ISA Announces Changes in Continuing Education Policy

The International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) Certification Board met in March and has approved new changes in the organization’s continuing education unit (CEU) policy. The changes in three main areas of the policy were requested by chapter liaisons and will be effective as of July 1, 2005. The changes include:

College Courses
College courses are now worth 10 CEUs per credit hour. In the past, college courses were worth 10 CEUs per course and 15 CEUs with a lab. For example, a 3-hour college course is now worth 30 CEUs that was previously worth 10 CEUs. As always, college coursework must be at an academically accredited 2-year or 4-year institution.

Climbers at Tree Climbing Championship events
Climbers and judges at International Tree Climbing Championship (ITCC) events can be awarded up to 3 CEUs at ITCC and Chapter TCC events; this is a change from 6 CEUs.

CEUs for non-educational Purposes
CEUs are not to be treated as a commodity to compensate volunteers. There must be a formal education component to receive CEUs, and they cannot be traded for service projects, board meetings or participation in other non-education-focused programs.
While not a new CEU opportunity, the ISA Certification Board wishes to remind that articles written and published are worth 3 CEUs, and a first aid or CPR class or renewal is worth 4 CEUs.

Any questions regarding these new policy changes should be directed to the certification department. To view all ISA CEU policies in PDF format, click here. ISA members can find more information on these policy changes in the June issue of Arborist News.