Supplementary Education can be Reported Through e-EVR!
You can now report supplementary education training units through the NCARB electronic Experience Verification Reporting (e-EVR) system. The system currently accepts activities completed from the Emerging Professionals Companion (EPC), LEED accreditation, and Construction Specifications Institute (CSI) certifications. You will be able to report training units earned through the American Institute of Architect (AIA) continuing education programs later this summer.

As a result of the first phase of IDP 2.0, effective 1 July 2009, you no longer need to be employed to earn five training units for LEED accreditation. If you took the LEED AP between 1 July 2008 and 30 June 2009, you must have worked in an approved work setting at the time you took the test. Also, you can earn five training units for each CSI Construction Documents Technologist, Construction Specifier, and Construction Contract Administrator certification.

Reading NCARB's Professional Conduct monograph and passing the online quiz is now a recognized supplementary education activity for the IDP. The monograph is free for interns (a $150 value) and can be downloaded from your home page in "My NCARB Record." You will receive two minimum training units in Training Area 15 – Office Management upon completion the quiz. Log in to "My NCARB Record" to download the monograph and request a quiz password. Once you have read the monograph and passed the quiz, the units will appear in your e-EVR within four to six weeks. You do not need to submit anything to NCARB.

You can only earn up to five training units to satisfy the minimum requirements in any of the IDP training areas 1-16 by completing supplementary education. Please read the supplementary education section of the IDP Guidelines for more information.

The e-EVR has been enhanced to facilitate paperless reporting for the Intern Development Program (IDP). As of 1 July 2009, NCARB no longer accepts paper employment verifications (Form 123). You must submit your experience reports through the e-EVR.

We strongly encourage supervisors to approve reports electronically as it is the most efficient way to submit information to NCARB; however, there is a paper submission option within the e-EVR should a supervisor not have access to e-mail or a computer. To submit a paper form through e-EVR, an intern should select "This experience report will be printed for review, approval, and submission on paper" on the first web page of creating a new report.

2009 NCARB Annual Meeting and Conference Recap
Four resolutions were voted on and approved during the Annual Meeting and Conference in Chicago last month. Delegates approved a resolution that will allow the phase-in of IDP 2.0 to begin on 1 July 2009. The updated program will be rolled out in three phases. The initial phase began on 1 July 2009 and offers opportunities for interns to earn training units through supplementary education, including completing activities in the Emerging Professionals Companion (EPC) to count toward minimum required training units. In the second phase, scheduled for 1 January 2010, several key definitions will be updated and training units will become "training hours." In the third phase, scheduled for 1 January 2011, training areas will become experiences areas that were identified in the 2007 Practice Analysis of Architecture and work settings will be simplified. More information on the IDP 2.0 experience areas will be available later this summer or early fall.

Delegates also voted to apply the five-year rolling clock to ARE divisions passed prior to 1 January 2006 (including all paper-based exams passed prior to 1997). These divisions will remain valid until 1 July 2014. Also, effective 1 July 2011, exam candidates must take a division of the ARE (pass or fail) once every five years to keep their Authorization to Test (ATT) valid. Candidates whose authorizations have become invalid will need to establish new eligibilities under the then current procedures of their registration boards.

The text for all four resolutions approved at the meeting can be reviewed on the NCARB web site at: http://www.ncarb.org/newsclips/2009/jun09_4.html.

Changes to the IDP
Two workshops were held related to the IDP at the Annual Meeting. One discussed the third phase of IDP 2.0 scheduled for January 2011. "The third phase of IDP 2.0 is really a repackaging of the training categories," said Assistant Director, IDP Nick Serfass, AIA, LEED AP.

The third phase of IDP 2.0, will align the current IDP training areas with the new experience areas required for the competent practice of architecture as identified in the 2007 Practice Analysis of Architecture. Interns will automatically have any existing experience transitioned to the new experience areas, and no experience will be lost. More information on the new training categories will be available later this year on NCARB’s web site.

The second workshop went over some of the new rules of the program and the many resources and tools available to interns and supervisors to assist in completing the IDP. "The more versed in the program both interns and supervisors are, the less likely they are to have an issue with NCARB later," said Assistant Director, IDP Rachel Kros, AIA.

The workshop went over the Six-Month Rule, now in effect for interns who established an NCARB Record on or after 1 July 2009. These interns must submit their training units in reporting periods of no longer than six months and within two months of completion of each reporting period. The Six-Month Rule will apply to all interns on 1 July 2010.

Regular reporting provides an opportunity for interns and supervisors to review progress made over reporting periods and develop a plan for acquiring training in the remaining areas. "The Six-Month Rule is not a punishment," said Kros, "It is about responsibility and accuracy of reporting."

There are several resources out there, including the IDP and IDP Supervisor Guidelines, that can help interns and supervisors understand and take full advantage of the program. "The IDP is about becoming the best architect that you can be," said Kros.

NCARB Near You
NCARB staff may be coming to a city near you to answer your questions! Please check with the contact person for event details.

1 August 2009
Intertect: Intern to Architect
AIA Florida
Location: Marriott Tampa Waterside Hotel, Tampa, FL
Time: 1:30-3:00 p.m.
Presenter: Rachel Kros, AIA, Assistant Director, IDP
Contact: AIA Florida

Reminder: IDP Six-Month Rule
The Six-Month Rule for IDP reporting went into effect on 1 July 2009 for interns who established an NCARB Record on or after 1 July 2009. The Six-Month Rule will go into effect for all interns on 1 July 2010.

IDP Guidelines: July 2009
The IDP Guidelines have been updated. Download an updated copy at www.ncarb.org.

ARE Security and Development Fee
The fees for the Architect Registration Examination® (ARE®) will increase by $40 per division effective 1 October 2009. The increase is due to recent incidents of exam content disclosure by ARE candidates. The cost to develop and replace the exposed content and handle the administrative and legal costs related to these incidents totals an estimated $1.1 million.

All divisions scheduled on or after 1 October 2009 will be at the new rate of $210. Prior to 1 October 2009, candidates can schedule future exam appointments through 31 December 2009 at the current rate of $170 per division.

New Web Site
NCARB will launch its new public web site in July! The new site will have more information, be easier to navigate, and will better illustrate the steps to becoming an architect. The site will continue to evolve and improve over the next year, including a redesigned "My NCARB Record" section.

Get a sneak peek here!

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