AICP - CM

AICP CERTIFICATION MAINTENANCE

The Utah Chapter has a deep commitment to all its member planners, with or without AICP certification, to provide a broad range of continuing education opportunities. This has meant developing a collaborative relationship with a great variety of educational providers who offer programs that can benefit our membership. We will continue to advise our membership of those programs in e-mail and website alerts. Although we would like to offer CM credit (see below) for all these programs, the requirements of the new CM program will simply not make that possible. Regardless, we urge each of our members to develop a personal continuing professional development program which meets their individual professional development needs, whether or not these programs are available for credit.

Certification Maintenance

On April 13, 2007, the AICP Commission voted to approve a mandatory Certification Maintenance Program for AICP certified planners. This program replaces the optional Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Program. The CM Program is effective commencing January 1, 2008. A “preview” period, extending from April 14, 2007 through December 31, 2007, allows certified planners to claim credit from approved programs held during that period, and apply those credits to the first CM round.

CM Program Requirements

Under the CM Program, certified planners must earn a total of 32 credits of “eligible professional development activities” every two years, commencing January 1, 2008.

No minimum numbers of credits must be earned annually.

A total of 16 CM credits may be carried over to the next reporting cycle, excluding credits earned for both current planning and ethics requirements.

Planners have a 4-month grace period to achieve CM credit requirements

Any planner who fails to achieve CM requirements within a 4-year period will loose certification, and will need to seek recertification to retain AICP credentials.

How to Achieve CM Credit Requirements

Planners may earn the required 32 credits from APA, APA-sponsored, PAB graduate degree courses or registered providers.

• Voluntary, unpaid planning instruction may qualify, but the amount of credits equals the length of the presentation plus one hour of preparation
• Credits that satisfy the educational needs of another professional organization can be counted towards CM requirements
• Of the 32 credits, 1 ½ credits must be on the topic of ethics
• Of the 32 credits, 1 ½ credits must be on the topic of current planning law

Activities That Do NOT Count for CM Credit

• APA business meetings and other activities
• Mentoring;
• Volunteer services
• Teaching for a salary, fee, or honorarium

Exemptions and Waivers

• Retired members are exempt from CM requirements
• APA may grant special exemptions for:

• Parental leave
• Military service leave
• Health
• Care leave
• Foreign residency
• Other reasons on a case-by-case basis

Inactive members are not required to pay dues, but cannot use their credentials while inactive.

Most CM requirements may be waived during a period of unemployment, provided membership is paid (at reduced rate), and the AICP credential may be used if ¼ of credits are earned.

Hardship will be considered by APA in the case of planners that face extraordinary barriers to high-quality, accessible, affordable course offerings.

Planners residing outside the U.S. will not be required to take qualified CM courses, but must maintain certification through professional development.

Planners who earned a Continuing Professional Development Certificate that is valid through the end of December, 2009, is exempt from CM requirements through that period, and may roll over up to 16 credits earned during the preview period to the period commencing January 1, 2010.

Information for Educational Providers

Educational providers, including the Utah Chapter, APA, must register with APA, pay a fee of $95, and must give assurances that their activities:

• are designed to meet a specific planning-related training objective.
• are led by one or more experts on the subject. An expert is 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.
• are designed to teach subject matter appropriate in depth and scope and at a level beyond a planner with at least two years of professional planning experience.
• are non promotional in nature.
• address demonstrated educational needs.
• communicate a clearly identified educational purpose or objective.
• use learning methodologies and formats that are appropriate to the activity's educational purpose or objectives.
• use evaluation mechanisms to assess an activity's quality and relevance to its purpose or objectives.
• include a mechanism of recording attendance of each AICP member

For more detailed information, educational providers, or potential educational providers, are encouraged to see a provider fact sheet at http://www.planning.org/cm/activities/index.htm

For more information on the CM Program, generally, go to http://www.planning.org/cm/index.htm