours

Teaching Students With Disabilities Requirement

The six-semester-hour renewal requirement must include at least one semester hour of credit in teaching students with disabilities (SWD).

When the requirement is satisfied through an approved Florida professional learning system, this generally corresponds to 20 inservice points.

For school psychologists: Professional learning involving special education practice, instruction and intervention for students with disabilities may be particularly relevant, but the activity must be approved and coded appropriately within Florida's educator professional-learning system if it is being used for the required SWD renewal credit.

What Are Florida Inservice Points?

Florida educator renewal does not treat every certificate of attendance or every outside CE hour as an automatic state inservice point.

Florida school districts maintain approved Professional Learning Catalogs. These catalogs contain professional-learning components that may generate inservice points toward recertification or add-on certification.

A professional development activity generally needs to be processed through an appropriate Florida district professional learning system or otherwise qualify under an accepted renewal-credit option before it becomes Florida inservice credit.

Important distinction: A course may provide NASP CPD hours without automatically generating Florida Department of Education inservice points. School psychologists using an outside course for FDOE certificate renewal should confirm with their employing district whether the course can be approved and entered for inservice credit.

Other Ways to Meet Florida Educator Renewal Credit

Florida permits several alternatives to completing all six semester hours through traditional college coursework.

College Coursework

Six semester hours from an accredited or approved institution

Florida Inservice Points

120 approved inservice points may satisfy the six-semester-hour requirement

Combination

College credit and approved inservice points may be combined to reach the equivalent of six semester hours

Subject Area Examination

A passing score on an applicable Florida Subject Area Examination may equal three semester hours for renewal purposes when the examination corresponds to the subject being renewed

College Teaching

Teaching an applicable college-level course at an acceptable institution may be accepted as the equivalent of credit earned for that course

Florida School Psychologist Certification Pathways

Florida recognizes several preparation pathways for the School Psychologist (PK–12) educator certificate.

Doctoral Preparation

A doctoral degree specializing in school psychology with a 1,200-hour supervised internship, including at least 600 hours in an elementary or secondary school setting.

Specialist-Level Preparation

Completion of a qualifying NASP- or APA-approved/accredited specialist-level school psychology program with at least 60 graduate semester hours and the required practica and internship.

NCSP Pathway

A valid Nationally Certified School Psychologist (NCSP) credential is itself one of Florida's recognized specialization pathways for School Psychologist certification.

Using NASP-Approved Courses for Florida Educator Renewal

NASP-approved continuing professional development is highly relevant to school psychology practice, but NASP Approved Provider status by itself does not automatically convert an outside course into Florida Department of Education inservice points.

Florida district professional learning systems use approved professional-learning components to award inservice points. A school psychologist who wants an outside NASP-approved course applied toward the 120-point FDOE renewal requirement should check with the employing district's professional development or certification office.

This is different from Florida's separate Department of Health school psychologist license, where NASP-approved CE has a much more direct recognition pathway.

Florida Department of Health Licensed School Psychologist CE Requirements

Florida also maintains a separate state license for school psychologists through the Department of Health's Office of School Psychology.

This license has a separate continuing education requirement from the Florida educator certificate.

Total CE

30 hours per biennium

Medical Errors

2 hours every biennium, included within the 30-hour total

General CE

Generally 28 hours, subject to other required-topic hours during the applicable biennium

Domestic Violence

2 hours every third biennium, completed as part of rather than in addition to the 30-hour total

CE Reporting

Continuing education is tracked electronically for license renewal, including through Florida's CE tracking system

First-Time Florida DOH School Psychologist Renewal

The continuing education requirement may be reduced during a licensee's first renewal depending on when the initial license was issued during the biennium.

Licensed During the First Year of the Biennium

15 Hours

The first renewal requires 15 total hours, including 2 hours of medical errors.

Licensed During the Second Year of the Biennium

2 Hours

The Florida Department of Health states that the first renewal generally requires only the 2-hour medical error course.

Do NASP-Approved Courses Count for the Florida DOH School Psychologist License?

Yes, this is where your NASP approval is especially important in Florida.

The Florida Department of Health identifies approved continuing education pathways for licensed school psychologists and specifically recognizes courses approved through qualifying national psychology organizations and their approved providers, including NASP.

NASP-APPROVED PROVIDER

Child & School Psychology CE

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

Florida's Department of Health specifically identifies NASP within its accepted continuing education provider pathway for licensed school psychologists.

Courses must still be appropriate to school psychology practice and satisfy the content, provider, documentation, and reporting requirements applicable to the Florida DOH license.

What Type of CE Can Count for the Florida DOH License?

Florida's school psychology CE rules require continuing education to be psychological in nature or directly relevant to school psychology practice.

Qualifying content should provide information concerning human behavior or methods of providing school psychological services and should improve the professional knowledge or skills of the licensee.

Examples of Relevant Content

Psychoeducational assessment
Behavior assessment
Academic intervention
Behavioral intervention
School mental health
Consultation and collaboration
School psychology ethics
Evidence-based school psychology practice

Recognized Activity Types

Approved continuing education courses
Post-graduate school psychology courses
Approved university seminars
School psychology association conferences
Psychology association conferences
Post-master's graduate coursework
Qualifying presentations or moderation

Can Presenting or Teaching Earn Florida DOH CE?

Florida's school psychology CE rules allow some credit for presenting or moderating qualifying continuing education programs.

A licensed school psychologist may receive credit on a one-time basis for programs in which the individual serves as a presenter or moderator and attends the full program.

Maximum Presenter/Moderator Credit

Up to 10 CE hours per biennium may be earned through qualifying presentation or moderation activity.

Florida DOH Documentation and CE Reporting

Florida verifies continuing education records electronically at the time of license renewal.

Licensed school psychologists should make sure qualifying CE is appropriately reported and should retain supporting documentation.

Course title
Provider name
Completion date
Number of CE hours
Certificate of attendance or completion
Required-topic designation when applicable

Florida's administrative rule also requires licensees to retain CE documentation for six years.

Can Extra Florida DOH CE Hours Carry Over?

No. Florida's school psychology FAQ states that CE hours earned beyond the required amount during one biennium may not be carried forward into the next biennium.

The required hours must be completed within the applicable 24-month license biennium.

Inactive Florida DOH School Psychologist Licenses

A school psychologist is not required to complete continuing education merely to place or maintain a license in inactive status.

Reactivation, however, carries additional CE requirements. Florida states that a licensee seeking to reactivate an inactive license must provide evidence of:

15 approved CE hours for each year the license was inactive; and
30 approved CE hours for the last biennium in which the license held active status.

Can Online Continuing Education Count in Florida?

Online continuing education can be useful for Florida school psychologists, but the acceptance pathway depends on which credential the psychologist is renewing.

FDOE Professional Certificate

An online course does not automatically become Florida inservice credit. The activity generally must be approved through the appropriate district professional-learning system or satisfy another accepted renewal-credit pathway.

DOH School Psychologist License

Online CE may count when it is offered through an accepted provider pathway, relates appropriately to school psychology, and meets Florida DOH reporting and documentation requirements.

NCSP

Qualifying NASP-approved formal self-study may count under the current NCSP continuing professional development rules.

Florida School Psychologist Credential Comparison

FDOE School Psychologist (PK–12)

5-year Professional Certificate; 6 semester hours or equivalent, commonly 120 approved inservice points; includes SWD credit.

Florida DOH School Psychologist License

30 CE hours per biennium, including 2 hours of medical errors; 2 hours of domestic violence every third biennium.

NCSP

Separate national credential with its own NASP continuing professional development requirements.

Online Continuing Education for Florida School Psychologists

Child & School Psychology CE provides self-paced online professional development developed 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. NASP approval is especially relevant for Florida school psychologists maintaining the NCSP and for Florida Department of Health school psychologist continuing education.

School psychologists using a course toward Florida Department of Education educator-certificate renewal should separately confirm whether the course can be awarded Florida inservice points through their employing district or other applicable FDOE renewal pathway.

View Online CE Courses

Also Maintaining Your NCSP?

Florida expressly recognizes a valid NCSP as one pathway for meeting the specialization requirement for School Psychologist (PK–12) educator certification.

NCSP renewal has separate continuing professional development rules, so school psychologists maintaining multiple credentials should track the requirements for each credential independently.

View NCSP CPD Requirements

Official Florida Resources

Certification, licensure, and continuing education requirements may change. School psychologists should verify the requirements applicable to their individual credential before renewal.

Requirements reviewed September 2026. This page is provided for informational purposes and is not a substitute for current guidance from the Florida Department of Education, Florida Department of Health, an employing Florida school district, or NASP.