ALTA - Academic Language Therapy Association - Policies and Procedures for Continuing Education

ACADEMIC LANGUAGE THERAPY ASSOCIATION POLICIES AND
PROCEDURES FOR CONTINUING EDUCATION

Click Here for ALTA's Quick Reference to Policies and Procedures (Updated October 2007)

ARTICLE I.
Continuing Education in Academic Language Therapy Practice

Section 1. Continuing Education
Section 2. Statement of Purpose
Section 3. Definition of Continuing Education Units
Section 4. Requirements for Continuing Education Units
Section 5. Topic Areas for Continuing Education
Section 6. Sponsoring Agencies for Continuing Education
Section 7. Continuing Education Subcommittee

ARTICLE II.
Continuing Education Requirements for Academic Language Therapists

Section 1. Guidelines and requirements
Section 2. CEU Management System
Section 3. ALTA Audit Notification
Section 4. Late Renewal Penalty
Section 5. Dates
Section 6. CEU Fees
Section 7. Annual Membership Renewal
Section 8. Denial of Membership

ARTICLE III.
Sponsor Agency Guidelines for Groups and Individuals Offering Continuing Education Events for Academic Language Therapists

Section 1. Definition of sponsoring agency
Section 2. Sponsoring Regulations
Section 3. Applying for Sponsorship Recognition
Section 4. Fees
Section 5. Suggested topics for program development
Section 6. CEU credit for ALTA members/sponsoring agencies

ARTICLE IV.
Forms for Continuing Education

Section 1. Sponsoring Agency Professional Development Units
Section 2. Sponsoring Agency Event Notification
Section 3. Guidelines for Applying to Sponsor Professional Development
Section 4. Professional Development Units - Member Verification Form
Section 5. Record of Continuing Education Hours

ARTICLE V.
Appendix/Definitions

ARTICLE I.

CONTINUING EDUCATION IN ACADEMIC LANGUAGE THERAPY PRACTICE

Section 1. Continuing Education

The Academic Language Therapy Association, beginning in 1999, requires continuing education as an ongoing part of professional certification and ALTA membership. Continuing Education is defined as a learning experience or educational program concerning the practice of academic language therapy.

Section 2. Statement of Purpose

The purpose of Continuing Education is to encourage and promote the most current, competent methods and standards of practice in academic language therapy.

Section 3. Definition of Continuing Education Units

a. A Continuing Education Unit (CEU) is the basic unit of measurement used to document individual continuing education activities for maintaining certification with ALTA.

b. One CEU is defined as ten (10) contact hours of participation in an approved continuing education experience.

Section 4. Requirements for Continuing Education Units

The continuing professional development requirement:

a. Shall consist of 20 contact hours, the equivalent of two (2) Continuing Education Units (CEU) every two years in one or more of five continuing education topic areas;

b. Must be approved by the Continuing Education Subcommittee of the Academic Language Therapy Association;

c. If selected for audit, documented with

1. the Continuing Education Units verification form and

2. a signed Sponsoring Agency letter, form, transcript, or certificate;

d. Must be of such a nature that requirements may be met without necessitating extended absence from professional practice.

Section 5. Topic Areas for Continuing Education

Continuing Education experiences must be in the following topic areas:

a. Basic language and/or learning disorders

b. Applied multisensory practice and methodology

c. Curricula in academic language therapy

d. related research in medicine, psychology, education, linguistics

e. Professional practice, related laws, and/or ethics of practice

Section 6. Sponsoring Agencies for Continuing Education

Sponsors for Continuing Education events for academic language therapist may include the following as approved by the Continuing Education Subcommittee:

a. The Academic Language Therapy Association (ALTA)

b. ALTA affiliated therapist training programs

c. Organizations concerned with dyslexia and related learning disabilities

d. Universities and colleges

e. Individuals qualified to present appropriate programs

Section 7. Continuing Education Subcommittee

a. Continuing Education Subcommittee members will be appointed by the ALTA president to represent the membership

b. A minimum of one committee member will be appointed from the Centers Council.

c. A minimum of three committee members will be appointed from the current ALTA board for a two-year term with a minimum of one term alternating such that one seat will be up for appointment each year.

d. The purpose of the Continuing Education Subcommittee is to review and approve or disapprove applications from sponsoring agencies of continuing education events.

ARTICLE II.

CONTINUING EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS FOR ACADEMIC LANGUAGE THERAPISTS

Section 1 Guidelines and Requirements

Twenty (20) contact hours or two Continuing Education Units (CEU) obtained within a two-year period are required. The beginning renewal date for the CEU requirement is 2001.

a. Contact hours must be obtained through an ALTA approved sponsoring agency. ALTA will notify members quarterly of the names and schedules of approved events and sponsors through the ALTA Newsletter and/or ALTA web site.

b. The Continuing Education requirement begins with the THIRD membership renewal after active membership status is achieved. Because of the registration exam, new active members are not required to take continuing education during their first year of membership. The two-year period of CEU begins with the second year of active membership.

c. Continuing Education Units or contact hours exceeding the minimum requirements in a previous renewal period shall first be applied to the continuing education requirements for the current renewal period. A maxim of 20 extra contact units (2 CEU's) may be accrued during a license period. These may be applied during the next two (2) consecutive renewal periods (i.e. four years).

Section 2. CEU MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

a. The Continuing Education Subcommittee will be comprised of three current ALTA board members and one current regional representative as appointed by the ALTA president.

b. The Continuing Education Subcommittee will randomly select a maximum of 2% of the membership for audit of CEU's each year.

c. Individual ALTA members will be responsible for maintaining documentation of CEU's including course title, name of approved sponsor, date(s) hours were earned, number of hours earned, used, and dropped.

d. ALTA members will maintain documentation for a minimum of three years.

Section 3. ALTA AUDIT NOTIFICATION

a. If a member is selected for audit, evidence of the completion of Continuing Education Units shall be submitted in writing to the Continuing Education Subcommittee along with the standard membership renewal form and membership renewal dues at the time of renewal. Two documents are required for verification:

1. The Continuing Education Units verification form

2. The Sponsoring Agency form (a letter, form, transcript, or certificate)

b. The Continuing Education Subcommittee will accept a letter, form, certificate, or transcript bearing the number of contact hours or college credits/units as well as a valid signature or verification as authorized by the continuing education experience. Unauthorized signatures or verification will not be accepted.

c. Members selected for audit will be notified 45 days prior to the membership renewal date.

d. Members NOT selected for audit will complete a renewal form including a statement that CEU's have been earned during the last renewal period. This form will be accompanied by appropriate membership renewal dues. Proof of CEU's will not be submitted to the committee unless the member has been selected for audit.

e. Members must be notified of future changes in continuing education requirements at least one year prior to the effective date. Publishing the changes in the ALTA newsletter or on the ALTA web site constitutes notification.

Section 4. LATE RENEWAL PENALTY

a. Members selected for audit who have not submitted the required documentation within the 90-day grace period will be subject to penalties and/or disciplinary action as per the ALTA Grievance Procedures.

b. Members selected for audit must submit dues and CEU's documentation postmarked prior to the expiration of the 90-day grace period. After this period, a $50.00 late renewal will be assessed.

Section 5. DATES

Completion dates for Continuing Education Hours will be in alternating years (2001 for all ALTA members who held Active status prior to 1999) and on the same date as the standard membership renewal.

Section 6. CEU FEES

Payment of fees related to CEU approval has been deferred until further notice.

Institutions and individuals who wish to apply to ALTA to sponsor courses for purposes of continuing education of ALTA members may now do so at no cost. Fill out the Sponsoring Agency Event Approval application and return it to us. You will be notified when the CEU committee approves your course or event. Approved courses and events will be included on the ALTA Continuing Education calendar and in other publications to ALTA members.

Since the Sponsoring Agency Fee has been deferred, the $8.00 fee paid by ALTA members to Sponsoring Agencies has also been deferred. Members, of course, will still pay the tuition required by the sponsoring agency, and will still require a certificate of completion or some other documentation for their CEU documentation.

Section 7. ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL

The annual membership renewal form will include the following information:

a. Member's identification number

b. Statement indicating that the member has earned the minimum number of hours for the past renewal period.

Section 8. DENIAL OF MEMBERSHIP

Membership in ALTA will be denied if the applicant:

a. has defaulted on guaranteed student loans as per Education Code, Section 57.491

b. is in arrears of child support as per Family Code, Chapter 232

ARTICLE III.

SPONSOR AGENCY GUIDELINES FOR GROUPS AND INDIVIDUALS OFFERING CONTINUING EDUCATION EVENTS FOR ACADEMIC LANGUAGE THERAPISTS

Section 1. DEFINITION OF SPONSORING AGENCY

A sponsoring agency shall be defined as an approved group or, in some cases, individuals who offers continuing education programs (events) in the form of lectures, courses, seminars, workshops, or symposia for the continuing education and benefit of Certified Academic Language Therapists. Sponsoring agencies must apply for and receive approval from the continuing education committee.

Section 2. SPONSORING REGULATIONS

Sponsoring agencies as well as the specific event presenters being sponsored must adhere to strict guidelines of the Academic Language Therapy Association. The material presented should be consistent with and encourage professional practice standards as set forth in the Academic Language Therapist Code of Ethics. Failure to do so will result in sponsorship revocation.

Section 3. APPLYING FOR SPONSORSHIP RECOGNITION

Application for each sponsored event should be sent to the Executive Office care of the Continuing Education Subcommittee of ALTA well in advance of the event. Sponsors may not advertise approval for CEU credit until such approval has been granted in writing. Sponsors may, however, use the statement "Academic Language Therapy Association (ALTA) Continuing Education Units (CEU) credit has been applied for" on event brochures and advertisements.

Section 4. FEES

Section 5. SUGGESTED TOPICS FOR PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT

The following topics are suggested as appropriate continuing education areas in the field of academic language therapy: (Others may apply as well.)

a. Multisensory therapy strategies and procedures

b. Structured language approach to therapy practice

c. History of language and writing

d. Child language and cognitive development

e. Assessment and Diagnostics

f. Neurological basis of dyslexia and related learning disorders

g. Content topics:

1. Reading: phonemic awareness, decoding, comprehension, etc.

2. Writing: spelling, mechanics, grammar, handwriting, etc.

3. Professional practice

4. Specialized practice: preschool, adult, college, accelerated

5. Practice development

6. Standards of practice and ethics

h. Concomitant problems:

1. ADD,ADHD

2. Motor Skills

3. Social Problems

4. Math

5. Study Skills

6. Spoken English

7. Psychological

i. Distinctive Curricula

1. Alphabetic Phonics

2. Multisensory Teaching Approach

3. Slingerland

4. Lindamood-Bell

5. Other programs meeting the criteria

j. Research Findings

1. Medical

2. Applied Practice

3. Technology

4. Others as deemed appropriate by the Continuing Education Committee

Section 6. CEU CREDIT FOR ALTA MEMBERS/SPONSORING AGENCIES

ALTA members presenting at ALTA approved events will receive two (2) hours of credit for each hour of the presentation. If presenting in an event that is not ALTA approved, the presenter must apply to the Continuing Education Subcommittee for CEU approval. Credit is limited to one presentation of the same topic; therefore, multiple presentations will not earn additional CEU credit.

ARTICLE IV.

FORMS FOR CONTINUING EDUCATION

The following forms are to be used by active members of the Academic Language Therapy Association and appropriate agencies that want to sponsor continuing education events. These forms may be photocopied.

1. Sponsoring Agency Professional Development Units
2. Sponsoring Agency Event Notification
3. Guidelines for Applying to Sponsor Profession Development
4. Professional Development Units - Member Verification Form
5. Record of Continuing Education Hours

ARTICLE V.

APPENDIX/DEFINITIONS

Approval: Specifically the granting of approval for continuing education sponsorship to an agency such as an organization, a program, an institution of learning, or in some cases an individual by ALTA's Continuing Education Subcommittee after the agency has met specific conditions and applied for event approval.

Contact Hour: Sixty (60) minutes of direct instruction, lecture, seminar or practical teaching. Contact hours for each event should be stated on the verification form.

CEU: An abbreviation for Continuing Education Unit used to express the basic continuing education requirement. One CEU is equal to ten (10) contact hours.

Continuing Education: A planned experience such as lecture, seminar, workshop, symposia, or course designed to enhance and broaden the education for registered members of ALTA.

Continuing Education letter, form, transcript, or certificate: any formal piece of paper given to program participants to certify attendance. Sponsoring agencies determine the choice of paper--letter, standardized form, transcript, certificate, etc. All forms must be signed.

Continuing Education Subcommittee: The Division of ALTA charged with setting guidelines and standards for continuing education in the field of Academic Language Therapy. Through the recommendations and actions of the Continuing Education Subcommittee, ALTA requires on-going education and professional growth in the field, confers official recognition to and periodically reviews those individuals, centers, and institutions that provide programs of continuing education for certified academic language therapists. The Continuing Education Subcommittee is organized under the Standards Council and appointed by the current ALTA president.

Presenters(s): Individual or group of individuals qualified by education and /or special expertise to provide continuing education information.

Sponsor Agency: Any group or in some cases individual that meets ALTA guidelines for presenting continuing education programs to ALTA members for the purpose of registration renewal. Other than the Association, sponsoring agencies must submit an application for sponsorship for each event.

Topic Area: Topical areas of special interest and need for academic language therapists and their continuing education. Broad topic areas include but are not limited to:

1. basic language and/or learning disorders;

2. applied multisensory practice and methodology;

3. curricula in academic language therapy;

4. related research in medicine, psychology, education, linguistics; 5. professional practice, related laws and /or ethics of practice.