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EDUCATION FAQS
FAQ
Answers to the following Questions are listed below:
Q & A
QUESTION: What are the MAAO week long courses?
ANSWER: MAAO sponsors six 30-hour courses as follows:
Assessment Laws and Procedures, instructed by Minnesota Department of Revenue staff. This course is generally offered twice per year, during January in Plymouth and July in St. Cloud.
MAAO Appraisal Principles, instructed by Susanne Barkalow, IFA. This course is offered once per year during July in St. Cloud.
MAAO Appraisal Procedures, instructed by Susanne Barkalow, IFA. This course is offered following the Appraisal Principles course once per year during August in St. Cloud.
MAAO Basic Income Approach, instructed by Bob Wilson, CAE, ASA and Dan Blonigen, SAMA. This 30-hour income course is offered in Plymouth on alternate years with IAAO 102, Basic Income Approach to Valuation.
MAAO Mass Appraisal Basics, instructed by Steve Hacken, SAMA and Nancy Wojcik, SAMA. This course is offered once per year in St. Cloud.
Minnesota Assessment Administration, instructed by the MN Department of Revenue. This course is offered once per year in Plymouth.
A variety of IAAO courses will be offered based on demand. IAAO 102 Basic Income Approach to Value is offered on alternate years with MAAO Basic Income Approach.
All of these courses are thirty hours in length plus an exam and have been approved for 30 hours of continuing education by the Minnesota Board of Assessors.
MAAO Appraisal Principles, MAAO Appraisal Procedures, MAAO Basic Income Approach, and MAAO Mass Appraisal Basics have been approved by the Department of Commerce for 30 hours of appraiser continuing education. All courses can be used for Board of Assessor continuing education hours and the exam is optional if attending for continuing education purposes only.
MAAO also sponsors and coordinates other week long offerings that may include courses from IAAO, ASFMRA or other appraisal organizations or educational entities.
QUESTION: When and how do I register for a course?
ANSWER: The Week Long Course Coordinators set dates and locations for our annual offerings as early as possible so attendees can arrange their budgets and schedules. Registration is available on the MAAO web site and instructions are included. Payment, cancellation, refund information, course schedules, course requirements and lodging information are also available on the website for each course.
QUESTION: When will I get my exam results?
ANSWER: Exam results will be sent via email to the registrant at the email address provided on the registration form. Exam results will not be released until the course fee has been paid. The results are sent to the registrant, typically within 2-3 weeks. Do not contact the instructor, the exam results will not be provided over the phone and will be supplied only to the registrant. Results are pass/fail only. Individual scores are not provided. Seventy percent is the minimum passing score, except for the 15-Hour USPAP exam which is seventy-eight percent. For non-MAAO courses, i.e., IAAO, the exams are scored and mailed from that organization and MAAO has no control over that process.
QUESTION: If I fail the final exam can I re-test?
ANSWER: An attendee is allowed to re-test the final exam one time. The attendee should contact one of the Week Long Course Coordinators to arrange for the re-test. The re-test must be within 90 days of the course and the re-exam fee is $50.00. Application for the re-exam is available on the MAAO website.
QUESTION: Can I challenge a week long course?
ANSWER: Yes, you can challenge any of the MAAO week long courses final exams with the exception of Assessment Laws and Procedure and the MN Assessment Administration courses. The fee is $150.00 and you can apply online through the MAAO website. Times and locations for course challenges should be arranged with one of the approved proctors. Course materials are also available for purchase for a fee of $50.00, and can be ordered through the MAAO website. No continuing education hours are given for course challenges. If an applicant fails the course challenge he/she is required to attend the course to get credit for the course.
QUESTION: Who are the approved proctors for exams?
ANSWER:
Dave Armstrong, Chair of Week Long Course Committee,
DArmstrong@co.le-sueur.mn.us
Tina Diedrich, Week Long Course Co-Coordinator,
Tina.Diedrich@co.stearns.mn.us
Bob Wilson, Week Long Course Co-Coordinator,
BWilson@EdinaMn.gov
Stephen Behrenbrinker, Grading Chair, State Board of Assessors, Stephen.Beherenbrinker@ci.stcloud.mn.us
QUESTION: Who do I call or contact if I have a question regarding a week long courses?
ANSWER: Questions or comments about the week long courses should be referred to:
QUESTION: What courses do I need to obtain an assessor’s license?
ANSWER: The MN State Board of Assessors website provides information about the different levels of licensure and the requirements for each level of licensure. http://www.revenue.state.mn.us/local_gov/prop_tax_admin/Pages/mnboa.aspx
QUESTION: Are scholarships available for the courses?
ANSWER: MAAO does provide a limited number of scholarships for the week long courses. Eligible courses are: Assessment Laws and Procedures; Appraisal Principles; Appraisal Procedures; and Mass Appraisal Basics. Information and scholarship applications are available on the MAAO web site.
QUESTION: Who maintains my records of attendance and exam scores from these courses?
ANSWER: Attendees are responsible for maintaining their own educational records including exam results. The Minnesota Board of Assessors and MAAO do maintain records from each of the courses also, but it is the primary responsibility of the registrants to manage their education transcripts.
QUESTION: How do I submit a recent course completion for Continuing Education credit?
ANSWER: Send a syllabus or course outline for the course along with your license number to Bobbi Spencer. For courses that have previously been approved by State Board of Assesors, you will receive credit after sending in the documentation. For new or previously unapproved courses, Bobbi will present it to the State Board of Assessor's for approval. The courses need to be a minimum of 3 hours long. Submit this information to State Board of Assessors, c/o Bobbi Spencer, Mail Station 3340, St. Paul, MN 55146-3340; Phone # 651-556-6086; Fax # 651-556-3128; e-mail assessors.board@state.mn.us.
QUESTION: How can I get the 15 hour USPAP (Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice) required for the AMA level of licensure?
ANSWER: MAAO sponsors the 15-Hour USPAP course once a year in St. Cloud, taught by Susanne Barkalow, IFA. It is also offered through Kaplan Schools www.ProSource.com, the Appraisal Institute www.AppraisalInstitute.org and McKissock Education www.Mckissock.com
QUESTION: Does MAAO offer any on-line courses?
ANSWER: MAAO does not offer any online courses at this time. The Appraisal Institute www.appraisalinstitute.org offers 30 hours of online education for Basic Appraisal Principles, Basic Appraisal Procedures and the 15-Hour USPAP course as well as other 30 hour courses that could be used as State Board electives. McKissock Education www.mckissock.com also offers online courses. These courses must be pre-approved by the State Board. These courses also require a proctored offline exam to meet MN State Board of Assessor requirements.
QUESTION: How do I get the required information to write a demonstration narrative appraisal?
ANSWER: The suggested path is to first obtain the “Demonstration Form Report Guide”. The cost is $25.00 and it can be purchased through the MAAO website. Prior to writing the form report contact Stephen Behrenbrinker, Grading Committee Chair, Stephen.Behrenbrinker@ci.stcloud.mn.us and advise him of the plan to evolve the report into a full demonstration report, so that a proper subject property is selected. After the form report is critiqued and graded, you can request a copy of the most recent narrative report sample in addition to obtaining the IAAO “Guide to Real Property Demonstration Appraisal Report Writing” to assist you in writing your demonstration narrative report. You should keep in contact with a member of the Grading Committee in writing the report to ensure a successful report.
QUESTION: Who are the members of the State Board Grading Committee?
ANSWER: The chairperson is Stephen Behrenbrinker. The other members are Kim Jensen and Bob Wilson.
QUESTION: I’ve registered for a course, when will I get the course materials and/or textbook?
ANSWER: The student reference manual and any requested textbook will be distributed on the first day of the course.
QUESTION: I’ve got an idea for a course. Who can I contact?
ANSWER: Please contact education@mnmaao.org with your suggestion, your input is greatly appreciated.
QUESTION: How do I become an instructor?
ANSWER: The MAAO Week long Course Committee is always looking for assessors interested in instructing or co-instructing the MAAO week long courses. If you are interested in this rewarding challenge you should first plan on attending part or the entire course you are interested in instructing this year. Upon being selected as an instructor trainee by the committee you will be provided the course materials, be asked to instruct a portion of the course this year, be reimbursed for your expenses and be provided a stipend. Approved instructor trainees would then be involved in teaching the course at its next offering.
If this opportunity interests you please review the course offerings on this website and see if the current year courses work for your schedule. If so, contact Dave Armstrong, MAAO Week long Course Coordinator at DArmstrong@co.le-seuer.mn.us or (507)-357-8215 to discuss your plan. The MAAO courses are only as good as the instructors and we need to continue these excellent educational offerings to provide the best training possible to Minnesota assessors. Thank you for your consideration!
QUESTION: Now that I’ve passed the classes required for CMA (Certified MN Assessor), what do I do next?
ANSWER: Please refer to the State Board of Assessors Education & Licensing Manual for experience requirements, the MAAO website provides a link. Once the requirements are met, an application to the State Board of Assessors with payment is required.
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