School Counseling Pre-Practicum and Comprehensive Exams
All students will take programmatic examinations. There are two formal programmatic examinations in the School Counseling program: the Pre-Practicum Examination and the Comprehensive Examination. Both examinations to be taken electronically, at KSU, in a supervised setting, and are in a multiple-choice format. The intent of these examinations is to:
Study Tips
The following tips were developed by the CHDS faculty to help students prepare for the Pre-Practicum and Comprehensive Examinations:
- Don’t cram! Thorough studying is much more effective for such an exam then starting to study a week or two before the exam.
- Review all syllabi for the courses that the exam covers (see below). Specifically review the CACREP standards in each course. The exams were developed off of the CACREP standards.
- Review all reading materials (e.g., books, handouts, lecture notes, etc.) for the courses that the exam covers (see below).
- Study the “Encyclopedia of Counseling†by Rosenthal. It is recommended to read this and study this book multiple times prior to taking the exam.
Registration for Examinations
A registration sign-up sheet will be located on the bulletin board outside of 310 While Hall. Students will be made aware of when registration sign-up will begin through their kent.edu e-mail address and the CHDS student listserv. This registration is on a first come, first serve basis.
Pre-Practica Examinations
The “School Counseling Pre-Practicum Examination (SCPPE)†to be taken by students enrolled in the School Counseling program prior to beginning CHDS 6/78036 School Counseling Practicum. The SCPPE covers curriculum reflective of CACREP standards covered in the following pre-requisite courses to CHSD 6/78036 School Counseling Practicum:
- CHDS 6/77530: Introduction to Counseling
- CHDS 6/77531: Individual Counseling Procedures
- CHDS 6/78069: Orientation to School Counseling
- CHDS 6/77820: Group Work: Theory & Techniques
Pre-Practica Examination Policy
Once students have met the academic prerequisite coursework for a practicum, all students must register for a practicum (e.g., School Counseling Practicum). Once registered for a practicum, the CHDS faculty will determine eligibility for the Pre-Practicum Examination. During the finals week of the semester directly before starting practicum, students will take their Pre-Practicum Examination (e.g., if you are starting Practicum in the Spring, you would take the Pre-Practicum Examination during the Fall semester finals week [i.e., in December]). Students will have a maximum of two hours to complete the Pre-Practicum Examination. There will be two opportunities during this week to take the Pre-Practicum Examination: Thursday starting at 1pm or Friday starting at 3:00pm. If students do not take the Pre-Practicum Examination during one of these two times, they will be de-enrolled from their practicum and therefore cannot start their practicum the next semester.
If students successfully pass their Pre-Practicum Examination, they can begin their practicum experience and move forward in the program. Students will be informed whether or not they passed their Pre-Practicum Examination; specific scores will not be given to students who pass their Pre-Practicum Examination.
However, if students fail the Pre-Practicum Examination they will be de-enrolled from their practicum and will be prohibited from taking their practicum until they successfully pass the Pre-Practicum Examination.
- Students who fail the Pre-Practicum Examination the first time will be provided with written feedback regarding their score in each area of the Pre-Practicum Examination but are prohibited from beginning practicum.
- Students who fail the Pre-Practicum Examination the second time, will be provided with written feedback regarding their score in each area of the Pre-Practicum Examination and will be prohibited from beginning the practicum. In addition, faculty may require a remediation plan that would need to be successfully completed before taking the Pre-Practicum Examination again. However, if they pass the Pre-Practicum Examination after the second time, they will be allowed to begin practicum.
- Students who fail the Pre-Practicum Examination the third time will be dismissed from the program.
Comprehensive Examinations
The “School Counseling Comprehensive Examination (SCCE)†to be taken by students enrolled in CHDS 78292 Internship II: School Counseling. The SCCE covers curriculum reflective of CACREP standards covered in all of the following required courses in the program:
- CHDS 6/77530: Introduction to Counseling
- CHDS 6/77531: Individual Counseling Procedures
- CHDS 6/78069: Orientation to School Counseling
- CHDS 6/77820: Group Work: Theory & Techniques
- CHDS 6/77580: Multicultural Counseling
- EPSY 65523: Life Span Development (or approved equivalent)
- EVAL 65511: Research in Educational Services
- CHDS 6/78126: Principles of Measurement & Appraisal
- CHDS 6/78182: Career Development & Guidance
- CHDS 6/78011: Foundations of School Counseling
- CHDS 6/78066: Counseling Adolescents
- CHDS 6/78067: Counseling Children
- CHDS 6/78068: School Counseling Program Management and Leadership
- CHDS 6/78036: School Counseling Practicum
- CHDS 78192: Internship I: School Counseling
Comprehensive Examination Policy
During finals week of the first semester of Internship, students will take Comprehensive Examinations. Students will have a maximum of three hours to complete the Comprehensive Examination. There will be two opportunities during this week to take the Comprehensive Examination: Thursday starting at 4pm or Friday starting at 10:00am. If students do not take the Comprehensive Examination during one of these two times, they will not have the opportunity to take the Comprehensive Examination again until the end of the next semester.
However, if students fail the Comprehensive Examination remediation will occur.
- Students who fail the Comprehensive Examination the first time will be provided with written feedback regarding their score in each area of the Comprehensive Examination. Students who fail their Comprehensive Examination the first time can begin their second semester of internship to ensure continuity of client care. However, they will need to take the Comprehensive Examination again at the next scheduled time Comprehensive Examinations are offered in the Program.
- Students who fail the Comprehensive Examination the second time, will be provided with written feedback regarding their score in each area of the Comprehensive Examination but will receive an In Progress (IP) grade for their second semester of internship. In addition, faculty may require a remediation plan that would need to be successfully completed before taking the Comprehensive Examination again. Students who fail the Comprehensive Examination a second time will be prohibited from graduation. However, if they pass the Comprehensive Examination on the third attempt, they will be allowed graduate.
- Students who fail the Comprehensive Examination the third time will be dismissed from the program.
Important Note on Who Takes Examinations
Everyone in the Clinical Mental Health Counseling (CMHC) program, Community Counseling (CCON) program, or the School Counseling (SCON) program are required to take the exams. Students admitted for the Fall 2010 term or after are held to all of the above policies. However, students admitted to the CMHC, CCON, or SCON prior to the Fall 2010 term will not be dismissed from their program based on their performance on either the pre-practicum or comprehensive examination.