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Board hears renewed concerns about ASPPB’s integrated EPPP; town hall scheduled and staff sent letter of concern
Summary
Board members, licensees and public commenters urged caution about ASPPB’s integrated EPPP; the board noted an ASPPB town hall for candidates on Sept. 18 and previously sent a letter of concern. Staff will pursue additional engagement with OPES and ASPPB.
Board members and large numbers of public commenters used the Aug. 22 meeting to press the California Board of Psychology about the proposed integrated Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP). The board had previously sent a letter of concern to the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards (ASPPB) and directed staff to monitor the rollout.
Miss Chung, board staff, told the board ASPPB will host a virtual town hall for students and licensure candidates on Sept. 18, 2025, and staff circulated registration information. “There will be a QR code on the attachment where you can just scan and go through the registration portal to register for the town hall,” she said.
Public commenters said the current pass-rate patterns and costs impose substantial burdens. Dr. Araceli Lopez Arenas, who said she passed only after multiple attempts and coaches other test takers, told the board some candidates become suicidal after repeated failures and urged publicly available demographic and psychometric data from ASPPB. “These numbers, let’s put money to it... people are suicidal about this,” she said.
Board members reiterated that California is a member jurisdiction of ASPPB but does not control the organization. Executive Officer John Burke said he has discussed timelines and California’s concerns with ASPPB leadership. Board members asked staff to invite the Office of Professional Examination Services (OPES) to a future meeting to review available test data and analyses; OPES reviews exam validity and occupational analysis reports for the board. Several board members also asked staff to contact Texas officials about their work on an alternative exam.
The board did not take a vote on changing exam policy at this meeting. Staff emphasized outreach channels — the ASPPB town hall, a public ASPPB survey the board circulated to licensees, and the board’s own planned outreach — and encouraged candidates to submit feedback to ASPPB and attend the Sept. 18 session.
Board direction: staff will (1) continue engagement with ASPPB and OPES, (2) publicize the Sept. 18 town hall and registration information, and (3) report back to the full board on findings and OPES materials at a future meeting.
