Washington State Publishes Its H.I. Curriculum

[hausdok]

Sent from the Washington State DOL List Server to Home Inspectors on December 16, 2008

STATE OF WASHINGTONDEPARTMENT OF LICENSINGPO Box 9020, Olympia, Washington 98507-9020id="green">

Date: December 16, 2008

To: Prospective Home Inspector Licensees

From: The Home Inspector Program

Subject: Home Inspector Program Approved Curriculum

During their board meeting on December 3, 2008, the Home Inspector Licensing Advisory Board approved the following subject areas as the approved curriculum of study for all home inspectors seeking to be licensed in the state of Washington.

These subject areas represent only the approved curriculum.

Courses using the approved curriculum have not yet been approved by the board, which means there are no approved courses as of this date. id="size4">

The course approval process will be posted when it becomes available.

Washington State Department of Licensing

Fundamentals of Home Inspection

Course Requirements

Effective XXXX, XX, 2009

Washington State Department of Licensing

Post Office Box 9015

Olympia, WA 98507-9015

id="size4">

Table of Contentsid="size4">

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Table of Contents 2

Introduction 3

Recommended Learning Levels 4

Educational Objectives for the Home Inspection Fundamentals Course 5

Required Topic Areas and Educational Objectives 6

Section A – Professional Practices 6

Section B – Technical Subjects 7

Section C – Other Subjects 12

Introductionid="size4">

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During the 2008 session, the Washington State Legislature passed ESSB 6006 requiring individuals seeking a home inspector’s license to complete a 120 clock-hour course in home inspection fundamentals and up to 40 hours of field training. In addition, those seeking to renew their renewal must successfully complete 24 clock-hours of continuing education.

The Director of the Department of Licensing, with the guidance of the Washington Home Inspection Board, is charged with the responsibility of implementing this legislative changes.

On the basis of extensive feedback and discussion with industry groups, the Department Board submit the following proposed fundamental curriculum for home inspectors. The Department and Board recommend that revisions be made annually to the curriculum adopted by the Department and Board in final form.

This curriculum provides suggested levels of learning. These are merely provided as guidance. It is assumed that schools and instructors may modify coverage as needed to meet the requirements of students. The sequence of topics is also only provided for guidance.*

* This section may change subject to decision by the Washington Home Inspector Advisory Licensing Board.

Recommended Learning Levelsid="size4">

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Not all subjects are as important as others. Not all subjects require the same level of learning. In developing the recommendations for a new fundamentals curriculum, the Department and Commission also analyzed the recommended topics with respect to desirable learning levels.

ARELLO has described learning levels known as “Bloom’s Taxonomyâ€

[resqman]

Is there any new information available about the proposed training?

North Carolina Home Inspector Licensure Board is moving in this same direction to replace the existing pre licensing requirements. It seems like it would make sense to share information rather than developing the courses twice.

Does any one know a specific contact person with the Washington licensing board that the NCHILB could contact to exchange information?

[Robert Jones]

Mike O'Handley also known as hausdok is on the board.

[Richard Moore]

Mike, just one small thing I noticed after a quick scan...

In 6.0 Heating Systems, "7. Know which professional is most appropriate to refer a client to for correction of plumbing defects."

I presume that should read "heating system defects"

[hausdok]

Yep,

Type - Who would've known I'd miss that one. I'll call Rhonda and get her to fix it.

resqman, shoot an email to Rhonda Myers( RMyers@DOL.WA.GOV ) at Department of Licensing. She's the Program Manager.

Rhonda Myers,

Program Manager

Business & Professions

Home Inspectors

Department of Licensing

Direct Line (360) 664-6487

Fax (360) 586-0998

ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!!

Mike

[resqman]

The NC draft initially was about 120 hrs classroom and 40 hours field. Latest news is has been cut back to about 80 hrs classroom and 40 hrs field. Still in committee so lots of things could change before it becomes law.

The person who drafted the basic outline of the NC course is a structural engineer that performs home inspections. As expected, the structural section was robust while other areas were covered in a more limited manner. At least that was the case when I had an opportunity to review the draft plan about a year ago.

NC has a state exam that was developed in house. There has been talk of moving to the NHIE as the state exam. While it would reduce ongoing costs to maintain the state test, it would also reduce potential revenue since NHIE would collect the testing fee instead of the state.

[Jerry Lozier]

Mike,

any word on if Wa state will use the NHIE as the state exam, or come up with there own in house...

Jerry

[hausdok]

Hi,

Yes, the vendor contract has been awarded and the vendor is going to use the NHIE. There will be a Washington State component added to the test.

There've been many people who've already taken the NHIE asking whether they will be given credit for the version they've taken and will only have to take the Washington State component. Members of the board - particularly the education sub-committee - have been accused of having power swollen heads because the committee felt all along that for the process to be fair everyone would have to take the same test.

Well, the criticism would be fair if the board actually had any power and was trying to throw it around but they don't; this is strictly an advisory board. Everything that the board has put together is strictly a recommendation to the Department of Licensing - it's the Director's decision whether to accept it or reject it and create his own rules instead.

As for the NHIE, the decision has come down from the state's Attorney General's Office and, no, those who've taken the NHIE already will not get credit for having already taken the test. According to the Attorney General, everyone who is licensed by the state must take the same test given by the same vendor in order for the process to be defensible.

I know that doesn't sit well with some folks but that's the way it is as decided by the guy who's job it is to decide such things. Even if the board had wanted to allow those folks who felt their previous NHIE score should suffice, we would have been told that we weren't allowed to do it.

There will be a CR-102 (Proposed Rule Making) public hearing on the new SOP in Olympia on the 24th at the Department of Licensing Offices in the second floor conference room. The meeting will begin at 10:30 am. This hearing is strictly to hear public comment on the SOP part of the puzzle. You can see the announcement here.

Those who are interested in providing input about the new SOP should attend this meeting because DOL wants to hear input. However, folks should know that going there to vent about the fact that you don't like licensing will be a wasted trip. DOL doesn't have the power to chuck licensing or to change rules set in statute such as the rules that mandate the 120 hours of in classroom training or the 40 hours of supervised inspections, etc. This hearing will be about the new standards of practice and these can be reviewed at the DOL Home Inspectors' website at: http://www.dol.wa.gov/business/homeinspectors/

ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!!

Mike

[Robert Jones]

Mike,

When will the testing begin? Will this be an additional fee beyond the home inspection licensing fee?

V/R

[hausdok]

Hi,

The test is supposed to be ready by May 1st and it is an additional fee beyond the licensing fee. The program has to be cost-neutral. The $600+ fee covers staff and board costs and is supposed to be reduced after the first go-round - like I think they did in Illinois.

Licenses will renew every two years so the license fee works out to about .89 cents a day for the first two years, give or take; when you add in the cost of the test, I guess it's about $1.19 a day for the first two years. That's a WAG assuming $650 license fee and $225 test fee - I don't actually know what the real figures for those are.

I know some folks are ticked about the cost of this; me, I just chock it up to being part of the cost of doing business in a state that doesn't have any income taxes and needs to nail everyone with high fees for every program that's initiated.

Now, if the board is eliminated after June 1, 2010, as government now plans to do, costs should drop. However, then inspectors aren't going to have the board as a buffer between inspectors and the non-inspectors at DOL that actually run the program. That should make for some interesting stuff to talk about in the home inspector future here in Washington State.

ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!!

Mike

[Robert Jones]

Thanks Mike.

I would personally, rather have the "buffer". I don't want a desk professional unfamiliar with our profession deciding guilt or innocence. Maybe they can just reduce the size of the board.

Will testing be held at a testing site such as Sylvan? When will the actual licensing take effect? Meaning either you are licensed and you can do the inspection, or you are not licensed and by law cannot.

V/R

[hausdok]

Hi,

The vendor that bid has specified about 10 - 12 locations around the state - maybe more, I didn't actually count them when I previewed their "handbook" the other day.

The law states that DOL may begin issuing licenses as of July 1st, so, if everything goes on schedule; EXPERIENCED inspectors - those who can prove that they'd completed at least 100 inspections and had been in business two years as of June 12, 2008, can take the test as soon as it's available and can apply after July 1st for their license. This category, which should be the largest group getting their licenses, will have until September 1st to complete the licensing process.

Those who do not fall into the experienced category is anyone that didn't have the 2/100 criteria as of June 12, 2008; these folks are the ones that will need to complete the 120 hours of classroom instruction plus the 40 hours of supervised inspections plus take the NHIE with the Washington component before they can apply and they'll have until July 1, 2010 to get their license. After that, they'll be operating illegally if they don't hang up their tool belt until they've completed the requirements.

The board did discuss those in gray areas; those who've already paid for courses and will want their course to count even though it's not a course that's been approved. The board recommended to DOL that DOL individually evaluate those folks on a case-by-case basis, and, if it was a credible course in a bricks-and-mortar classroom, give those folks partial credit and allow them to get their hours by completing an abbreviated course of not less than 60 hours that will fill in any gaps between what that course taught and what is required in the approved curriculum.

An example might be where someone has taken the 80 hour ITA/Kaplan course. Kaplan has closed all of it's bricks-and-mortar schools and consolidated it's inspection training staff and resources in Minnesota and is only offering online training now. That's kind of screwed the students that they enrolled and taught here since this law was passed last year, instead of waiting to get their courses approved. In order for one of these folks to get licensed now, Kaplan, as the education provider, would need to design a makeup curriculum and get it approved, and then convene a 60 hour bricks and mortar classroom somewhere and let these folks finish their training. Guess we'll have to see what the Director decides to do.

ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!!

Mike

[Robert Jones]

Thanks Mike.

V/R

[SonOfSwamp]

I found the comments below ironic and amusing...

2.0 Business Practices

Upon completion of this section, the student should...

...4. Understand basic business marketing principals.

Duh...

WJ

[hausdok]

OK,

So, sometimes one or two slips by; it's no reason to throw the baby out with the bathwater.

OT - OF!!!

M.