Credentialing
A credential reflects a deeper understanding of parliamentary procedure, which in turn gives additional credibility to those who have earned a credential.
The NAP Commission on Credentialing recognizes the need to balance NAP’s responsibility to ensure its credentialed members are qualified to offer clients their services with the understanding that an overly demanding assessment process could discourage members from attempting or completing the process. If this happens, there may not be enough credentialed parliamentarians available to meet client needs.Accordingly, in formulating the new credentialing process, the Commission has been guided by these principles:
- Assessment should be focused on what parliamentarians, in fact, need to be able to do in practice to serve clients competently rather than on some theoretical ideal of comprehensive knowledge and ability;
- Candidates should be informed in advance, with as much detail as possible, precisely what they will be expected to know and to be able to do and how it will be assessed;
- The assessment process should be summative so that candidates learn and master all the required knowledge and apply that knowledge in a final assessment;
- Registered Parliamentarian candidates will be examined objectively and must complete a two-part assessment demonstrating an overall knowledge of the performance expectations. Candidates must successfully complete both parts to achieve the Registered Parliamentarian credential; and
- Professional Registered Parliamentarian candidates will be examined objectively and must participate in a meeting simulation that allows candidates to demonstrate overall knowledge of the performance expectations.
RP Credentialing
Registered Parliamentarians (or RP) are members who have earned NAP’s Registered Parliamentarian credential. They have demonstrated a deeper, more advanced understanding of parliamentary procedure and its application by successfully completing the RP Credentialing Exam. RPs are authorized to market themselves as credentialed parliamentarians.
PRP Credentialing
Professional Registered Parliamentarians (or PRPs) are members who have graduated from RP to the highest credential: Professional Registered Parliamentarian. These members have demonstrated advanced parliamentary knowledge and skills that qualify them to serve as paid consultants to organizations of all types and sizes, from professional associations to homeowners’ associations to religious and Panhellenic organizations. These members successfully completed the PRP Credentialing Exam.
Renewal System
A continuing education model is established for the renewal of all credentialing programs.
Educational events that are sponsored by the National Association of Parliamentarians automatically receive continuing education units; however, there are other entities, including NAP’s association and units, that may want to offer parliamentary education and may request that attendees receive continuing education units that qualify for NAP renewals.
There are minimum standards that a third-party entity must meet to be eligible for approval. Those standards are partly based on the expectation that the shared content is consistent with NAP’s Body of Knowledge and the Commission on Credentialing policies.
Commissioners:
Darlene T. Allen, PRP, Chair
David I. Jackson, PRP, Vice-Chair
Sandra Cook, PRP, Secretary
Henry Lawton, PRP
Sandy Olson, PRP
Shawn Paine, PRP
