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January 12 , 2005
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| Announcements & Notices |
| Sample online exam now available on SAFE KIDS Web site |
SAFE KIDS realizes that it is a big step to move from a paper-based
re-certification exam to an online format. To help alleviate some questions and trepidation, a sample exam is available for those that would like to become familiar with the online testing process.
Check out the resources section on the SAFE KIDS Web site for more information.
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| Re-certification updates |
Tech Update correction regarding seat check sign-offs and testing
Any verified seat check activity that occurs during your current certification period can be applied to your re-certification requirements. There’s no time limit between when you log your seat check activity and when you re-certify.
The sentence should have read, “Once the seat check logs have been verified and registration is complete,” technicians will have 30 days to complete the online test.
A CORRECTED version is available at www.cpsboard.org.
Update regarding re-certification expiration date
In response to requests by technicians, once you have been re-certified, your new expiration date will be two years from your previous expiration date, not two years from when your wallet card is generated. We hope this will make it easier for technicians to remember their expiration dates and stay certified.
Check out the re-certification section of the policies and procedures manual on the SAFE KIDS Web site for more information.
For help with your username and password, contact Customer Service at (877) 366-8154 or cps.certification@safekids.org.
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| Online testing policy revised (effective January 17, 2005) |
All re-certification exams must be taken online. There is NO paper version of the exam. Within several days of registration, information about accessing the exam will be posted in the individual's online profile and sent by both e-mail and postal mail. They have 30 days from the date this notification is posted/sent to complete the exam. The specific access period and the deadline to complete the test will be included in the e-mail and postal mail notifications.
The individual may log on and off as often as they like during the test access period. It allows up to 30 days if you start right away.
The test must be completed by midnight Central Time on the day indicated on the notification. At the end of the 30-day period, if the exam has not been completed, the partial exam will be automatically submitted and graded. This will serve as the final grade for the re-certification exam. The 30-day exam period WILL NOT be extended. Failure to complete the exam or inadvertently submitting an incomplete exam will result in a graded exam. If the exam score is less than 85% (a failing grade), the individual is eligible to register for a re-exam.
PLEASE NOTE: If the test is never started and your certification is still current, you must register and pay for re-certification again. If your certification has expired, you are no longer eligible for re-certification. However, you are eligible for the Certification Renewal Course when it becomes available later this year.
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| AAA paperwork |
SAFE KIDS has made every attempt possible to reach out to the CPS community to resolve outstanding AAA issues. As we look to the future, we must concentrate our efforts on improving the new system rather than researching the old one.
SAFE KIDS is no longer processing AAA paperwork for any reason. All open AAA-related inquiries are closed.
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| Upcoming Program Developments |
| One-day renewal course |
Instructors will be sent new Certification Renewal Course guides from NHTSA beginning in February. By March 31, they will be able to register to hold the new 8-hour Certification Renewal Course. The online system will allow people to search for this type of course the same way they would for 32-hour ones.
Check out the Certification Renewal Course fact sheet on the SAFE KIDS Web site for more information.
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| Just for Instructors |
| Skills-testing tidbit |
A student has three attempts to pass each hands-on skill evaluation during the course. On the worksheet for each exercise, the three chances are shown as three columns. Students must pass all of the skills evaluations prior to taking the written exam.
If a student fails a skills test, he or she will not be able to pass the course. It is up to the instructor whether the student may stay and attend the remainder of the course even though he or she cannot take the final written exam.
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| Just for Fun |
| Are you a CPS Nerd? Test your knowledge! |
We are starting a new section of this newsletter highlighting 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.
Answers may be found at the end of this edition of the CPS Express!
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Which U.S. state instituted the nation's first mandatory seat belt law?
BONUS: What year?
- (Rhonda West, Virginia)
What safety seat with an internal harness upper weight limit of 105 pounds is named after an animal?
BONUS: Is it still available?
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| CPS Resources |
| SafetyBeltSafe USA |
The SafetyBeltSafe USA Web site offers a variety of technical information, including fact sheets, a technical encyclopedia and a child restraint manufacturers contact list.
They offer additional resources for subscribers, including new instructions, as they become available, to supplement Child Restraint Manufacturers' Instructions with Summary Sheets, 1996-2003. Many of the documents are available for download and printing.
You can visit SafetybeltSafe USA on the Web at www.carseat.org.
More CPS resources are available on the SAFE KIDS Web site.
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| Featured Frequently Asked Question |
| Why can't I submit checklist forms for re-certification? |
The primary purpose of instructor verification of the seat check activity required for re-certification is observation of your interaction with parents and children. The verifying instructor should feel confident in your ability to communicate accurate information to a parent or caregiver and should double-check that your installation and paperwork are appropriate and correct.
Direct observation helps ensure that communication with parents is accurate and consistent with the information and methodologies detailed in the standardized curriculum. The ideal has always been to have instructor observation of seat checks. Submission of checklist forms was allowed as a secondary option until the geographic distribution of certified instructors improved.
There is now a 1:23 ratio of certified instructors to total certified individuals. SAFE KIDS' commitment to certification requires that we do not sacrifice quality assurance. The direct-observation requirement was strongly recommended by the National CPS Board.
We encourage all technicians and instructors to be proactive and supportive of each other in their efforts to maintain certification.
The following guidelines were approved by the re-certification committee of the National CPS Board:
- During a seat check, it is always best to have the child present.
- Instructors and technicians are strongly encouraged to make every effort to do an actual safety seat checkup.
- If an actual caregiver is not available, the instructor may choose a mock scenario, where a colleague acts out the part of the parent.
It is strongly encouraged that instructor verification of required seat check activity be completed on an on-going basis, during the course of your certification period, rather waiting until near your certification expiration date.
More FAQs are available on the SAFE KIDS Web site.
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| CPS Nerd answers |
- Which U.S. state instituted the nation's first mandatory seat belt law? New York
BONUS: What year? July 12, 1984
- (Rhonda West, Virginia) What safety seat with an internal harness upper weight limit of 105 pounds is named after an animal? The Gorilla, by Snug Seat
BONUS: Is it still available? No
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Questions? Comments? Concerns?
Contact us at:
SAFE KIDS
CPS Certification
1301 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Suite 1000
Washington, DC 20004
Phone: 877-366-8154 (toll free)
Fax: 202-393-2072
cps.certification@safekids.org |
