"BCaBA" "®" "" "" "" "" "BOARD CERTIFIED ASSISTANT BEHAVIOR ANALYST®" "HANDBOOK" " ABOUT THIS HANDBOOK" "" "This handbook describes the requirements for obtaining and maintaining BCaBA certification for anyone applying" "before January 1, 2022. Candidates applying on or after January 1, 2022, should also reference the BCaBA® 2022" "Eligibility Requirements for the eligibility and examination requirements in effect at that time. If you are unsure" "whether you are applying before or after 2022, review the eligibility and examination information in this handbook," "the BCaBA® 2022 Eligibility Requirements document, and the Guidance for Those Applying for BCaBA Certification" "during the 2022 Transition document." "" "The handbook contains clickable images that link directly to BACB documents. New versions of the BCaBA" "Handbook will be published quarterly as needed. Applicants completing requirements in a future year should make" "note of upcoming implementation dates for revised requirements. Please refer to the BACB Newsletters and the" "Upcoming Changes web page for the most updated information on our certification requirements." "" "The BACB does not discriminate against any individual because of race, ethnicity, gender, age, creed, disability," "religion, marital status, sexual orientation, or national origin. The BACB reserves the right to amend the procedures" "outlined in this handbook." "" "For a complete list of updates included in this version of the BCaBA Handbook, please see page 54." " TABLE OF CONTENTS" "" "Contents" "Overview................................................................................................................. 1" "About the Behavior Analyst Certification Board............................................................................................................. 1" "What Is a Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst?................................................................................................ 1" "Jurisdiction.................................................................................................................................................................................. 1" "Accreditation ............................................................................................................................................................................. 1" "Eligibility Requirements ......................................................................................... 5" "Experience Requirements.................................................................................................................................................... 9" "Applying for BCaBA Certification ........................................................................ 20" "Submit Your Application..................................................................................................................................................... 20" "Schedule Your Examination Appointment......................................................................................................................21" "Fees.......................................................................................................................................................................................... 22" "Examination.......................................................................................................... 23" "Scoring......................................................................................................................................................................................23" "Preparation..............................................................................................................................................................................23" "Examination Outline............................................................................................................................................................. 25" "Examination Accommodations......................................................................................................................................... 25" "Ethics Requirements and Testing ................................................................................................................................... 26" "General Rules for Taking the Examination................................................................................................................... 26" "What to Expect After Passing the Examination............................................................................................................30" "Certification Maintenance Requirements ............................................................ 32" "Continuing Education...........................................................................................................................................................32" "Ethics and Self-Reporting ..................................................................................................................................................34" "Ongoing Supervision............................................................................................................................................................35" "Recertification ........................................................................................................................................................................39" "Inactive Policy.........................................................................................................................................................................40" "Assessing, Training, and Supervising RBTs......................................................... 42" "Assessing, Training, and Supervising RBTs...................................................................................................................43" "Other Relevant Policies........................................................................................ 45" "Administrative Appeals........................................................................................................................................................45" "Acceptable Signatures Policy............................................................................................................................................45" "Documentation Policy..........................................................................................................................................................45" "Submission of False, Forged, or Untrue Information to the BACB........................................................................46" "Documents and Resources.................................................................................. 47" "Eligibility and Applying for Certification.......................................................................................................................... 47" "Coursework.............................................................................................................................................................................47" "Experience...............................................................................................................................................................................47" "Examination.............................................................................................................................................................................47" "Ongoing Supervision............................................................................................................................................................47" "Continuing Education........................................................................................................................................................... 47" "Ethics and Self-Reporting.................................................................................................................................................... 47" "Voluntary Inactive Status.....................................................................................................................................................47" "Supervising, Training, and Assessing RBTs...................................................................................................................48" "Administrative Appeals........................................................................................................................................................48" "Requirements for Those Applying in 2022 or Later..................................................................................................48" "" "" "Updated 09/2021, Copyright© 2021, BACB® | All rights reserved. Behavior Analyst Certification Board | Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst® Handbook | iii" " TABLE OF CONTENTS" "" "Glossary............................................................................................................... 49" "Appendix.............................................................................................................. 52" "Application Processing Agreement................................................................................................................................ 52" "Version History and Updates................................................................................ 54" "Version 2/18/2021 Updates................................................................................................................................................54" "Version 5/7/2021 Updates..................................................................................................................................................54" "Version 9/16/2021 Updates................................................................................................................................................54" "" "" "" "" "Updated 09/2021, Copyright© 2021, BACB® | All rights reserved. Behavior Analyst Certification Board | Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst® Handbook | iv" " Overview" "" "Overview" "About the Behavior Analyst Certification Board" "The Behavior Analyst Certification Board, Inc.® (BACB®) has been the leader in behavior analyst certification for over" "two decades. The BACB is a nonprofit corporation that was established in 1998 to meet professional certification" "needs identified by behavior analysts, governments, and consumers of behavior-analytic services. The BACB’s" "mission is to protect consumers of behavior-analytic services by systematically establishing, promoting, and" "disseminating professional standards of practice." "" "In the profession of applied behavior analysis, the BACB’s primary role is to operate certification programs, which" "involves responsibilities similar to regulatory boards. In this role, the BACB establishes practice standards, administers" "examinations, and provides ethics requirements and a disciplinary system for each of its certification programs. To" "learn more about our role and limitations, read our blog post, The BACB: What it is, What it Does, and Why, and listen" "to Episode 11 of our podcast, Inside the BACB." "" "What Is a Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst?" "The Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst (BCaBA) is an undergraduate-level certification in behavior analysis." "Professionals certified at the BCaBA level provide behavior-analytic services under the supervision of a Board" "Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA)." "" "Professionals certified at the BCaBA level may not provide behavior-analytic services without the supervision of a" "BCBA. BCaBAs may supervise the work of Registered Behavior Technicians (RBTs)." "" "Jurisdiction" "The BACB currently accepts certification applications from individuals regardless of their country of residence." "Effective January 1, 2023, only individuals who reside in the US, Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom* may" "apply for BACB certification." "" "Accreditation" "The BCBA®, BCaBA®, and RBT® certification programs are accredited by the National Commission" "for Certifying Agencies (NCCA), the accreditation body of the Institute for Credentialing Excellence" "(ICE). NCCA’s Standards for the Accreditation of Certification Programs were the first standards" "developed for professional certification programs to help ensure the health, welfare, and safety of" "the public. NCCA standards articulate the essential elements of a high-quality certification program." "Consistent with these standards, the BACB’s certification requirements, examination content, and" "procedures undergo regular review by subject matter experts in the discipline. To learn more about" "accreditation, see ICE’s video, Value of Accreditation: Why it Matters." "* Individuals who reside in the UK may continue to apply for BACB certification through 2025. This date may be moved earlier" "if the UK Society for Behaviour Analysis seeks national recognition for UK behavior analysts, develops its own credentialing" "system, and transitions current BACB certificants into the UK system." "" "" "" "" "Updated 09/2021, Copyright© 2021, BACB® | All rights reserved. Behavior Analyst Certification Board | Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst® Handbook | 1" " Overview" "" "Reasons for Becoming a BCaBA" "There are many benefits to obtaining BCaBA certification, including:" "• BCaBA certification is the leading assistant behavior analyst credential and is required by many funders" "and licensure boards. BCaBA certification is offered by the first certifying entity in behavior analysis, the" "BACB, which has been certifying behavior analysts for over 20 years." "• BCaBA certification shows that you have met certain requirements that are critical in providing behavior-" "analytic services under the supervision of a BCBA." "• BCaBA certification provides increased consumer protection since you must meet certain eligibility and" "maintenance requirements to obtain and maintain certification." "• BCaBA certification makes it easier for employers, funders, and consumers, among others, to verify that" "you have certain knowledge, skills, and abilities and are not under disciplinary sanctions." "" "You Want to Pursue Certification… Now What?*" "So, you are interested in pursuing BCaBA certification. What should you do now? Although the BACB cannot" "instruct you on how to meet our requirements, the content in this section is intended to provide some guidance" "that might be helpful as you start this journey." "" "A Few Tips Before Getting Started" "First, carefully review both the eligibility and maintenance requirements that are detailed in this handbook." "Second, determine when you might apply. Keep in mind that it may take a few years to meet all of the" "requirements, so you might not qualify to apply until after January 1, 2022. At that time, you must meet the" "eligibility and examination requirements described in the BCaBA 2022 Eligibility Requirements document. You" "should use the BCaBA 2022 Eligibility Requirements document—not this handbook—to ensure that you meet all" "of the requirements." "" "Third, you will want to create a BACB account using these tips:" "• Enter your full name exactly as it appears on your government-issued identification. If it does not match" "exactly, you will not be able to take the examination. Name changes require review by BACB staff, so a" "name change could delay your ability to take the examination." "• Use a personal email address and not a work or school email address. Important notifications and" "reminders are sent to this address, so if you switch employers or lose access to your school email" "address, you will not receive reminders, correspondence, or password resets." "• Set up the profile yourself and do not share your account information with anyone else, including your" "employer. This is your certification—no one else should be managing it for you." "• Update your information in your BACB account as soon as changes occur (e.g., name change," "address change)." "Creating a BACB account will give you a BACB account ID number, which you will need to add to documents as" "you work toward certification. Having a BACB account also means that you will receive important updates from" "the BACB." "* This is not a comprehensive resource for all activities you will need to or should complete as you prepare for certification." "" "" "" "" "Updated 09/2021, Copyright© 2021, BACB® | All rights reserved. Behavior Analyst Certification Board | Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst® Handbook | 2" " Overview" "" "Considerations When Exploring Training Options" "You only receive your initial training once. If possible, don’t pick your training out of convenience, expense," "or geography. We recommend thoroughly researching the trainings before committing to one. While we can’t" "provide guidance on where to receive your behavior-analytic coursework, here are some things to consider." "" "Ideally, you should obtain your education in behavior analysis from a behavior-analytic degree program. There are" "many benefits to this option. For instance, in most cases, you can meet all BCaBA eligibility requirements in one place" "while also having engaging, non-classroom interactions with behavior-analytic faculty and students that will greatly" "enhance your education and begin to develop your behavior-analytic social networks. Even if you don’t receive all of" "your supervised experience through the degree-granting program, your faculty will likely help you identify where you" "can accrue your hours in an immersive behavior-analytic environment. If completing your education in a behavior-" "analytic degree program is a possibility for you, here are a few things to consider as you research programs." "" "First, research the faculty members and determine whether the program’s interest(s) align with yours (see the" "ABA Subspecialty Resources on the About Behavior Analysis web page for some of the areas in which behavior" "analysis has been applied). Second, identify the program’s structure to determine how much time you will" "have with your faculty and fellow students. Third, confirm that the program has a pathway to meet the BACB’s" "coursework requirements." "" "You may obtain your behavior-analytic coursework through one of two sources: an Association for Behavior" "Analysis International (ABAI) accredited undergraduate program or a Verified Course Sequence." "• ABAI-Accredited Undergraduate Program: Behavior-analytic undergraduate programs that have been" "accredited by ABAI have met ABAI’s accreditation standards, which include standards for the curriculum," "faculty, and resources, among other areas. Accredited programs may be found on ABAI’s Accredited" "Programs web page. Note: If you apply after January 1, 2022, using an undergraduate degree from an" "ABAI-accredited program, both the coursework and degree eligibility requirements will be met." "• Verified Course Sequence: The other option for completing behavior-analytic coursework is through a" "Verified Course Sequence. A Verified Course Sequence is a set of courses that have been verified by" "ABAI as having met the BACB’s behavior-analytic coursework requirements. Although some Verified" "Course Sequences are embedded in an ABAI-accredited undergraduate program, many are not. Verified" "Course Sequence status merely indicates that the content-hour requirements for certain behavior-" "analytic courses have been reviewed. Verified Course Sequences may be located using ABAI’s Verified" "Course Sequence Directory." "Finally, when determining where to obtain your coursework, you might also want to consider:" "• Program Focus: Do you have any existing areas of interest? If so, does the program align with your" "professional goals? Is the program led by faculty with similar interests? Will the program help facilitate" "experience in areas that are meaningful to you?" "• Program Size: Find out the size of each cohort and determine if the size is a good fit for you as a learner." "This information can usually be found on the program’s website. Our university pass rate documents also" "give an idea of program size by looking at the number of candidates who took the examination from an" "institution each year (see the Sort by Volume section of the document)." "• Program Structure: Courses are usually taught on campus, online, or in a combination of online and" "on-campus experiences (again, this information should be available on the program’s website). Consider" "what structure is the best fit for you as a learner. You might want to consider what has worked for you in" "the past. Were you successful in online courses? Did you need or value in-person experiences? In what" "setting did you learn the most and feel the most engaged?" "• Number of Faculty: Determine how many part- and full-time faculty are on staff, especially in relation to" "the program size, to understand the student-to-faculty ratio." "• University Pass Rates: The BACB annually publishes examination pass rate data for universities with" "Verified Course Sequences. Passing the BCaBA examination is not the most important part of your" "training, but, at a minimum, your training should prepare you to pass the examination." "" "" "Updated 09/2021, Copyright© 2021, BACB® | All rights reserved. Behavior Analyst Certification Board | Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst® Handbook | 3" " Overview" "" "Once you have identified where you will get your behavior-analytic coursework, your faculty mentor/advisor," "program chair, and/or Verified Course Sequence Coordinator will be your resource to help you meet the BACB’s" "requirements along the way." "" "Considerations When Identifying Practical Experience Opportunities" "Hold on! Remember that qualifying behavior-analytic coursework needs to begin before experience, so make" "sure you get your coursework situation figured out beforehand. Once you have started your coursework," "determine where you want to accrue your structured experience hours and whether it will give you the applied" "experience that will prepare you to practice after you are certified. For instance, consider the population(s)" "and setting(s) where you want to ultimately provide behavior-analytic services. The BACB cannot provide this" "guidance, so you should reach out to your Verified Course Sequence Coordinator, advisor, or employer for" "guidance about where to accrue experience in your chosen area." "" "When identifying supervisor(s) to oversee your experience hours, ensure that they are qualified to be your" "supervisor (see the Experience Requirements section). In addition, you should focus on finding supervisors" "who have a successful track record of BACB supervision. You could do this in a number of ways, but here are a" "few ideas:" "• Check on their certification status in the Certificant Registry to ensure that they are qualified to supervise" "and to see if they have any disciplinary sanctions." "• Look at how long they have been certified. We recommend identifying supervisors who have been" "certified for at least a year, if not longer." "• Gather information from the supervisor and past supervisees about the supervisor’s style to make sure" "they are a good fit for you." "• Ask about their time and document-management systems. Caution: If you can’t produce all of the" "necessary documents to support your experience in the event of an audit, you might lose experience" "hours, so you will want a very organized supervisor!" "• Determine whether they are familiar with the BACB’s requirements." "• Consider whether they could customize the experience to your interests (while still meeting their ethical" "obligations as a BCBA to stay within their area of competence)." "Once you have identified experience site(s) and supervisor(s), complete the Pre-Experience Checklist before" "you get started with each experience site/supervisor. The BACB is not able to provide guidance beyond what" "is in our experience requirements, as each situation is unique (e.g., whether a specific activity will qualify toward" "your experience hours). Work together with your supervisor(s) to ensure that you are meeting the experience" "requirements while also meeting your professional goals." "" "A Few Final Tips" "Keep this handbook handy. We will update the handbook quarterly as needed, so always make sure that you are" "reviewing the most current handbook to see what has changed since the last version. It is also important that you" "become familiar with all applicable licensure requirements in your area." "" "Get involved and engaged with your behavior-analytic community! This might include joining or volunteering" "with your local, regional, or national professional associations and groups focused in your area(s) of interest." "You will likely learn a lot and have an opportunity to contribute to behavior analysis and its consumers." "Having professional support is helpful at every stage of your career, so create opportunities to identify trusted" "colleague(s), mentors, and/or groups now." "" "" "" "" "Updated 09/2021, Copyright© 2021, BACB® | All rights reserved. Behavior Analyst Certification Board | Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst® Handbook | 4" " Eligibility Requirements" "" "Eligibility Requirements" "For those applying before January 1, 2022, you must have an acceptable bachelor’s degree from a qualifying" "institution, have completed acceptable undergraduate coursework in behavior analysis, and have completed a" "defined supervised practical experience." "" "" "" "" "( DEGREE" "+ BEHAVIOR-ANALYTIC" "COURSEWORK" "+" "SUPERVISED" "EXPERIENCE" ") PASS" "EXAMINATION = CERTIFICATION" "" "" "" "Version 9/11/2019, Copyright © 2019, BACB® | All rights reserved." "" "" "" "" "Degree" "" "You must have a bachelor’s degree from a qualifying institution or an undergraduate degree" "from a qualifying institution outside of the US that would qualify someone for a graduate Does the BACB" "program in that country. For degrees earned outside of the US, the BACB requires applicants use primary source" "to complete a degree equivalency evaluation. verification of degrees" "and coursework?" "Demonstrate that you meet this requirement when you apply by submitting" "Yes! We rely on official" "an official transcript with a conferral date for your qualifying degree." "transcripts to verify" "that an applicant’s" "degree and coursework" "Not sure if your degree qualifies? meet our eligibility" "requirements." "If you are uncertain whether your degree meets our current or upcoming" "requirements, you can request a preliminary degree evaluation online" "before submitting a BCaBA Certification Application." "" "" "" "" "Updated 09/2021, Copyright© 2021, BACB® | All rights reserved. Behavior Analyst Certification Board | Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst® Handbook | 5" " Eligibility Requirements" "" "Behavior-Analytic Coursework" "" "You must complete behavior-analytic coursework that meets the following requirements: Applying on or after" "January 1, 2022" "• The coursework was undergraduate level (i.e., bachelor’s) and from the qualifying" "institution in which you were enrolled. Review the BCaBA 2022" "• You received academic credit for the coursework. Eligibility Requirements" "• The coursework reflects that you received a passing grade (“C” or higher in a graded to ensure that you meet" "course or “pass” in a pass/fail system) in each course. the eligibility requirements" "• The coursework covers all of the content areas and numbers of hours specified in that are in effect at that" "this table: time. If you are unsure of" "Fourth Edition Coursework Requirements when you will apply (i.e.," "Content Areas Content Hours* before or after January" "Ethical and Professional Conduct 15 hrs 1, 2022), the Guidance" "for Those Applying for" "Concepts and Principles of Behavior Analysis 45 hrs" "BCaBA Certification" "Measurement (including data analysis) 10 hrs during the 2022" "Experimental Design 5 hrs Transition document" "Identification of the Problem and Assessment 30 hrs might be helpful." "Fundamental Elements of Behavior Change and Specific" "45 hrs" "Behavior-Change Procedures" "Intervention and Behavior-Change Considerations 5 hrs" "Behavior-Change Systems 5 hrs" "Implementation, Management, and Supervision 5 hrs" "Discretionary Behavior-Analytic Content 15 hrs Curious about" "Total 180 hrs Verified Course" "Sequence examination" "* For the purpose of establishing instructional requirements that can be applied globally, 1 semester" "credit hour will represent 15 hours of classroom instruction, and 1 quarter credit hour will represent 10 hours ofpass rates?" "classroom" "instruction. This conversion is based on US Federal Rule." "The BACB publishes" "examination pass rates" "Demonstrate that you meet the coursework requirements when you for Verified Course" "apply by submitting official transcript(s) for all qualifying behavior-analytic Sequences annually" "courses that you will be using to meet the requirement. as a resource for" "prospective students." "There are two ways the BACB determines whether a course has qualifying content hours that" "may be applied toward the coursework requirements:" "1. Verified Coursework: ABAI works with institutions to identify and verify sequences" "of courses—known as Verified Course Sequences—that have been prescreened" "to meet BCaBA coursework requirements. The ABAI Verified Course Sequence" "Directory includes all Verified Course Sequences, Verified Course Sequence" "Coordinators and content hours, and dates on which the courses were verified." "2. Nonverified Coursework: If you completed behavior-analytic coursework that is not" "part of an ABAI Verified Course Sequence, that coursework is considered nonverified." "You must have your department chair sign a Nonverified Course Content Attestation" "that you will submit with your BCaBA Certification Application or your preliminary" "coursework evaluation." "" "" "" "Nonverified Course" "Content Attestation" "" "" "" "Updated 09/2021, Copyright© 2021, BACB® | All rights reserved. Behavior Analyst Certification Board | Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst® Handbook | 6" " Eligibility Requirements" "" "Have you taken some behavior-analytic coursework and need help determining what other" "courses you need?" "• If your coursework was in a Verified Course Sequence: Contact your Verified Course" "Sequence Coordinator to identify what hours you have completed and where you might" "be missing any content hours (i.e., what courses you still need to take). Make sure you" "look at the course number and name and the dates when the content hours were in" "place because when courses change, the hours might change." "• If your coursework was not in a Verified Course Sequence: Determine if the department" "chair will complete a Nonverified Course Content Attestation with the content hours that were" "covered. Then determine what hours you have completed and what hours you still need." "If you need to take any additional courses, you may want to review the ABAI Verified Course" "Sequence Directory and contact the relevant university about taking additional courses." "" "Not sure if you met all of the coursework requirements for applying?" "" "If you are uncertain whether you met all of the coursework requirements, you can request a" "preliminary coursework evaluation online before submitting a BCaBA Certification Application." "This will include a $100 fee that may be credited to your BCaBA Certification Application when" "you apply." "" "Supervised Experience" "" "You must complete a defined practical experience in applied behavior analysis. You may accrue your experience" "hours under one or more experience types: Supervised Independent Fieldwork, Practicum, and/or Intensive" "Practicum. The following table provides a general overview. You should thoroughly review the Experience" "Requirements section to ensure that you meet all of the detailed requirements." "" "Overview of Experience Requirements" "Supervised Independent" "Practicum Intensive Practicum" "Fieldwork" "Experience hours" "1,000 670 500" "required to qualify" "Supervisors must be one of the following:" "• an active BCBA without current disciplinary sanctions who meets an ongoing" "Supervisor qualifications supervision CEU requirement;" "(see the Experience" "Requirements section • a licensed or registered psychologist certified by the American Board of Professional" "for additional supervisor Psychology in Behavioral and Cognitive Psychology who was tested in applied" "requirements) behavior analysis; OR" "• an authorized Verified Course Sequence Instructor who is providing supervision in a" "Practicum or Intensive Practicum." "Supervision hours per" "5% of hours 7.5% of hours 10% of hours" "supervisory period" "Where this may Through a Verified Course Sequence that has Verified" "No restriction" "be provided Experience" "" "Demonstrate that you meet this requirement when you apply by submitting your signed Final" "Experience Verification Form(s) (F-EVF). Note: If your experience is audited, you may need to" "submit an audit log and other documents, such as your supervision contract, Monthly Experience" "Verification Forms (M-EVFs), and/or documentation system, to support the information entered in" "your audit log." "" "Updated 09/2021, Copyright© 2021, BACB® | All rights reserved. Behavior Analyst Certification Board | Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst® Handbook | 7" " Eligibility Requirements" "" "Qualification for Examination via Past Certification" "If your BCaBA certification expired within the last five years, you may be able to requalify as a BCaBA by sitting" "for and passing the BCaBA certification examination. Beginning January 1, 2023, qualification via past certification" "applications will only be accepted from individuals residing in countries in which the BACB accepts new" "certification applications." "" "To be eligible for this option, you must also meet the following continuing education requirements:" "• You obtained 10 continuing education units (CEUs) each year since the date your BCaBA certification expired" "(prorated to the month you submit a Qualify for Examination via Past Certification Application)." "• The CEUs you earned meet the BACB’s current CEU requirements." "Applying via Past Certification:" "" "If you want to apply for BCaBA certification via this option, you must complete and submit a Qualify for Examination" "via Past Certification Application. If your application is approved and you are authorized to sit for the BCaBA" "examination, you must pass the examination within a two-year authorization period (see the Examination section for" "more details)." "" "" "" "" "Updated 09/2021, Copyright© 2021, BACB® | All rights reserved. Behavior Analyst Certification Board | Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst® Handbook | 8" " Eligibility Requirements" "" "Experience Requirements" "Applicants must complete a defined practical supervised experience in applied behavior analysis. The following" "sections describe all of the requirements for supervised experience (hereafter referred to as “experience”)." "" "Experience Hour Requirements" "Total Experience Hours Required: Based on the type of experience hours accrued (see the A Comparison of" "Experience Types table), you will need to complete either 1,000 Supervised Independent Fieldwork Hours, 670" "Practicum hours, or 500 Intensive Practicum hours to meet the experience requirement." "" "Onset of Experience: Trainees may not start accumulating experience hours until they have:" "• secured a qualified supervisor (see Supervisor Qualifications) AND" "• started qualifying undergraduate-level behavior-analytic coursework (they may begin Not applying" "accruing hours after attending the first class meeting*). until 2022?" "* For experience to be counted, a passing grade of “C” or higher in a graded course or “pass” in a Track how you are" "pass/fail system must be earned in the qualifying behavior-analytic course." "meeting the minimum" "Accrual of Experience: No fewer than 20 hours but no more than 130 hours of experience requirements for both" "requirements may be accrued per month. Experience hours include independent hours the current experience" "(supervisor not present) and supervised hours (supervisor present). requirements and" "the 2022 fieldwork" "Duration of Experience: The time frame of the experience may not exceed five continuous requirements." "years (e.g., May 2015 to May 2020). Experience hours you" "earn now that do not" "Clients: Any person (or group of people) for whom behavior-analytic services are appropriate fulfill 2022 fieldwork" "may be a client. However, the trainee may not be related to the client, be the client’s primary requirements will not" "caregiver, or be related to the client’s primary caregiver. Trainees must work with, be observed be accepted as of" "by, and receive feedback from their supervisor with multiple clients during the experience. January 1, 2022." "Acceptable Activities: The trainee’s primary focus should be on acquiring the skills necessary" "to demonstrate competence in applied behavior analysis and the skills necessary to interact" "effectively with consumers, supervisors, families, and others. The supervisor will be responsible" "for determining whether activities qualify for accruing experience hours and are consistent with" "the requirements in this document." "" "Trainees are strongly encouraged to have multiple experiences (e.g., different settings," "populations) with multiple supervisors from each of these areas of activity:" "Now is the time to" "• conducting assessments related to the need for behavioral intervention (e.g., stimulus" "explore! Find out" "preference assessment, functional assessment, staff performance assessment) or for" "what areas of interest" "evaluating behavioral interventions;" "you might have and" "• designing, implementing, and systematically monitoring skill-acquisition and behavior-" "what populations and" "reduction programs;" "settings you enjoy" "• writing behavior plans, progress summaries, clinical notes, transition summaries, and" "working in. Get different" "professional correspondence;" "perspectives by working" "• overseeing the implementation of behavior-analytic programs by others;" "with different supervisors" "• training others, designing behavioral systems, and performance management;" "with various areas" "• communicating and collaborating effectively with caregivers and other" "of expertise." "professionals; AND" "• other activities normally performed by a behavior analyst that are directly related" "to behavior analysis, such as attending planning meetings regarding the behavior-" "analytic program and researching the literature that is relevant to a current" "client’s programming." "" "" "" "Updated 09/2021, Copyright© 2021, BACB® | All rights reserved. Behavior Analyst Certification Board | Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst® Handbook | 9" " Eligibility Requirements" "" "Before You Start Your Experience" "The BACB strongly encourages you (the trainee) to review the Experience Tip Sheet" "and complete and then share the Pre-Experience Checklist with your supervisor at" "each experience setting." "" "Before You Start Your Experience:" "• Create a BACB account." "• Set up the profile yourself and do not share your account information" "with anyone else, including your employer." "• Read and make sure that you understand the experience requirements" "outlined in this handbook. Pre-Experience" "• Start your qualifying coursework. Checklist" "• Locate an appropriate supervisor." "• Confirm that your supervisor is qualified to supervise using the" "Certificant Registry and the Supervisor Requirements section." "• Complete a supervision contract with your supervisor (the BACB provides a" "sample supervision contract that you can use as a comparison to make sure" "all of the relevant content is included)." "• Develop a system for storing experience-related documents." "• Create your own documentation system to capture information showing" "that you met the requirements." "• Avoid storing experience documents (e.g., M-EVFs, F-EVFs) where" "access could be limited (e.g., a work computer)." "• Plan your experience. Experience Tip Sheet" "• Remember that experience must be completed within a five-year period." "• Determine when you expect to submit a BCaBA Certification Application. If it is near or after January" "1, 2022, ensure that you are meeting the fieldwork requirements and all other eligibility requirements" "in effect at that time. You might also want to review the Guidance for Those Applying for BCaBA" "Certification during the 2022 Transition document if you are unsure whether you will apply before or" "after January 1, 2022." "During Your Experience:" "• Keep your personal contact information up to date in your BACB account. Make changes to contact" "information (legal name, email address, phone number, mailing address) in your BACB account" "when necessary." "• Remain current on changes to certification requirements by reading BACB Newsletters and reviewing the" "BACB website (including podcasts and blogs)." "• Ensure that you are continuing to meet the experience requirements." "• Complete and sign (you and your supervisor) your M-EVFs for each supervisory period." "• M-EVFs need to be signed within one month of the close of the supervisory period, but you and" "your supervisor are strongly encouraged to sign the M-EVF immediately at the close of each" "supervisory period." "• The forms may contain drop-down menus, so we recommend completing them electronically." "Submission of incomplete or unclear forms may delay the processing of your application." "• Ensure that your documentation system provides evidence that you are meeting the experience requirements." "Concluding Experience With a Supervisor or Organization:" "• Complete and sign the F-EVF(s) upon completion of experience with a given supervisor or organization." "• The total hours on your F-EVF(s) may not exceed the sum of the hours on your M-EVFs." "• Make sure that the names and BACB account ID numbers you provide on your EVFs are identical to" "how they appear in your BACB account." "• Retain experience documents for at least seven years." "" "Updated 09/2021, Copyright© 2021, BACB® | All rights reserved. Behavior Analyst Certification Board | Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst® Handbook | 10" " Eligibility Requirements" "" "Restricted Activities: There is a restriction on the overall amount of hours you may spend delivering therapeutic and" "instructional procedures during experience. This restriction is designed to ensure that trainees have sufficient time to" "acquire the other skills necessary for practice as a BCaBA. Restricted activities may comprise no more than 50% of" "the total experience hours—this requirement does not need to be met during each supervisory period. Please note" "that this restriction does not necessarily refer to all time spent working with clients." "" "Unrestricted Activities: Activities that are unrestricted are those that best exemplify the work of a behavior analyst" "who develops programs and systems for others to implement. Unrestricted activities must comprise at least 50% of" "the total experience hours—this requirement does not need to be met during each supervisory period. Examples of" "unrestricted activities include:" "• observation and data collection" "• training staff and caregivers on behavior-analytic programs or content" "• conducting assessments related to the need for behavioral intervention" "• meeting with clients about behavior-analytic programming and services" "• conducting behavior-analytic assessments (e.g., functional analyses, stimulus preference assessments)" "• data graphing and analysis" "• researching the literature relevant to a current client’s programming" "• writing and revising behavior-analytic programs" "" "Why are unrestricted activities so important?" "" "Following certification, most behavior analysts primarily perform unrestricted activities. It is" "important, therefore, to have experience with these activities before becoming certified." "" "Unacceptable Activities: Only behavior-analytic activities may be counted toward experience requirements." "Nonbehavior-analytic activities, while valuable, may not be counted. Examples of activities that will not count as" "experience include:" "• attending meetings with little or no behavior-analytic content" "• providing interventions that are not based in behavior analysis" "• performing nonbehavioral administrative activities" "• nonbehavior-analytic trainings related to service delivery (e.g., crisis management, CPR, billing systems)" "• completing nonbehavioral assessments (e.g., diagnostic assessments, intellectual assessments), paperwork," "documentation, billing, or any other activities that are not directly related to behavior analysis" "• attending professional conferences, workshops, or university courses" "• didactic-course assignments (e.g., completing homework assignments, readings)" "" "Can the BACB tell me if an activity counts toward my experience hours?" "" "Unfortunately not. Since every trainee’s goals are unique—and we cannot possibly know" "or anticipate all of the situational variables, populations, and settings in which they may be" "working—we cannot provide guidance beyond our certification requirements. We rely on qualified" "supervisors to determine how to develop practical experiences that meet our requirements and" "best support clients’ needs and trainees’ goals." "" "" "" "" "Updated 09/2021, Copyright© 2021, BACB® | All rights reserved. Behavior Analyst Certification Board | Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst® Handbook | 11" " Eligibility Requirements" "" "Supervisor Requirements" "Supervisor Qualifications: Supervisors must be one of the following:" "• an active BCBA without current disciplinary sanctions who meets an ongoing" "supervision CEU requirement; Check the Certificant" "• a licensed or registered psychologist certified by the American Board of Professional Registry to find actively" "Psychology in Behavioral and Cognitive Psychology who was tested in applied certified supervisors" "behavior analysis; OR who meet BACB" "• an authorized Verified Course Sequence Instructor who is providing supervision in a requirements. You may" "Practicum or Intensive Practicum. do this by choosing" "to show certificants" "Supervisor Training: Supervisors must complete an 8-hour supervision training before who are willing to" "providing any supervision to those accruing experience hours. supervise those" "pursuing BCBA and" "Supervisors are responsible for ensuring that they have completed the training (available in" "BCaBA certifications." "the Certificant Registry) and uploaded the certificate into their BACB account before signing a" "supervision contract. Trainees should confirm the date on which the supervisor completed the" "training before signing a supervision contract." "" "Supervisor/Trainee Relationship: The supervisor may not be related to, subordinate to, employed by, or in a" "multiple relationship with (e.g., personal or business relationship) the trainee during the experience/fieldwork period." "Employment does not include compensation paid to the supervisor by the trainee for supervision services." "" "Multiple Supervisors/Settings: Trainees are strongly encouraged to receive supervision from multiple supervisors" "and across various settings over the course of their experience hours. This may occur as several individual" "supervisors, multiple supervisors at one organization, or a combination of these supervision structures." "" "Individual Supervisor: An individual supervisor must ensure that all of their trainees’ experience requirements are" "being met during their supervision. In this situation:" "• the supervision contract should clearly outline the roles, responsibilities, and expectations for the trainee and" "supervisor (see the Supervision Contract section);" "• all supervision must be related to specific client programming;" "• the supervisor must have written permission to receive client information and must be well aware of the" "organization’s values, practices, and personnel; AND" "• the person signing the M-EVFs and F-EVF for Individual Supervisors must be able to agree to all of the" "relevant attestations, including that all experience requirements were met." "Multiple Supervisors at One Organization: An organization may coordinate and oversee multiple supervisors who" "provide experience to a trainee. For example, a service organization might have multiple supervisors providing" "supervision, or a university might coordinate all on- and off-campus activities under one system. The supervisors" "must work together to ensure that all of their trainees’ experience requirements are met (e.g., all of the hours" "provided by the supervisors are used to calculate the supervision percentage). One supervisor must ensure that the" "activity is well organized and coordinated. In this situation:" "• the supervision contract should clearly outline the roles, responsibilities, and expectations for the trainee and" "each supervisor (see the Supervision Contract section);" "• all supervision must be related to specific client programming;" "• the supervisor(s) must have written permission to receive client information and must be well aware of the" "organization’s values, practices, and personnel; AND" "• the person signing the M-EVFs and F-EVF for Multiple Supervisors at One Organization (i.e., the responsible" "supervisor) must be able to agree to all of the relevant attestations, including that all experience" "requirements were met." "" "" "" "" "Updated 09/2021, Copyright© 2021, BACB® | All rights reserved. Behavior Analyst Certification Board | Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst® Handbook | 12" " Eligibility Requirements" "" "Requirements for Supervision of Experience Hours" "Nature of Supervision: The purpose of supervision is to improve and maintain the behavior-analytic, professional," "and ethical repertoires of the trainee and facilitate the delivery of high-quality services to the trainee’s clients." "Effective behavior-analytic supervision includes:" "• monitoring the skills of the trainee throughout the supervised experience" "• developing and communicating performance expectations to the trainee" "• conducting behavioral-skills training for the trainee" "• observing the trainee’s performance with clients and delivering feedback" "• modeling technical, professional, and ethical behavior" "• guiding the development of behavioral case conceptualization and problem-solving and decision-" "making repertoires" "• reviewing the trainee’s written materials (e.g., behavior programs, data sheets, reports) and delivering related" "feedback about the products" "• overseeing and evaluating the effects of the trainee’s behavior-analytic service delivery" "• evaluating the effects of supervision throughout the supervised experience" "Structure of Supervision: Supervision contacts should ideally consist of individual (i.e., one-on-" "one) interactions between the supervisor and trainee; however, group supervision is permitted" "in certain circumstances." "• Group Supervision Restrictions: Groups are interactive meetings in which 2–10 trainees Planning to pursue" "who share similar experiences participate in the supervision activities described earlier BCBA certification?" "(see the Nature of Supervision section). The number of trainees in a group meeting may" "not exceed 10 at any time, regardless of the number of supervisors in the meeting. If If you have started" "nontrainees are present, their participation should be limited, and their presence must qualifying coursework" "not inhibit discussion or interfere with participation by trainees. The amount of group for BCBA certification" "supervision may not exceed the amount of individual supervision in a given supervisory and if all of your hours" "period. In other words, supervision may be conducted in groups for no more than half are accrued within a" "of the total supervised hours in each supervisory period. Unless the trainee is receiving 5-year time frame, your" "supervision at an organization with multiple supervisors, group supervision must be hours can count toward" "provided by the same supervisor who provides individual supervision. BCaBA and BCBA" "• Observation-With-Client Requirements: The trainee must be observed working with certification." "a client in the natural environment during each supervisory period by at least one" "supervisor. In-person, on-site observation is preferred. However, the observation may" "be conducted using asynchronous (e.g., recorded video) or synchronous (e.g., live" "video conference) formats." "Please refer to the A Comparison of Experience Types table for information about supervision contacts and" "observations with clients and how these differ across the experience types." "" "" "Can a supervision contact and an observation occur at the same time?" "" "If your supervisor observes you with a client and provides you with immediate, real-time" "feedback, it could meet both requirements. However, if your supervisor observes you with a client" "and doesn’t give you feedback on the interaction until the following day, the supervision contact" "and observation are considered to have occurred at different times." "" "Amount of Supervision: Based on the type of experience hours accrued, you will need to have 5% (Supervised" "Independent Fieldwork), 7.5% (Practicum), or 10% (Intensive Practicum) of your hours supervised by a qualified" "supervisor each supervisory period. The supervision percentage is calculated by dividing supervised hours by total" "experience hours (i.e., independent and supervised hours)." "" "" "" "" "Updated 09/2021, Copyright© 2021, BACB® | All rights reserved. Behavior Analyst Certification Board | Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst® Handbook | 13" " Eligibility Requirements" "" "Experience Types: There are three experience types: Supervised Independent Fieldwork, Practicum, and" "Intensive Practicum:" "• Supervised Independent Fieldwork: This experience type requires that trainees secure an appropriate" "experience placement and obtain the necessary supervision." "• Practicum: This experience type provides a pathway for individuals to complete their experience in fewer" "hours and with more supervision than Supervised Independent Fieldwork. This experience type is only" "available within a Verified Course Sequence with Verified Experience and requires enrollment in a practicum" "course with a passing grade. Consult with a Verified Course Sequence Coordinator to see if your Verified" "Course Sequence offers Verified Experience." "• Intensive Practicum: This experience type provides a pathway for individuals to complete their experience" "in fewer hours and with more supervision than Supervised Independent Fieldwork and Practicum. This" "experience type is only available within a Verified Course Sequence with Verified Experience and requires" "enrollment in a practicum course with a passing grade. Consult with a Verified Course Sequence Coordinator" "to see if your Verified Course Sequence offers Verified Experience." "The following table illustrates the requirements for each experience type." "" "A Comparison of Experience Types" "Supervised" "Practicum Intensive Practicum" "Independent Fieldwork" "Experience hours required to qualify 1,000 670 500" "Experience hours per supervisory period min of 20 hours–max of 130 hours" "Supervisory period 1 calendar month" "Number of contacts with supervisor per" "2 contacts 4 contacts 8 contacts" "supervisory period" "Observations with client per" "2 observations 4 observations 4 observations" "supervisory period" "Supervision per supervisory period 5% of hours 7.5% of hours 10% of hours" "Official documentation reflecting a passing" "grade (“C” or higher in a graded course or" "Course grade N/A" "“pass” in a pass/fail system) in all Verified" "Experience courses" "" "Combination of Experience Types and Settings: Trainees may accrue hours in a single category or may combine" "any of the types described earlier to meet the experience requirement, with experience hours for Practicum having" "1.5 times the temporal value of Supervised Independent Fieldwork, and experience hours for Intensive Practicum" "having 2 times the temporal value of Supervised Independent Fieldwork. Trainees must meet all other supervision" "requirements independently. For example, the required percentage of supervision, number of observations, and" "number of contacts must be met independently for each experience type. Trainees must also meet the requirements" "for each organized experience (i.e., for each M-EVF and F-EVF). For example, if a trainee is accruing some hours with" "an individual supervisor at one setting and also accruing hours at another organization where multiple supervisors" "are overseeing their hours, then the trainee must meet the requirements at both sites." "" "Partial Months: Some experience requirements (e.g., number of contacts) may need to be prorated in instances" "where a trainee does not work a full calendar month (e.g., four contacts were required, but only two weeks of" "experience were accrued within the month). The BACB does not provide formulas for prorating every instance where" "there may be a deviation in the calculation of the supervisory period. Instead, it is the responsibility of the supervisor" "to determine how best to prorate the experience. In the event of an audit, the BACB will require evidence of how the" "supervisor prorated the experience (and all associated requirements) to ensure the partial experience was compliant" "with these standards." "" "" "" "" "Updated 09/2021, Copyright© 2021, BACB® | All rights reserved. Behavior Analyst Certification Board | Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst® Handbook | 14" " Eligibility Requirements" "" "Documentation Requirements" "Supervision Contract: The trainee and supervisor must develop and sign a written contract" "at the outset of the supervisory relationship. The purpose of the contract is to protect all" "involved parties and align experience activities with the purpose of supervision. The contract Download our sample" "should include: supervision contract" "• the responsibilities of the supervisor and trainee, including the completion of the for guidance in creating" "8-hour supervision training by the supervisor and the adherence of both parties to the your own contract." "experience requirements" "• if there are multiple supervisors at one organization, outline each supervisor’s roles," "responsibilities, and expectations, including how the documentation and forms will" "be completed" "• a description of the appropriate activities and training objectives individualized to the trainee" "• the objective and measurable circumstances under which the supervisor will not sign the trainee’s M-EVFs" "and F-EVF" "• the consequences if the parties do not adhere to their responsibilities (including proper termination of" "the relationship)" "• a statement requiring the trainee to obtain written permission from the trainee’s on-site employer or manager" "when applicable" "• an attestation that both parties will adhere to the Professional and Ethical Compliance Code for Behavior" "Analysts (Code)" "• a statement declaring that the trainee and supervisor (a) will retain a copy of the contract and supervision" "documentation for at least seven years from the date of the final supervision meeting and (b) will provide all" "documentation to the BACB if requested" "Documenting Fieldwork: Because fieldwork varies across settings and practice areas, the BACB gives supervisors" "and trainees the flexibility to develop their own system for documenting ongoing supervision and fieldwork in a way" "that demonstrates adherence to all relevant requirements and the Code." "" "Documentation must include the following:" "" "Independent Hours Supervised Hours" "For each session, document: For each supervision contact, document:" "• date • date" "• start time • start time" "• end time • end time" "• fieldwork type • format (e.g., in person, online)" "• setting name • fieldwork type" "• supervisor name • supervision type: individual or group" "• activity category: restricted or • activity category: restricted or unrestricted" "unrestricted • whether the supervisor observed the trainee with clients" "• summary of supervision activity (e.g., discussion of activities" "completed during independent hours, feedback provided," "progress toward goals discussed)" "" "In addition to tracking data by session and supervision contact, the documentation system should be regularly" "reviewed to ensure that all relevant requirements are met each supervisory period and across all fieldwork hours:" "• Each Supervisory Period: The trainee and supervisor should have documentation that shows they are" "meeting the quantitative requirements (e.g., minimum number of supervisory meetings and contacts) and" "qualitative requirements (e.g., summary of what happened during the supervision meeting)." "• Across all Fieldwork Hours: The trainee should have documentation that shows they are accruing the" "minimum number of unrestricted hours and making progress toward completing the necessary requirements" "for obtaining certification." "" "Updated 09/2021, Copyright© 2021, BACB® | All rights reserved. Behavior Analyst Certification Board | Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst® Handbook | 15" " Eligibility Requirements" "" "Experience Forms: Supervisors and trainees are required to use two forms to document experience:" "• Monthly Experience Verification Form (M-EVF): must be provided to the BACB upon request" "• Final Experience Verification Form (F-EVF): must be submitted in the certification application" "Two versions of each form are available and should be selected based upon the supervisory structure (i.e., one" "individual supervisor, multiple supervisors at one organization). Non-BACB forms will not be accepted." "" "" "" "" "+" "" "" "" "" "Individual Supervisor Forms" "• Monthly Experience Verification Form: Individual Supervisor" "• Final Experience Verification Form: Individual Supervisor" "Organization Forms" "• Monthly Experience Verification Form: Multiple Supervisors at One Organization" "• Final Experience Verification Form: Multiple Supervisors at One Organization" "The M-EVF must be signed by the last day of the calendar month following the month of supervision, and we" "recommend that the F-EVF be signed at the end of a supervisory experience. Both parties must retain a copy of the" "completed experience forms for at least seven years." "" "" "" "" "Updated 09/2021, Copyright© 2021, BACB® | All rights reserved. Behavior Analyst Certification Board | Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst® Handbook | 16" " Eligibility Requirements" "" "Audits" "The BACB can audit trainees and supervisors at any time to determine compliance with BACB requirements. See the" "following figure for an overview of the experience audit process." "" "" "" "" "Updated 09/2021, Copyright© 2021, BACB® | All rights reserved. Behavior Analyst Certification Board | Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst® Handbook | 17" " Eligibility Requirements" "" "Disputes About Experience Verification Form Signatures" "Disputes that occur during supervisory relationships should first be addressed directly between the supervisor" "and the trainee. If there is an ethics violation related to the experience, the trainee may report the matter to the" "BACB by filing a Notice of Alleged Violation. Note: A Notice of Alleged Violation may only be submitted against" "someone who has applied for BACB certification." "" "Trainees may submit a Contested Experience/Fieldwork Form when the supervisor refuses or is unable to sign" "the F-EVF even though all supervision-contract terms have been met. Submission of a Contested Experience/" "Fieldwork Form may involve an experience audit. Disputes over signing M-EVFs should be handled between" "supervisors and trainees. In the event of a contractual dispute, issues may need to be addressed through an" "appropriate independent legal process." "" "Tips for Preventing Disputes Between Supervisors and Trainees" "A supervisor may feel justified in not signing a trainee’s F-EVF or M-EVF even though the trainee may believe" "that they are entitled to the signature. Although it is impossible to eliminate the likelihood of disputes about" "supervised experience hours, there are ways to mitigate that risk. The following guidance might be helpful:" "• Before the supervisory relationship begins, trainees and supervisors should review the supervision" "contract and BACB requirements together and clarify expectations. Specifically, supervisors should" "identify conditions under which they will and will not sign a trainee’s F-EVF or M-EVF, as well as situations" "that could end the supervisory relationship." "• Supervision should adhere to BACB ethics requirements as described in the Code. It should be behavior" "analytic and effectively and ethically designed to meet the requirements for certification; supervisors" "should communicate conditions with trainees before beginning supervision, including evaluation" "criteria and supervision terms; and supervisors should provide documented, timely feedback about" "trainee performance." "• Supervisors should be familiar with BACB supervision requirements and provide supervised experience" "accordingly. This is an ethics requirement for all supervisors and will help ensure that trainees can count" "their hours when applying for certification." "• Before the end of the supervisory relationship, supervisors should take the steps necessary to avoid" "abandoning their trainees. This includes discussing relevant client services and transition needs with" "their trainees; organizing, gathering, and signing supervision documentation; and, if appropriate, helping" "to facilitate a timely transfer of responsibility to another supervisor." "Guidance in the Event of a Dispute" "The BACB’s contested-experience/fieldwork process was developed to help resolve supervisor/trainee" "disagreements about signing F-EVFs. Based on past contested-experience/fieldwork cases filed with the BACB," "the following are the most common issues we have encountered—along with some guidance:" "• Accuracy of Information on EVFs: Under the Code, a supervisor may not submit or allow the submission" "of false or misleading information and has an obligation to correct inaccurate information submitted to the" "BACB. If a contested-experience/fieldwork case is filed with the BACB that alleges inaccurate information," "supporting documentation should clearly identify how the information is inaccurate and outline the efforts" "taken to correct the inaccuracies." "" "" "" "" "Updated 09/2021, Copyright© 2021, BACB® | All rights reserved. Behavior Analyst Certification Board | Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst® Handbook | 18" " Eligibility Requirements" "" "• Questions About a Trainee’s Competence After Concluding Supervision: Under the Code, if a" "supervisor questions a trainee’s competence after supervision has ended, they must provide sufficient" "documentation of feedback given to the trainee about performance issues, along with training and" "retraining efforts that occurred during the supervisory period. In other words, supervisors should not" "question competence after the conclusion of supervision without clear evidence showing they provided" "performance-based feedback during the supervised experience." "• Business Disputes Over Supervision Service Payments: Should a trainee refuse to pay for supervision" "services, supervisors should seek enforcement of the supervision contract through the appropriate" "venue (e.g., lawsuit, arbitration, mediation). Supervisors should not withhold signatures on EVFs until" "they receive payment. If a trainee demonstrates that supervision occurred in accordance with BACB" "requirements, we will allow the hours to be counted." "• Potential Ethics Violations Discovered After Concluding Supervision: If potential ethics violations are" "discovered following the conclusion of supervision, report the alleged violation immediately through" "one of the BACB’s reporting options. If there is a serious risk of harm to a consumer, follow all applicable" "mandated-reporting requirements in addition to reporting to the BACB. Note: A Notice of Alleged" "Violation may only be submitted against someone who has applied for BACB certification." "• Potential Supervisor Ethics Violations Discovered: The trainee should review the Reporting an Alleged" "Violation section of the BACB website to determine whether submitting a Notice of Alleged Violation is" "appropriate (see the Considerations for Reporting an Alleged Violation Against a BCaBA/BCBA)." "Supervisors contemplating not signing an EVF should determine if (a) not signing is appropriate, (b) they" "delineated the conditions for not signing an EVF in the supervision contract, and (c) they have sufficient" "documentation to justify withholding their signature. Trainees who contest a signature denial must be prepared to" "demonstrate that the denial violates BACB requirements and that they have tried to resolve the situation with the" "supervisor first." "" "" "" "" "Updated 09/2021, Copyright© 2021, BACB® | All rights reserved. Behavior Analyst Certification Board | Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst® Handbook | 19" " APPLYING FOR BCaBA CERTIFICATION" "" "Applying for BCaBA Certification" "To apply for BCaBA certification, complete these steps:" "We must receive an" "COMPLETE BCaBA CERTIFICATION APPLICATION approvable application" "(i.e., application" "RECEIVE" "MEET CURRENT COMPLETE BCaBA submitted, fee paid, all" "APPLICATION PASS" "ELIGIBILITY CERTIFICATION" "PAY FEE" "SUBMIT DETERMINATION" "EXAMINATION necessary documents" "REQUIREMENTS APPLICATION IN DOCUMENTS (Allow 45 days for" "YOUR BACB processing)" "received) before January" "ACCOUNT 1, 2022, for it to be" "considered under the" "current BCaBA eligibility" "Submit Your Application requirements." "1. Complete the BCaBA Certification Application in Your BACB Account" "Once you have met all of the current eligibility requirements, you may apply for BCaBA" "certification at any time by completing an application in your BACB account under the" "Certification Application tab." "" "Make sure the contact information in your BACB account is current. Information in your The BACB blog provides" "application must match your official identification (e.g., first and last name) or you will not be tips for a smoother" "permitted to sit for the examination when you arrive at the testing center. How you enter your application process." "name in your account (e.g., all caps) is also how this will print on your certificate if you pass" "the examination." "" "At the time of your application, you will be asked to attest to questions in the Eligibility Affidavit section of the" "application and agree to the Application Processing Agreement. You will be asked to (a) affirm that you have read," "are in compliance with, and will continue to comply with all BACB requirements, (b) report whether you have a" "physical/mental condition or substance addiction that could impair your ability to effectively work as a behavior" "analyst, and (c) report any relevant disciplinary or legal investigations or actions. Please read each question carefully" "and answer truthfully. Answering “yes” to the second or third question will result in communication from a BACB staff" "member with an opportunity to explain and provide relevant documentation." "" "Note: You may only have one active examination authorization at a time. If you already have" "an active examination authorization for the BCBA examination, you will need to Contact Us to" "cancel your authorization before applying for BCaBA certification." "Did you previously" "2. Submit Your Payment" "pay for a preliminary" "Once you complete your application, you can pay online with a credit card or mail a check evaluation of your" "to the BACB. You will have 90 days from the time of payment to submit your supplemental coursework?" "documents. A new application and payment are needed after 90 days." "If so, complete the" "certification application," "but stop before paying" "and notify us so that we" "can credit your account." "" "" "" "" "Updated 09/2021, Copyright© 2021, BACB® | All rights reserved. Behavior Analyst Certification Board | Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst® Handbook | 20" " APPLYING FOR BCaBA CERTIFICATION" "" "3. Submit Supplemental Documents" "Submit all required supplemental documents. Please keep a record of all documents submitted, as once they are" "sent, they become the property of the BACB and will not be released back to you (see Documentation Policy)." "" "Requirement Documentation Submission Information" "Degree Institution sends" "electronic transcript(s) to" "applications@bacb.com" "OR" "Institution or applicant mails" "sealed transcript(s) to" "Official transcript(s) and BCaBA VCS" "BACB–Applications" "Coordinator Coursework Attestation" "Coursework 7950 Shaffer Pkwy" "(if relevant)" "Littleton, CO 80127 USA" "AND" "VCS Coordinator emails" "BCaBA VCS Coordinator" "Coursework Attestation to" "VCSatt@bacb.com" "Experience Final Experience Verification Form(s) Submit via the Contact Us form" "" "Ensure that the information you submit is accurate and truthful. The BACB reserves the right to invalidate any" "certification (immediately making the certification null and void) and/or prohibit any individual from taking a BACB" "examination in the event that the individual submitted falsified, forged, or untrue information (see the Code-" "Enforcement Procedures for more details)." "" "4. BACB Staff Will Review Your Application and Issue a Determination" "You will receive an email once the BACB receives your supplemental documents. It may take up to 45 days for staff" "to review your application and issue a determination from the date your payment and all documents have been" "received. If missing or updated documentation is submitted, it will require additional time for processing." "" "Note: During the application-review process, your experience hours might be audited. If so, additional documentation" "will be requested (see the Experience Audit Process)." "" "If your application is:" "• Approved: You will receive instructions via email for scheduling your BCaBA examination." "• Not approved: You will receive feedback and guidance for next steps via email. If you do not meet the" "requirements within 90 days of submitting your application, you must submit a new BCaBA Certification" "Application, including paying another certification application processing fee.*" "* If you believe the decision was made in error, you will need to review the Administrative Appeals Policy and, if appropriate," "submit an appeal within 30 days of the determination." "" "Schedule Your Examination Appointment" "Within 24–48 hours of your application being approved, you will receive an email with instructions on how to" "schedule your BCaBA certification examination with Pearson VUE. The examination is continuously available, and" "results are provided on site immediately upon completion. You have two years from the date your application is" "approved to pass the BCaBA examination. During this time, you may take the examination up to 8 times with at least" "30 days between each appointment." "" "" "" "" "Updated 09/2021, Copyright© 2021, BACB® | All rights reserved. Behavior Analyst Certification Board | Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst® Handbook | 21" " APPLYING FOR BCaBA CERTIFICATION" "" "Fees*" "Application Fees" "Certification Application $175" "Examination Retake Application $120" "Examination Appointment (paid to Pearson VUE)** $125" "Preliminary Coursework Evaluation*** $100" "* BACB fees are nonrefundable. Each examination retake will require a new retake application and new examination" "appointment fees." "** Veterans who qualify for the GI Bill can receive reimbursement for BACB certification examination fees from the Department of" "Veterans Affairs, regardless of whether they pass the examination. Learn more about this benefit on the GI Bill website." "*** Preliminary fees are only applicable if a Preliminary Coursework Evaluation application is submitted. If an applicant submits a" "preliminary evaluation fee, the BACB will credit a maximum of $100 toward a subsequent certification application." "" "" "" "" "Updated 09/2021, Copyright© 2021, BACB® | All rights reserved. Behavior Analyst Certification Board | Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst® Handbook | 22" " Examination" "" "Examination" "The BCaBA certification examination is based on the results of a formal job task analysis. The BACB follows nationally" "accepted standards for test development that include the use of subject matter experts and extensive surveys." "" "The purpose of the BCaBA certification examination is to assess knowledge of the BCaBA Task List (4th ed.) at a level" "consistent with that of an entry-level assistant behavior analyst. The BCaBA certification examination comprises 140" "multiple-choice questions, 10 of which are unscored pilot items. Each question has 4 possible answers. Candidates" "have 4 hours to complete the examination." "" "The BCaBA certification examination is only available at authorized Pearson VUE testing sites worldwide that" "meet the security requirements necessary for administration of high-stakes examinations. The BACB currently has" "authorized the availability of testing sites in multiple countries and evaluates the addition of new sites routinely and" "by requests made through Pearson VUE’s website." "" "The examinations are administered using a computer-based testing (CBT) format by Pearson VUE. Pearson VUE’s" "website offers:" "• a tutorial to become familiar with the CBT format," "• information about what to expect at a Pearson VUE testing center, and" "• examination locations and testing centers." "" "Scoring" "The BACB uses the modified Angoff method for establishing the passing score for each base examination form. New" "base examination forms are created approximately every five years or whenever there is a significant change to the" "examination content, such as the introduction of a new task list. The BACB maintains a large pool of questions that" "can be used to generate many different forms of the examination that are equated to the base examination." "" "The modified Angoff method is criterion referenced, meaning that the passing score for each base examination is" "established by a panel of BACB-certified subject matter experts and then approved by the BACB Board of Directors." "Your performance on the examination is not dependent on the performance of those taking the examination with you." "" "The BACB is committed to reporting uncompromised and valid examination scores. On rare occasions, circumstances" "may invalidate examination scores. The BACB reserves the right to cancel or withhold examination scores due to" "suspected or documented misconduct during testing at a Pearson VUE site or violation of the Professional and" "Ethical Compliance Code for Behavior Analysts. Invalidation may also occur due to situations beyond your control—or" "that of the BACB’s—at the testing site. Should this occur, you are encouraged to submit an administrative appeal." "" "Preparation" "Content on the BCaBA Task List (4th ed.) serves as the basis of the examination. Although the BACB cannot" "endorse specific study guides or other preparation materials, we do recommend that candidates review the task list," "materials from their training, and the Professional and Ethical Compliance Code for Behavior Analysts and study the" "content areas." "" "" "" "" "Updated 09/2021, Copyright© 2021, BACB® | All rights reserved. Behavior Analyst Certification Board | Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst® Handbook | 23" " Examination" "" "Sample Examination Questions" "The following five questions have appeared on previous administrations of the BCaBA certification examination" "and represent content areas that are currently on the examination. These questions are provided to offer you" "insight into the format of the BCaBA certification examination." "1. As part of a human resources performance plan, an office worker agreed to increase her positive self-" "statements. Whenever she made these statements, the staff working with her immediately said, “It’s nice" "to hear you say good things about yourself.” Over the past few weeks, the rate of these self-statements" "has gradually increased. Which principle of behavior is MOST likely responsible for this change?" "a. establishing operation" "b. rule-governed behavior" "c. positive reinforcement" "d. stimulus control" "" "2. Peter’s mother wants to teach him how to identify coins. She temporarily colors each type of coin" "differently. Over time, as Peter handles the coins, the colors wear off. By the time the colors have worn off" "completely, Peter has learned to identify coins. What is this teaching strategy called?" "a. response prompt fading" "b. response generalization" "c. stimulus generalization" "d. extra-stimulus prompt fading" "" "3. In classical condition, which of the following is elicited by a conditioned stimulus?" "a. neutral stimulus" "b. conditioned response" "c. unconditioned stimulus" "d. unconditioned response" "" "4. Which would be the BEST approach to gathering descriptive data for intervention development?" "a. client self-report" "b. caregiver report" "c. functional assessment" "d. preference assessment" "" "5. Following a baseline, an initial treatment effect was observed. However, the target behavior soon" "thereafter increased dramatically. Which graph BEST displays this description?" "a. Option 1 c. Option 3" "" "" "" "" "b. Option 2 d. Option 4" "" "" "" "" "Updated 09/2021, Copyright© 2021, BACB® | All rights reserved. Behavior Analyst Certification Board | Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst® Handbook | 24" " Examination" "" "Examination Outline" "Number of Percentage of" "Content Area" "Questions Examination*" "Basic Behavior-Analytic Skills" "A. Measurement 14 10.77%" "B. Experimental Design 11 8.46%" "C. Behavior-Change Considerations 3 2.31%" "D. Fundamental Elements of Behavior Change 24 18.46%" "E. Specific Behavior-Change Procedures 13 10.00%" "F. Behavior-Change Systems 8 6.15%" "Client-Centered Responsibilities" "G. Identification of the Problem 9 6.92%" "H. Measurement 6 4.62%" "I. Assessment 12 9.23%" "J. Intervention 18 13.85%" "K. Implementation, Management, and Supervision 12 9.23%" "Total Number of Questions 130" "* Percentages in this table have been rounded." "" "Examination Accommodations" "Examination accommodations are available for “qualified individuals with a disability,” as defined by the Americans" "with Disabilities Act (ADA). Accommodations requests must be submitted by a BACB Examination Accommodation" "Request Form. All accommodations requests must also be accompanied by appropriate documentation notating" "the reason for the accommodation(s). This documentation should identify your disability and your need for the" "requested accommodations. Appropriate documentation may include an official letter, a report of test results," "documentation of prior accommodations you have received (including any IEP plan you may have), and any other" "official documentation of your disability and your need for accommodations." "" "All documentation should be compiled into a single PDF file and then submitted through the Submit Legal" "Documentation form using the Accommodations Request or the Accommodations Questions categories. After" "the BACB receives your request and supporting documentation, the BACB will conduct a review of the requested" "accommodations. This review is typically completed within 10–14 business days; however, if the BACB requests" "additional documentation, the review of your request may take longer. Your examination application and your" "accommodations request will be reviewed separately. The BACB will not authorize candidates requesting" "accommodations to test until both the examination application and accommodations request are approved." "" "The BACB is dedicated to complying with all accommodation requirements, including the Americans with Disabilities" "Act of 1990, as amended." "" "" "" "" "Updated 09/2021, Copyright© 2021, BACB® | All rights reserved. Behavior Analyst Certification Board | Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst® Handbook | 25" " Examination" "" "While the BACB does not offer an official accommodations handbook or guide, the following resources provide" "examples of appropriate supporting documentation to include with requests for examination accommodations:" "• ADA Revised Title III Regulations" "• Request Behavior-Analytic Terms Translation for Examination Support" "• United States Medical Licensing Exam Guidelines for Test Accommodations" "• ADA National Network Guidelines" "" "Ethics Requirements and Testing" "The Code requires certificants and applicants to immediately report any confirmed or suspected examination" "misconduct by others to the BACB (see Examination Security)." "" "General Rules for Taking the Examination" "• You are advised to arrive at the testing center approximately 30 minutes before your examination" "appointment to allow sufficient time for the check-in process. This process includes security measures," "such as photographing, fingerprinting, and obtaining an electronic signature from each candidate. Once an" "examination has been underway for 30 minutes, no candidates will be admitted to the examination area." "• You must provide two forms of valid identification to be admitted into the examination area. Both pieces of" "identification must show your first and last name exactly as they appear on your BACB account. Any name" "discrepancies will prevent admission to the examination (e.g., providing a nickname on your BACB account," "identification that shows a different last name due to marriage). Pearson VUE does not make exceptions to" "name discrepancies based on marriage certificates." "• Both pieces of identification must have your signature and be current (i.e., not expired). The primary" "identification must be government issued and include both a photo and signature (e.g., a driver’s license or" "state/national ID). The secondary identification must include a signature but need not include a photo (e.g., a" "signed credit card with a signature that matches the government-issued identification)." "• Failure to present two fully valid pieces of identification will prevent your admission to the testing center. If" "this happens, you will be marked absent and will forfeit the entire examination fee." "• No cameras, phones, recording devices, beepers or electronic transmitting devices, notes or reference" "materials, books, briefcases, backpacks, portfolios, purses, etc. may be taken into the examination area." "Personal items may be stored in lockers available at all testing centers." "• Scratch paper, calculators, rulers, textbooks, reference materials, and notes are NOT permitted in the" "examination area, and you are not allowed to remove any examination materials from the administration" "room. A dry-erase board will be provided at each workstation." "• Earplugs are available upon request at all testing centers, some of which also provide noise-canceling" "headphones upon request." "• No food or beverage items are permitted in the examination area." "• No visitors are permitted in the examination area." "• If you leave the examination area to use the restroom, you will be fingerprinted when you leave and again" "before you reenter. During breaks, you are prohibited from accessing phones, electronic devices, and" "notes, among other items stored in lockers. However, you are permitted to access food, drink, or medication" "during breaks." "• Smoking areas are not provided at the testing centers." "• No questions concerning the examination’s content may be asked during the examination period. Please" "listen carefully to instructions from testing-center staff and read all directions thoroughly." "• BACB examinations are delivered via the Internet and, occasionally, Internet connectivity at Pearson VUE" "testing centers may result in technical problems (e.g., slow screen-load times, screen freezes), which may" "require rebooting the computer. Answers and examination times (time allotted and time used) are not" "affected by these technical issues, even in the case of a computer restart." "" "" "" "" "Updated 09/2021, Copyright© 2021, BACB® | All rights reserved. Behavior Analyst Certification Board | Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst® Handbook | 26" " Examination" "" "Examination Terms and Conditions" "The BACB Terms and Conditions for taking a BACB examination must be agreed to before starting the examination." "Failure to agree to the Terms and Conditions will result in immediate dismissal from the examination. Note that the" "time spent reviewing these Terms and Conditions is part of the examination time." "" "The Terms and Conditions are as follows:" "• Proctors will continuously monitor by video and audio while candidates are taking the examination. The" "candidate recognizes that they have no right to privacy during examination delivery and that they waive" "any and all claims asserting a right to privacy. The candidate will also acknowledge and consent to audio" "and video recording of their face, voice, the physical room where they are seated, and the location during" "examination delivery. If a candidate does not wish to be recorded (either by video or audio), they must notify" "the proctor immediately of intent not to proceed with the examination." "• No materials, documents, notes, or memoranda of any sort may leave an on-site testing center or be in the" "proximity of the remote examination area. CANDIDATES ARE PERMANENTLY PROHIBITED FROM EVER" "DISCLOSING THE CONTENT OF BACB EXAMINATION QUESTIONS. This prohibition includes verbal," "written, and/or electronic (e.g., email, chat room, or other Internet or electronic) disclosure. The BACB" "examinations are copyright protected and highly confidential trade secrets. Any disclosure or reconstruction" "of test questions and content shall be a violation of BACB rules and subject to damages including, but" "not limited to, the cost of replacing the compromised question(s) and reconstruction of the examination, if" "advisable, at the discretion of the BACB." "• The proctors are authorized to maintain a secure and proper examination administration. Candidates" "may not communicate with other examinees or third-party individuals during the examination. The BACB" "considers unauthorized sharing of examination content with others to be a violation of copyright laws and" "will constitute cheating on the examination. Cheating or permitting cheating (such as letting someone" "copy answers or providing information on the content of examination questions to others) will be cause for" "automatic disqualification and dismissal from the examination. At the sole discretion of the BACB and/or the" "BACB’s testing vendor, irregular, disruptive, inappropriate, or suspected cheating behavior by the candidate" "may result in any combination of the following:" "• relocation or removal from the examination site" "• immediate termination of examination delivery" "• a cancellation or an invalidation of examination scores" "• temporary inactive certification pending investigation of the irregularity" "• a requirement that candidates retest to confirm examination scores. In such event, the retest will be free" "of charge" "• a refusal to permit the candidate to retest" "• other disciplinary action related to the eligibility or certification status" "• a forfeiture of all application and examination fees paid by the candidate" "• The BACB may permanently restrict an authorization to sit for a BACB examination if a candidate is found by" "the BACB to have cheated on the examination or compromised the content of the examination. The BACB" "reserves the right to report examination content theft to applicable law enforcement authorities, and the" "candidate authorizes the BACB to release the candidate’s name, examination performance data, audio and" "video files from the examination administration, and other pertinent information necessary to demonstrate" "the basis for finding that the candidate participated in or benefited from theft of BACB examination content." "• ANY use of an electronic device while an examination is in progress is grounds for termination of the" "examination and will result in the examination scores being withheld and/or invalidated. Any item visible" "during an examination including, but not limited to, cell phones, electronic devices, bags, purses, briefcases," "jewelry, and items worn by the candidate may be investigated at the discretion of the examination proctor." "• If the candidate does not follow the Terms and Conditions or is suspected of cheating or tampering with" "Pearson VUE’s or its subcontractor’s software, the administered examination will be immediately terminated." "This will be reported to Pearson VUE and the BACB, along with audio and/or video evidence of the" "" "" "" "" "Updated 09/2021, Copyright© 2021, BACB® | All rights reserved. Behavior Analyst Certification Board | Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst® Handbook | 27" " Examination" "" "infraction. The examination may be invalidated, and the BACB may take other action, such as precluding all" "future participation in testing and/or the certification program." "• The proctor is not allowed to provide comments on any of the questions appearing on the examination." "If there is a problem with a question, such as a typo, the candidate may select the “Comments” button" "and make a note concerning the problem. Comments are not graded and do not affect individual" "scores, although they may be used during an examination review. The BACB will not provide feedback" "regarding any comments. Candidates will not be given extra time to make up for the time lost while" "providing comments." "• Candidates taking the examination at an on-site testing center only may use the restroom. The candidate will" "need to raise their hand to inform the proctor. The proctor will secure the workstation while the candidate" "goes to the restroom. Candidates will not be given extra time to make up for any lost examination time." "Candidates CANNOT leave their seat at any time unless the proctor has secured the workstation and" "WILL NOT be permitted to access or use a cell phone or electronic device. If at any time the candidate" "leaves their computer or work area without the permission of the proctor, the candidate will be unable to" "continue testing." "• All questions on this examination are equally weighted. There is no penalty for guessing; therefore; it is to" "the candidate’s advantage to answer every question on the examination, even if they are not sure about the" "correct answer. No credit will be given for questions that are left blank. When answering questions, choose" "the BEST answer to each question." "Examination Security" "The BACB and Pearson VUE take examination security seriously because the value of your certification and our" "credibility depend on it. BCaBA certification examination content is confidential; it is never appropriate to share," "discuss, post, or upload examination content. In addition, candidates are required to adhere to the Code, which" "includes the following requirement: “Behavior analysts are truthful and honest and arrange the environment to" "promote truthful and honest behavior in others.”" "" "Unauthorized possession, reproduction, publication, or disclosure of any BACB examination materials—including" "storing or disclosing examination questions to any person or entity by any means before, during, or after the" "examination—is prohibited and can result in program disqualification or other appropriate censure. Examples of" "violations and misconduct include:" "• submitting false, inconsistent, or misleading statements or omitting information the BACB requests" "• attempting to take the examination for someone else or having someone else take the examination for you" "• copying or sharing information or any other form of cheating" "• obtaining advanced access to examination materials" "• stealing examination materials" "• bringing prohibited items into the examination room" "• failing to follow directions from testing-center staff" "• violating Pearson VUE scheduling or testing-center rules and regulations" "Pearson VUE Examination Fees" "Pearson VUE will charge a fee of $125 for every new BCaBA examination appointment. This fee is in addition to" "application fees paid to the BACB and is paid directly to Pearson VUE when you make your appointment. You may" "be required to pay applicable sales tax, value-added tax, GST, or similar tax required by law in the country or locality" "in which you are testing. If taxes are applicable, Pearson VUE will collect them at the time of scheduling. Fees are" "nonrefundable and nontransferable." "" "Any appointments canceled or rescheduled within 30 days of the examination date are subject to a fee." "Appointments that are canceled or rescheduled 30 or more days before an examination appointment will not" "incur a fee." "" "" "" "" "Updated 09/2021, Copyright© 2021, BACB® | All rights reserved. Behavior Analyst Certification Board | Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst® Handbook | 28" " Examination" "" "Cancellation and rescheduling fee pricing is as follows:" "" "Cancellation Time Period Cancellation/Rescheduling Fee" "30 days to 5 days before" "$59" "examination appointment" "5 days to 48 hours before" "$69" "examination appointment" "" "If you are within 48 hours of your appointment, you will be unable to cancel or reschedule your appointment, and a" "refund will not be issued." "" "Examination Results" "In most instances, you will be notified of your results at the testing site as soon as you complete the examination. The" "BACB will confirm your results via email, and they will appear in your BACB account within approximately 24 hours of" "completing the examination." "" "Examination Retakes" "You may retake the examination for a maximum of 8 total attempts within a 2-year period following your initial" "examination approval. An Examination Retake Application will be available online via your BACB account within 48" "hours of each failed examination attempt. You will receive an examination authorization email within 48 hours of" "submitting the Examination Retake Application, which will provide further instructions on how to schedule a new" "examination appointment. You must pay a $120 retake application fee and a $125 examination appointment fee each" "time you retake the examination. You must wait 30 days to retake the examination following your previous attempt." "" "Note: If you do not pass the examination after 8 attempts and you still have time in your 2-year authorization period," "you will need to wait until your 2-year authorization period is over to reapply for BCaBA certification." "" "Examination Appeals" "If you experience examination condition irregularities (e.g., poor lighting, disruptive noises, long screen-load times)" "during your examination, you may file an appeal with the BACB. Note: Pearson VUE sites deliver BACB examinations" "via a web browser, so minor Internet bandwidth variances are to be expected. Examination scores, content," "questions, answers, procedures, deadlines, fees, and requirements may not be appealed." "" "How to appeal: You must file a written request for appeal within seven days of your examination appointment by" "completing the Administrative Appeal Request Form." "" "" "" "" "Updated 09/2021, Copyright© 2021, BACB® | All rights reserved. Behavior Analyst Certification Board | Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst® Handbook | 29" " Examination" "" "What to Expect After Passing the Examination" "What happens after I leave the testing center? You will receive a pass/fail report at the testing" "center. If you passed the examination, your BCaBA certification number will be generated and" "available in your BACB account within 24 hours of passing the examination. You will receive your" "BCaBA certificate in the mail within 4–6 weeks (so make sure that your mailing address is correct" "in your BACB account)." "BCaBA Certificate Sample" "When can I start using my BCaBA certification? You may start using your BCaBA certification" "as soon as you have passed the examination and have a qualified BCaBA supervisor on record" "with the BACB. If at any point you do not have a BCaBA supervisor on record with the BACB" "who is providing your ongoing supervision, you may not practice, and your certification will be" "considered inactive (see the Ongoing Supervision section for more information about ongoing" "Your supervisor can" "supervision requirements)." "add you to their" "In addition, please contact your state, regional, or national behavior-analytic professional record through their" "associations to learn about any additional requirements for practice as an assistant behavior BACB account." "analyst in your region and to access valuable support in the profession. If you reside in a US" "state where assistant behavior analysts are licensed, you should immediately contact your" "state licensure board to determine whether and how you should submit an application for" "licensure before practicing with your new BACB certification." "" "How can employers and funders, among others, verify my certification? Newly certified BCaBAs appear in the" "Certificant Registry within 48 hours of passing the examination. The Certificant Registry shows the status of your" "certification and recertification date, and if your certification becomes inactive for any reason (e.g., you do not have a" "supervisor on record with the BACB), this will be indicated on the registry." "" "Anyone may request a written verification of their current certification status from the BACB for a $25 fee per" "verification. The verification letter is delivered as an emailed PDF document or state-issued verification form and" "contains the information shown on the registry." "" "What does it mean now that I am certified? Becoming certified means you have demonstrated that you have the" "knowledge and skills of an entry-level assistant behavior analyst who practices under the oversight of a BCBA. That" "said, consider what you are proficient in, what you know a little about (but need more experience and mentorship" "in), and what you do not know to ensure that you do not overstate your expertise to the public. Consider your scope" "of competence (e.g., populations or behavior-analytic techniques you are capable of serving or using) because you" "have an ethical obligation to refrain from practicing outside your scope of competence (see the Code)." "" "" "What steps should I take to begin my career as a professional?" "" "The BACB cannot provide guidance on this outside of the requirements to maintain your" "certification, so the first step might be to identify a supervisor and mentor who can help you" "develop a professional-development plan. That plan might include determining your scope of" "competence; recognizing skill sets that you need support with (e.g., billing) to move toward your" "goals; identifying ways to stay in contact with the literature (as a certificant, you have free access" "to recent issues of major behavior-analytic journals in your BACB account); and identifying ways to" "stay or get involved with the professional community, such as joining professional associations. A" "supervisor and mentor might also be able to help you determine how to assess job opportunities" "to make sure they fit within your scope of competence and career goals; whether you are ready" "and qualified to serve as a supervisor, assessor, or trainer (see the Assessing, Training, and" "Supervising RBTs section); and whether a service organization has an environment that is set up" "to promote ethical behavior." "" "" "" "" "Updated 09/2021, Copyright© 2021, BACB® | All rights reserved. Behavior Analyst Certification Board | Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst® Handbook | 30" " Examination" "" "How should I maintain my certification moving forward?" "• Review the Certification Maintenance Requirements section and develop a plan to meet them, including" "receiving ongoing supervision for the behavior-analytic services that you provide, accruing continuing" "education, and complying with ethics requirements (e.g., ensure that you accept clients within the" "boundaries of your competence, have appropriate service contracts, provide appropriate services, follow" "procedures to ensure continuity of care and appropriate client transitions)." "• Be sure to keep an eye out for helpful resources, like BACB videos, blogs, and podcasts. For example," "the Tips for New Certificants blog shares valuable information for newly certified individuals, and The" "Professional Infrastructure of Applied Behavior Analysis video describes the various organizations in ABA." "• Keep your contact information up to date in your BACB account to ensure that you receive important" "updates about certification requirements, and periodically review bacb.com to stay informed of changes." "• Report critical events to the BACB Ethics Department (see the Self-Reporting section of the Code)." "• Stay up to date with licensure requirements in your area." "" "" "" "" "Tips for Protecting Your BACB Information" "The BACB works to ensure the security of our certificants’ information. Despite our efforts, however, you are" "still at risk of someone misusing your credential, most commonly for billing fraud. Given the prevalence of" "open electronic access and digital identity theft, here are a few ways that you can take a proactive approach to" "maximizing the security of your professional credentials." "• Check your BACB account regularly. Put a reminder in your calendar to log in and check the accuracy of" "the information in your BACB account every six months or more frequently if you have been—or suspect" "you may be—the target of identity theft. It is critical that you log in to ensure that your information is" "accurate and review how your information is publicly displayed in the Certificant Registry. In addition to" "your personal information, review the information specific to supervisees or supervisors to make sure it is" "correct. If you find any inconsistencies or inaccuracies, use the Contact Us form to immediately inform us" "of the potential issue." "• Protect your BACB certificate. While your certification number is publicly available in the Certificant" "Registry, you should protect your BACB certificate from being copied and/or modified. Think twice before" "posting photos of your certificate on social media platforms, and be sure to keep your private BACB" "account ID number protected. This number is not published in the Certificant Registry and is generally" "only needed by your supervisees/trainees, the BACB, and certain funding sources." "• If you suspect misuse of your information, contact a specialist (e.g., attorney/advisor) in identity theft" "to help you determine your options. While BACB staff cannot provide legal advice, we are sympathetic" "to the frustrations you may experience if your information is misused. Finally, if you suspect the misuse" "or misappropriation of another certificant’s credential (or the creation of false credentials), please" "immediately report your evidence to the appropriate authorities (e.g., law enforcement, funders) and to" "the BACB using the Reporting Infringement or Misuse Form." "For additional guidance, please refer to the August 2019 newsletter on our Newsletters web page." "" "" "" "" "Updated 09/2021, Copyright© 2021, BACB® | All rights reserved. Behavior Analyst Certification Board | Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst® Handbook | 31" " Certification Maintenance Requirements" "" "Certification Maintenance Requirements" "To maintain your BCaBA certification, you must obtain ongoing continuing education, adhere to the BACB’s ethics" "requirements and self-reporting requirements, meet ongoing supervision requirements, and submit a completed" "recertification application and associated fees every two years before your recertification date." "" "Overview" "" "Original Certification /" "Recertification Date" "Complete 20 CEUs (4 in Ethics," "3 in Supervision, if applicable)" "" "Abide by BACB Ethics and Recertify" "Self-Reporting Requirements Last chance to meet CEU requirements." "2 Year Cycle" "Recertify once you have entered all of" "Meet Ongoing Supervision Requirements your CEUs (no sooner than 45 days" "before your recertification date)." "" "" "Failure to meet the requirements or to" "apply by the end of this period results in" "certification expiration." "" "" "" "" "Version 9/11/2019, Copyright © 2019, BACB® | All rights reserved." "" "" "" "" "Continuing Education" "Initial BCaBA certification indicates that an individual has met entry-level standards of practice as an assistant" "behavior analyst. The purpose of the BACB’s continuing education (CE) requirement is to ensure that BCaBA" "certificants engage in activities that will expand their behavior-analytic skills beyond the requirements for initial" "certification and help them stay up to date on developments in the profession." "" "CEU Requirements" "As a BCaBA, you are required to obtain 20 continuing education units (CEUs) within each 2-year recertification cycle," "including 4 CEUs in ethics and 3 CEUs in supervision (for supervisors)." "" "All CEUs must occur within the recertification cycle to which they are applied. For example, if you submit your" "recertification application on September 27, 2021, and your recertification date is September 30, 2021, you may" "only count CEUs accrued from October 1, 2021, to September 30, 2023, toward your next recertification application." "Making up missed CEUs after your recertification date is not permitted, and CEUs in excess of the requirements" "cannot be applied to a subsequent cycle." "" "" "Demonstrate that you meet this requirement by entering your CEUs into your BACB account" "as soon as you have supporting documentation. Use the following table to identify which type" "of CEU was earned. Depending on the type of CE selected, you will need to enter specific" "information about the activity and upload supporting documentation." "" "" "" "" "Updated 09/2021, Copyright© 2021, BACB® | All rights reserved. Behavior Analyst Certification Board | Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst® Handbook | 32" " Certification Maintenance Requirements" "" "CEU Types" "You can earn CEUs via three types of activities, as illustrated in the following table. There are no restrictions or" "limitations on the number of CEUs you can earn through each activity type." "" "Continuing Education By: Documentation CEU Values" "Attending events offered by Authorized" "Continuing Education (ACE) Providers Certificate from the ACE Provider" "(see ACE Provider Directory)" "Completing didactic behavior-analytic" "25 minutes of" "undergraduate or graduate courses with Syllabi and transcripts from" "Learning learning = .5" "a passing grade (“C” or higher in a graded university courses" "CEU" "course or “pass” in a pass/fail system)*" "No documentation is needed for BACB" "Participating in certain BACB" "events (these are issued directly into" "certification activities" "BACB accounts)" "Documentation from the ACE Provider" "Teaching ACE events demonstrating that the certificant taught" "25 minutes of" "an ACE event" "Teaching instruction = .5" "Letter from a department chair" "Teaching university courses in behavior CEU" "indicating that the certificant taught a" "analysis at a qualifying institution*" "university course" "Publishing an article on behavior analysis 1 publication =" "A PDF of the final published article" "in a peer-reviewed journal 8 CEUs" "Confirmation from the journal (e.g.," "Scholarship Writing a review or decision letter for an 1 review/" "confirmation email, snapshot of the" "article on behavior analysis submitted to decision letter" "portal), associate editor, or editor. Note:" "a peer-reviewed journal = 1 CEU" "Please redact title and author information." "" "* For the purpose of establishing instructional requirements that can be applied globally, 1 semester" "credit hour will represent 15 hours of classroom instruction, and 1 quarter credit hour will represent 10" "hours of classroom instruction. This conversion is based on US Federal Rule." "" "CEU Content There are a lot of options" "for continuing education" "Continuing education may address any aspect of behavior analysis: practice, science, in terms of format," "methodology, theory, or the profession. CEUs must cover material that goes beyond the current content, and providers," "BCBA/BCaBA Task List and coursework required to sit for the certification examinations. among others." "Ethics CEUs Consider obtaining" "CEUs that will help" "Acceptable ethics content must cover ethical issues in behavior-analytic practice or research. with your professional-" "Ethics content should relate to the BACB’s ethics requirements. Sample ethics topics include development plan. And" "the (in)appropriateness of implementing nonbehavioral therapies, strategies for avoiding/ remember that the" "managing dual relationships, creating a culture of ethics in an organization, and ethical intent is for ongoing" "implications of media and technology, among many others. development, so we" "highly recommend" "Supervision CEUs accruing continuing" "education throughout" "BCaBAs who supervise the ongoing practice of RBTs are required to obtain 3 supervision your recertification cycle." "CEUs every recertification cycle. Supervision is behavior analytic in nature and covers effective" "supervision as described in the BACB Supervisor Training Curriculum Outline (2.0) and the" "Nature of Supervision section." "" "" "Updated 09/2021, Copyright© 2021, BACB® | All rights reserved. Behavior Analyst Certification Board | Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst® Handbook | 33" " Certification Maintenance Requirements" "" "Ethics/Supervision CEU Overlap" "" "A CEU may be counted as either an ethics CEU or a supervision CEU, but not both. CEUs acquired from the 8-hour" "supervision training may count as supervision CEUs only." "" "Repeating CE Activities" "" "Repeating CE activities does not provide new or expanded knowledge or skills and therefore does not meet BACB" "certification requirements." "" "Ethics and Self-Reporting" "You must adhere to the Professional and Ethical Compliance Code for Behavior Analysts and self-reporting" "requirements. The BACB is prohibited from providing any legal advice and from interpreting any ethics requirements." "" "Professional and Ethical Compliance Code for Behavior Analysts (Code): The Code contains 10 sections outlining" "candidates’ and certificants’ responsibilities related to professional conduct, clients and service provisions," "supervision, and colleagues. Certificants are required to remain knowledgeable about the Code. Those supervising" "RBTs must ensure that they address the Code (and the RBT Ethics Code where applicable) with their supervisees." "Certificants should also endeavor to address potential violations directly with the relevant individual if appropriate." "When considering whether submitting a Notice of Alleged Violation is appropriate, certificants should consult the" "Considerations for Reporting an Alleged Violation document." "" "Self-Reporting" "In accordance with the Code, applicants and certificants must provide the BACB with" "information that could impact the BACB’s ability to effectively communicate with them or" "influence their certification status. In general, there are two types of information you should Visit the Ethics web" "report to the BACB: page for information" "about code-enforcement" "1. Changes in Name, Mailing Address, or Email Address: Report these changes within procedures, ethics" "30 days of when the changes occurred. This may be done in your BACB account. resources, and more." "2. Other Critical Events or Changes: Use the Considerations for Self-Reporting form to" "determine if there is an event you need to report to the BACB Ethics Department. This" "might include one of the following events:" "• You are the subject of an ethics violation; a disciplinary investigation, action, or" "sanction; the filing of charges; and/or a conviction or plea of guilty or no contest by a governmental" "agency, health-care organization, third-party payer, or educational institution." "• You are named on any public health- and safety-related fines or tickets." "• You have a physical or mental condition that would impair your ability to competently practice." "• You have not been meeting maintenance requirements." "If you have an event to report, please use the Submit Legal Documentation form." "" "" "" "" "Updated 09/2021, Copyright© 2021, BACB® | All rights reserved. Behavior Analyst Certification Board | Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst® Handbook | 34" " Certification Maintenance Requirements" "" "Ongoing Supervision" "Every BCaBA must practice under the supervision of a qualified supervisor. Any BCaBA who does not have a" "qualified supervisor will be considered inactive and may not practice or use their BCaBA certification until they have" "a supervisor. The supervisor and the BCaBA must review these requirements together and resolve any concerns at" "the onset of supervision. Both parties must also ensure that any supervision provided or received is consistent with" "current BACB requirements (via regular review of BACB Newsletters and web pages for updates), any applicable" "state regulatory standards (e.g., licensure), and relevant third-party payer requirements." "" "Supervisor Requirements" "Supervisor Qualifications: Supervisors must be one of the following:" "• an active BCBA without current disciplinary sanctions who meets an ongoing supervision CEU requirement" "OR" "• a licensed or registered psychologist certified by the American Board of Professional Psychology in" "Behavioral and Cognitive Psychology who was tested in applied behavior analysis." "Supervisor Training: Supervisors must complete an 8-hour supervision training before providing any supervision to" "those accruing experience hours." "" "Supervisors are responsible for ensuring that they have completed the training (available in the Certificant Registry)" "and uploaded the certificate into their BACB account before signing a supervision contract. Trainees should confirm" "the date on which the supervisor completed the training before signing a supervision contract." "" "Public Identification of Supervisory Relationship: The supervisor must acknowledge the supervisory relationship" "by entering the supervisee’s information in their BACB account. The supervisor will also be publicly identified in" "the BCaBA’s record in the Certificant Registry. Under the Professional and Ethical Compliance Code for Behavior" "Analysts, the supervisor is responsible and can be held accountable for all services provided by the BCaBA." "" "Supervisor/Trainee Relationship: The supervisor may not be related to, subordinate to, employed by, or in a" "multiple relationship with (e.g., personal or business relationship) the supervisee while providing supervision." "Employment does not include compensation paid to the supervisor by the BCaBA for supervision services. While" "not required, it is highly encouraged that the supervisor works closely with the BCaBA during the implementation of" "behavior-analytic services." "" "Supervision Requirements" "Amount of Supervision: The amount of supervision required for a BCaBA is based on the number of service-" "delivery hours in a month and how long the BCaBA has been certified. The amount-of-supervision requirements are" "as follows:" "• First 1,000 hours of post-certification practice: Supervision must comprise at least 5% of the total number of" "behavior-analytic service hours provided per month with no less than 1 hour of supervision every 2 weeks." "• Ongoing supervision (after the first 1,000 hours): Supervision must comprise at least 2% of the total" "behavior-analytic service hours provided per month." "These supervision percentages should be considered a minimum. Supervisors may require additional supervision." "" "Frequency of Supervision: Each month in which the BCaBA provides behavior-analytic services, the BCaBA and" "supervisor must meet at least once. In addition, the BCaBA’s supervisor must be available for consultation between" "supervisory interactions. Note: BCaBAs who do not provide behavior-analytic services during a given month are" "exempt from this requirement." "" "" "" "" "Updated 09/2021, Copyright© 2021, BACB® | All rights reserved. Behavior Analyst Certification Board | Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst® Handbook | 35" " Certification Maintenance Requirements" "" "Structure of Supervision: Supervision may include (a) a combination of group and individual supervision, (b)" "multiple supervisors, and (c) multiple observation methods. This section contains guidance on the possible" "structural variations." "• Group Supervision: Groups are interactive meetings in which 2–10 BCaBAs who share similar experiences" "participate in supervision activities (see the Nature of Supervision section). The number of BCaBAs in a" "group meeting may not exceed 10 at any time, regardless of the number of supervisors in the meeting." "If nonsupervisees are present, their participation should be limited, and their presence must not inhibit" "discussion or interfere with participation by supervisees. The amount of group supervision may not exceed" "the amount of individual supervision in a given supervisory period. In other words, supervision may be" "conducted in groups for no more than half of the total supervised hours in each supervisory period." "• Multiple Supervisors and/or Settings: A BCaBA may have multiple supervisors if such an arrangement is" "required to cover the BCaBA’s entire caseload. The BCaBA must ensure that a qualified supervisor assumes" "responsibility for each case and provides supervision that meets the current supervision requirements. In" "these arrangements, the supervision contract must clearly articulate the conditions of responsibility for each" "supervisor, including the cases and settings in which the BCaBA will be observed." "• Observation-With-Client Requirements: The BCaBA must be observed working with a client in the natural" "environment once per quarter by at least one supervisor. If the BCaBA has more than one supervisor, they" "must be observed once per quarter by each supervisor. In-person, on-site observation is preferred. However," "the observation may be conducted using asynchronous (e.g., recorded video) or synchronous (e.g., live" "video conference) formats." "Nature of Supervision: The purpose of supervision is to improve and maintain the behavior-analytic, professional," "and ethical repertoires of the BCaBA and facilitate the delivery of high-quality behavior-analytic services to the" "BCaBA’s clients. Effective behavior-analytic supervision includes:" "• monitoring the skills of the BCaBA as they deliver behavior-analytic services" "• developing and communicating performance expectations to the BCaBA" "• conducting behavioral-skills training for the BCaBA" "• observing the BCaBA’s performance with clients and delivering feedback" "• modeling technical, professional, and ethical behavior" "• guiding the development of behavioral case conceptualization and problem-solving and decision-" "making repertoires" "• reviewing the BCaBA’s written materials (e.g., behavior programs, data sheets, reports) and delivering related" "feedback about the products" "• overseeing and evaluating the effects of the BCaBA’s behavior-analytic service delivery" "• evaluating the effects of supervision throughout the experience" "Failure to be Properly Supervised" "Any BCaBA found to be substantially noncompliant with supervision requirements will be subject to immediate" "termination of their certification. If termination occurs, the BCaBA will be permitted to requalify for the examination via" "past certification. If requalified, the BCaBA will be subject to increased supervision requirements audits." "" "" "" "" "Updated 09/2021, Copyright© 2021, BACB® | All rights reserved. Behavior Analyst Certification Board | Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst® Handbook | 36" " Certification Maintenance Requirements" "" "Supervision Documentation" "There are three forms of documentation required for BCaBA supervision: the supervision contract, the BCaBA" "Supervision Meeting Form, and a documentation system. The supervisor and the BCaBA must retain copies of these" "documents for at least seven years from the date of the last supervisory meeting and, if requested, provide them to" "the BACB. Note: Backdated or retroactively completed forms will not be accepted." "" "Supervision Contract: The supervisor and the BCaBA must develop and sign a written contract before the onset of" "the supervisory relationship. The contract must include:" "• nature and frequency of supervision (including grounds for increased supervision at the discretion of" "the supervisor)" "• responsibility for supervisee’s service-delivery activities and mechanism for reporting caseload to supervisor" "• mandatory third-party consent for supervisor involvement" "• methods of supervisory observation" "• methods for documenting supervision" "• retention of written feedback by both parties" "• supervision fees" "• termination and supervision-verification criteria" "• supervisor requirements statement (i.e., completed 8-hour training and supervision continuing education)" "BCaBA Supervision Meeting Form: The supervisor and the BCaBA are responsible for documenting ongoing" "supervision meetings (at least once each month) on the BCaBA Supervision Meeting Form." "" "Documentation System: Because supervision varies across settings and practice areas, the BACB grants supervisors" "and BCaBAs the flexibility to develop their own systems for documenting ongoing supervision in a way that" "demonstrates adherence to all of the requirements in this document and the Code. Documentation must include" "the following:" "" "Information Required in a Documentation System" "Service Delivery (for Each Day): Supervised Hours (for Each Contact):" "• dates • date" "• hours • time" "• format (e.g., in person, online)" "• supervision type (individual or group)" "• date supervisor observed BCaBA providing service delivery" "" "" "" "" "Updated 09/2021, Copyright© 2021, BACB® | All rights reserved. Behavior Analyst Certification Board | Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst® Handbook | 37" " Certification Maintenance Requirements" "" "Audits" "The BACB can audit BCaBAs and supervisors at any time to determine compliance with BACB supervision" "requirements. See the following figure for an overview of the BCaBA supervision audit process." "" "" "" "" "BCaBA Supervision Audit Process" "" "AUDIT INITIATED" "The BACB may initiate a BCaBA supervision audit at any time for any reason. For instance, it might be initiated as part of a" "quality assurance check, a lapse in self-reporting, or an ethics-related matter." "" "BACB REQUESTS AUDIT INFORMATION" "The BACB will contact the BCaBA and supervisor via email. The audit may require submission of a BCaBA Supervision" "Audit Log, the supervision contract, and/or the BCaBA Supervision Meeting Form (or other supervisor-related documents" "as described in the Supervision Documentation section)." "" "PARTIES SUBMIT AUDIT DOCUMENTS TO BACB" "All relevant parties will submit requested documents to the BACB within a speci ed time frame, typically 15 days. Note: If" "completed documents are not submitted within the speci ed time frame, a Notice of Alleged Violation may be submitted" "against the relevant parties, or the supervision may be considered noncompliant." "" "BACB REVIEWS INFORMATION" "BACB staff will review the information submitted to evaluate compliance with BCaBA supervision requirements and" "other applicable BACB requirements. If additional documents or information is required, relevant parties will be noti ed" "via email." "" "BACB PROVIDES A DETERMINATION AND FEEDBACK" "The BACB will contact the BCaBA and supervisor with a determination, if applicable, and feedback." "" "" "" "" "NONCOMPLIANT COMPLIANT" "" "" "" "TERMINATION OF CERTIFICATION" "Any BCaBA found to be substantially CONTINUE TO MEET" "noncompliant with supervision requirements SUPERVISION REQUIREMENTS" "will have their certi cation terminated. * If the supervision was found to be" "compliant with BCaBA supervision" "requirements for the audited period," "supervision may continue." "NOTICE OF ALLEGED VIOLATION" "AGAINST SUPERVISOR(S)" "A Notice of Alleged Violation may be" "submitted against the supervisor if their" "BCaBA(s) are not receiving supervision in" "accordance with these requirements." "" "" "" "" "* To become certi ed following termination, applicants can qualify via past certi cation or reapply by meeting the most current BCaBA eligibility requirements." "" "" "" "BCaBA Supervision Audit Process | Version 9/11/2019, Copyright © 2019, BACB® | All rights reserved." "" "" "" "" "Updated 09/2021, Copyright© 2021, BACB® | All rights reserved. Behavior Analyst Certification Board | Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst® Handbook | 38" " Certification Maintenance Requirements" "" "Recertification" "As a BCaBA, you are required to submit a recertification application (including payment) every two years." "Recertification applications are available in your BACB account within 45 days of your recertification date AND as" "soon as you have entered your required CEUs. You must complete your recertification application on or before your" "recertification date to avoid lapses in your certification and late fees." "" "Recertifying" "1. Throughout your certification cycle, enter your CEUs into your portal. Note: These entries require that CEU" "documentation is submitted to support each entry." "2. As soon as all of your CEUs are entered AND you are within 45 days of your recertification date, a" "recertification application will appear in your BACB account under the Recertification tab. This tab will not" "be visible until these two elements are met." "3. Complete the application and pay the fee. Make sure that you are reviewing your information closely in" "your recertification application to ensure that it is accurate, including your contact information and mailing" "address. Note: At the time of application, you will be asked to attest to questions in the Eligibility Affidavit" "section of the application and agree to the Application Processing Agreement. You will be asked to (a) affirm" "that you have read, are in compliance with, and will continue to comply with all BACB requirements; (b) report" "whether you have a physical/mental condition or substance addiction that could impair your service delivery;" "and (c) report about any disciplinary or legal investigations or actions. Please read each question carefully" "and answer truthfully. Answering “yes” to the second or third questions will result in communication from a" "BACB staff member with an opportunity to explain and provide relevant documentation. Please allow at least" "two weeks to be contacted by the relevant department with next steps." "4. If your CEU entries are selected for audit, we might reach out for additional information via email. If we do" "not receive the appropriate documentation to indicate that you met the CE requirements, your certification" "will expire." "If your application has been approved:" "• Your certification dates will update with a new recertification date that is two years from your last" "recertification date." "• After your new recertification date, you may start accruing CEUs for your next recertification cycle. Even" "if you complete the recertification application before your recertification date, you can only count CEUs" "for your next cycle once that new cycle starts." "• You will receive a new certificate in the mail at the address on record within 4–6 weeks." "If you do not recertify:" "• By your recertification date: Your certification status will become inactive, and you will not be permitted" "to bill, practice, supervise, or represent yourself as a BCaBA (see the Reinstatement Period section for" "more details)." "• By the end of your reinstatement period: Your certification will expire, and you will not be permitted" "to bill, practice, supervise, or represent yourself as a BCaBA. You will need to reapply and meet the" "eligibility requirements applicable at that time to become a BCaBA (see the following graphic)." "Reinstatement Period" "" "If you complete all of your CE requirements but fail to recertify before your recertification date, you will have 90 days" "from your recertification date to reinstate your certification and pay the late fee. Additional CEUs may not be accrued" "during the reinstatement period. After this grace period, you will lose your certification and will need to reapply and" "meet the eligibility requirements applicable at that time." "" "" "" "" "Updated 09/2021, Copyright© 2021, BACB® | All rights reserved. Behavior Analyst Certification Board | Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst® Handbook | 39" " Certification Maintenance Requirements" "" "GUIDANCE FOR THOSE WHO MISSED THEIR RECERTIFICATION DATE" "AND WISH TO REMAIN CERTIFIED" "" "LOG IN TO YOUR BACB" "Did you complete all of YES ACCOUNT AND COMPLETE" "your CEUs by your THE RECERTIFICATION" "recerti cation date? APPLICATION" "" "" "YES" "" "COMPLETE AN APPLICATION" "MISSED MY DATE CERTIFICATION INACTIVE Has it been 90 days or NO TO QUALIFY FOR AN" "I missed my recerti cation date. You must stop using your BCaBA less since your" "EXAMINATION VIA PAST" "What should I do? certi cation immediately. recerti cation date? YES" "CERTIFICATION" "" "NO" "" "" "" "Has it been 5 years or" "REVIEW CURRENT REQUIREMENTS" "less since your AND COMPLETE A NEW" "NO APPLICATION FOR CERTIFICATION" "certi cation expired?" "" "Version 9/11/2019, Copyright © 2019, BACB® | All rights reserved." "" "" "" "" "Fees*" "" "Recertification Fees" "Recertification Application $140" "Late Fee $50" "Insufficient Funds/Returned Check $45" "Certificate Replacement $35" "* BACB fees are nonrefundable." "" "Inactive Policy" "BCaBAs may become inactive because:" "• they placed their certification on voluntary inactive status or active duty/reserve status," "• they did not recertify by their recertification date," "• they are not supervised, or" "• they have sanctions against their certification." "BCaBAs with an inactive certification may not bill, practice, supervise, or represent themselves as a BCaBA." "" "Voluntary Inactive Status" "BCaBAs who need a break from maintaining their certification for a period—and who are within their recertification" "cycle and have completed continuing education for their recertification cycle (prorated to the month)—may request" "inactive status. Once granted voluntary inactive status, you may remain inactive for up to four years. There are no" "certification maintenance requirements (i.e., supervision, recertification fees) during the period of inactivity." "" "Applying for Voluntary Inactive Status" "" "If you wish to request voluntary inactive status, you must complete the BCaBA Application for Voluntary Inactive" "Status and pay a one-time, inactive-request fee of $50." "" "" "" "" "Updated 09/2021, Copyright© 2021, BACB® | All rights reserved. Behavior Analyst Certification Board | Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst® Handbook | 40" " Certification Maintenance Requirements" "" "Applying for Reactivation" "" "If you are on voluntary inactive status for less than four years and wish to reactivate your certification, you must" "submit a BCBA/BCaBA Request to Return from Voluntary Inactive Status Application." "" "Once your certification is reactivated, your recertification cycle will resume. If your certification remains inactive for" "a period of four years, you must request reactivation, or your certification will expire. Once you have returned from" "inactive status, you may not apply for inactive status again until your next recertification cycle" "" "" "Example of how your recertification cycle is paused while on voluntary inactive status:" "" "If you go on inactive status 12 months into your recertification cycle, you will have needed to" "complete 10 CEUs. When you return, you will need to accrue the remaining CEUs for the next 12" "months of your cycle before your next recertification date. Your next recertification date will be 12" "months from the date that you return from inactive status." "" "Active Duty/Reserve Status" "If you are called to active military duty in the armed forces and are actively certified, you may apply for a temporary" "pause of your recertification cycle or examination authorization period to cover the time frame for which you are" "called (not to exceed two years). While on reserve inactive status, you are prohibited from representing yourself as a" "BCaBA. This policy only applies to service members. If a spouse of a service member wishes to go on inactive status," "they must apply for voluntary inactive status." "" "Upon being called to active duty, notify the BACB via the Contact Us web page and provide a copy of your official" "call-up notice. The BACB will place your certification on inactive status during your active duty period. Following" "completion of your active duty or two years, whichever is earlier, you must contact the BACB to update your" "certification status. When your certification becomes active again, your recertification cycle or authorization period" "will resume." "" "Fees*" "" "Inactive Status Fees" "BCaBA Application for Voluntary Inactive Status $50" "BCBA/BCaBA Request to Return from Voluntary Inactive Status Application" "$0" "(0–2 years inactive)" "BCBA/BCaBA Request to Return from Voluntary Inactive Status Application" "$50" "(2–4 years inactive)" "Active Duty/Reserve Status $0" "* BACB fees are nonrefundable." "" "" "" "" "Updated 09/2021, Copyright© 2021, BACB® | All rights reserved. Behavior Analyst Certification Board | Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst® Handbook | 41" " Assessing, Training, and Supervising RBTs" "" "Assessing, Training, and Supervising RBTs" "As a BCaBA, you may serve in the important role of overseeing the work, training, or" "assessment of others who are providing behavior-analytic services. This oversight may occur" "in three primary roles:" "• Supervisor: As a supervisor, you will oversee RBTs who are providing behavior- How are eligible" "analytic services. supervisors identified?" "• Assessor: As an assessor, you will be responsible for directly conducing or overseeing" "assessments of those pursuing RBT certification or those who are maintaining their BCaBAs who meet" "RBT certification to determine whether they are competent in specific tasks commonly supervision requirements" "conducted by behavior technicians (i.e., Initial Competency Assessment or Renewal are identified in the" "Competency Assessment). Certificant Registry" "• Trainer: As a trainer, you will develop and/or provide the RBT 40-hour training and/or with the statement" "oversee individuals who are providing the RBT 40-hour training. “Completed supervision" "Because of the obvious importance of these roles, failing to meet these requirements may training on DATE.” The" "constitute an ethics violation that could adversely impact the status of your BCaBA certification. date shown is the date" "the certificant became" "This section of the handbook provides an overview of each role; however, you will need eligible to provide" "to carefully review the linked requirements specified in each section. It is the responsibility supervision." "of every candidate, certificant, and supervisor to ensure that any supervision provided or" "received is consistent with current BACB requirements, any applicable state regulatory" "requirements (e.g., licensure), and relevant third-party payer requirements." "" "Overview of Additional Requirement by Role: Although holding BCaBA certification is the primary qualification," "additional requirements are indicated in the following table." "" "Additional Requirements by Role" "May Not Be Related" "to, Subordinate to," "8-Hour Supervision Ongoing CEUs" "Role or Employed by the" "Training* in Supervision" "Trainee, Supervisee," "Certificant" "Assessing RBTs" "✓ × ✓" "(competency assessments)" "Training RBTs (RBT" "× × ✓" "40-hour training)" "Supervising RBTs ✓ ✓ ✓" "* You can find a list of ACE Providers who may offer 8-hour supervision training on the ACE Provider Directory." "" "" "" "" "Updated 09/2021, Copyright© 2021, BACB® | All rights reserved. Behavior Analyst Certification Board | Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst® Handbook | 42" " Assessing, Training, and Supervising RBTs" "" "Assessing, Training, and Supervising RBTs" "Assessing RBTs (Competency Assessments)" "RBT® Initial Competency RBT® Renewal Competency" "Assessment Packet: Requirements Assessment Packet: Requirements" "" "" "One of the primary eligibility and maintenance requirements for Overview" "All RBT applicants must demonstrate that they can competently perform the tasks on the Initial Competency" "Overview" "All RBT certificants must demonstrate that they can competently perform the tasks on the Renewal Competency" "" "" "" "" "RBT certification is demonstrating competence in the tasks on the" "Assessment as part of the requirements to qualify for the RBT certification. Assessment as part of the annual requirements to maintain the RBT certification. The Renewal Competency" "Assessment is an important maintenance requirement because it requires an RBT to demonstrate their ongoing" "Qualified Assessor(s) proficiency in performing critical behavior technician skills. This demonstration is especially valuable because of" "Responsible assessor: A BACB certificant (BCaBA, BCBA, or BCBA-D) who has completed the 8-hour supervision the integral, hands-on activities an RBT performs on the service-delivery team." "" "" "" "" "Initial/Renewal Competency Assessment. A qualified assessor" "training is responsible for overseeing the Competency Assessment. The responsible assessor must:" "Qualified Assessor(s)" "• Ensure that the assessment is conducted in accordance with these requirements;" "Responsible assessor: A BACB certificant (BCaBA, BCBA, or BCBA-D) who has completed the 8-hour supervision" "• Sign the Initial Competency Assessment; training is responsible for overseeing the Competency Assessment. The responsible assessor must:" "• Maintain records of all assessments conducted; and" "• Ensure that the assessment is conducted in accordance with these requirements;" "" "" "" "conducts these assessments and, in some cases, may also involve" "• Ensure that the assessment meets quality standards, even when asssistant assessor(s) are involved in" "• Sign the Renewal Competency Assessment;" "conducting the assessment." "• Maintain records of all assessments conducted; and" "Assistant assessor(s): The responsible assessor may delegate some or all of the assessment to an assistant" "• Ensure that the assessment meets quality standards, even when assistant assessor(s) are involved in" "assessor who has demonstrated, through direct observation, proficiency in the material being delivered. This" "conducting the assessment." "" "" "" "and oversee assistant assessors." "individual does not need to be certified by the BACB, however, the responsible assessor is professionally and" "ethically accountable for all of the assistant assessor’s activities. The responsible assessor may utilize multiple Assistant assessor(s): The responsible assessor may delegate some or all of the assessment to an assistant" "assistant assessors for a single Competency Assessment. assessor who has demonstrated, through direct observation, proficiency in the material being delivered. This" "individual does not need to be certified by the BACB, however, the responsible assessor is professionally and" "The responsible assessor and assistant assessor(s) (hereafter referred to as “assessor”) may not be related to," "ethically accountable for all of the assistant assessor’s activities. The responsible assessor may utilize multiple" "subordinate to, or employed by the applicant during the assessment. Employment does not include compensation" "assistant assessors for a single Competency Assessment." "paid to the assessor by the applicant for assessment services." "The responsible assessor and assistant assessor(s) (hereafter referred to as “assessor”) may not be related to," "Note: It is permissible for the assessor to be the same person who delivered the RBT 40-hour training." "subordinate to, or employed by the RBT during the assessment. Employment does not include compensation paid" "" "" "" "" "Requirements: The Initial Competency Assessment and the" "to the assessor by the RBT for assessment services." "Timing" "The Initial Competency Assessment must be completed after the 40-hour training is complete and cannot be Timing" "completed more than 90 days before submitting an RBT certification application." "The Renewal Competency Assessment cannot be completed more than 45 days before the RBT’s certification" "" "" "" "" "Renewal Competency Assessment include the requirements for" "expiration date." "Structure" "The Initial Competency Assessment: Structure" "• May be conducted over one or more sessions. The Renewal Competency Assessment:" "• May be conducted in person, live via the internet, or through observations of recorded videos created" "" "" "" "" "administering the assessments." "• May be conducted over one or more sessions." "specifically for the purpose of the assessment." "• May be conducted in person, live via the internet, or through observations of recorded videos created" "specifically for the purpose of the assessment." "" "" "" "" "Version 04/2020, Copyright © 2019, BACB® Behavior Analyst Certification Board | RBT Initial Competency Assessment Packet | 1 Version 10/2019, Copyright © 2019, BACB® Behavior Analyst Certification Board | RBT Renewal Competency Assessment Packet | 1" "" "" "" "" "Training RBTs (RBT 40-Hour Training): Initial Competency Renewal Competency" "Assessment Assessment" "As one of the requirements to obtain certification, RBT applicants" "must complete a 40-hour training based on the RBT Task List (2nd RBT® 40-Hour Training Packet:" "" "ed.). A qualified trainer conducts the training and, in some cases, Requirements" "Effective November 2019" "" "" "" "may also involve and oversee assistant trainers." "Overview" "All RBT applicants are required to complete a 40-hour training based on the RBT Task List (2nd ed.). The training" "is one of the eligibility requirements for the RBT credential." "" "" "Qualified Trainer(s)" "Responsible trainer: A BACB certificant (BCaBA, BCBA, or BCBA-D) who is responsible for overseeing the training." "The responsible trainer must:" "" "" "" "" "Requirements: The RBT 40-Hour Training Packet outlines the" "• Develop the training materials in accordance with these requirements;" "• Ensure that the training is conducted in accordance with these requirements;" "• Identify himself/herself as the responsible trainer at the outset of training and on the training documentation;" "• Maintain records of all trainings conducted; and" "" "" "" "" "requirements for conducting the RBT 40-hour training." "• Ensure that the training meets quality standards, even when an assistant trainer is conducting the training." "" "Assistant trainer: The responsible trainer may delegate some or all of the training experience to an assistant" "trainer who has demonstrated, through direct observation, proficiency in the material being delivered. This" "individual does not need to be certified by the BACB, however, the responsible trainer is professionally and" "ethically accountable for all of the assistant trainer’s activities." "The responsible trainer and assistant trainer(s) (hereafter referred to as the “trainer”) may not be related to," "subordinate to, or employed by the applicant during the training. Employment does not include compensation" "" "" "" "" "Supervising RBTs" "paid to the trainer by the RBT applicant for training services." "" "" "Content" "The training must:" "• Cover all of the tasks in the RBT Task List (2nd ed.); and" "• Include at least three hours on the RBT Ethics Code; and" "• Include at least 1 hour on supervision." "" "" "" "" "RBTs practice under the close, ongoing supervision of an RBT" "The training cannot include (i.e., count the activities toward the 40 hours):" "• Time spent completing independent activities (e.g., readings, assignments); or" "• Any non-behavior analytic or agency-specific training (e.g., crisis management, CPR, billing systems)." "Note: This training does not meet continuing education requirements for BACB certificants." "" "" "" "Supervisor and/or an RBT Requirements Coordinator who is Duration" "The cumulative duration of the training must be at least 40 hours. The training must be completed within a" "180-day period and in no less than a 5-day period." "" "" "" "responsible for the RBT’s work (see the Ongoing Supervision Version 01/2020, Copyright © 2019, BACB® | All rights reserved. Behavior Analyst Certification Board | RBT 40-Hour Training Packet | 1" "" "" "" "" "section of the RBT Handbook for a full description of each RBT 40-Hour Training RBT Handbook" "role’s requirements). Packet" "" "Requirements: The Ongoing Supervision section of the RBT Handbook helps RBT Supervisors, RBT Requirements" "Coordinators, and RBTs ensure that the appropriate ongoing supervision is provided in order to maintain active certification." "" "Managing Alleged Ethics Violations by RBTs" "As an RBT Supervisor, you are responsible for the actions of all RBTs under your supervision, so it’s important to" "be aware of the special considerations for submitting a Notice of Alleged Violation against an RBT. Supervisors" "are often best positioned to immediately and directly address some ethics violations by an RBT. Therefore, in an" "instance where an RBT Supervisor becomes aware of a potential ethics violation by an RBT, they must take steps" "to investigate and document the alleged violation. If they determine that a violation did occur, they should decide" "if the matter should be addressed internally or by submitting a Notice of Alleged Violation to the BACB." "" "Submit a Notice of Alleged Violation against the RBT if the alleged violation:" "• involves abuse or neglect of a client;" "• resulted in the RBT being charged with or convicted of a violation of the law;" "• is a violation of 1.10, 1.11, 1.12, 3.01, or the preamble obligations to the BACB outlined in the RBT Ethics Code; OR" "• has occurred repeatedly despite reasonable attempts to address the problem with the RBT." "If none of these situations apply, the RBT Requirements Coordinator and/or RBT Supervisor should develop and" "implement an individualized corrective-action plan for the RBT and document the outcome. The BACB reserves" "the right to audit the RBT Requirements Coordinator or RBT Supervisor for documentation of the complaint," "investigation, and resolution." "" "" "" "Updated 09/2021, Copyright© 2021, BACB® | All rights reserved. Behavior Analyst Certification Board | Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst® Handbook | 43" " Assessing, Training, and Supervising RBTs" "" "Tips for Supervising RBTs" "Being a supervisor is an important responsibility in both shaping future behavior analysts and helping to facilitate" "quality services being provided to clients. With that in mind, here are a few tips for those who supervise." "• Know the RBT supervision requirements. This might be obvious by now, but supervisors should know" "the relevant requirements for supervision and stay up to date about requirements changes by reading" "the BACB Newsletter and periodically reviewing the BACB website and BCaBA and RBT Handbooks." "• Become intimately familiar with the BACB’s ethics Codes. Supervisors should know the Code and the" "RBT Ethics Code. Not only do you need to follow the Code in your practice and supervision, but you will" "also need to be an ethical resource and guide for your supervisees. In particular, the Behavior Analysts" "as Supervisors and Compliance with BACB Supervision and Coursework Standards sections of the Code" "are some of the most frequent ethics violations reported to the BACB (see the November 2019 BACB" "Newsletter for the most recent ethics data). So, it is important to review these sections carefully and take" "them into account when determining how you will provide supervision. For instance, when determining" "how many supervisees you can supervise, consider the number of clients on your caseload, how many" "hours each supervisee is working, and how much of your time will be dedicated to their supervision," "the clients’ needs, and the program settings, among others. Of note, abruptly discontinuing supervision" "can negatively impact services, so make sure that you have transition plans in place when discontinuing" "supervision services." "• Consider whether you are ready to be a supervisor. We highly recommend waiting until after you have" "ample experiences of your own before you supervise others. In addition, consider whether supervision" "activities will be within your area of defined competence and whether you have the time and ability to" "supervise RBTs." "• Develop your time management and organizational systems. Have these systems in place before you" "start supervision to ensure that you are meeting all relevant requirements. For example, you will need" "a system for keeping your RBT supervisee accounts up to date with the BACB, documenting feedback," "and evaluating the effects of your supervision, among other areas. In the event of an audit, it is your" "responsibility to produce the requested documentation." "• Evaluate fit before agreeing to supervise. Identify your work and supervision style before taking" "on a supervisee to determine whether their style is a good fit. Both you and the supervisee have a" "history of experiences coming into the relationship, so it is helpful to know a little about them before" "agreeing to be their supervisor. If your styles don’t fit, determine whether you are open to adjusting your" "supervision style." "• Set clear expectations. Although a supervision contract is not required for supervising RBTs, setting clear" "expectations at the beginning of supervision is valuable in all supervisory relationships." "• Aim to provide high-quality, individualized, and effective supervision. Don’t just focus on doing enough" "to meet the BACB’s requirements. These were established as minimum requirements that allow flexibility" "for variations in each setting. Think about what your past supervisors have done well (and maybe not so" "well) so that you can identify how you can provide high-quality supervision. For instance, you may want" "to develop a supervision curriculum for the supervisee that includes behavior-analytic topics, specific" "skills that are important in practice (e.g., problem solving, interpersonal skills), and skills that they will" "need when they become a supervisor (see the Supervisor Training Curriculum Outline [2.0])." "• Continue your professional development as a supervisor and seek out a trusted mentor. These" "tips are only a starting point. There is growing literature on supervision, as well as continuing" "education events and resources on the topic, so make continued growth and learning part of your" "regular schedule." "" "" "" "" "Updated 09/2021, Copyright© 2021, BACB® | All rights reserved. Behavior Analyst Certification Board | Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst® Handbook | 44" " Other Relevant Policies" "" "Other Relevant Policies" "Administrative Appeals" "Application Appeals" "Any adverse eligibility or certification decision including, but not limited to, a denial of a certification application," "recertification application, or other application submitted to the BACB may be appealed by applicants or certificants." "" "BACB requirements, deadlines, procedures, and fees may not be appealed. Do not submit an appeal in order to" "request information about a denied application; you will receive detailed information (i.e., reasons for the denial," "steps that need to be taken to correct any deficiencies) at the time of the denial." "" "How to appeal: You must file a written request for appeal within 30 days of the date of the decision being appealed" "by completing the Administrative Appeal Request Form." "" "Examination Appeals" "If you experience examination condition irregularities (e.g., poor lighting, disruptive noises, long screen-load times)" "during your examination, you may file an appeal with the BACB. Note: Pearson VUE sites deliver BACB examinations" "via a web browser, so minor Internet bandwidth variances are to be expected. Examination scores, content," "questions, answers, procedures, deadlines, fees, and requirements may not be appealed." "" "How to appeal: You must file a written request for appeal within seven days of your examination appointment by" "completing the Administrative Appeal Request Form." "" "Acceptable Signatures Policy" "The BACB accepts electronic signatures* for applications and forms, whether submitted electronically or by" "mail. Although it is preferred that documents are digitally signed using a third-party electronic signature service" "(e.g., Adobe Sign, DocuSign, HelloSign), the BACB will accept any type of electronic signature (e.g., Adobe Fill &" "Sign, JPEG of a signature), provided the document is signed by the appropriate party with the intent of signing" "the document." "" "The BACB also accepts handwritten signatures on scanned documents, unless the document states that an" "original signed copy is needed. Alterations on documents (e.g., white-outs, strike-throughs) must be initialed by all" "relevant parties." "* An electronic signature is “an electronic sound, symbol, or process, attached to or logically associated with a contract or other" "record and executed or adopted by a person with the intent to sign the record” (15 U.S.C. § 7006 (2000)). Simply stated, an" "electronic signature is an electronic expression indicating a signee’s intent to sign a document. By contrast, a digital signature" "is a specific kind of electronic signature, which requires authentication of a signee’s identity." "" "Documentation Policy" "All documentation submitted to the BACB, for any reason, becomes the property of the organization. Documents" "submitted to the BACB will be retained and/or safely discarded at the discretion of the BACB. For this reason," "candidates should retain a copy of their certification application and all supporting documentation." "" "" "" "" "Updated 09/2021, Copyright© 2021, BACB® | All rights reserved. Behavior Analyst Certification Board | Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst® Handbook | 45" " Other Relevant Policies" "" "Submission of False, Forged, or Untrue Information to the BACB" "The BACB reserves the right to invalidate any certification (immediately making the certification null and void) and/or" "prohibit any individual from taking a BACB examination if the individual submitted false, forged, or untrue information." "" "Examples of false, forged, or untrue information include:" "• submitting false, inconsistent, or misleading statements or omitting information the BACB requests" "• submitting an altered or inauthentic transcript" "• submitting an application containing false, inconsistent, or misleading information" "• attempting to take the examination for someone else or having someone else take the examination for you" "• copying or sharing information or any other form of cheating" "• obtaining advanced access to certification or examination material" "• stealing examination materials" "• bringing prohibited items into the examination room" "• failing to follow directions from testing-center staff" "• violating Pearson VUE scheduling or testing-center rules and regulations" "Please see the BACB’s Code-Enforcement Procedures for more specific information." "" "" "" "" "Updated 09/2021, Copyright© 2021, BACB® | All rights reserved. Behavior Analyst Certification Board | Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst® Handbook | 46" " Documents and Resources" "" "Documents and Resources" "Eligibility and Applying for Certification" "• BCBA/BCaBA Task List (4th ed.)" "• Qualify for Examination via Past Certification: Application" "" "Coursework" "• Nonverified Course Content Attestation" "• Preliminary Coursework Evaluation Application" "" "Experience" "Monthly and Final Experience Verification Forms" "• Monthly Experience Verification Form: Individual Supervisor" "• Final Experience Verification Form: Individual Supervisor" "• Monthly Experience Verification Form: Multiple Supervisors at One Organization" "• Final Experience Verification Form: Multiple Supervisors at One Organization" "Optional Resources" "• Pre-Experience Checklist" "• Sample Supervision Contract for BCBA/BCaBA Trainees" "• FAQs" "• Experience Tip Sheet" "• Contested Experience/Fieldwork Form" "" "Examination" "• Pearson VUE Website" "• Accommodation Request Form" "" "Ongoing Supervision" "• BCaBA Supervision Contract Specifications" "• BCaBA Supervision Meeting Form" "" "Continuing Education" "• ACE Provider Directory" "• Supervisor Training Curriculum Outline (2.0)" "" "Ethics and Self-Reporting" "• Professional and Ethical Compliance Code for Behavior Analysts (Code)" "• Considerations for Self-Reporting" "• Code-Enforcement Procedures" "• Ethics Web Page" "" "Voluntary Inactive Status" "• BCaBA Application for Voluntary Inactive Status" "• BCBA/BCaBA Request to Return from Voluntary Inactive Status Application" "" "" "" "" "Updated 09/2021, Copyright© 2021, BACB® | All rights reserved. Behavior Analyst Certification Board | Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst® Handbook | 47" " Documents and Resources" "" "Supervising, Training, and Assessing RBTs" "Assessing RBTs" "• RBT Initial Competency Assessment Packet" "• RBT Renewal Competency Assessment Packet" "• Sample RBT Assessor Evaluation and Log" "Training RBTs" "• RBT 40-Hour Training Packet" "• RBT Trainer Evaluation and Log" "Supervising RBTs" "• RBT Handbook (Ongoing Supervision section)" "• Noncertified RBT Supervisor Form" "• Process for Adding or Removing Supervisees" "" "Administrative Appeals" "• Administrative and Examination Appeal Request Form" "" "Requirements for Those Applying in 2022 or Later" "• BCaBA 2022 Eligibility Requirements" "• Guidance for Those Applying for BCaBA Certification during the 2022 Transition" "" "" "" "" "Updated 09/2021, Copyright© 2021, BACB® | All rights reserved. Behavior Analyst Certification Board | Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst® Handbook | 48" " Glossary" "" "Glossary" "Applicant: An individual who is pursuing certification." "" "BCaBA Supervision Meeting Form: The supervisor and the BCaBA are responsible for documenting qualifying" "ongoing supervision meetings (at least once each month) on the BCaBA Supervision Meeting Form." "" "Candidate: An individual who has submitted a certification application." "" "Certification Application: An application to apply for certification after eligibility requirements have been met." "" "Client: The direct recipient of the behavior analyst’s services. In some contexts, the client might be a group" "of individuals." "" "Conferral Date: The official date on which your degree was awarded by the institution." "" "Continuing Education: Initial BCaBA certification indicates that an individual has met entry-level standards of practice" "as an assistant behavior analyst. The purpose of the BACB’s continuing education requirement is to ensure that" "BCaBA certificants engage in activities that will expand their behavior-analytic skills beyond the requirements for" "initial certification and help them stay up to date on developments in the profession." "" "Didactic Course: A course that includes synchronous instruction by an instructor." "" "Documentation System: A documentation system that tracks all ongoing supervision and fieldwork in a way that" "demonstrates adherence to all relevant requirements and the Code." "" "Experience: The experiential activities in which one engages as part of the eligibility requirements for obtaining" "BCaBA (or BCBA) certification. The Experience Requirements section details the experience requirements. Note: For" "those applying for certification on or after January 1, 2022, this will be called fieldwork." "" "Experience Verification Forms: The forms used by the supervisor and trainee to document experience hours each" "month (Monthly Experience Verification Form) and at the end of experience (Final Experience Verification Form)." "Versions of the forms are provided for individual supervisors as well as organizations with multiple supervisors." "" "Freestanding Course: The entire course was devoted to the topic." "" "Group Supervision: An interactive supervision meeting that includes no fewer than 2 and no more than 10 trainees." "The number of trainees in a group meeting may not exceed 10 at any time, regardless of the number of supervisors" "in the meeting." "" "Inactive Status: BCaBAs may be inactive for the following reasons:" "• They are on voluntary inactive or reserve status (i.e., they put a pause on maintaining their certification)." "To qualify for these options, BCaBAs must complete a BCaBA Application for Voluntary Inactive Status or" "request reserve active duty." "• They did not recertify their BCaBA certification and are within their reinstatement period." "• They do not have a supervisor." "• They have disciplinary actions against their certification." "BCaBAs with an inactive certification may not bill, practice, supervise, or represent themselves as a BCaBA." "" "Independent Hours: Experience hours that are accrued when a supervisor is not present." "" "" "" "" "Updated 09/2021, Copyright© 2021, BACB® | All rights reserved. Behavior Analyst Certification Board | Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst® Handbook | 49" " Glossary" "" "Individual Supervisor: An individual supervisor must ensure that all of their trainees’ experience requirements are" "being met during their supervision. In this situation:" "• the supervision contract should clearly outline the roles, responsibilities, and expectations for the trainee and" "supervisor (see the Supervision Contract section);" "• all supervision must be related to specific client programming;" "• the supervisor must have written permission to receive client information and must be well aware of the" "organization’s values, practices, and personnel; AND" "• the person signing the M-EVFs and F-EVF for Individual Supervisors must be able to agree to all of the" "relevant attestations, including that all experience requirements were met." "Multiple Supervisors at One Organization: An organization may coordinate and oversee multiple supervisors who" "provide experience to a trainee. For example, a service organization might have multiple supervisors providing" "supervision, or a university might coordinate all on- and off-campus activities under one system. The supervisors" "must work together to ensure that all of their trainees’ experience requirements are met (e.g., all of the hours" "provided by the supervisors are used to calculate the supervision percentage). One supervisor must ensure that the" "activity is well organized and coordinated. In this situation:" "• the supervision contract should clearly outline the roles, responsibilities, and expectations for the trainee and" "each supervisor (see the Supervision Contract section);" "• all supervision must be related to specific client programming;" "• the supervisor(s) must have written permission to receive client information and must be well aware of the" "organization’s values, practices, and personnel; AND" "• the person signing the M-EVFs and F-EVF for Multiple Supervisors at One Organization (i.e., the responsible" "supervisor) must be able to agree to all of the relevant attestations, including that all experience" "requirements were met." "Nonverified Coursework: If you completed coursework in anything other than an ABAI Verified Course" "Sequence, that coursework is considered nonverified. You must have your department chair complete a" "Nonverified Course Content Attestation and submit it with your BCaBA Certification Application or your preliminary" "coursework evaluation." "" "Observation With a Client: The trainee/supervisee must be observed working with a client in the natural" "environment during each supervisory period by at least one supervisor. In-person, on-site observation is preferred." "However, the observation may be conducted using asynchronous (e.g., recorded video) or synchronous (e.g.," "live video conference) formats. See the Experience Requirements and Ongoing Supervision sections for" "additional details." "" "Official Transcripts: Transcripts that are either:" "• electronically sent directly by the institution to the BACB" "• mailed in the original sealed and unopened envelope" "Ongoing Supervision: Supervision of the services provided by an RBT or BCaBA as one of their requirements to" "maintain their certification." "" "Preliminary Coursework Evaluation: A preliminary review of coursework (i.e., a review that occurs before the" "submission of a certification application) by the BACB to determine whether it meets the coursework requirements." "" "Preliminary Degree-Equivalency Evaluation: This evaluation will determine whether a degree obtained outside" "of the United States was from a qualifying institution and meets the current BCaBA degree requirement. You may" "request this determination as needed before completing a BCaBA Certification Application." "" "Professional and Ethical Compliance Code for Behavior Analysts: The document that describes ethics obligations" "for BCBAs, BCaBAs, applicants, and trainees. All BCBAs, BCaBAs, applicants, and trainees agree to abide by" "this Code." "" "" "" "" "Updated 09/2021, Copyright© 2021, BACB® | All rights reserved. Behavior Analyst Certification Board | Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst® Handbook | 50" " Glossary" "" "Qualifying Coursework: Coursework that must come from a qualifying institution and cover the required content." "Only undergraduate (i.e., bachelor’s) courses where the applicant was formally enrolled and earned a passing grade" "(“C” or higher in a graded course or “pass” in a pass/fail system) are acceptable." "" "Qualifying Institution: Institutions within the US that are listed in the Council for Higher Education Accreditation" "database OR institutions outside of the US whose degrees meet certain requirements." "" "Recertification Date: The date on which a BCaBA’s certification lapses (the day the BCaBA first became certified)." "BCaBAs may locate this date in their BACB account, in the Certificant Registry, and on their certificate." "" "Reinstatement Period: If you complete all of your CE requirements but fail to recertify before your recertification" "date, you will have 90 days from your recertification date to reinstate your certification. After this grace period, you" "will lose your certification and will need to reapply and meet the eligibility requirements applicable at that time." "" "Responsible Supervisor: A supervisor who signs an Experience Verification Form on behalf of an organization where" "multiple supervisors are providing supervision for one trainee accruing experience hours and who meets supervisor" "requirements for the entirety of the experience/fieldwork." "" "Restricted Activities: The delivery of therapeutic or instructional procedures to a client for those accruing experience" "hours. Note: Not all time spent working with a client is considered restricted. For example, a number of unrestricted" "activities may involve the trainee working directly with a client (see Unrestricted Activities)." "" "Supervised Hours: Hours accrued when a supervisor is present. These may include restricted or unrestricted" "activities observed by a supervisor or individual or group meetings with the supervisor." "" "Supervisee: For the purpose of BACB requirements, this includes RBTs and BCaBAs who are receiving supervision" "from a qualified supervisor (see Trainee)." "" "Supervisor: A supervisor might supervise trainees who are pursuing BCaBA certification (i.e., experience) or RBTs" "who require ongoing supervision. BCaBAs who are serving as a supervisor must complete an 8-hour supervision" "training before providing any supervision and may not be related to, subordinate to, or employed by the trainee" "during the supervisory period." "" "Supervisor-Trainee Contact: A real-time interaction between the supervisor and trainee that takes place in an" "individual or group format." "" "Trainee: Any individual accruing experience toward fulfilling eligibility requirements for BCBA or BCaBA certification." "" "Unrestricted Activities: Activities under the experience requirements that are most likely to be performed by a BCBA" "or BCaBA, including conducting assessments, staff training, and developing behavior plans, among others." "" "Verified Course Sequence (Verified Coursework): ABAI works with institutions to identify and verify sequences of" "courses—known as Verified Course Sequences—that meet the BACB’s coursework requirements. The ABAI Verified" "Course Sequence Directory includes all Verified Course Sequences, Verified Course Sequence Coordinators," "content hours, and dates for which the courses were verified. The BACB also publishes examination pass rates for" "Verified Course Sequences." "" "" "" "" "Updated 09/2021, Copyright© 2021, BACB® | All rights reserved. Behavior Analyst Certification Board | Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst® Handbook | 51" " Appendix" "" "Appendix" "Application Processing Agreement" "The Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB) agrees to process this application subject to your agreement to the" "following terms and conditions:" "1. You have read and agree to be bound by and comply with all BACB rules and requirements (which may be" "revised) as specified in the applicable BACB certification handbook(s) and on the BACB website relating to:" "• your application for initial certification," "• your compliance with the relevant ethics code," "• the maintenance of your certification, and" "• your application for renewal or recertification." "2. You will only convey truthful and accurate information to the BACB." "3. You must complete all requirements related to the BACB certification you are seeking or currently hold," "including, but not limited to:" "• paying applicable fees (which are nonrefundable)" "• demonstrating that you have met requirements for initial certification, maintaining certification, and" "renewal or recertification, as may be applicable" "• complying with applicable BACB ethics requirements" "• complying with all BACB documentation and reporting requirements" "• reviewing and complying with any revised requirements. You will receive notice of revisions in at least" "one of the following mediums:" "• the BACB Newsletter," "• the BACB website," "• an email from the BACB, or" "• a notice published in your BACB account." "4. You must check the email account you have on record with the BACB, review the BACB website, and review" "your BACB account on a monthly basis, as the BACB typically provides at least thirty (30) days’ advance" "notice of updated requirements." "5. You authorize the BACB to publish or otherwise release the following information to governmental licensure" "boards or agencies, funders, professional associations, and employers. You also authorize the BACB to" "publish the following information on the BACB website:" "• certificant name" "• certification status (e.g., active, inactive, expired, suspended, revoked, practice restrictions)" "• certificant geographic location" "• certification dates" "• qualifications and willingness to supervise others" "• violations of ethics requirements, including, but not limited to:" "• your name on a matter resulting in revocation of certification, suspension of certification or eligibility," "or practice restrictions" "• geographic region where the matter occurred" "• code section(s) violated" "• year of disciplinary action(s)" "• interim or final action(s) imposed" "The BACB may authorize you to be contacted through the Certificant Registry and through the BACB mass" "email service." "Except as otherwise provided herein, it is the policy of the BACB not to release information provided in BACB" "applications (initial, renewal, and recertification) or contained in certificant records unless such information" "relates to pending or final disciplinary matters; is requested by a governmental licensure authority," "governmental agency, or court of law; is necessary to conduct a disciplinary investigation or criminal" "background check; or is otherwise properly subpoenaed." "" "" "Updated 09/2021, Copyright© 2021, BACB® | All rights reserved. Behavior Analyst Certification Board | Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst® Handbook | 52" " Appendix" "" "It is the policy of the BACB to comply with all applicable privacy and publication laws. If you become aware" "that this agreement contravenes laws where you reside, you agree to immediately provide the BACB with" "written notice of the conflict. Once your information has been published on the BACB website or released" "outside of the BACB, the BACB is unable to assure removal or retrieval of the information." "6. You agree to hold the BACB harmless and to waive, release, and exonerate the BACB, its officers, directors," "employees, committee members, and agents (referred to collectively as BACB personnel) from any claims" "that you may have against the BACB arising out of the BACB’s review of this application or any future" "applications relating to eligibility for certification, recertification or renewal, reinstatement, conduct of the" "examination, disciplinary processing, issuance of a disciplinary decision, publication, or third-party disclosure" "in accordance with Clause 5 of this Agreement. Except as may be found to contravene the law, you waive" "any right to assert a claim against the BACB where you are a representative or member of a class or" "representative action; further, should you be permitted by law or court of law to proceed with a class or" "representative action, you shall not be entitled to recover attorneys’ fees." "7. You are prohibited from engaging in vexatious or harassing communications with BACB personnel. You must" "immediately comply with any cease-and-desist notice issued to you by the BACB." "8. You acknowledge that this certification, if granted, indicates that you have met the BACB’s requirements but" "does not warrant or guarantee your competence to provide professional services. You also indemnify the" "BACB from and against any liability that may arise from the BACB’s issuance of your certification as it relates" "to your professional practice." "9. You agree to abide by all BACB ethics requirements, Examination Terms and Conditions, Examination Rules," "and any other testing-related requirements identified by the BACB and/or the BACB’s testing vendor." "10. Should your application be approved, you are aware that you have a two-year authorization period (for the" "BCBA or BCaBA examination) or a one-year authorization period (for the RBT examination) in which to take" "and pass the examination. If you live outside of the US, Canada, Australia, or the United Kingdom and apply" "after January 1, 2021 (for the BCBA or BCaBA examination) or January 1, 2022 (for the RBT examination), your" "authorization period will automatically end on December 31, 2022." "published on the BACB website. This agreement survives expiration of your certification application and certification." "This agreement is governed by the laws of the state of Colorado. Any action arising out of this agreement may be" "required to be submitted to and resolved by arbitration in the sole discretion of the BACB. In the event of a judgment" "against the BACB in a matter filed by or on behalf of you, you agree that damages or compensation payable" "or due to you by the BACB may not exceed any fees you have paid to the BACB in association with submitting" "this application." "" "Do you agree to be bound by all the terms of this Application Processing Agreement?" "" "" "" "" "Updated 09/2021, Copyright© 2021, BACB® | All rights reserved. Behavior Analyst Certification Board | Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst® Handbook | 53" " Version History and Updates" "" "Version History and Updates" "Version 2/18/2021 Updates" "In addition to minor edits to enhance clarity, the following changes were made:" "• Provided definitions for Individual Supervisor and Multiple Supervisors at One Organization (pp. 12," "15, 50)." "• Clarified that the Fieldwork Tracker is merely a model that can be used to evaluate progress while accruing" "hours. In the event of an audit, the BACB will send an audit log that the trainee and/or supervisor will need to" "complete at that time." "• Added Australia to the Jurisdiction section (p. 1)." "• Updated the Application Processing Agreement with a note that those applying from countries that are not" "within the BACB’s jurisdiction will have a shorter examination authorization period if they apply on or after" "January 1, 2021 (p. 52)." "• Further clarified that the supervisor may not be in a multiple relationship with (e.g., personal or business" "relationship) the traine (pp. 12, 35)." "" "Version 5/7/2021 Updates" "In addition to minor edits to enhance clarity, the following changes were made:" "• Allowed candidates applying from outside the US to meet the BCaBA degree requirement if they completed" "an undergraduate degree from a qualifying institution that would qualify them for a graduate program in" "that country." "• Clarified the documentation system requirements and removed all links to the Fieldwork Tracker." "• Provided further clarification that unless the trainee is receiving supervision at an organization with" "multiple supervisors, group supervision must be provided by the same supervisor who provides" "individual supervision." "• Added a section for examination scoring and clarified that candidates may not cancel, reschedule, or receive" "a refund within 48 hours of a scheduled examination appointment." "• Modified the About the Behavior Analyst Certification Board section to better define the role of the BACB." "" "Version 9/16/2021 Updates" "In addition to minor edits to enhance clarity, the following changes were made:" "• Added an option for demonstrating the coursework requirement using the BCaBA VCS Coordinator" "Coursework Attestation." "• Noted that the BACB requires applicants with degrees earned outside of the US to complete a degree" "equivalency evaluation." "" "" "" "" "Updated 09/2021, Copyright© 2021, BACB® | All rights reserved. Behavior Analyst Certification Board | Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst® Handbook | 54" " Copyright © 2021 by the Behavior Analyst Certification Board®, Inc. (“BACB®”), all rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction, copying, or" "transmission in any medium is strictly prohibited." "" "®The trademarks “Behavior Analyst Certification Board®, Inc.,” “BACB®.” “Board Certified Behavior Analyst®,” “BCBA®,” “Board Certified" "Assistant Behavior Analyst®,” “BCaBA®,” and “RBT®,” are owned by the Behavior Analyst Certification Board®. Unauthorized use or" "misrepresentation is strictly prohibited." " "