RECENT UPDATES

Due to social distancing requirements during the COVID-19 pandemic, the BACB will allow temporary deviations for certain "with a client" requirements. As of March 1, the "observation with a client" sub-requirement that applies to Experience and Fieldwork will be temporarily waived for those without access to clients. In addition, all RBT competency assessments received as of April 28, 2020 will allow "with a client" tasks to be fulfilled via "role play." For more information about how to qualify for these temporary exemptions, visit our COVID-19 Updates page and continue to monitor BACB correspondence.

The BACB has compiled 2019 pass rates for first-time BCBA and BCaBA examination candidates in university training programs with ABAI Verified Course Sequences. The data are sorted alphabetically by university, by the percentage of passing candidates, and new for 2020: by the volume of candidates from a given program.

The latest version of the RBT Handbook is now available. All updates—made in April 2020—are outlined in the Version History and Updates section. RBTs should refer to this most current version of the handbook to obtain or maintain their certification.

Effective April 15, 2020, live, online proctored testing is available for all RBT candidates via Pearson VUE’s online delivery system, OnVUE. This option, which the BACB is offering to RBTs on a trial basis, is available while Pearson VUE’s in-person testing facilities are closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to raise a lot of fears—and questions—for many people around the world, and our RBTs are no exception. We encourage all RBTs to take a moment to review the general guidance we’ve developed to help you navigate this challenging and unprecedented time.

The BACB will temporarily offer live, online proctored testing for its RBT candidates through Pearson VUE’s online delivery system, OnVUE. This option will be available for RBT candidates while Pearson VUE’s in-person testing facilities are closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The BACB is currently working with Pearson VUE to implement online proctored testing and will announce the date it is available in the near future. Visit our COVID-19 Updates page and listen to our latest episode of the Inside the BACB podcast for more information.

To help provide some financial relief for our certificants during this unprecedented time, we will waive all fees for those applying for voluntary inactive status through June 30, 2020. Certificants must submit the Voluntary Inactive Status Application that pertains to their certification level and meet all relevant requirements. Visit our COVID-19 Updates page for more information.

The BACB has transferred the ASD Practice Guidelines (2nd ed.) to the nonprofit Council of Autism Service Providers (CASP). With a mission of cultivating, sharing, and advocating for provider best practices in autism services, CASP will now oversee and maintain the guidelines, which set forth ABA best practices for autism providers, and plans to publish the third edition next year. For more information about CASP, and to download a copy of the guidelines, visit casproviders.org/asd-guidelines. You can also listen to our podcast about the ASD Practice Guidelines transfer and read our blog.

We have developed general ethics guidance and a list of resources for ABA providers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Effective March 16, all Pearson VUE testing centers in the U.S. and Canada are closed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The BACB recognizes the hardship this will cause our applicants and consumers of ABA services. We offer guidance for candidates currently authorized to test or those who have submitted—or will submit—a certification application.