What is alignment and how will this affect the assessment process?

National Alignment in progress …

Have you heard the word? All eight PSIA-AASI regions are working towards alignment on what Level I, Level II, and Level III assessments and various specialist programs (like FS1 and FS2 and CS1 and CS2) will look like across the entire country. The target for national alignment is May 2026. The goals are to create consistent and fair assessments that are not specific to any region or area and are the same across the entire country. This is super exciting as it will improve the credentialing and acknowledgement of our PSIA-AASI Education throughout our country and the world. It will also provide more opportunities for members to travel throughout different regions and take education events or assessments. As the largest PSIA-AASI region, the Eastern Region is set to take on a leadership role with the evolution of our assessment/exam processes.

Because of that, you’re going to see some changes this year to our Level III assessments in the East. These changes should benefit you in all aspects.

Here’s what to expect at Level III snowboard assessments this season:

• Three days and three parts. Level III assessments will be three individual days based on the three parts of the Learning Connection Model. You can take all three days or take any of the individual modules/components in single-day increments. As you pass “modules” of the assessment, you can bank them and not need to be re-assessed in the future. You must pass all three modules to earn your Level III certification and cannot earn partial certification. You do not need to do all three modules in the same week, month, or even season. You can focus on specific parts of the assessment, or you can focus on the entire assessment. You can take different modules at different times to fit your personal educational journey. The goal is to give you options and set you up for success in your certification path!
  • Module/Day one will assess Movement Analysis and understanding of Technical skills.
  • Module/Day two will assess Teaching and People skills.
  • Module/Day three will assess riding skills.
  • Professionalism and Self-Management will be assessed every day.
• Two Examiners. This is exciting! You’ll have two Examiners evaluating you throughout the day and the Examiners will be working together to score all the participants and deliver feedback together. No, the assessment will not be twice as hard because there are two Examiners. It simply provides all candidates with two Examiners to be able to hear, see, and evaluate everything going on, multiple opportunities for the group to see demos performed by both Examiners, and a consistently fair and impartial assessment experience for all candidates as Examiners will have the opportunity to align to the National Standards by working together.
• Leading the charge. It is exciting that the Eastern Region will be leading the charge nationally by working to evolve the Snowboard Assessment process. This shows dedication to leading towards a unified national assessment process in the future! Read Education Director Keri Reid’s write up in the Fall 2024 issue of SnowPro to see more details.

The Eastern Region believes in the value these changes will offer and recognizes that they come at a substantial cost increase. As we transition to the modular format and concurring price structure, the Eastern Education Foundation will support those for whom the price increase causes undue hardship.

For this year only, members registering for any/all Snowboard Level III Modules can access preferential rates here.

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