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Certification
of Skating Instructors
In
the US, there is no "certification" required for skating instructors.
Within reasonable limits, anyone who decides they want to teach, and who
can find other skaters willing to take lessons from them can call themselves a
"skating pro". The
Professional Skater's Association (PSA), in cooperation with the USFSA and the
ISI has established a voluntary "ratings" system which provides
certification for skating professionals.
Most
serious skating instructors are members of the PSA and many participate in the
ratings program. All skaters
looking for qualified instructors should consider PSA rating of their candidate
instructors as a part of their evaluation process.
What
is a Rating?
A rating is a certification that a professional is qualified to teach at a
certain level in a specified discipline. Just
like skaters "test" to different levels to prove their skating
abilities, pros can "test" to demonstrate their teaching abilities at
various levels.
The
testing program for instructors is administered by the PSA.
Candidate instructors must be members of the PSA.
To
obtain a Rating, all candidates must pass a one-time written exam, in
combination with a 45-minute oral exam for each separate level or rating
desired. Additional requirements
include documented teaching experience for certain periods of time for each
level, and the documented passing of appropriate level/discipline skating tests
by students they have taught.
What
Ratings are Available?
At the time of this writing, PSA ratings are offered in the following
categories. The available rating
levels for each category are indicated in italic print following the category
name. The "lowest" rating
is first in each list:
| Freestyle: |
Registered,
Certified, Senior, Master |
| Moves in the
Field: |
Registered,
Certified, Senior, Master |
| Figures: |
Registered,
Certified, Senior, Master |
| Dance: |
Registered,
Certified, Senior, Master,
Master Dance & Free Dance |
| Pairs: |
Certified,
Senior, Master |
| Group: |
Certified,
Senior, Master,
Master Program Director |
| Choreography: |
Registered,
Certified, Senior, Master |
| Precision: |
Registered,
Certified, Senior, Master |
What
does it take to obtain a Rating?
Contact the PSA to get the complete and up-to-date requirements for each rating.
Just to give an idea of what is involved, this section indicates the
highlights of the requirements for the Freestyle Ratings, as they were at the
time of this writing.
PSA
Rating Requirements for Free Skating
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Registered
FS
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Attendance
at PSA seminar, conference, etc or completion of PSA Apprentice
program at "Registered" level within 1 year of application
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Must
have passed written exam
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Must
have passed Juvenile skating
test (or ISI 5, or international equivalent) or have coached a pupil
through this level.
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Minimum
one (1)
year teaching experience
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Must
pass oral examination for "Registered" rating
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Certified
FS
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Attendance
at PSA seminar, conference, etc or completion of PSA Apprentice
program at "Certified" level within 1 year of application
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Must
hold valid "Registered" rating
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Must
have passed Novice skating
test (or ISI 7, or international equivalent) or have coached a pupil
through this level.
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Minimum
two (2) years teaching
experience
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Must
pass oral examination for "Certified" rating
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Senior
FS
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Attendance
at PSA seminar, conference, etc or completion of PSA Apprentice
program at "Senior" level within 1 year of application
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Must
hold valid "Certified" rating
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Must
have passed Junior skating
test (or ISI 8, or international equivalent) or have coached a pupil
through this level.
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Minimum
three (3) years teaching
experience
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Must
pass oral examination for "Senior" rating
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Master
FS
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-
Attendance
at PSA seminar, conference, etc or completion of PSA Apprentice
program at "Master" level within 1 year of application
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Must
hold valid "Senior" rating
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Must
have passed Senior skating
test (or ISI 10, or international equivalent) or have coached a pupil
through this level.
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Minimum
five (5) years teaching
experience (must have taught for minimum 15 hrs/week at least 48 weeks
per year during this period)
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Must
pass oral examination for "Master" rating
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Once
again, be aware that the requirements as listed above are simplified from the
actual PSA documentation, and may not be current at the time you read this.
They are presented as background only.
If you are a pro, contact the PSA directly to get current requirements.
Continuing
Education
Rated instructors are required to pursue an aggressive program of
"continuing education" in order to maintain their ratings. Credit is received from participation in workshops, training
programs, seminars, training camps, etc, which are approved or run by the PSA.
All training events are assigned "credit values" based on
content and duration. Rated
instructors must continuously maintain 24 credits through the duration of a
3-year rolling window. Failure to
do so causes an inactivation of the Rating.
This requirement helps instructors to remain "current", and
provides skaters with an assurance that their instructors are up-to-date with
the latest techniques and requirements.
To
Learn More
Professionals
interested in becoming PSA members or earning PSA ratings should contact the PSA
directly for specific and up-to-date information on requirements.
The
PSA offers study guides for each rating. It
also offers a "Coaches Manual" for member instructors.
Additionally it offers an excellent training video for Moves in the Field
(this is available to the public).
Contact
information for the PSA is listed on the "Association Contact
Information" page on this website.
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