January 2002 | February 2002 | March 2002 | April 2002

May 2002

The focus during the past month has been with the development of the certification application packet. A draft was created and disseminated to team members. Comments are due May 16.

In addition to development of the certification application packet, efforts to identify potential pilot testers has continued. A list of 40 people was brainstormed and contact information is being gathered for these people. Soon potential pilot testers will be contacted by the team member who nominated them. Following the phone conversation, USEE will contact them.

Finally, Tim Brown was able to present the Certification Program to Utah's Governor at the Western Governor Association's Second Environmental Summit. The Governor was enthusiastic about the program and suggested a meeting between Tim Brown and Brad Barber, a staff person working on the GovernorÕs ÒenlibraÓ effort. The purpose of the meeting is to share information about USEE including the Certification Program.

April 2002

Progress:
The certification writing team has met twice since the last reporting period. The first meeting focused on implementation and revising the rubric. Between the two meetings, efforts were focused on wording and overlap between competencies in the rubric. The bulk of the second meeting was used to discuss the pilot testing process, implementation and administration of the certification program.

Much effort was put into the application itself and what Òself-reportingÓ translated into. Additionally, the group developed an outline for the role of the peer review group and the certification committee. The peer review group will need to have at least one certified EE provider on it, as well as three references. The certification committee will be the major gatekeeper in the process, giving final approval. The certification committee will be comprised of six members, one of which will be USEE staff, non-voting and providing administrative support. The remaining five will all be certified EE providers.

The self-reporting component of the application will require applicants to check off on the rubric what level they are for each competency. Attached to the rubric will be a narrative description of how they meet all the criteria for a given level.

The certification team is in the midst of figuring out how the different levels will report. While a narrative maybe appropriate for the basic level, the distinguished level may need to offer evidence, either through a demonstration or video. The project is still on schedule with an anticipated launch of the pilot program in June, 2002.

Feedback for EETAP
In a phone conversation Abby mentioned the possibility of a grant to help with state leadership. At this time, the Utah group is relying on that possibility. There is a need to jumpstart the certification program by immediately certifying a number of EE providers. We envision using additional funding from EETAP to host a three to five day summit. The outcome of this summit would be that 20 Ð 30 Utah environmental educators become certified. The summit would be by invite only. The certified EE providers would then be able to serve as mentors and on the certifying committee, which are both essential to the development of this project.

March 2002

¥ Feedback has continued to be collected.
¥ Planning and Coordination for March 25th meeting.

February 2002

 

January 2002

¥ Team retreat held on December 8th. Outcomes included: introducing project to everyone; deciding to base certification on competency; establishing a format for the rubrics; and establishing benchmarks and timeline for accomplishing work.
¥ Night hike was held to build the teamÕs synergy. Team members learned to trust and support each other as we hiked up a desert wash to an arch.
¥ Draft rubrics have been developed for each section of the Guidelines for EE Providers in Utah.
¥ Tim Brown met with a representative from Salt Lake Valley Health Department. Tim will begin attending community meetings to better understand their needs. Based on the meeting, it appears that the certification program will be a valuable service to the environmental justice community.

Feedback for EETAP Please give us feedback on how our services are working out for you. Is there anything else you need from us or that we can improve? ¥ Bora Simmons was a tremendous help during the Moab retreat. Nothing else is needed at this time.