The new Arizona Department of Education Certificates for Speech Language Pathology will go into effect January 1, 2007.
 
Speech Therapists who currently hold the Speech/Language Impaired Certificate will renew or convert into one of the following new certificates. 
 
1.  If you have a Bachelor's degree in Speech Pathology, Speech-Hearing Sciences, or Communication disorders, you will renew/convert into the Speech-Language Technician Certificate.  The renewal requirement for the Speech-Language Technician Certificate is "180 clock hours of graduate level coursework in the field of speech pathology, or professional development in the areas of articulation, voice, fluency, language disorders, low incidence disabilities, professional issues and ethics, or service delivery models."   Speech-Language Technicians will be required to complete either 12 semester hours of graduate coursework in speech pathology, or 180 clock hours of professional development, or a combination of the two.  If they are using coursework, it must be graduate coursework in speech pathology.  Each semester hour of graduate coursework is equivalent to 15 clock hours of professional development.

2.  If you have a Master's degree in Speech Pathology or Communication Disorders, you will renew/convert into the Speech-Language Pathologist Certificate. The renewal requirement for the Speech-Language Pathologist Certificate will be 60 clock hours of professional development "in the field of speech pathology, or professional development in the areas of articulation, voice, fluency, language, low incidence disabilities, curriculum and instruction, professional issues and ethics, or service delivery models." 
 
Renewals/conversions will NOT need to show ADE the clinical clock hours, Certificate of Clinical Competence, exam, etc. when you renew or convert into the new certificate.  You will be required to submit an official transcript.  This will not need to be in a sealed envelope; however, it does need to be the original, official transcript (not a photocopy or unofficial transcript).

Individuals who hold the Standard Speech / Language Impaired certificate will be required to show completion of 180 clock hours of professional development as described on the current renewal form.  The new renewal requirement will take effect once they renew into the Speech-Language Pathologist or Technician certificate.
 
Individuals who have AZ Constitution and / or US History deficiencies on their Speech / Language Impaired Certificates will not be required to satisfy those deficiencies when they convert into the new certificate. 
 
Structured English Immersion will NOT  be a requirement for renewal/conversion to the new certificates.
 
 
REMEMBER YOU MUST HAVE A DHS LICENSE TO PRACTICE SPEECH THERAPY ANYWHERE IN ARIZONA!