Credentialing

A credential reflects a deeper understanding of parliamentary procedure, which in turn gives additional credibility to those who have earned a credential.

The NAP Commission on Credentialing recognizes the need to balance NAP’s responsibility to ensure its credentialed members are qualified to offer clients their services with the understanding that an overly demanding assessment process could discourage members from attempting or completing the process. If this happens, there may not be enough credentialed parliamentarians available to meet client needs.

Accordingly, in formulating the new credentialing process, the Commission has been guided by these principles:

• Assessment should be focused on what parliamentarians, in fact, need to be able to do in practice to serve clients competently rather than on some theoretical ideal of comprehensive knowledge and ability;
• Candidates should be informed in advance, with as much detail as possible, precisely what they will be expected to know and to be able to do and how it will be assessed;
• The assessment process should be summative so that candidates learn and master all the required knowledge and apply that knowledge in a final assessment;
• Registered Parliamentarian candidates will be examined objectively and must complete a two-part assessment demonstrating an overall knowledge of the performance expectations.  Candidates must successfully complete both parts to achieve the Registered Parliamentarian credential; and
• Professional Registered Parliamentarian candidates will be examined objectively and must participate in a meeting simulation that allows candidates to demonstrate overall knowledge of the performance expectations.