Newsletter
Volume 29 | 2006 | Number 3
Trends in Behavior Analyst Certification
By Dr. Gerald Shook and Dr. Jim Johnston
Development of the BACB
The Behavior Analyst Certification Board® (BACB®) was formed in 1998 for the purpose of developing, promoting, and implementing a national and international certification program for behavior analyst practitioners. The BACB administered its first certification examinations in May of 2000.
The BACB credentials practitioners at two levels. Board Certified Behavior Analysts™ (BCBA®) must posses at least a Masters' degree, have 225 classroom hours of specific graduate coursework, meet experience requirements, and pass the BCBA examination. Board Certified Associate Behavior Analysts™ (BCABA®) must have at least a bachelor's degree, have 135 classroom hours of coursework, meet experience requirements, and pass the BC ABA examination. BACB certificants must accumulate continuing education credit to maintain their credentials. As of the end of 2006, the BACB projects it will have credentialed over 5,000 certificants.
During its first five years, the BACB reached a number of milestones, for example, BACB:
- Adopted the BACB Guidelines for Responsible Conduct for Behavior Analysts© specifically designed for behavior analyst practitioners;
- Instituted computer-based testing through the 200 U.S. and 150 non-U.S. secure testing sites of Pearson VUE;
- Implemented BACB Professional Disciplinary Standards and due process procedures for certificants;
- Raised the examination qualification requirements for both coursework and supervised experience;
- Conducted an international job analysis to determine current content for BACB examinations; and
- Implemented approval of university coursework to foster the development of behavior analysis training.
Future Trends
Continued Development of the BACB and its Credentials
The BACB will continue to maintain the highest standards and integrity in its certification process and credentials. It also is planning several new developments for the future. A new database will provide new services, such as on-line application; on-line renewal and recertification; on-line payment; and on-line continuing education tracking. New testing procedures such as video clip stimuli and active candidate responding will provide for a more "natural environment" for performance evaluation.
Development of Advanced Certificates
The BACB plans on developing advanced specialty certification in autism and possibly other areas. Although the outcome of this initiative cannot be fully predicted, the process is well established. The BACB intends to convene a panel of experts in autism and other developmental disabilities at the 2007 California ABA convention to consider some basic issues, such as the need for advanced certificates, course requirements, experience requirements, and continuing education requirements. Subsequent panels may be used to develop content areas and task standards. A job analysis survey will likely then be developed and conducted, the results from which would guide the development of knowledge, skills, and abilities statements and examination test items.
Continued Growth in the Number of Universities with Approved Training
BACB approval of university training has been a major factor in the preparation of applicants interested in becoming certified and the unprecedented growth in university behavior analysis training. The BACB initially approved course sequences that met BACB coursework requirements. Figure 1 shows the growth in approved course sequences to date. More recently, the BACB has expanded this program to include approval of supervised experience training. Those institutions earning approval of both course sequence and experience training components become approved programs. Note that the BACB approves university training; it does not accredit university programs. The contingencies associated with certification and the demand for certificants will drive the development of new approved training at universities. Many of the university faculty recently applying for coursework approval are young Ph.D.s who became BCBAs as part of their training. They often establish approval as a professional goal and use certification preparation as leverage to obtain university support for new courses and, upon occasion, additional faculty to teach those courses.
Figure 1. Cumulative number of course sequences per year.
Continued Growth in the Number of Certificants
The number of behavior analysts becoming certified by the BACB has increased steadily each year since the BACB's inception. Figure 2 shows the growth in the number of certificants through 2005. The continuing growth in the number of universities with BACB-approved coursework will result in more opportunities for behavior analysis training, more students who complete the training, and more who become certified. Furthermore, the increasing demand for BACB certificants will provide students with a pragmatic reason to choose behavior analysis training and certification. Because training occurs across a wide variety of academic departments (the majority of approved course sequences are in departments other than psychology, our historical home) behavior analysis will not be tied exclusively to another profession. Students will view behavior analyst certification as a viable professional credential and behavior analysis as a legitimate profession alternative.
Figure 2. Cumulative number of certificants per year.
Continued International Growth
Over the past few years, the BACB has seen considerable interest in certification from countries outside the United States. There has been growth in the number of non-U.S. approved course sequences (see Figure 3) and the number of non-U.S. certificants (see Figure 4). The BACB currently has certificants in 25 countries. There are universities with approved coursework in Europe (England, Ireland, Norway, Poland, Sweden, and Wales), New Zealand, Israel, and, most recently, Asia (Taiwan and South Korea). Frequently the BACB must work with these universities to mesh BACB requirements with the country’s educational system. As in the U.S., faculty are finding that certification and BACB coursework approval may often be used to leverage university support and resources. The growth of international training and certification bodes well for the field. Usually a profession’s credential differs in content between countries and are recognized only by the country in which they were developed. Unlike most professions, behavior analysis is based on science, which means that the content of the profession is consistent from one country to another (i.e., the principles of reinforcement are the same in Poland and Taiwan). This consistency of content allows for a universal world-wide credential that is easily "portable" between countries and allows for movement of certificants without the reciprocity problem usually found in other professions. The consistent content and universal credential recognition are huge advantages for certificants and the field.
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Figure 3. Cumulative number of non-U.S. approved course sequences per year. |
Figure 4. Cumulative number of non-U.S. certificants per year. |
Continued Growth in the Recognition and Value of BACB Certification and Behavior Analysis as a Profession
Although a number of states recognize BACB certifications in one manner or another, there is considerable evidence that many more will do so in the near future. In addition, many countries outside the U.S. view an international credential positively and are receptive to BACB certificants as professionals. The BACB will continue to work with behavior analytic organizations in states, provinces, and countries to foster the recognition of credentials and defend certificants' right to practice. The BACB currently is supporting the work of a number of local organizations to that end. In addition, the BACB is working with ABA’s Professional Affairs Committee on a number of projects to increase certification recognition and funding. As the recognition and funding of certification increases, the value of the certificate will grow as well. Increasingly, behavior analytic organizations at all levels will need to engage in the public relations and political activities necessary, and devote the resources required, to promote the profession of behavior analysis.