Specialist in Executive Function Framework Certified Endorsement (SEFF-CE)
Advanced study. Applied practice.
Demonstrated competency.
THE PATHWAY AT A GLANCE
Learning that builds toward advanced practice.
TIER 1
48.5
Continuing education hours
Build your executive function foundations.
TIER 2
30
Hours of applied practice
Connect your learning to professional practice.
TIER 3
90
Hours of practicum experience
Develop your skills through advanced application.
TIERS 2 + 3
8
Graduate credits
Through Ashland University across both tiers.
SEFF-CE is an advanced professional specialization for professionals who have completed the Seeds of Learning® Executive Function Specialization Pathway and demonstrated competency applying the Sumpter Executive Function Framework (SEFF) within professional practice.
It is not earned by simply completing a course. SEFF-CE represents progressive study, individualized mentorship, applied casework, assessment development and analysis, intervention planning and implementation, practicum experience, and competency-based evaluation.
THE SEFF-CE CREDENTIAL
What does SEFF-CE represent?
SEFF-CE identifies professionals who demonstrate how to apply executive function reasoning in practice. Credential holders develop advanced skills in:
- Functional executive function assessment
- Case analysis and interpretation
- Identifying patterns across performance and context
- Prioritizing areas for intervention
- Intervention planning and implementation
- Evaluating learner response
- Professional reasoning and communication
SEFF-CE professionals apply this training within the boundaries of their existing professional role, qualifications, and scope of practice.
UNIVERSITY COLLABORATION
Advanced preparation with graduate credit
The Seeds of Learning® Executive Function Specialization Pathway is developed in collaboration with Ashland University, with graduate credit integrated into the advanced training sequence.
- Tier 2
- 2 graduate credits
- Tier 3
- 6 graduate credits
Graduate credit is one component of the pathway. Candidates must also successfully complete the applied, mentorship, practicum, and competency requirements established by Seeds of Learning® before earning the SEFF-CE credential.
Your Path to SEFF-CE
SEFF-CE is the culminating credential in the three-tier Seeds of Learning® Executive Function Specialization Pathway.
THE SPECIALIZATION PATHWAY
Build your foundation.
Develop your practice.
Progress through three tiers of executive function learning, application, and advanced practice.
Executive Function Foundations
Build your understanding.
Build a comprehensive foundation in executive function through the full Seeds of Learning® Online Cohort Community.
Complete all three phases
- Root Skills
- 18 hours
- Leaf Skills
- 18 hours
- Flower Skills
- 12.5 hours
Tier 1 establishes the foundation for advanced specialization and must be completed before applying for Tier 2.
Complete Tier 1 before applying for Tier 2. Tier 1 alone does not confer the SEFF-CE credential.
Executive Function Applied Practice
Put your understanding into practice.
Apply executive function learning to real cases, intervention decisions, and professional practice, with individual mentorship.
Your learning and practice
- Individual mentorship meetings
- Applied case analysis
- Intervention planning and implementation
- Reflection and revision
- Formal competency-based case presentation
Upon successful completion
Earn 2 graduate credits through Ashland University and a Certificate of Achievement in Applied Executive Function Practice from Ashland University.
Successful completion of Tier 2 is required to advance to Tier 3.
Specialist Practicum & Mastery
Develop advanced professional reasoning.
The culminating advanced fellowship in the SEFF-CE pathway develops greater independence through intensive practice, mentorship, and evaluation.
Your learning and practice
- 90 hours of applied practicum experience
- Individual mentorship meetings
- Advanced case consultation
- Assessment development and analysis
- Intervention implementation and analysis
- Professional reasoning and competency-based evaluation
Upon successful completion
Earn 6 graduate credits through Ashland University and a Certificate of Achievement in Advanced Executive Function Practice from Ashland University.
Successful completion of Tier 3 and all credential requirements confers the Specialist in Executive Function Framework-Certified Endorsement.
Have questions about the pathway?
Contact us to discuss the tiers and your next step.
PROFESSIONAL SKILLS
What SEFF-CE professionals learn to do
ASSESSMENT
Develop functional executive function assessments
Design individualized assessments that examine executive function in real-world tasks using observation, level of support, functional demands, and relevant data.
CASE ANALYSIS
Analyze complex cases
Identify meaningful patterns across assessment findings, observations, functional demands, settings, and levels of support.
INTERPRETATION
Develop and communicate professional hypotheses
Explain how executive processes may contribute to a learner’s functional difficulty and identify areas requiring further investigation.
PRIORITIZATION
Determine where intervention should begin
Prioritize intervention based on the learner’s current profile and level of independence.
INTERVENTION
Design and implement appropriate intervention
Develop supports that align with the learner’s needs and systematically adjust executive demand over time.
EVALUATION
Evaluate and revise professional decisions
Use learner response, performance data, observation, and reflection to determine whether intervention should be maintained, modified, or reconsidered.
CONNECTING IT ALL
Communicate a clear reasoning process
Articulate the connection between assessment, interpretation, prioritization, intervention, and functional outcomes.
More Than a
Certificate of Completion
SEFF-CE is awarded only after successful completion of the full three-tier specialization pathway and its associated competency requirements.
Participation alone does not confer the credential. To earn SEFF-CE, professionals complete:
48.5 continuing education hours of foundational study
30 hours of advanced applied practice
90 hours of practicum experience
8 graduate credits through Ashland University
Individualized mentorship
Applied assessment and case analysis
Intervention planning and implementation
Formal competency evaluation
The result is a credential based on both preparation and demonstrated application.
Once You Earn SEFF-CE
Professionals who successfully earn the credential may use the SEFF-CE Post-Nominal Designation. Credential holders also receive a professional digital credential badge for approved professional use.
The SEFF-CE designation and badge may be used on:
Professional websites
Résumés and curriculum vitae
Professional biographies
Email signatures
Professional profiles
Approved organizational materials
Credential holders are also eligible for inclusion in the Seeds of Learning® Executive Function Specialist Directory, providing a public way to verify successful completion of SEFF-CE requirements.
Understanding
the
SEFF-CE
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The SEFF-CE, or Specialist in Executive Function Framework–Certified Endorsement, is an advanced professional credential awarded by Seeds of Learning® to professionals who complete the full Executive Function Specialization Pathway and demonstrate competency in applying the Sumpter Executive Function Framework (SEFF) in practice.
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The SEFF-CE is designed for professionals who want advanced training in understanding, assessing, and supporting executive function within their existing professional role and scope of practice.
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It is a professional specialization credential, not a single course. Earning the SEFF-CE requires foundational study, advanced coursework, individualized mentorship, applied casework, intervention planning and implementation, practicum experience, and competency-based evaluation.
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The pathway includes three tiers:
Tier 1: Executive Function Foundations
Complete the full Seeds of Learning® Executive Function Cohort: Roots, Leaves, and Flowers, totaling 48.5 continuing education hours.Tier 2: Executive Function Applied Practice
Complete a 10-week advanced training experience that includes approximately 30 hours of applied practice, individualized mentorship, case analysis, intervention planning, and a competency-based case presentation.Tier 3: Executive Function Specialist Practicum & Mastery
Complete a 12-week advanced fellowship that includes 90 hours of practicum experience, mentorship, advanced case consultation, intervention implementation, and competency requirements. -
Yes. You must complete all three phases of the Seeds of Learning® Executive Function Cohort — Roots, Leaves, and Flowers — before applying for Tier 2.
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The pathway is designed to help you apply executive function knowledge to real professional decisions. You’ll learn to assess executive function in real-world contexts, analyze complex cases, identify patterns, prioritize intervention, develop and adjust supports, evaluate learner response, and clearly communicate your clinical or professional reasoning.
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Yes. Tier 3 includes 90 hours of applied practicum experience in which participants demonstrate increasingly independent use of executive function reasoning within professional practice.
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Yes. Participants earn graduate credit through Ashland University as part of the advanced specialization pathway: 2 graduate credits in Tier 2 and 6 graduate credits in Tier 3, for a total of 8 graduate credits.
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No. The SEFF-CE credential is awarded by Seeds of Learning®. Ashland University provides the graduate credit incorporated into Tiers 2 and 3 and awards Certificates of Achievement associated with those portions of the pathway.
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No. Participation or course attendance alone does not qualify someone for the SEFF-CE. Candidates must successfully complete the required applied work, mentorship, practicum, graduate-credit requirements, and competency-based evaluations.
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Credential holders may use the SEFF-CE designation after their name and receive a professional digital credential badge for approved use on résumés, professional biographies, websites, email signatures, and other professional materials.
Professionals who earn the credential are also eligible for inclusion in the Seeds of Learning® Executive Function Specialist Directory.
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No. The SEFF-CE is an advanced specialization that complements your existing professional qualifications. It does not replace a degree, professional license, certification, or board credential, and it does not expand your legal or professional scope of practice.
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Yes. Credential holders are expected to remain in good standing, maintain the qualifications required by their profession, follow Seeds of Learning® credential standards, and complete applicable renewal or continuing competency requirements.