National CPS Certification eNews

December 1, 2005

Announcements and Notices

New Options for Agency Payment Using the Online System Available December 15, 2005! Watch for a special December 15 edition of the CPS Express with information and step-by-step instructions!   Why Register Your Organization and Have Your Members “Affiliate” to You?    You will be able to better track the certifications of your affiliates. Allows your affiliates to use your organization’s purchase orders or e-vouchers to pay for course registration, re-certification or instructor candidacy. You can register affiliate for courses. At this time, this is not a batch/group processing system.   It works best when individuals log in and enter the PO or E-voucher for their certification fees.   **  Group course registration is coming in February 2006. The organization manager may register his or her affiliates individually for courses and enter substitutions for or reschedule their affiliates.  Getting Hip with the Lingo...New Terms Organization manager: This person will be responsible for registering the organization with Safe Kids and managing online payments by purchase order or e-voucher.  Through the Web site, the organization manager will also be able to track affiiliates' certifications, reschedule registrations and handle substitutions. Affiliate: Members of your organization who allow the organization manager to view their contact and certification information. Affiliates will be able to pay their fees online with this organization's purchase orders or e-vouchers (if these numbers are provided to them by the organization manager). E-voucher: Credit line provided by Safe Kids. This will allow agencies to be billed monthly for fees incurred during the month. Detailed instructions on how to register your organization, how technicians (or others who are already a part of the CPS certification system) can add your organization as their affiliated agency and how to apply for an e-voucher will be included in the December 15 CPS Express!. We appreciate your patience as we add this new component.   CPS Customer Service Online Survey Now Available Safe Kids is interested in your experiences with our toll-free CPS Customer Service by phone (877-366-8154) and e-mail (cps.certification@safekids.org). Please take a few minutes to complete the survey available on the certification Web site.  This 20-question survey should take no more than five minutes to complete.  There is no limit to the number of times you can share your opinions with us. Thank you for helping us improve our customer service.    Re-Certification Don’t Risk Your Certification—You may re-certify up to four months before your certification expiration date.  Seat checks may be logged at any time during your certification cycle and must be approved before you can register for re-certification.  You must complete registration no later than your certification expiration date.  Once your re-certification registration is processed, you will have 30 days to complete the online exam.  The test does not have to be completed by your certification expiration date. If your test is never started, inadvertently submitted or incomplete when the term expires, it will be graded and you won’t get your money refunded.

Upcoming Program Developments

Spanish-language Certification Course Course administrators and certified instructors will be able to register Spanish-language certification courses online beginning January 20, 2006.   Additional details available on our Web site in a letter to CPS Instructors with a separate grant application (Spanish language oral proficiency interviews for currently certified CPS instrciutors only).

Just for Instructors

Retake Course Overview, Tips and Suggestions If you think a student may not pass the written test, you may immediately schedule a retake course to prepare for that possibility. Since retake classes must be registered four weeks in advance, to allow shipping of exams, immediate scheduling coincides with the four weeks required for grading the original certification exam.  Retake course materials (exams, answer sheets, exam instructions) are sent based on the number of seats available that are entered when registering the retake course.  Register only for the number expected in the retake class, not the entire original class.  But note that there is no penalty or charge for requesting unused materials, as you will return them with the exams taken.  This enables you to hold the retake course for all students who may require it, as soon as the validated test scores appear on your certification course roster (see the action item called View Failed Technician Candidates). Registration for a retake course does not have to take place immediately, but be mindful that retake exams must be received within 90 days of original score notification. This 90-day period start on the original certification exam notification date, not the certification course end date. Any course administrator or certified instructor can register a retake course.  If the retake course is registered by a course administrator, he or she needs to add an instructor as the lead instructor.  The retake course instructor need not have been a member of the original instructor team.  A REALLY GOOD TIP:  Schedule a retake course date and time at the same time you register your certification course.  To set the date, count four to five weeks out from the last day of the certification course, when you will have received the official written test scores.  That way, if you must tell a student he or she has not passed the exam, you already have a date and time scheduled for the retake exam.  You may wish to order as many seats in the retake exam class as there are students in the original class.  If all your students pass the first exam, just return the retake exams to PES. Timeline Schedule certification course   Instructor team thinks one or more students may not pass the written test Schedule retake course Requires four weeks to register, but can only take place once scores have been posted, about four weeks after course ends.   Any instructor can be the lead for the retake course.  He or she does not have to be part of the certification course instructor team. Return certification course materials and exams immediately after the course ends Allow four weeks for grading of exams after they are returned Register students for retake Lead instructor logs in Clicks on “Manage My Courses” Selects the certification course Clicks on “View Failed Technician Candidates” Registers each one for a retake course (the course does not have to be the same for all)  Retake course is held  - Requires roster to be accurate Retake exams are returned for grading     NOTE: All retake exams must be received within 90 days of exam score notification, not 90 days from the last day of the certification course.  Example:  Kerry is a visiting lead instructor for cert course DC2005*000, from July 1 to July 5. There are 20 students in the course. A fellow instructor, Lorrie, registers a retake course for August 8, four weeks after the cert course, with 10 seats. Any technician candidates who fail the written test at the end of the course Kerry teaches may be registered for the retake.  Three students do not pass the exam.  As the lead instructor, Kerry registers those three students for Lorrie’s retake course.  Lorrie proctors the test and returns the three exams and the extra materials for seven others.   Submitted by Lorrie Walker and Kerry Chausmer, Safe Kids Worldwide (Washington, DC)

Just for Fun

Are You A CPS Nerd? Test Your Knowledge! This section of the newsletter highlights trivia and facts about child passenger safety. Please submit your ideas to Kerry Chausmer. Be sure to include how you would like your name to appear. Q:  What was the year and publication of this advertisement?   Submitted by Robert Brasky (Lake Zurich, Ill.)

CPS Resources

Law Enforcement Survey Partners for Child Passenger Safety (PCPS) is conducting a brief (approximately 10 minute) on-line questionnaire to help us tap into your experiences as a CPS tech in a law enforcement setting. We know from the PCPS survey that parents trust law enforcement for the most accurate guidance on how to keep their children safe in cars. We would like to get your thoughts on promoting CPS education, leadership and interest in the topic in your department and community.  The Partners for Child Passenger Safety study at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia is the world’s largest research project studying children who have been involved in motor vehicle crashes. Please go to the following website to take this brief survey: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=119281519269 If you have any questions, please contact Tracey Durham at 215.590.4653 or durhamt@email.chop.edu Thanks for giving us the chance to learn from you. Submitted by Tracey Durham, Partners for Child Passenger Safety (Philadelphia, Pa.)

Share Your Knowledge!

Recipe for Successful Instructor Candidates & Mentors: Part 2 of 2 - Mentor or Tormentor? A mentor is a trusted coach.  Successful mentors have a true and sincere commitment to the professional and personal development of the Instructor Candidate.  In addition to excellent technical skills and good presentation, classroom and instructor skills, a good mentor possesses all of the interpersonal skills being evaluated in the instructor candidate.  These include patience, understanding, responsiveness and a positive attitude. A mentoring relationship is one in which a person with greater experience, expertise and wisdom teaches, guides, directs and counsels another to develop, both personally and professionally.  The mentor serves as a tutor to help the candidate sharpen their CPS skills, offering insight, perspective, and knowledge that is useful to him or her. The relationship begins well before the first pre-class meeting and continues throughout the 32-hour course and hopefully well beyond that!  The goal is to provide a teaching/classroom environment that the candidate can learn and benefit from. An effective mentor: Sets high performance expectations Offers challenging ideas Builds self-confidence Guides through example Offers encouragement Motivates Is a good communicator Shows respect Encourages and models professional behavior Understands the importance of empowering the candidate Is available as needed (and as required) to provide assistance, advice and support Allows the candidate to make decisions and have independence Tips for success: Preparation and firm expectations are key to the success of a mentor/instructor candidate relationship.  The pre-class meetings will provide this critical element.   The candidate must be aware of each skill-set being evaluated and be familiar with the evaluation tools that will be used to complete this process.  (Candidates should be encouraged to download and review all paperwork from the CPS Certification Web site so that they are completely familiar with all requirements.) A feedback session after each module is a significant part of the process.   The candidate must expect and be prepared for these important sessions, which allow debriefing and sharing of thoughts, perceived successes and areas of concern.   These meetings provide an opportunity for the mentor to give respectful and constructive feedback. The immediate feedback allows the candidate to feel good about his or her successes and gain a sense of confidence and comfort, knowing they are doing well.  It also gives him or her a chance to make adjustements before teaching their next module or leading the next hands-on experience.   These sessions can help reduce the stress level and provide a more comfortable teaching environment, too! These interactions should follow a specific outline.  Be brief, positive, constructive and informal. Mentors must recognize the ethical responsibilities inherent in the mentor/instructor candidate relationship.  They should be willing to share honest comments, which may include criticism.  Though this can be uncomfortable, it’s a necessary step in the process and will help candidates become better instructors.  Involving the entire instructor team can enhance the learning experience for the candidate.  Each instructor has the potential to provide mentoring in some way, so he or she should be included when possible/practical.  Team members are able to provide advice, support and encouragement -- and build a sense of camaraderie, which is positive for the entire team. An instructor candidate needs to be comfortable sharing his or her own concerns and asking questions without the fear of being ridiculed or judged.  Working as a team and having open communication throughout the course helps to insure this.  A good mentor is approachable! As with all classes, there should be a day-end meeting to debrief, discuss the candidate’s progress, student progress, the day’s successes, needed improvements, etc.   Class set-ups, agenda assignment reviews for the next day, and any last minute issues should be handled before leaving the classroom at the end of each day.  The instructor candidate should be included in these daily sessions - as he or she is an important part of the team.  The last step in the process involves a Final Feedback Session at which time each session’s results are tabulated and reviewed with the candidate, and final recommendations made.  This session is a formality and should involve no surprises.  The candidate should already have a clear understanding and awareness of hor or her progress from receiving feedback after each session, as well as at the end of each day.  The final meeting is to let the candidate know if he or she has met the minimum requirements, and have what he or she needs to teach the program as a certified instructor!  Submitted by Janelle Rose, Program Professionals (Wyandotte, Mich.)

FAQs

How can I see if I am a senior checker? (edited Aug. 3, 2005) Senior Checker designation is not a component of the CPS certification program administered by Safe Kids. A separate CPS-related Safe Kids program, Safe Kids Buckle Up, reviews and assigns Senior Checker numbers specifically for that program. If you are interested in working with Safe Kids as a Senior Checker, please contact your local Safe Kids coalition or Marcela Tozzini with Safe Kids Buckle Up.

CPS Nerd Answers

Q:  What was the year and publication of this advertisement? A:  1921 in Popular Mechanics Submitted by Robert Brasky (Lake Zurich, Ill.)

Contact Us

Questions? Comments? Concerns? Safe Kids Worldwide CPS Certification 1301 Pennsylvania Ave., NW Suite 1000 Washington, DC 20004 Phone: 877-366-8154 (toll free) Fax: 202-393-2072 mailto:cps.certification@safekids.org

This newsletter was e-mailed as a benefit of your national CPS certification

http://www.cpsboard.org/ | http://www.nhtsa.gov/ | http://www.safekids.org/