Certification Maintenance Program for Providers of Professional Development

Welcome, Professional Development Providers

• What Does Certification Maintenance Mean for Your Organization or Company?
  
  
• Types of Eligible Activities
  
  
• Criteria for CM Activities
  
  
• Fee Structure and Registration (plus special 2007 offers)

• Register and Submit Your CM Activity
  
  
• Frequently Asked Questions about Certification Maintenance
  
  
• Appeal Process for Denied Activities
  
  

• CM Graphic Tool Kit

What CM Means for Your Organization or Company

Starting January 1, 2008, all professional planners who are members of APA's professional institute, the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP), will be required to engage in mandatory continuing education. AICP members must earn a total of 32 Certification Maintenance (CM) credits every two years to maintain their AICP credential.

Continuing education activities and events that will provide these credits must be approved by APA. All education providers, including APA and its chapters and divisions, must register with APA/AICP to become CM providers.

Whether you're hosting a conference, workshop, lecture, or web-based training (i.e. online course, webcast, podcast, etc.) this is your opportunity to reach more than 16,000 professional planners who are looking for professional development activities. Once you register to become a CM provider, we will market your activities to all our AICP members, both in our online directory of approved activities and in our online educational calendar. Don't miss out!

Types of Eligible Activities

We encourage AICP members to pursue educational activities of all types, both in person and online, as long as they meet the criteria below. These activities may include (but are not limited to):

• Conference sessions
• Online courses and CD-ROMs
• Webcasts and podcasts
• Workshops (including mobile workshops)
• Lectures
• Symposia
• Keynote speeches
• University courses
• Roundtable Discussions

To give you a better idea for what kinds of activities meet this criteria, here are some general guidelines:

Training that is appropriate for a planner with at least two years of experience would include content with the following qualities:

• Best practices
• Innovations in the planning field
• Current challenges
• Emerging trends
• Recent changes
• In-depth analyses
• New methodologies
• Professionally significant examples

Activities that are geared more towards professional development, rather than directly related to planning are also acceptable, as long as the content of the activity is applicable to current planners. 

Examples of training that may qualify include:

• Conflict resolution, with a focus on planning (e.g. How to Deal With an Angry Public)
• Advanced training in GIS
• Environmental law
• Management, with a focus on planning (e.g. Doing Your Job While Running Your Business)
• Project management, related to planning (e.g. Habits of Effective Planners)

Examples of training that would not qualify for CM include:

• General project management
• Advanced Excel training
• Contract law
• Time spent in business meetings of APA leadership, whether at the national, chapter, or division levels
• Time spent in volunteer activities, such as mentoring
• Teaching for a salary, fee, or honorarium

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Criteria for CM Activities

CM is designed to help planners find the education and training that meets their professional needs and helps them remain current in the practice of planning. To find out whether your organization or company offers the right kind of training, please take a moment to read the following:

Criteria for the Content of CM Activities

To be a registered CM provider, providers must demonstrate that their professional development activities meet the following criteria:

• The content of CM activities must be designed to meet a specific planning-related training objective.
  
  
• The content of CM activities must be designed to teach subject matter in appropriate depth and scope for the level of the typical AICP member (i.e. a planner in current practice with at least two years of professional experience).  Note: Activities that are intended for planning commissioners are not eligible.
  
  
• The content of CM activities must be unbiased and non-promotional in nature. An organization's services or products may be discussed prior to or after the completion of the CM credit portion of the activity.
  
  
• The content of CM activities must address demonstrated educational needs of AICP members.
  
  
• The content of CM activities must communicate a clearly identified educational purpose or objective.
  
  
• For ethics requirement: Providers must demonstrate that the content of the activity focuses on training planners on the standards of ethical behavior according to the AICP Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct. While general ethics courses, local ethics laws, and ethic codes from other professions may introduce relevant issues as well, the AICP Code focuses on a system of moral principles specific to professional planners.
  
  
• For law requirement: Providers must demonstrate that the content of the activity is related to planning law, such as environmental law, land use law, redevelopment law, administrative law, housing law, etc. Activities seeking law-credit CM approval must be closely related to recently enacted planning laws or recent case decisions or trends in existing planning laws or case decisions. Political movements, policy recommendations, and policy initiatives are not "current planning law." Recently-enacted planning laws, case decisions, or trends in existing planning laws or case decisions must clearly constitute a majority of the content of the activity.

Criteria for the Delivery of CM Activities

• CM activities must be led by one or more experts on the subject matter discussed during the activity. An expert is defined by APA as a professional who has made a contribution to the profession through practice, teaching, research, or publications; completed works that proclaim individuality and mastery of the principles of planning taught; and whose work demonstrates outstanding quality and professionalism.
  
  
• CM activities must use learning methodologies and formats that are appropriate to the activity's educational purpose or objectives.
  
  
• The delivery of CM activities must involve the use of materials that do not include any proprietary information. Materials used during the CM credit portion of the activity must be solely for educational purposes.
  
  
• The delivery of CM activities must be timed in a manner that is consistent with the time for which the activity was registered (i.e. an activity lasting 75 minutes = 1.25 CM credits, an activity lasting 90 minutes = 1.5 CM credits). Please note that you should register only the portion of your activity that meets the criteria above.
  
  
• An activity must be at least one hour in duration to be eligible for CM credit.
  
  
• The delivery of CM activities must include an announcement in which AICP members are notified that their attendance is required for the duration of the activity in order to receive CM credit.

Criteria for the Administration of CM Activities

• CM providers are required to use evaluation mechanisms to assess each activity's quality and relevance to its purpose or objectives. Click here for a sample.
  
  
• Each CM activity must include a mechanism of recording attendance for each AICP member, such as a registration list of attendees or a sign-in sheet. From time to time APA will audit provider records. Providers should maintain verification records for three years should the provider be audited. Click here for a sample sign-in sheet.
  
  
• Once an activity is registered for CM credit, only minor changes are allowed (e.g. time, speakers, etc.). If substantial changes in content are made, the activity must be re-registered as a new activity.
  
  
• The "point of contact" for the provider organization is responsible for the proper administration of registered CM activities as well as recording and maintaining the attendance records of AICP members.

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Fee Structure and Registration Procedures

Every provider must pay a $95 registration fee (non-refundable), which enables an organization to offer CM credits to AICP members for a period of one year. Two CM credits are included with the registration fee. Providers may purchase additional CM credits for their activities according to the "Calculating CM Credits and Costs" sections described below. 

How CM Credits Are Measured

CM credits are measured in contact hours, so that one hour of instructional time equals one hour of CM credit (1 contact hour = 1 CM credit, 1.5 contact hours = 1.5 CM credits). The minimum number of credits that may be obtained for CM is 1 credit. Non-instructional activities or breaks (i.e. eating or drinking at luncheons or receptions, coffee, lunch, or bathroom breaks, etc.) cannot be included toward the contact hour(s) and should be discounted from your CM credits (e.g. a 1.5 hour session with one 15 minute break = 1.25 CM credit). However, luncheons or receptions that are instruction-based and meet the CM criteria may be counted.

Calculating CM Credits and Costs for Your Activity

The types of activities you may provide for CM credit are Single Activity, Multi-Part Event, and Self-Study. Each type is described below with details on how to calculate the provider's costs. Please remember that 2 CM credits are included in your registration fee.

Single Activity
A single activity is a self-contained, face-to-face event, such as a workshop, lecture, or symposium, at which participants cannot choose among multiple activities. All participants at a single event attend the same activities and earn the same number of credits.

Calculating costs: Single events are assessed at a $50 per credit fee. Click here for a helpful tool to calculate your CM costs.

Multi-Part Event
This is defined as a face-to-face event with multiple activities, such as a conference with several sessions or multiple registration options. Participants at a multi-part event choose between a variety of activities, and individual participants may earn different numbers of credits. Note: If you choose this type, you will be asked to enter information for each of the individual activities available at the event that you would like to offer for CM credit. The event will appear once on APA's online calendar of events; the individual activities will appear on the event's detail page.

Calculating Costs: Multi-Part events are assessed a $50 per credit fee for each individual activity rather than for the event as a whole. Please note that you are not required to register all sessions, just those for which you want to receive CM credit. Click here for a helpful tool to calculate your CM costs.

Self-Study
Self-study is defined as a computer-based training or activity that participants complete on their own, such as a CD-ROM training package, online course, or web-based workshop (i.e. webcast, telecast, podcast, etc.).

Calculating Costs: The $50 per-credit fee will be assessed on a quarterly basis (i.e., three-month periods). You must pay for the total number of quarters that your course or activity is registered for CM credit. The quarters are as follows:

Quarter #1: January 1 – March 31
Quarter #2: April 1 – June 30
Quarter #3: July 1 – September 30
Quarter #4: October 1 – December 31

For example:

• If your product is registered from January 1 until May 1, you will be charged a per credit fee for 2 quarters.
• If your product is registered for an entire year, you will be charged a per credit fee for all 4 quarters.   
• If your product is available on a specific date and time only (e.g., a webcast or telecast), then you will be charged a per credit fee for one quarter, which is treated the same as a single event described above.
• Click here for a helpful tool to calculate your CM costs.

Generally, credit hours for distance education activities such as online courses and CD-ROM training packages include the additional time it takes for participants to review supplemental information. For example, participants in a 90-minute audio conference may need an additional 60-90 minutes to review all the supplemental materials. In this case, 2.5–3.0 CM credit would be requested.

Register and Submit Your CM Activity

Click here for a downloadable template that you can use to gather information for your activity

Click here to register and submit activity information.
Please note that CM events in 2008 must be registered no more than 90 days after the event took place.

Appeals Process for Denied Activities

Providers may appeal the decision of APA or an APA component denying credit for any submitted activity using a two-level appeal process. The first level of appeal shall be directed to the Executive Director and CEO of APA or a designee. A provider is afforded one opportunity to submit additional materials supporting its appeal request. Additional materials supporting denial may also be submitted. APA staff may reverse the initial denial if the determination can be made that the additional supporting materials submitted by the provider: (1) clearly demonstrate how the activity meets CM criteria, and (2) clearly and accurately refute the initial denial. Otherwise, the appeal will proceed directly to the Executive Director and CEO of APA or a designee.

Any second-level appeal of the Executive Director's decision will be based entirely on the record submitted and will be based on a decision of a three-person panel of AICP members: one member shall be appointed by the Executive Director; one member shall be appointed by the provider; and one member shall be selected by the other two. The meeting will be held via teleconference with only the three panel members participating, and their decision shall be based on application of CM criteria and the written materials submitted to the Executive Director as part of the first level appeal. The panel's decision is final.

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CM Graphic Tool Kit

We have created this CM Graphic Tool Kit to assist you in marketing your educational activities.

Click here to download tool kit

Need a hi-res version of the logo? Request a copy from Alisa Moore.

Questions

Please direct questions regarding CM to:

American Planning Association
1776 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Suite 400
Washington, DC 20036
202-872-0611
AICPCM-providers@planning.org