As part of renewing his or her LSP license every three years, each LSP shall demonstrate to the Board's satisfaction that he or she has earned a minimum of 48 continuing education credits. These credits can be earned only by successfully completing Board-approved courses or by attending Board-approved conferences. Regulations governing the approval of courses and conferences for continuing education credit have been promulgated by the LSP Board at 309 CMR 3.09. Who may submit requests for Board approval? Either a licensee or a course provider may submit a request that a particular course be approved for continuing education credit for LSPs. Only a conference sponsor may submit a request that a conference be approved for credit. To whom should requests be submitted? Requests for approval should be mailed to: Allen Wyman, Continuing Education Coordinator LSP Board One Winter Street - 3rd Floor Boston, MA 02108 I. BOARD-APPROVED COURSES To be designated as a "Board-approved" course, a course must meet the following requirements: Subject matter. To be approved for credit, a course or conference must be reasonably likely to maintain or enhance an LSP's ability to render competent, professional LSP services. Courses must contain content that meets the Board's definition of either a "DEP Course," a "Regulatory" course or a "Technical" course. DEP Courses: Approved "DEP Courses" must be taught in whole or in substantial part by personnel at the Department of Environmental Protection ("DEP"), and DEP must have demonstrated, to the Board's satisfaction, that the course subject matter is directly focused on regulatory and/or technical topics that are reasonably likely to maintain or enhance the ability of LSPs to perform, supervise and/or coordinate response actions (i.e., site investigations, risk characterizations, or remediations) in Massachusetts in compliance with applicable regulatory requirements. To be designated as a "DEP Course," a course must also be proposed as such by DEP and approved as a "DEP Course" by the Board. Regulatory Courses: Approved "Regulatory" courses must have educational content that is reasonably likely to maintain or enhance the ability of LSPs to competently perform, supervise and/or coordinate response actions (i.e., site investigations, risk characterizations, or remediations) in Massachusetts in compliance with applicable regulatory requirements. Approvable "Regulatory" courses must be directly focused on an understanding of, and compliance with, the panoply of legal and regulatory requirements applicable to the provision of LSP services in Massachusetts. Technical Courses: Approved "Technical" courses must have educational content that is reasonably likely to maintain or enhance the ability of LSPs to competently perform, supervise and/or coordinate the scientific and/or technical components of response actions (i.e., site investigations, risk characterizations, or remediations) in Massachusetts. Approvable technical courses are directly concerned with performing such activities; however, if the technical subject matter of the course is more generally focused, it should at least be demonstrably relevant to the scientific and/or technical components of response actions at disposal sites in Massachusetts. General course requirements. To be considered by the Board for approval as a continuing education course, a licensee or a course provider must demonstrate that: adequate attendance records will be maintained; for courses not offered as part of a university or college curriculum, at least one (1) contiguous hour of instruction will be provided; the course will be taught by competent instructors knowledgeable in the subject matter to be presented; and a written outline or syllabus will be followed. Requests for approval of courses. The Board strongly prefers that requests for course approval be submitted at least two months before the course is to commence. The Board meets only once a month and will endeavor to act on a request within two months of its receipt. Requests for retroactive approval of continuing education courses (i.e., courses already commenced or completed by the time the Board meets to review the requests for their approval) are disfavored but may be approved, at the Board's discretion, if the provider has maintained a record of attendance and the other requirements for course approval are met. A complete request for approval of a continuing education course must include the following information: Date(s), time(s) and location(s) of the course. The number of continuing education credits requested. (Generally, the Board allows one credit for each hour of approved course instruction actually attended by a licensee. Special rules apply, however, to courses offered as part of a university or college curriculum. See 309 CMR 3.09(8).) A written course outline or syllabus. A written statement describing the course and establishing its relevance to oil or hazardous materials assessment, containment, or removal activities at disposal sites in Massachusetts. The credentials of the instructor(s). A statement that the sponsoring organization will maintain a record of attendance and will follow the course outline or syllabus. The different credit options (if any) attending LSPs will have for earning specified hours of continuing education credit. For all courses, including conference workshops, a statement that the sponsoring organization will, at the completion of the course, conduct an evaluation of the course instructor(s) using, at a minimum, evaluations prepared confidentially by the students attending the course and maintained in such a manner that the identity of each student evaluator is not disclosed to the course instructor. Any other information which the Board requests of the licensee or course provider to demonstrate compliance with the Board's continuing education regulation at 309 Code Mass. Regs. 3.09. II. BOARD-APPROVED CONFERENCES LSPs may obtain credit on a 1-for-2 basis (i.e., 50% credit) for attending Board-approved conferences, and they may obtain credit on a 1-for-1 basis (i.e., 100% credit) for attending Board-approved workshops or mini-courses that occur at conferences, subject to the requirements set forth below. Requests for approval of conferences: To be approved as a "Board-approved" conference, a sponsor must, prior to the conference, submit a request for approval to the Board enclosing the following: A full description of the conference, including a description and schedule for each of its sessions, workshops, and demonstrations. The date, time, and location of the conference. A statement that the sponsor will comply with all the requirements set forth in 309 CMR 3.09(9)(c) and 3.09(9)(d), which require the maintenance of a sign-in/sign-out log and describe the rules for calculating conference credits. If the provider is seeking 1:1 credit for any workshops, all the information required for approval of a course (above) must be submitted for each such workshop. For additional information. Please call Allen Wyman, the Board's Continuing Education Coordinator, at 617-292-5556, or send him an e-mail at: Allen.Wyman@state.ma.us