AASP Newsletter - January 2019

Traci Statler

Traci Statler, PhD, CMPC, CSCS, California State University, Fullerton 

Happy New Year, AASP Members!

I don’t know about you, but while the coming of a new year always fills me with excitement and optimism for the potential ahead, it simultaneously leaves a trace of sadness as the efforts and accomplishments from the prior year are now history. However, a quote from the Roman philosopher, Seneca the Younger, (and appropriated by the 90s alt-rock band, Semisonic) reminds me that, “every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end." With regard to AASP, 2018 marked the successful culmination of several challenging initiatives born out of our last strategic plan. As we reflect on and celebrate all that occurred during the past year (and through the completion of our previous plan), 2019 provides the opportunity to “begin anew” – both with a new year and with a completed 4-year plan to guide our next efforts. As we turn our focus to all that awaits in the new year, I am proud of what we collectively accomplished, but am even more invigorated and optimistic for what lies ahead!

Before I jump into sharing highlights of the great initiatives in store for the coming year, I want to first give thanks to all those AASP members who responded to the 2018 membership survey. As I highlighted in my Presidential Address at our last conference in Toronto, your valuable insight and input contributed to the data used in crafting the 2019-2022 AASP Strategic Plan, intended to guide the work of the organization over the next four years. Through your feedback, and the efforts of representatives from all of AASP’s committees, we were able to create ambitious but realistic goals for moving the organization forward in the coming years. Thank you all for your contributions!

Though some of these goals focus on targeted areas of functionality within AASP (e.g., exploring new conference session formats, developing innovative website content, creating AASP “white papers” on key topics, etc.), several of these goals are interwoven throughout multiple organizational initiatives. These "Big Rocks" (or, the major things we want to accomplish) of the 2019-2022 Strategic Plan form the foundation needed for widespread progress and effective integration throughout the organization. Some "Big Rocks" are brand new, others are inherited from prior important efforts not yet completed, and still others are the logical next steps for initiatives completed under our last plan. What follows is a brief summary of some of the initiatives on tap for the coming year. Note that additional and more specific details can be found by reviewing the full 2019-2022 Strategic Plan on the AASP website.

Ongoing "Big Rocks"

NCCA Accreditation – After years of sustained, collaborative efforts among AASP leadership, subject matter experts, and test development professionals, the revised CMPC® certification program officially launched at the end of 2017. In addition to the portfolio revisions, and supervised hours modifications implemented for the updated program, an exam was created to validate baseline knowledge of CMPCs. A primary focus in developing the new program was for the final product to be eligible for external validation by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA). This group, a subdivision of the Institute for Credentialing Excellence, can provide impartial, third-party validation that AASP’s CMPC® certification program has met recognized national and international credentialing industry standards for development, implementation, and maintenance. Though we have been running the certification exam since April, we have not yet been accredited by the NCCA. New certification programs (like the CMPC® one) may only apply for accreditation after either one year of administration of the assessment instrument, or when at least 500 candidates have been assessed with that instrument; whichever comes first. Therefore, once we reach that one-year mark (April 2019), AASP intends to submit its application for accreditation.

CMPC® Essential Resources Textbook – As creation of the CMPC® exam was underway, the need for effective exam preparation materials became obvious. To date, AASP has hosted one exam preparation webinar focused on Knowledge Group B - Assessment of Individuals, Teams/Groups, & Organizations, with three more planned throughout 2019. Furthermore, several breakout sessions at the Annual Conference in Toronto focused on portfolio education and exam preparation strategies, with more in the planning stages for the 2019 conference in Portland. Additionally, AASP is in the final stages of developing an exam preparation textbook titled, “CMPC® Essential Resources." This edited textbook, composed of 14 chapters corresponding to the Knowledge Groups covered on the CMPC® exam, is authored by recognized experts in each subtopic and should be available through Human Kinetics by October 2019, in time for the 2019 Annual Conference in Portland.

New "Big Rocks"

Diversity & Inclusion Division Head – A new AASP Executive Board position was proposed during the business meeting of the Annual Conference in Toronto.  This proposal, which earned unanimous support by those members in attendance, led to the addition of a Diversity & Inclusion Division Head position to AASP’s existing governance structure. Envisioned as serving a 3-year term voted upon by membership, the D&I Division Head will work in collaboration with existing divisions and committees and will be responsible for proposing and coordinating AASP’s efforts with respect to diversity, inclusion, and social justice in sport, exercise, and health settings. Dr. Leeja Carter was nominated and has been appointed to a one-year term targeting these initial organizational efforts. A full position description is forthcoming and will be brought before the membership for an official vote during the 2019 Portland conference.

AASP & CMPC® Marketing – As part of our ongoing efforts to increase visibility and credibility of AASP as an organization to consumers and the public, a major effort will begin in 2019 to define a unifying brand and core identity that clearly states who we are and what we can provide. Though we may internally think this already exists, the reality is that externally, clarity is lacking and our efforts have produced limited traction for consumers. With an aim to better inform and align all perceptions, AASP will work both internally and externally to generate solutions to this challenge. Through 2019 and beyond, with the expert guidance of marketing professionals, we will work to develop clear inward-and outward-facing identities for AASP members and the organization. We will also work to effectively promote and market the CMPC® credential to consumers and key decision-making stakeholders. 

Graduate Program Recognition – As we all know, a successful career in sport and exercise psychology begins with solid educational experiences. However, due to a variety of factors (disciplines, training levels, differences in state/province/country regulations, etc.), strict standardization of those experiences across programs, colleges, universities, and institutions is virtually impossible. Graduate programs in sport and exercise psychology prepare students for a variety of different jobs, in a variety of different settings, with a variety of different populations, and for a variety of different purposes. However, it is possible to at least recognize those programs which effectively focus on one subset of these educational goals - those which prepare students for the CMPC® certification. Initial efforts examining the feasibility of creating Graduate Program Recognition, specifically around CMPC® preparation, began in 2018. These efforts  will continue in 2019 with an assessment of the benefits and drawbacks of this program, the creation of standards for qualification, and the creation of a program review committee. Once solidified, program review materials will be created, and those interested in completing a self-study will be identified.

As you can see, we have a busy year ahead, and this Presidential Report outlines only a portion of the goals, initiatives and opportunities in store for 2019. I encourage each of you to review the 2019-2022 Strategic Plan, and I ask that you think about how you might contribute to the collective efforts of AASP's various committees, task forces and special interest groups. There is much work to be done, but when we all contribute to that effort, the load is lighter, and the rewards are great!

In closing, I wish you 12 months of good health, 52 weeks of laughter, 365 days of mindful connection, 8,760 hours of intellectual curiosity, 525,600 minutes of optimism, and 31,536,000 seconds of happiness!