OAR 335-060-0006: Licensure of Speech-Language Pathologists

(1) “Degree requirements” under ORS 681.260(2) for those speech-language pathologists completing their professional training after January 1, 2006 are those outlined in the 2005 Certification Standards for Speech-Language Pathologists as promulgated by the Council For Clinical Certification (CFCC) of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association: (a) A minimum of 75 semester hours pertinent to speech-language pathology, which include: (b) At least 36 graduate credits in speech-language pathology; (c) A clinical practicum of 400 clock hours, of which 25 must be observational hours and 375 must be direct clinical interaction. Supervision must be provided by a speech-language pathologist who holds a Certificate of Clinical competency from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. At least 325 of these clock hours must be completed while in an accredited graduate program. (d) Credit earned for a thesis or capstone project, if part of the accredited graduate program. (2) For those speech-language pathologists completing their professional training after January 1, 2006 “supervised clinical experience” under ORS 681.260(3) means a program of clinical work that is: (a) Begun after completing all graduate degree requirements; (b) Supervised by a speech-language pathologist who holds a Certificate of Clinical competency from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association; (c) A minimum of 35 hours per week for 36 weeks of practice, or its equivalent, for a total of not less than 1,260 hours; (d) A minimum of 80% of the hours spent in direct client/patient contact (assessment/diagnosis/evaluation, screening, treatment, report writing, family/client consultation, and/or counseling), with the remainder in related record keeping and administrative duties. (3) For those speech-language pathologists completing their professional training after January 1, 2006, “examinations” under ORS 681.260(4) means the Praxis Examination in Speech-Language Pathology as administered by the Educational Testing Service. Applicants must attain a passing score to qualify for licensure. (4) Applicants whose graduate program was not conducted in English may be required to submit scores from the following standardized tests to demonstrate English language proficiency: (a) The internet-based Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) with minimum scores of 100 overall, 26 in writing, and 26 in speaking; or (b) The paper-based TOEFL and Test of Spoken English (TSE) with minimum scores of 600 overall; 5 on the essay; and 50 on the TSE; or (c) The computer-based TOEFL and TSE with minimum scores of 250 overall; 5 on the essay; and 50 on the TSE. (5) Applicants must demonstrate current professional competence as follows: (a) Completion of graduate degree or supervised clinical experience within the 12 months prior to application; or (b) Completion of 10 hours of professional development within the 12 months prior to application. (c) Any hours completed in the current professional development period may also be counted towards meeting the professional development requirement for the next active license renewal. (6) For those speech-language pathologists completing their training before January 1, 2006, “degree requirements”, “supervised clinical experience” and “examinations” mean those in effect for ASHA certification at the time training was completed.