Inside Behavior Analysis
Volume 2 | 2010 | Number 2
ABAI Education Board
By Charles Merbitz
The mission of the Education Board is to develop, improve, and disseminate best practices in the recruitment, training, and professional development of behavior analysis.
This year was extremely busy for the Education Board. Major activities again centered on issues of accreditation and licensure. Given the tremendous growth in clinical applications of behavior analysis, the need is acute to ensure that applied behavior analysis (ABA) training in colleges and universities is of the highest quality, so that consumers of our technologies receive the services that they deserve. The development of an accreditation system that supports quality training for service delivery on a large scale is a new and welcome goal for ABAI, and while we have made significant strides, this will be a continuing effort for decades to come. ABAI has significantly enhanced and systematized the requirements for accreditation and analyzed the extent to which currently accredited programs meet the new standards.
While these tasks were underway, the Graduate Accreditation Committee under Patrick Ghezzi continued to visit and assess colleges and universities and to provide reports and recommendations to Council. The Education Board also has continued the work on several other proposals that are critical to the development of the field. First, national accreditation for the ABAI process is being pursued by a separate task force under the direction of Libby Street. The Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) is a nonprofit organization of accrediting agencies, colleges, and universities; it serves as the national advocate for voluntary self-regulation through accreditation. Recognition by CHEA is a critical goal of ABAI, as it provides nationally recognized legitimacy to our accreditation system. Second, Michael Cameron of Simmons College has agreed to serve as Chair for Accreditation for Undergraduate Programs. Development of the undergraduate system is a huge and welcome step for the field.
ABAI Events
The Education Board participated in several events at the ABAI Annual Convention in San Antonio. The first was a meeting for the Directors of all accredited programs and members of the Council and the Education Board. This meeting provided an opportunity for educators responsible for ABA curricula to discuss the revised accreditation standards and other issues that will affect the training of competent professionals.
The second event was a panel discussion that included Linda Hayes from the Council of Accredited Programs, Libby Street from the Task Force on National Recognition, Pat Ghezzi from the Graduate Accreditation Committee, and Michael Cameron from the Undergraduate Accreditation Committee. Charles Merbitz chaired the event.
Graduate Accreditation Committee
The Graduate Accreditation Committee was very active in 2009–2010. Pat Ghezzi took over the Committee in 2009 and continued the efforts to encourage more programs to become accredited. Dr. Ghezzi recruited new members (approved by the Council in the fall) John Rapp, Claudia Dozier, and Manish Vaidya to join Jenn Austin and Libby Street. Reports and recommendations for two institutions were submitted last year, and another is in progress. At the May meeting the ABAI Council approved the recommendations of the Graduate Accreditation Committee and narrated the acceptance of two reaccredited and one accredited program. Training for site visitors is a major goal and will help with institutional accreditation for ABAI. Another major accomplishment was a report by Sarah Dunkel-Jackson comparing proposed requirements across accredited institutions.
Undergraduate Accreditation
In 2009, Michael Cameron was appointed Chair of a new Undergraduate Accreditation Committee, aptly assisted by Erick Dubuque. This year they made great progress in developing a system for undergraduate accreditation. As first steps, they accomplished the following, as quoted from Dr. Cameron's report:
- Reviewed ABAI's history of accreditation activity.
- Interviewed colleagues from ABAI accredited graduate programs.
- Interviewed stakeholders in the field of behavior analysis.
- Reviewed the standards of the Behavior Analyst Certification Board.
- Crafted a proposal for undergraduate program accreditation.
Dr. Cameron's report to the Council (April 29, 2010) indicated that ABAI's "new accreditation system includes two levels of accreditation for programs training undergraduates in behavior analysis. An entry-level bachelor's program requires 9 credit hours (135 classroom contact hours) of instruction in behavior analysis plus 6 additional credit hours of supervised practical training. The second level of accreditation recognizes more fully developed bachelor's programs and requires 16 credit hours (240 classroom contact hours) of instruction plus 6 additional credit hours of supervised practical training. The rationale for two levels of undergraduate program accreditation is to support the development of mature programs that, over time, can prepare students for graduate training."