Towards a Meaningful Analysis of Behavior Analyst Preparation Programs
ABAI-accredited on-campus programs boost BCBA pass odds; supervision hours and small cohorts do not.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Shepley et al. (2018) looked at what makes a BCBA prep program work. They checked if on-campus classes, ABAI stamp, supervision hours, or class size predict who passes the big exam.
The team used pass-rate data from many schools. They ran stats to see which program traits link to more first-time passes.
What they found
On-campus delivery and ABAI accreditation came out on top. Programs with both traits sent more grads through the exam on try one.
Surprise: the number of supervision hours and the size of the student cohort did not matter. More hours or smaller groups did not raise pass rates.
How this fits with other research
Lepper et al. (2023) and Sleiman et al. (2020) extend these facts. They give universities a step-by-step model to pick the same winning traits—accreditation, face-to-face classes—when they design new degrees.
Critchfield (2015) asked "what counts as quality?" before the numbers were in. The 2018 data answer that call by showing one clear marker: ABAI approval.
Li et al. (2019) add a warning. They find women faculty in those same ABAI programs are paid less. So the badge that helps students may hide an equity gap you need to fix.
Why it matters
Pick programs (or advise students) using two flags: ABAI accredited and on-campus. Skip the sales pitch that extra supervision hours guarantee a pass. If you run a program, keep the cohort size you can afford and put energy into accreditation instead. And while you chase the pass-rate prize, audit salaries so quality does not ride on hidden pay gaps.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Numerous universities and colleges offer coursework approved by the Behavior Analyst Certification Board. Despite uniform requirements for approval, many differences exist among programs. To provide the field of behavior analysis with information about these differences, we conducted an initial analysis of programmatic variables and their relationship to pass rates on the Board Certified Behavior Analyst examination.Given the variety of preparation programs currently approved by the certification board, behavior analysts from different programs will likely differ with regard to their training and experiences.It is imperative that graduates from programs preparing behavior analysts are passing the examination to become board certified to fill specified jobs.Statistically significant variables associated with increased examination pass rates for programs include on-campus course delivery and accreditation by the Association for Behavior Analysis International.Variables lacking statistical significance with regard to impact on examination pass rates include the provision of supervision experience and the number of individuals from a program sitting for an exam. Given the variety of preparation programs currently approved by the certification board, behavior analysts from different programs will likely differ with regard to their training and experiences. It is imperative that graduates from programs preparing behavior analysts are passing the examination to become board certified to fill specified jobs. Statistically significant variables associated with increased examination pass rates for programs include on-campus course delivery and accreditation by the Association for Behavior Analysis International. Variables lacking statistical significance with regard to impact on examination pass rates include the provision of supervision experience and the number of individuals from a program sitting for an exam.
Behavior Analysis in Practice, 2018 · doi:10.1007/s40617-017-0193-9