To
demonstrate certification the interpreter must answer
a series of questions in narrative format, analyzing
a interpretive planning effort in which the interpreter
participated. [The certification process in this module
is under a period of "field-testing" as an
ongoing effort to assess its effectiveness. If you participate
successfully in the certification review, you have met
the standards. If you do not meet the standards initially,
be sure to check the "Last Update" line in
each element of the module to be sure you work from
the latest version of this module when continuing your
efforts.]
What
you will submit:
1) A
completed questionnaire (see below). Your narrative
answers must describe a park planning effort in
which you participated. Your product may be a special
event or other interpretive event or project that
involves a team planning effort. This could also be
a park planning project that does not directly address
interpretation but affects the interpretive goals
of your park in some way (i.e., a resource management
project for which there is an educational or interpretive
component), or your role as a team member of a comprehensive
interpretive planning effort. Describe your
project and answer the questions as directed in the
questionnaire that follows. (Download in a Word
format (46KB) or a PDF
format (43KB).
2)
A "Product Submission Registration Form" (Download
in a Word format (43KB)
or a PDF format (36KB).
Important: The parenthetical questions
listed are intended as guides to help you provide information
that will address the certification standards. Please
provide the narrative answers in a manner that you feel
best communicates the way in which your project met
certification standards. Your ultimate task is to match
your answers with the bold faced language provided at
the top of the rubric page. Ask, "Are my statements
clearly described by the rubric language that defines
certification standards?"
Remember:
Always check your work against the assessment rubric.
Note: At the Full Performance level you have
the option to develop one competency project to be reviewed
against all four sets of standards separately. Keep
in mind that the requirements on the "How to Submit"
page for every competency you couple with your project
must be met (i.e., you must prepare an essay, and a
facsimile, and a questionnaire if you choose to combine
Planning, Media, and Training/Coaching in one submission).
Likewise, you have the option to develop a separate
project for each Full Performance competency, and submit
them separately. If you choose to combine the reviews
and address more than one competency with a single project,
be sure to INDICATE CLEARLY on your project label which
competencies you wish to have the project reviewed against.
Certification in this competency serves the overall
development of employees in Ranger Careers positions,
and meets the NPS national standard for interpretation
in field-based interpretive planning. Certification
is a point-in-time assessment. Long-term performance
is measured at the park level. Eligibility for promotion
is determined solely by the supervisor and park.
What
to do when your submission is ready:
Review your answers with your supervisor. When
you and your supervisor concur that the submission is
complete, the project should be sent to the
office of Training Manager, Interpretation, Mather
Training Center by e-mail. If e-mail is not available,
send a disk with the requested files in WORD format
to: Training Manager, Interpretation, P.O. Box 77, Harpers
Ferry, WV 25425, Attn: Product submission.
What
happens next?
The
training manager will send your submission to two peers
who are trained certifiers. Each will independently
review the essay using the Assessment Rubric for Benchmark
Competency: Planning Park Interpretation, developed
specifically for this competency. The submission will
be evaluated through peer review to determine whether
it meets the certification standards. Those meeting
the certification requirements will receive a letter
from the training manager.
Those approaching certification will need to revise
and resubmit their entry, making the adjustments prompted
by feedback provided by the reviewers, and discussions
with their supervisor. If you have your project reviewed
against multiple standards and one or more elements
are judged to be approaching certification, only the
portion(s) approaching certification need to be revised
and resubmitted. Questions about the process can be
answered by any of your curriculum coordinators or the
training manager.
Questionnaire
Submission for "Planning Park Interpretation"
Please provide descriptions and answer the bold-faced
questions in an essay format. Suggestions on what to
include are in parentheses below each question.
Describe
the park planning effort to which you contributed.
(What
relationship did interpretation have to the specific
plan? What were the goals of the planning effort?
What was the scope of the project?)
How was teamwork important in your planning process?
(What roles did each member have? Were there problems
reaching consensus? What were they? If consensus was
reached, how did it occur? What role did the facilitator
play? How did the team achieve "teamwork?"
Were multiple perspectives included and respected?)
How did your planning effort contribute to the
goals in established park and interpretive planning
documents? (Are there established purpose, significance,
and goals [CIP, GMP, RMP, Media Plan, SFI, etc.] for
this park that relate to this planning effort? How
did your planning effort support the purpose, significance,
and goals for the park? How might it have more effectively
addressed these?)
Did your planning team develop an implementation
strategy? (Were potential funding sources identified?
Was there a timetable for implementation? Who is responsible
for the plan’s implementation? How were implementation
priorities established? )
