CPE Monitor Newsletters

We look forward to welcoming you to Clearwater Beach, Florida, on September 19-20, 2023, for NASBA’s National Registry Summit. This conference will be filled with currents, trends and a splash of inspiration! 

 

The public comment period for the exposure draft on the proposed revisions to the Statement on Standards for CPE Programs (Standards) as well as the NASBA Fields of Study document closed on March 31, 2023. 

Are you a newly approved Sponsor? We asked National Registry Account Managers Megan Mason and Karen Mourcy for advice that they think every new Sponsor should know! Here is what they think you need to hear:  

A brief on the updates to the Statement on Standards for Continuing Professional Education (CPE) Programs.

In September 2022, NASBA’s National Registry Summit featured guest speaker Michael Kravshik, CPA, and founder and CEO of LumiQ. Kravshik began his talk with Summit attendees by sharing, “Accounting is changing, there is no doubt about that. But I think it is changing for the better. If we are going to be able to transition, as the profession is transitioning, we need to broaden the scope of our knowledge and skillset. We don’t necessarily need to change or lose what we are as CPAs, we need to hone in on our core strengths and apply those strengths to new challenges.” 

Dan Dustin, CPA, Vice President, State Board Relations, NASBA, began his Registry Summit - CPA Evolution Update by explaining that while we have been focusing on the students and candidates, and getting them into the pipeline, it is equally as important to talk about upskilling those in the profession. 

Between December 14, 2022 and March 31, 2023, NASBA and the AICPA welcome public comment on their recent issuance of an exposure draft detailing proposed revisions to the Statement on Standards for Continuing Professional Education (CPE) Programs (Standards). Published jointly by the organizations, the Standards provide a framework for the development, presentation, measurement and reporting of CPE programs. 

In May 2022, the CPE Standards Working Group began its review and evaluation of The Statement on Standards for Continuing Professional Education (CPE) Programs (Standards). In addition to reviewing the Standards in their entirety, the Working Group is considering innovations, trends and techniques in CPE, as well as ideas and suggestions related to clarifications and modifications of the 2019 Standards. Because the NASBA Fields of Study document is referenced within the Standards, the Working Group also reviewed and evaluated the Fields of Study document for currency and relevancy. 

NASBA’s Senior Regulatory Counsel Elizabeth Wolfe, Esq., lead a discussion on recent trends in state legislation and regulatory rulemaking concerning CPE for CPAs. As covered in Wolfe’s presentation, states that incurred changes since the previous Summit included Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio, Rhode Island, Tennessee and Texas. Next, she informed attendees about legislative updates since the previous Summit – there have been four. 

More than 200 learning providers convened in Nashville, TN, September 20-21, to attend NASBA’s 2022 National Registry Summit. The Summit’s theme “Coming Together” was realized as the conference returned to its in-person format for the first time since 2019.

This year, National Registry Summit attendees had the pleasure of seeing and hearing  exceptional keynote guest speakers up-close. The energy in the room was high, as the crowd was eager to learn from Matt Havens, generational expert, and then Cindy Huggett, digital learning expert. 

In May 2022, the CPE Standards Working Group began its review and evaluation of The Statement on Standards for Continuing Professional Education (CPE) Programs (Standards).

In addition to reviewing the Standards in their entirety, the Working Group is considering innovations, trends and techniques in CPE, as well as ideas and suggestions related to clarifications and modifications of the 2019 Standards.

We hope that you will “Come Together” with NASBA’s National Registry team for the 2022 National Registry Summit in Nashville, TN, on September 20-21, 2022. 

The purpose of the National Registry Summit is to provide Sponsors with information on trends in adult learning, emerging technologies and innovations in learning, and information and resources to assist in the implementation of the Statement on Standards for Continuing Professional Education (CPE) Programs (Standards) in an environment that encourages sharing and networking.

NASBA’s National Registry team continues to notice an alarming trend of compliance desk audit failures with Registry sponsors. NASBA is urging sponsors to take care in their responsibilities per the Sponsor Agreement, which is acknowledged with each renewal application, to adhere and comply with the Statement on Standards for Continuing Professional Education (CPE) Programs (2019) (Standards) and NASBA requirements. Failure to do so may result in removal from the National Registry. 

Registry Sponsors wishing to provide learning in an instructional delivery method for which they are not approved must complete the Additional Delivery Method (ADM) application. The ADM application review process involves reviewing the documents submitted with the application, such as the administrative policies, content development policies, evaluation form, certificate of completion, promotional or program announcement materials, as well as required delivery method documentation for compliance with the Statement on Standards for Continuing Professional Education (CPE) Programs (Standards). 

The Statement on Standards for Continuing Professional Education (CPE) Programs (Standards) and the Fields of Study document were last updated with an effective date of December 31, 2019. 

Among the most significant changes reflected in the 2019 Standards were to allow for adaptive learning self study programs and to permit the use of review questions or other content reinforcement tools in a nano learning program.

NASBA’s National Registry team was pleased to have Lainey Feingold, Esq., of the Law Office of Lainey Feingold, present during this year’s National Registry eSummit. Feingold is an expert in digital accessibility. But, what does that mean? Digital accessibility means that people with disabilities can interact with online content and participate independently in digital programs. Without this in place, CPAs with disabilities are excluded from CPE sponsor programs. Essentially, accessibility means inclusion.

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed into law on July 26, 1990, and is now more than 30 years old. Generations of people have since grown up, attended college, and entered the workforce with the expectation that accommodations exist to allow them to fully participate in mainstream life. As an example, NASBA’s CPA Examination Services has seen steady increases in the number of individuals requesting special accommodations who are taking (and passing) the Uniform CPA Examination. These people are future clients of CPE sponsors and of the National Registry (Registry).  

Kassy LaBorie, Kassy LaBorie Consulting LLC, began her presentation with a humorous video that shared her take-away message: Zoom as you’d be Zoomed to. As we all adjust to new technology for this new era in business, let’s work on making our meetings and training better than they have been before. LaBorie, a self-proclaimed virtual classroom master trainer, dedicates her time to helping people develop and deliver engaging virtual instructor led training.  

John Pytel, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Conferences i/o, discussed the future of CPE technology. Pytel made sure to incorporate Conferences i/o into his short but well-thought-out presentation. Starting as an engagement tool in 2013 for live events, Conferences i/o evolved into a helpful tool for many kinds of continuing education settings. Over the years, some National Registry Sponsors have utilized this tool for its group live requirements for attendance tracking and engagement requirements.