Webpage listing requirements to become a school counselor.

1. Counselor designate credential CD16 will not be issued after June 30, 2010. Counselor designate credentials must be renewed each time the individual's educator's professional license is renewed. However, an individual who holds a lifetime North Dakota educator's professional license must renew the credential every five years.

2. An individual with a school counselor credential (SC03) will serve prekindergarten through grade twelve. Individuals holding previous school counselor credentials CG01, CG02, or CG03 will be redesignated as school counselor serving prekindergarten, kindergarten, elementary, and secondary students.

   • a. Each school counselor provisional credential (SCP3) is valid for one year, and is renewable for one-year terms for a maximum of seven years. Individuals approved by the education Standard and practices board may be eligible for a school counselor provisional credential.
   • b. Each school counselor credential is valid only while the individual holds a North Dakota educator's professional license, or a professional school counseling restricted license. A credential must be renewed each time the individual's educator's professional license is renewed. However, an individual who holds a lifetime North Dakota educator's professional license must renew the credential every five years.

3. Plan of study option to qualify for counselor qualification points to satisfy accreditation requirements. If a school is unable to employ a credentialed counselor, the school may employ a licensed teacher to serve as the counselor on a plan of study approved by the department of public instruction. A written plan of study, from a state-approved school counseling program, including course names, numbers, and credit hours, to become a credentialed counselor must be submitted to the department of public instruction and be approved. Upon written request, the department may authorize a change of the courses selected for a particular year in the written plan of study if the change will not result in fewer than five semester hours per year of core counseling coursework. To be considered for approval, a licensed teacher must have completed a minimum of three graduate classes that are part of the required curriculum for a master's degree in school counseling or its equivalent from a state-approved counseling program addressing the following content areas:

   • a. Counseling theory;
   • b. Counseling methods or techniques;
   • c. Program management; and
   • d. Ethics and law. Once the written plan of study is approved, the licensed teacher must submit transcripts documenting completion of a minimum of five semester hours of graduate core counseling coursework, as listed in subsection 1 of section 67-11-05-05, each year until the teacher obtains the required credential.

4. To synchronize credentials issued under this chapter with the licensure period of the educator's professional license, any credential that will expire within twelve months of issuance, because the educator's professional license will expire within twelve months of the issuance of the new credential, will be issued for a period coinciding with the period of licensure of the succeeding educator's professional license.

1. School counselor credential Standard for the SC03 credential. The counselor must have a master's degree in counseling, education, or a related human service field and the following graduate core counseling coursework content from a state-approved school counseling program listed below:

   • a. Elementary school counseling;
   • b. Secondary school counseling;
   • c. Supervised school counseling internship consisting of a minimum of four hundred fifty contact hours of which at least one hundred fifty contact hours are at both the elementary and secondary level;
   • d. Counseling program management;
   • e. Counseling theories;
   • f. Assessment techniques;
   • g. Group counseling;
   • h. Career counseling and assessment;
   • i. Social and multicultural counseling;
   • j. Ethics and law; and
   • k. Counseling techniques.

2. Counselor designate credential Standard CD16. The counselor designate must:

   • a. Hold an educator's professional license issued by the education Standard and practices board in accordance with North Dakota Century Code sections 15.1-13-08 and 15.1-13-10 and North Dakota Administrative Code title 67.1; and
   • b. Have completed a minimum of sixteen semester hours of graduate core counseling courses from a state-approved school counseling program.

Notwithstanding any other law, guidance and counseling services at the elementary and secondary school level may be provided by a person holding a graduate degree in counseling from a state-approved school counseling program, with coursework and an internship in school counseling, as required for all counselors by the superintendent of public instruction, provided the person has a North Dakota teaching license or will obtain one within seven years from the date of first employment under this section. The board shall conduct a criminal history record check in accordance with section 12-60-24 on each person hired under this section. All costs associated with a background check are the responsibility of the person being hired. The board shall monitor a person hired under this section to ensure that the person annually completes at least one-seventh of the total credits required for that person to obtain a teaching license, as determined at the time of employment under this section.