Recorded webinar about the upcoming bylaws vote available 24/7

The Trek to Accreditation Webinar - Bylaws edition is now available for free to all who are interested in learning more about the process by which PATH Intl. will apply for third-party accreditation of the registered therapeutic riding instructor certification and the necessary bylaws change. To watch the webinar, available 24/7, click here.

As is often the case, the PATH Intl. membership has been an engaged and interested part of this long process. This trek (as opposed to a sprint) has been a very methodical, well-thought out and strategized series of events, and we're grateful for your participation along the way thus far. It is our hope that you will stay with us for the long haul and continue to participate by joining committees, staying informed and giving your individual feedback as we continue to move forward.

Over the past two years many things have been accomplished to bring us to this point. There was a third-party assessment done to gauge where PATH Intl. Certifications are in terms of readiness for accreditation. And from that assessment the board, committees and staff received a roadmap of recognized best practices to implement in order to meet certification industry standards. The next step was a job task analysis conducted by an outside third-party organization for the PATH Intl. Certified Registered Therapeutic Riding Instructor, providing a clear picture of what that job entails. The analysis not only gives a baseline understanding of that level, but also provides valuable information on what should be tested to prove skills and abilities. We also created a quality assurance task force to review and update our grievance procedures and increase public transparency as well as update the continuing education requirements. The continuing education units (CEU) policy now mirrors best practices in continuing education requirements. To comply with a National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA) standard, PATH Intl. has increased public access/transparency of assessment design by publishing pass/fail rates for all PATH Intl. Certifications. The accommodation policy was strengthened and faculty/evaluator training was revised and expanded to provide for equal and fair testing. Finally, we developed the charter for the credentialing council to ensure equal representation from certificants as well as representation from the public.

The next step is the bylaws vote at the annual meeting to create a credentialing council. (To learn more about the vote, read details here.) A live webinar was conducted September 28th to share a deeper understanding of this process, and during that webinar one of the questions from a member webinar participant was, "What happens if the bylaws change isn't approved?" Although we hope this next step in the trek goes smoothly, it's always important to have a plan B.
If the bylaws addition is not approved, the association would first research, to the best of its abilities, why it did not pass. The information collected would inform the future direction. Future direction could range from simply regrouping and trying again, to continuing with some of the best practices but not seeking accreditation for PATH Intl. Certifications. All of this would be guided by the board of trustees.

Throughout this process we are consistently communicating about this trek with the PATH Intl. Membership (and anyone else interested). Face-to-face communications have happened at every international conference, and in 2015-2016 PATH Intl. had staff representation at every region conference to lay out plans and answer questions. We are continuing to use the eNews and PATH Intl. Strides magazine, the website and official communications such as the one you are reading now to bring everyone along on the journey, to keep you informed and receive your insightful feedback.
 
If you have questions or feedback about this accreditation process and/or the bylaws vote, please use this feedback link where you can leave your comments, and, if requested, someone will get back to you. You might also visit this list of recent member questions and comments.