NAAEE's Role in EE Certification

NAAEE will provide an accreditation program for  state/province certification programs, allowing for a system of reciprocity among the states and provinces. Three U.S. states have been piloting different ways of administering a certification program. Learn more about the state programs in Kentucky, Utah, and Texas here.

Through its funding partner, the Environmental Education and Training Partnership, NAAEE provided grants to two Affiliates, in Colorado and Nevada, to begin creating an EE certification program based on NAAEE's Core Competencies.

Other organizations have EE certification programs that have not been based on NAAEE's Guidelines for Preparation and Professional Development of Environmental Educators. Many of these organizations are upgrading their programs to meet NAAEE's requirements, so that they eventually can become accredited.

Organizations developing an EE certification program often research certification programs from other professions. Two organizations that can provide assistance in certification program development are the National Organization for Competency Assurance (NOCA) and the American Society for Association Executives (ASAE). More information about these organizations is available here.

NAAEE's Requirements for Accrediting an EE Certification Program

These are requirements for a certification program to become accredited by NAAEE:

1. Program Administration - the program must show evidence of the following:
•certifying agent
•program administrator
•advisory board
•finances and fiscal management
•program personnel
•program records
•program communications
• program marketing
• application support services
• program code of ethics

2. Program Operations - The program must show evidence of the following:
• Application process (what goes in the application, expected costs, requirements,
completed application, timeline, etc.)
• Recertification Process (procedures, requirements, time limits, etc.)
• Assessment of Applicant’s Competencies (scoring tools, rubrics, support materials,
forms of assessment, etc.)
• Grievance and Appeal Process (process, time line, grievance committee members)
• Competencies

3. Systems for Assessing Candidates and Evaluating Programs - The program must show evidence of the following:

• Assessing Candidates – Accommodating diversity and special needs of candidates

• Assessing Candidates – Alignment among competencies, program requirements, assessment methods, and scoring tools

• Assessing Candidates – Establishing that assessment tools are valid and reliable

• Evaluating Your Certification Program – Front-end evaluation efforts

• Evaluating Your Certification Program – How evaluation efforts improve the program

• EE Certification - "Why do we need it? What’s in it for me?" by Brenda G. Weiser, Ed.D.

NAAEE's EE Certification program is funded by the Environmental Education and Training Partnership (EETAP). EETAP is a project of the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, College of Natural Resources, and is funded by U.S. EPA's Office of Environmental Education.