News from the National Pilates Certification Program

March 3, 2021

The National Pilates Certification Program is now a newly incorporated, independent organization.

The National Pilates Certification Program was established in 2005 as an autonomous program within the Pilates Method Alliance to recognize and promote the professionalism of Pilates instructors who have undergone comprehensive training and passed an examination that demonstrates competence in Pilates teaching. We take pride in the fact that this examination was developed with input from groups of practitioners representing each lineage of the Pilates Method.

Currently, this is the only nationally recognized certification for the Pilates industry, and it represents an important standard to measure competency, bridging across various lineages of the Pilates Method.

In 2012, we sought and received accreditation from the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA) placing us in the company of other highly regarded programs in fitness, health, rehabilitation, and allied professions across the US. Over the years, many studios and employers have embraced our credential, and our recent re-brand in 2019 has helped us to further our autonomy, setting the stage for this most recent development.

As the NPCP shifts into an independent status, we would like to express our sincerest gratitude to the Pilates Method Alliance for the many years of partnership and collaboration.

Noticias del National Pilates Certification Program

El National Pilates Certification Program es ahora una organización independiente y recientemente incorporada.

El National Pilates Certification Program fue establecido en 2005 como un programa autónomo dentro de la Pilates Method Alliance para reconocer y promover el profesionalismo de los instructores de Pilates que han recibido un entrenamiento integral y pasado una examinación que demuestra competencia en la enseñanza de Pilates. Nos enorgullecemos por el hecho de que este examen ha sido desarrollado con el aporte de grupos de profesionales que representan cada linaje del Método Pilates.

Actualmente, ésta es la única certificación reconocida nacionalmente para la industria de Pilates, y representa un estándar importante para medir capacidad, tendiendo puentes entre los varios linajes del Método Pilates.

En 2012, buscamos y recibimos la acreditación de la National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA) ubicándonos así junto a otros programas altamente reconocidos de fitness, salud, rehabilitación y profesiones aliadas de los Estados Unidos. A través de los años, muchos estudios y empleadores han abrazado nuestra credencial y, nuestro reciente cambio de marca en 2019 nos ha ayudado a profundizar nuestra autonomía, preparando el camino para este desarrollo más reciente.

A medida que el NPCP pasa a ser independiente, nos gustaría expresar nuestro más sincero agradecimiento a Pilates Method Alliance por los muchos años de asociación y colaboración.

STEP #1
Role Delineation Study

In order to develop a content‐valid examination, the knowledge and skills necessary for competent practice in the profession must be determined. The process for identifying these competency areas is referred to as a Role Delineation Study (or Job Task Analysis), and these processes require the input from Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) from the field that represent different regions and schools. It is through the work of these SMEs and a dedicated psychometrician that the various domains and tasks related to the field are identified

The identifications of the group are later shared with a larger audience of practitioners for validation. Once completed, the role delineation study serves as the blueprint for examination construction.

STEP #2
Item Writing

The next step in the exam construction is Item Writing (or question writing) for the exam. Item Writers are chosen by the Chair of the Commission and must be current NPCP Certified Pilates Teachers with 5 years teaching experience and represent similar demographic characteristics as the candidate population. Using the exam blueprint and under the supervision of a dedicated psychometrician, Item Writers work to create the necessary number of questions to create or replenish new or existing forms (exams).

The NPCP developed two forms with 150 items (125 scored, 25 unscored). This examination is designed to assess minimally acceptable knowledge of the duties performed by Pilates teachers.

STEP #3

Passing Point Determination

A high‐quality examination must have a defensible passing score. That is, the score that separates passing examinees from failing examinees must be determined in a systematic and reasonable way.

To achieve this, a group of SMEs is chosen by the Certification Commission that includes individuals whose careers and professional qualifications indicated strong knowledge of Pilates teaching. Under the supervision of a dedicated psychometrician, the group works to establish data that the psychometricians can analyze and use to determine the passing point for the exam.