Clinical Practice Registration

Deadline: Department staff will complete TSPC license verification prior to your first contact with PK-12 students.

Department staff will use TSPC’s Public Educator Search feature to verify your license. Holding a current TSPC-issued license meets the clinical practice registration, background check, and fingerprint requirement AND the “knowledge of U.S. and Oregon civil rights laws and professional ethics” requirement. (NB: Although licensed educators can now print off copies of their licenses from their TSPC eLicensing accounts, due to known errors in the system resulting in incomplete print-outs, department staff will continue to verify licenses on TSPC’s website.)

By order of the Oregon legislature, department staff will also be accessing your TSPC eLicensing profile to check on and record your SB 155 Sexual Conduct Investigation status. Department staff will notify your department chair, faculty program director, the Partnerships & Placement office, and the K-12 Career and Licensing Services office if they find that you are currently under investigation.

*How long are my fingerprints valid? Individuals with a valid Oregon license: Fingerprints are valid from the fingerprint clearance date onward as long as a valid license is maintained. If the licensee allows the license to lapse, the fingerprints remain valid for three years from the date the license expired. (From TSPC’s Fingerprinting website)

Deadline: Department staff will complete TSPC license verification prior to your first contact with PK-12 students.

Department staff will use TSPC’s Public Educator Search feature to verify your license, even if expired. Holding a TSPC-issued license that has expired within the past three years meets the clinical practice registration, background check, and fingerprint requirement. (If it has been more than three years since your license expired, you will need to submit new fingerprints.)

Having ever been issued a TSPC license, even if expired, meets the ORELA: Protecting Student and Civil Rights in the Educational Environment test requirement and/or the “knowledge of U.S. and Oregon civil rights laws and professional ethics” requirement.

By order of the Oregon legislature, department staff will also be accessing your TSPC eLicensing profile to check on and record your SB 155 Sexual Conduct Investigation status. Department staff will notify your department chair, faculty program director, the Partnerships & Placement office, and the K-12 Career and Licensing Services office if they find that you are currently under investigation.

*How long are my fingerprints valid? Individuals with a valid Oregon license: Fingerprints are valid from the fingerprint clearance date onward as long as a valid license is maintained. If the licensee allows the license to lapse, the fingerprints remain valid for three years from the date the license expired. (From TSPC’s Fingerprinting website)

Deadline: You must complete the task, below, prior to your first contact with PK-12 students. The required action item, #3, is critical to this process.

TASK ONE of TWO: Clinical Practice Registration, Background Check, and Fingerprints

1. Go to TSPC’s Fingerprinting website and follow the instructions for “Clinical Practices” registration and fingerprinting.
   1. Use the most recent version of a modern web browser (e.g. Chrome, Firefox, Safari, et cetera); do not use Internet Explorer.
   2. When you create your TSPC eLicensing account, enter your name exactly as you want it to appear on your future license.
      1. CRITICAL: Record your TSPC eLicensing username and password as you will be required to use those for the duration of your professional career in Oregon. (TSPC staff are unable to access usernames and passwords.)
      2. NAME: From TSPC: “Candidates should set up their account with their legal name. eLicensing gives them the opportunity to enter a “Name as you wish it to appear on the license” so they can print an image with whatever name they prefer. The license image includes the TSPC account ID for confirmation.”
   3. From the TSPC eLicensing Dashboard, select “Applications” and “Submit New Application” (upper right-hand corner). Select “Clinical Practices” for “What category of license would you like to apply for?.”
      1. CRITICAL: You must choose “Clinical Practices” under “What category of license would you like to apply for” or you will be charged for a license (nonrefundable) instead of just for fingerprinting.
   4. Background Check: In addition to fingerprinting and the Oregon State Police and FBI records checks, as part of the background check process with TSPC, TSPC staff will search the following for each candidate: A Law Enforcement Data Systems (LEDS) check, a National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification (NASDTEC) Clearinghouse for Educator Discipline check, and, in some circumstances, an internet or social media search.
2. TSPC’s eLicensing system will send you an automatic e-mail with fingerprinting and background clearance instructions. Complete the fingerprinting and background clearance process, including paying the required fee(s).
3. REQUIRED ACTION ITEM: To verify that you have successfully completed the background clearance check, you will receive a background clearance email from TSPC. RETAIN THIS EMAIL FOR YOUR RECORDS as it cannot be resent by TSPC. If you have lost this email, you will need to contact TSPC staff and will likely need to pay to go through the fingerprint and background clearance process again.
   1. Forward a copy of the background clearance email to the appropriate departmental staff to be entered into your Taskstream or other official student record:
      1. Teacher Education: lcteach@lclark.edu
      2. Educational Leadership: eda@lclark.edu
      3. School Counseling: schcoun@lclark.edu
      4. School Psychology: ctsp@lclark.edu
   2. NB: The background clearance emails from TSPC can have different titles. Some examples include:
      1. Clearance License
      2. Clinical Practices (Student Teaching)
      3. Personnel Services (Counselor, Psychologist, School Social Worker)
4. TSPC fingerprints are valid for three years from the fingerprint clearance date. (From TSPC’s Fingerprinting website)
5. By order of the Oregon legislature, department staff will also be accessing your TSPC eLicensing profile to check on and record your SB 155 Sexual Conduct Investigation status. Department staff will notify your department chair, faculty program director, the Partnerships & Placement office, and the K-12 Career and Licensing Services office if they find that you are currently under investigation.

If you select “yes” on any of TSPC’s character questions, notify the your department chair, your faculty program director, and Lewis & Clark’s K-12 Career & Licensing Services office AND provide them with a copy of the letter from the Oregon TSPC clearing you for future licensing.

• If you experience difficulty with TSPC’s eLicensing system, send an e-mail to: online.tspc@tspc.oregon.gov. In the subject line, include a description of the problem you are encountering along with your TSPC ID.

TASK TWO of TWO: Knowledge of U.S. and Oregon Civil Rights Laws and Professional Ethics

Prior to entering your student teaching or final practicum or internship experience, you must have successfully met TSPC’s “knowledge of US and Oregon civil rights laws and professional ethics” requirement. As of January 1, 2022, there are several options for completing this requirement. Please check with your faculty program director on the option(s) available for your program which may include:

• ORELA Protecting Student and Civil Rights in the Educational Environment test; 

• TSPC-issued license;
• TSPC’s Civil Rights and Ethics Course + certificate of completion; or 
• Embedded curriculum + certificate of completion.

1. REQUIRED ACTION ITEM: To verify that you have successfully completed TSPC’s “knowledge of US and Oregon civil rights laws and professional ethics” requirement as advised by your faculty program director:
   1. ORELA Protecting Student and Civil Rights in the Educational Environment test;
      
      1. Select Lewis & Clark as a score recipient when you register to take the test. Your score will automatically be sent to L&C by Pearson/NES/ORELA and added to your WebAdvisor account.
   2. TSPC-issued license;
      1. A departmental staff member will work with you to verify the TSPC-issued license and will make a copy for your student record.
   3. TSPC’s Civil Rights and Ethics Course + certificate of completion; or
      1. Forward a copy of the email that you receive from TSPC with your certificate of completion to the appropriate departmental staff member, below, to be added to your student record.
   4. Embedded curriculum + certificate of completion.
      1. Contact the appropriate departmental staff member, below, to ensure that they have received your certificate of completion and that it has been added to your student record.

Teacher Education: lcteach@lclark.edu

Educational Leadership: eda@lclark.edu

School Counseling: schcoun@lclark.edu

School Psychology: ctsp@lclark.edu