The Educational Diagnostician Concentration prepares assessment specialists for school districts. Educational Diagnosticians are charged with administering the assessments that assist school districts with determining eligibility for special education placement. Because of the very critical nature of the job, the standards for the program are very high.

Admission into the Program

The Educational Diagnostician Program at the University of North Texas is a highly competitive program designed to train high quality Educational Diagnosticians for the State of Texas. The Program is NCATE approved. Students seeking admission into the program are required to complete both an application to the Graduate School and an application to the Department (see Educational Psychology Procedures for application procedures).

Measurement of Mastery of Standards (markers)

Prior to recommendation for graduation from the program or recommendation for certification as an educational diagnostician, students must pass with proficiency a variety of key assessments identified in each course syllabi. Each key assessment must be uploaded to Tk20. Some of these key assessments are as follows:

• EDSP 5320 Functional Assessment EDSP 5510 Assessment Report EDSP 5530 WJ-III ACH check-out
• EDSP 5530 Special Education Qualifying Examination EDSP 5530 Assessment Report
• EDSP 5530 Legal Framework Activity EDSP 5540 WISC-IV check-out
• EDSP 5540 Statistics Qualifying Examination EDSP 5540 Assessment Report
• EDSP 5540 Reflective Journal
• EDSP 5560 Assistive Technology Plan

Students who do not meet the above criteria or fails to earn proficiency in any one of the key assessments must meet with their advisor to develop a written plan which will bolster the student's mastery of the standards associated with the key assessment. Oftentimes, this written plan extends the overall program timeline.

Degree Plan

All students seeking a master’s degree are required to file a degree plan during the first semester of coursework after acceptance into the Educational Diagnostician Program There is no guarantee that coursework taken prior to filing a degree plan will count towards the degree or certification.

Certification Only Students

Students who already have a master’s degree and are seeking certification only must meet the same admission and continuation standards as students who are pursuing a master's degree. Prior to admission into the program, students must present both undergraduate and graduate transcripts to the program advisor. A deficiency plan will be developed based on the evaluation of the student's transcripts. All deficiency plans must be filed with the Student Advising Office during the student's first semester of coursework. There is no guarantee that coursework taken prior to filing a deficiency plan will count towards the degree or certification.

Continuation in the Program

Students are required to obtain a B or better on each course designated on the student's degree/ deficiency plan in order to exit the program and obtain recommendation for certification.

Throughout the program, students are required to maintain a 3.00 grade point average on the courses designated on the degree/deficiency plan. Students who fall below the 3.00 average will be dismissed from the program. Students who are dismissed from the program may reapply after meeting a review board composed of three special education faculty members. The review board has the option of dismissing the student from the program or developing a remedial plan for the student. Students who are dismissed from the program may be required to take additional coursework prior to reapplying for the program. Any student who has a two year lapse or longer in coursework in the program will be required to reapply to the program.

TExES Examination

All students in the Educational Diagnostician Program are advised to take the TExES exam during the last semester of classes and enrollment in EDSP 5540. If the exam is taken earlier and the student receives less than 80% on any subtest, a remediation plan will be advised for the student by the student's advisor. Students must complete the remediation plan prior to recommendation for certification.

Practicum Course Work (EDSP 5530 and EDSP 5540)

Practicum students who live at a specified distance from UNT campus may elect to take course work without ever coming to campus (sections 020 and 026) or come to campus four to six times a semester or per syllabi for check-outs, securing testing materials, and taking exams (sections 030, 031, and 032). Students should be in their next to last semester of coursework to sign up for Practicum I (EDSP 5530). Students should be in their last semester of coursework to sign up for Practicum II (EDSP 5540).

Students are required to complete EDSP 5240, EDSP 5320, EDSP 5510, EDSP 5520, EDSP 5560, EDSP 5710, and EPSY 5210 prior to registering for any practicum class. Students may take EPSY 5210 concurrently with EDSP 5530. However, EPSY 5210, must be completed with a B or better grade prior to enrolling in EDSP 5540 Practicum II.

Students must receive permission from their advisor prior to enrolling in any practicum classes. Students in sections 020 and 026 must submit to the instructor of their practicum course 

information on the secure testing site where students at a distance will take tests. Information must be forwarded to the instructor the first week of class and include:

• Name of the facility
• Contact person at the facility
• Email address for the contact person Physical address for the facility
• Telephone and fax numbers for the facility

Students should secure a testing facility the first week of class and be approved by the instructor. The testing facility should not change during the semester. If a change is necessary, the change must be approved by the instructor. A week's notice is required prior to any scheduled testing date for a change in secure testing sites. Students may not use a testing facility in their school district as a secure testing site. Possible secure testing sites would include neighboring universities with testing facilities or commercial secure testing sites such as Sylvan Learning Centers. The contact person at the facility must send an email within 24 hours after every exam confirming that all testing procedures were followed. Failure to comply with testing requirements will result in a grade of 0 on the test/exam and possible dismissal from the program depending upon the severity of the offence.

Students may not switch between 020 or 026 section requirements and 030/031 and 032 section requirements within the semester. All students must complete all scheduled class tests and exams in a secure testing site. For students in sections 030, 031, and 032, the secured testing site will be at UNT in Matthews Hall.

Testing Materials

Students in the Educational Diagnostician Program use very expensive tests and materials to complete course requirements. Students must comply with the schedule established by the course instructor so that tests can be shared equitably between and among students. Failure to comply with a posted schedule could result in failure in the course. Reduction in grade and/or failure in the course are at the discretion of the instructor.

Students must turn in all testing materials prior to receiving a grade in any testing course. Students who do not turn in testing materials by the due date posted in the course may receive a failing grade in the course. Grade determination is at the discretion of the instructor. Students in sections 020 and 026 pay student fees to have tests mailed. Students in section 020 (in-state tuition rate) may have tests mailed only to an address in Texas or an APO or FPO number.

Students assume the responsibility for mailing tests back to the

University of North Texas
1300 W. Highland Avenue
Matthews Hall 316
Denton, TX 76201

Either FedEx or UPS is highly recommended as the US Postal service does not recognize our physical address. Students will not receive a grade until tests are returned. If the instructor deems that testing materials were lost or damaged, a fee will be assigned. An itemized bill for replacement of the lost or damaged materials will be presented to the student. The bill must be paid before the 

student receives a passing grade in the testing course. Most tests given by students in the program have consumable components. Students picking up tests at UNT are provided with all of the consumable components of the tests they will use for the semester at "test check-out" at the beginning of each semester. Students should carefully and precisely check their materials to make certain that all the needed forms are in place. Students should count their forms and inform the instructor at the time of "test check-out" if a form is missing. Students who receive tests in the mail should count their forms upon receipt of their tests and notify the instructor within 24 hours if a form is missing. Students should take exceptionally good care of the forms they are issued. Student fees do not cover the replacement of lost or soiled forms. Instructors are not allowed to collect additional fees from students.

Requirements for Online Classes

The Educational Diagnostician Program is an online program. Students in the program are required to have specific types of technology to participate in the program. All students are required to have:

Programs: Microsoft Word, Adobe Reader and Scanner, Powerpoint, Excel, Windows Media Player, Quicktime, and Firefox

Hardware: A windows compatible computer, microphone, headset, DSL or faster internet connection, scanner, speakers, video camera that records on CD (020 and 026 students only), silent stopwatch