SPEECH-LANGUAGE PATHOLOGY STUDENTS POST HIGH SCORES ON NAT'L. CERTIFICATION TEST

The percentage of speech-language pathology students who pass certification tests is nearly 20 points higher than the national average, according to graduate program director Nicholas Bountress.

In the 24-year history of Old Dominion's speech-language pathology program, 98.8 percent of students who took the test passed, Bountress said. Nationally, 79.9 percent is the average.

Old Dominion graduate students in speech-language pathology take the Praxis II test in speech-language pathology, which is required for national certification by the American Speech-Language and Hearing Association and for employment in the United States to work as speech-language pathologists at hospitals, clinics, rehabilitation centers, private practices and all other nonpublic school settings.

Since 1978, 272 Old Dominion students have taken the exam and 269 have passed. The tests are given year-round.