1. Acceptable non-university courses must be taught, face-to-face, by the instructor who originally applied for approval by the Department. However, the BACB will continue to accept on-going in-person and on-line courses that are approved by the Department, provided that they are completed by August 31, 2003;
   
2. After March 31, 2004, all Department approved non-university courses must be taught in the State of Florida. Department approved non-university courses taught outside of Florida prior to March 31, 2004, will be accepted by the BACB provided that they had been taught at least once, or were ongoing, outside of Florida prior to November 1, 2002;
   
3. After March 31, 2004, all non-university courses approved by the Department will be accepted by the BACB only if the courses are taught by the Board Certified Behavior Analyst who originally applied for approval by the Department. Until March 31, 2004 courses may be accepted if they were approved by the Department, and the instructor is either a BCBA or a Florida-CBA;
   
4. After March 31, 2004, the Florida approved non-university courses acceptable by the BACB shall be limited to no more than sixty (60) contact hours of completed coursework within a thirty (30) day period. If more than sixty (60) hours of required coursework were completed within a thirty (30) day period and the coursework was Florida approved non-university coursework, then the BACB will only accept the first sixty (60) hours; and
   
5. After December 31, 2006, this exception will expire, and the BACB will accept only courses taught through an acceptable university or college.

11/5/2002 Letter to Florida Approved Instructors

Since its inception, the Behavior Analyst Certification Board’s policy has been to accept only college or university courses as meeting the coursework requirements for examination. There has been only one exception to this policy: classes approved by the Florida Department of Children and Families.

The BACB Board of Directors reviewed this policy and the exception at its May 2002 meeting to ensure that it was in the best interest of the BACB, its certificants, and the profession. The Directors wanted coursework to be of uniformly high quality and conveniently obtainable to all individuals who desired it. In addition, the Directors were concerned that all BACB certificants have the same standing and acceptance as that of other credentialed healthcare providers, the vast majority of whom must obtain their coursework from accredited colleges or universities. After lengthy deliberation, the Board of Directors decided to retain its policy of accepting only college or university courses, and to phase out its acceptance of Florida approved classes. The Directors finalized this plan in October.

The Directors were sensitive to making this transition in such a manner as to avoid undue disruption to either Florida students or instructors. They noted that a number of Florida universities had approved course sequences, that many other Florida universities offered courses that would be accepted by the BACB (although they did not have approved course sequences), and that a number of distance learning options were available to Floridians who were not proximate to Florida universities offering appropriate behavior analysis coursework. The Directors also noted that many Florida approved instructors might be able to work with local colleges or universities to offer coursework through those institutions. The exception phase out plan allows Florida approved instructors to honor current commitments to students and provides planning time for all involved parties as the process is implemented over time.

The exception phase out plan is attached and is posted on the BACB website. In brief, it includes the following (please refer to the attached document for complete information):

From now through August 31, 2003 instructors may continue providing instruction of Florida approved courses in much the same manner they are currently providing it. They may finish ongoing courses that have been begun or are advertised as long as all courses have been completed by August 31, 2003.

Any courses that are not ongoing and all courses taught after August 31, 2003 must be taught, face-to-face, by the instructor who originally applied for Florida approval. This means that only individuals who were approved by Florida may teach courses, and that the courses must be taught in-person by that individual. Neither courses taught by other individuals nor distance learning courses will be accepted by the BACB.

After March 31, 2004, Florida approved courses will be accepted by the BACB only if they are:

1. Taught in the State of Florida,
2. Taught by the Board Certified Behavior Analyst who originally applied for approval, and
3. Limited to no more than sixty contact hours of completed coursework within a thirty day period.

After December 31, 2006, this exception will expire, and all BACB acceptable courses must be taught through an appropriately accredited university or college program. Florida approved coursework completed before this date that adheres to the aforementioned BACB policy will have no expiration date.

The Behavior Analyst Certification Board believes that this plan represents a fair and equitable manner in which to phase out the exception for Florida approved classes. Please address any questions regarding this policy to the BACB.

Regards,

Gerald L. Shook, Ph.D., BCBA

Executive Director