Comparing Certification Eligibility Requirements

Dear Friends -

I have been reading on some blogs lately about the opinion of some that the PMA certification exam tests candidates at the 'lowest level'. There was no explanation of what the scale of measurement was. 'Low' compared to what? What would constitute a 'high' level in their opinion? They didn't say, and therefore it's not possible for the casual reader to know if their view holds water or not.

In order to look at the facts, I did a comparison of the eligibility requirements to sit for a variety of personal trainer certifications and the PMA Pilates Certification Exam. I think the comparison is very interesting. 

The fact is that the skill and knowledge set for a personal trainer is very different from that of a Pilates teacher, and the eligibility requirements are radically different.

Have a look:  Certification Eligibility Comparison

Some Definitions: Professional Certification, Licensure & Credential

Dear Friends:

Here are some terms for clarification. Please note that there is a difference between professional certification and licensure. One is voluntary and non-governmental (professional certification) and one is mandatory and governmental (licensure).

‘Professional Certification: A voluntary process by which a non-governmental entity grants recognition to an individual who has met certain predetermined qualifications or criteria specified by that entity.  There are 3 key elements to this definition: 1) Certification is voluntary. Individuals are not required by law to be certified in order to engage in a particular occupation or profession.  2) Certification programs are sponsored by a variety of non-governmental entities, such as for-profit corporations, professional and trade associations [the PMA in this case] and philanthropic organizations. They are not a form of government regulation.  3) Individuals receive certification only after the certifier has confirmed that they meet the standards set by the certification program. This means that the certification process must include some means of evaluating candidates for certification. Individuals cannot simply fill out a form, pay a fee, and become certified.’

‘Licensure: The mandatory process by which a governmental agency grants time-limited permission to an individual to engage in a given occupation after verifying that he/she has met predetermined and standardized criteria, and offers title protection for those who meet the criteria.’

Also:

‘Credentialing-

The umbrella term that includes the concepts of accreditation, licensure, registration, and professional certification. Credentialing can establish criteria for fairness, quality, competence,and/or safety for professional services provided by authorized individuals, for products, or for educational endeavors.’

These definitions come from NOCA's Basic Guide to Credentialing Terminology, 2006. (NOCA, the National Organization for Competency Assurance, has changed its name to ICA, the Institute for Credentialing Excellence).

This is good for us all to understand. I hope it's food for thought and discussion.

Filming the Teacher Training Summit in Vail

Dear Friends -

I’ve had a couple of inquiries about whether or not we could film and/or stream the Summit in Vail. We’ve had a discussion about this and here are our conclusions.

We don’t feel that this event lends itself to filming. This is going to be an 8 hour event (on Day 1) and a 4 hour event (Day 2) where material will be ‘work-shopped’. So, people would have to watch an 8 hour, and then a 4 hour, real time event where participants are discussing and possibly arguing, debating and working things out. It won’t be like at the last Summit where we can film a speaker making a speech. The content is too unwieldy. This is a group exploration. Also, the filming is a whole other area of expense. If we were going to do something meaningful film-wise, we would have to edit it for presentation after the fact, and we just don’t have the time and money to do that.  We’re also concerned, even if we did say stream the whole thing – about what meaning it would have to someone who had not engaged in filling out the survey, and didn’t have the raw data in their hands to refer to. There is a lot of background work that’s gone into this event regarding the participants, and what they’ve learned from their preparation in the survey process.

My thought is that we need to do an incredibly good final report. Also, just to say, the result of this weekend will not be a definitive answer to the question of ‘what is the template for the minimum components of a comprehensive teacher training program that leads to minimum competency’.  It will be a first stab at it. Once we create a final report – we will want to disseminate those provisional conclusions to many many more schools for further input, discussion and possibly ratification.

Thanks everyone! Please send me your comments and questions!

PMA response to The Pilates Studio® of Los Angeles Public Declaration

Hello Friends:

I am delighted to welcome you to our new blog where we can discuss and debate matters of interest to Pilates professionals.

This week I have received a few emails, messages through LinkedIn, and Facebook emails asking me to respond to the Public Declaration made by The Pilates Studio ® of Los Angeles, on the website www.pilatescertificationonline.com.

The statement that was made was predicated on a great deal of misinformation and misunderstanding, and I'm glad to have this opportunity to look at what was said, and interject factual information about the PMA and about professional certification.

I welcome your comments and questions. Let's examine all the issues together and untangle this.

Read the full response: PMA Response to PAPT Declaration