Practicum Training Program

Our Deer Valley Unified School District Practicum Training Program is designed for all levels of practicum student including those in pre-practicum experience. Deer Valley partners with Arizona State University to allow students who are nearing the end of their bachelor's programs the opportunity to explore potential career fields. Through this partnership, Deer Valley allows for these students to shadow school psychologists and complete appropriate activities to help them learn what a school psychologist does.

Deer Valley also partners with local universities including the University of Arizona, Northern Arizona University and Ottawa in having practicum students at all levels of graduate training to complete practicum through our district. Students are assigned to supervisors based on a number of factors after having an interview with a team from the district consisting of the school psychologist coordinator and practicum supervisors for that school year. Students on track to earn their masters, specialists and/or doctorate are all encouraged to apply to become practicum students in the Deer Valley Unified School District.

While with Deer Valley, Practicum students have a wide variety of roles that they serve that are all individualized to meet their needs depending on the class in which they are enrolled. Typical activities include, but are not limited to assessing students, scoring test results, writing up portions of reports, running portions of meetings, sitting in and leading counseling, consulting with teachers and several other school psychologist activities. All of this is done with appropriate supervision as the student works in tandem with the school psychologist site supervisor.