| Inactive
Status and the Reactivation Process-Rules Section 6 |
| Q. |
How
do I convert an active license to inactive status? |
| A. |
Submit
a written request to change to inactive status with the one
time $40.00 fee. |
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|
| Q. |
Do
I need to acquire continuing education hours while my license
is inactive? |
| A. |
Continuing
education hours are not submitted while your license is inactive,
but you must complete an appropriate number of hours prior
to reactivating your license. |
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|
| Q. |
How
do I convert from inactive status back to active status? |
| A. |
You
must submit a written request for reactivation, your check
or money order for $40.00, and documentation of continuing
education hours for the years that your license was inactive.
The requirement is 10 hours for each fiscal year (maximum
of 50 hours). |
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|
| Continuing
Professional Education Questions (CPE) |
| Q. |
What
are the continuing education requirements? |
| A. |
Each
licensee must participate in at least 10 clock hours for each
license period. At least 5 of the 10 hours must be in Content
Area I. Dual licensees must complete 15 clock hours with a
minimum of 5 hours in each discipline from Content Area I.
See rules-Section 9 |
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| Q. |
May
I carry hours over from one year to the next? |
| A. |
No,
continuing education activities must be acquired within the
licensure period to which they are credited. |
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|
| Q. |
What
are the requirements for providers of continuing education? |
| A. |
Arkansas
does not pre-approve providers of continuing education nor
individual educational activities. Each licensee is responsible
for attendance at events that fall within the approved guidelines. |
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|
| Q. |
What
about self-study? |
| A. |
There
is no limit on the number of self-study hours you may report
each year. The number of actual hours spent in completing
the self-study is the amount of credit that will be allowed
for an activity. A self-study report must be completed for
each activity. |
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|
| Q. |
How
is college coursework counted? |
| A. |
Any
college coursework that falls within the approved content
area guidelines can be counted. Actual classroom (or internet)
time is granted (i.e. 1 college credit= 15 class hours); therefore,
a one hour college course will satisfy the ten hour requirement
for one year. |
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|
| Q. |
Can
I count computer courses? |
| A. |
Computer
courses must relate to the practice of speech-language pathology
or audiology in order to qualify. |
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|
| Q. |
Can
I count a professional presentation that I prepared and presented
for continuing education credit toward my 10-hour annual requirement?
If I repeat the presentation, can I get credit for it each
time? |
| A. |
No,
credit is NOT given for presentations. Preparation time for
presentations/workshops can be accepted as a self-study one
time and the self-study form must be completed. You may only
receive this credit one time. |
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|
| Q. |
Does
ABESPA track our continuing education hours? |
| A. |
ABESPA
does not track continuing education hours for licensees. It
is the responsibility of each person to maintain documentation
of the CPE hours. Each year, the board will select licensees
for audit. These selected licensees are required to provide
documentation including information regarding content, attendance,
and number of hours. See Rules-Section 9.3 |
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|
| Renewal
of License Questions |
| Q. |
When
must my license be renewed and what are the requirements? |
| A. |
All
licenses expire at midnight on June 30 of every year regardless
of when the license was issued. There is no grace period.
In order to renew, you must submit proper fees and a report
of continuing education prior to June 30. See Rules-Sections
4.3, 4.4, and 5.2 |
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|
| Q. |
I
did not renew my Arkansas license, but now I need a current
license. How do I renew? |
| A. |
A license will be renewed within 2 years of expiration upon
payment of the renewal fee, late renewal penalty, and submission
of the appropriate number of continuing education hours. After
that period and for the next 3 years, renewal is subject to
board review. After 5 years, the license is not subject to
renewal. You may not resume practice in Arkansas (unless working
at an exempt facility) until a current license has been issued.
See Rules-Sections 4.4 and 6.1.B |
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|
| Speech-Language
Pathology Assistant Questions |
| Q. |
Are
assistants or aides allowed in Arkansas and must they hold
licensure or registration? |
| A. |
SLP assistants are allowed in all work settings. SLP aides
are only allowed to practice in exempt facilities such as
public schools or community programs licensed by DHS, DDS.
Registration is required with either ABESPA or the department
of education depending upon the work setting. See Rules-Section
12.9 |
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|
| Q. |
What
are the requirements for registration as an assistant? |
| A. |
An
assistant must complete a bachelor's degree in speech-language
pathology OR complete an associate degree as a SLP assistant.
Please refer to Section 12 of the ABESPA rules and regulations
for complete information. |
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|
| Q. |
Where
should I register? |
| A. |
Registration
with ABESPA is required for any assistant working in a private
practice setting. Registration with the Arkansas Department
of Education (ADE) is required for any assistant (or aide)
working in a public agency which provides services to children
with disabilities birth to 21 years such as public schools
or DDS facilities overseen by ADE. Registration information
for ADE can be found online at arkedu.state.ar.us. Under the
quick link menu, choose Special Education, then scroll down
and choose Rules and Regulations under Special Education Quick
Links. Go to Part 3, Section 3 and 4 of the Table of Contents
for instructions and guidelines. |
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|
| Q. |
I
was previously registered as an assistant, but have not worked
in a while. What do I need to do? |
| A. |
All
requirements for registration are the same except you may
or may not be asked to repeat the initial training session
depending on the length of time elapsed.
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