188.00.01 Ark. Code R. § 001 - Rules and Regulations
ARKANSAS STATE BOARD OF REGISTRATION FOR PROFESSIONAL SOIL CLASSIFIERS
RULES AND REGULATIONS
Act 460 of 1975 of the State of Arkansas establishes the profession of Soil Classifying and provides for the regulation of the profession by this Board. Act 460 outlines the activities and procedures of this Board. However, the act allows the Board latitude in certain areas and requires rules of application in other areas. The following are the rules and regulations of the Board adopted pursuant to Act 460.
Application for registration as Soil Classifier or certification as a Soil Classifier-in-Training shall be made on a form provided by the Board. The applicant shall answer all questions on the form. Among other things, the applicant shall provide the Board with the following:
References: Applicants for Soil Classifier shall provide five references, three of whom shall be Professional Soil Classifiers and two shall be character references. Applicants for Soil Classifier-in-Training shall provide three character references.
Transcripts: Applicants shall provide the Board with certified transcripts for all college or university courses they have attempted.
Experience: Applicants are to provide the Board with a descriptive record of their present and past employment. Applicants holding valid Soil Classifier-In-Training certificates are to provide the Board with detailed records of work experience in soil classification including examples of work and name(s) of Professional Soil Classifiers worked under (as per Section III, paragraph 2). Applicants are also to provide the Board with any other information that relates to their competence as a Soil Classifier or Soil Classifier-in-Training such as reports published, professional organizations, etc.
The Board, at its discretion, may ask for additional information, or ask the applicant to appear before the Board. The Board may, with sufficient reason, waive any requirement not specifically made by the Act.
An approved soils curriculum shall consist of at least:
An unapproved soils curriculum shall consist of at least:
Applicants for Soil Classifier-in-Training who have completed an approved soils curriculum are not required to have experience. Applicants for Soil Classifier-in-Training who have completed an unapproved soils curriculum are required to have one year of soil survey field mapping experience in the National Cooperative Soil Survey Program, or one year of soil survey field mapping, site evaluation and description writing experience under the supervision of a registered Professional Soil Classifier as defined in the following paragraph. The definition of supervision for the purposes of these Rules and Regulations shall mean direct on-site observation of and participation in all training exercises, unless otherwise approved by the Board.
The experience requirement for registration as a Soil Classifier for applicants holding a valid Soil Classifier-in-Training certificate consists of one year of soil survey field mapping experience in the National Cooperative Soil Survey Program, or one year of soil survey field mapping, site evaluation and description writing experience under the supervision of a registered Professional Soil Classifier and a demonstrated ability to be independently productive. Each Soil Classifier-in-Training not receiving his/her experience in the National Cooperative Soil Survey Program must prepare a training plan with his/her supervisor and submit it to the Board for approval prior to the beginning of the training period. At the end of the training period, the supervisor must submit to the board signed documentation to support completion of the approved training plan including, but not limited to, training dates, training locations, and description of training. The supervisor must also submit a signed letter to the Board stating that the training is complete and the trainee has received sufficient experience to apply for registration as a Soil Classifier.
The requirement for a person not holding a Soil Classifier-in-Training certificate consists of two years of soil survey field mapping experience in the National Cooperative Soil Survey Program and a demonstrated ability to be independently productive.
All applicants for certification as a Soil Classifier-in-Training are to pass an examination on the Fundamentals of Soil Classification.
All applicants for registration as a Professional Soil Classifier are to pass at some time both the examination on Fundamentals of Soil Classificationand the examination on the Principles and Practice of Soil Classifying. The applicant may take both examinations on the same date if he/she meets the other requirements. In the event an applicant taking both examinations on the same date fails the examination on the Fundamentals of Soil Classification, the applicant's examination on the Principles and Practice of Soil Classifying shall not be graded and shall be considered void, i.e. neither passed nor failed.
Examinations on the Fundamentals of Soil Classification and on the Principles and Practice of Soil Classifying shall be held on dates and at locations designated by the board. Each applicant shall be notified in writing at least 20 days in advance as to the date and location of the appropriate examination. Examinations shall be prepared and administered by persons designated by the Board. Applicants are required to score a minimum of seventy five percent (75%) to successfully pass an examination.
Examinations on the Fundamentals of Soil Classification and on the Principles and Practices of Soil Classifying will be written examinations. In addition, the Board may require, at its discretion, a field examination as part of the examination on the Principles and Practice of Soil Classifying
Field examinations shall be held on dates and at locations designated by the board. Each applicant shall be notified in writing at least 20 days in advance as to the date and location of the examination. The field examination shall consist of three parts:
Applications -- $20.00
Initial Registration, Soil Classifier -- $60.00
Initial Certification, Soil Classifier-in-Training -- $50.00 (valid for four years)
Reexamination -- $20.00
Registration Renewal, Soil Classifier -- $20.00
Late Renewals:
Soil Classifier: $30.00 plus $2.00 per month for each expired month.
Late renewals may be affected for up to 3 years. Late renewals are effective on August 1, following the June in which the certificate expired.
Temporary permits:
Initial -- $75.00
Renewal -- $60.00
A Professional Soil Classifier registered in Arkansas who becomes a resident of another domain may continue to renew his/her certificate.
The Secretary of the Board shall provide upon request a roster of Professional Soil Classifiers registered by the Board.
An applicant otherwise qualified shall be admitted to registration as a Professional Soil Classifier without examination if he or she holds a certificate of registration in the practice of soil classifying on the basis of comparable qualifications issued by a proper authority of another state, possession or territory of the United States or through ARCPACS, and who in the opinion of the Board meets the requirements of this Act.
The Board adopts the current standards of the National Cooperative Soil Survey for the Professional Soil Classifiers practicing in Arkansas.
Temporary permits may be issued to non-residents for specific jobs and for specific periods of time, not to exceed one year. Applicants applying for a temporary permit are required to follow the normal registration procedure. The Board may consider additional temporary permits to the same applicant without examination.
Notes
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