EDUCATION FAQS

FAQs

Answers to the following Questions are listed below:

• Q:  What is the MAAO Week long Course Committee (WCC) & what is its purpose?
• Q:  What are the MAAO week long courses?
• Q:  When and how do I register for a course?
• Q:  When will I get my exam results?
• Q:  If I fail the final exam can I re-test?
• Q:  Can I challenge a week long course?
• Q:  Who do I call or contact if I have a question regarding a week long courses?
  Q:  What courses do I need to obtain an assessor’s license?
• Q:  Are scholarships available for the courses?
• Q:  Who maintains my records of attendance & exam scores from these courses?
• Q:  How do I submit a recent course completion for Continuing Education credit?
• Q:  How can I get the 15 hour USPAP (Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice) required for the AMA & SAMA level of licensure?
• Q:  I’ve got an idea for a course.  Who can I contact?
• Q:  How do I become an instructor?
• Q:  Now that I’ve passed the classes required for CMA (Certified MN Assessor), what do I do next?
• Q:  Do you have to write a narrative to get your SAMA or can you test out of both AMA & SAMA case study exams?
  

Q & A

QUESTION:  What is the MAAO Week long Course Committee (WCC) and what is its purpose?

ANSWER:  The purpose of the WCC is to administer the development and management of the MAAO’s week long courses. The WCC coordinator is a non-voting paid member of the committee.

QUESTION:  What are the MAAO week long courses?

ANSWER:  MAAO sponsors the 30-hour courses as follows:

• Assessment Laws and Procedures (ALP) developed and instructed by Minnesota Department of Revenue (DOR) staff.  This course is generally offered twice per year, January-February in the metro area and July in St. Cloud.
• MAAO Appraisal Principles, developed by Stephen Behrenbrinker, CAE and instructed by MAAO instructors or contract instructors.  This course is offered once per year during the summer in St. Cloud.
• MAAO Appraisal Procedures, developed by Stephen Behrenbrinker, CAE and instructed by MAAO instructors.  This course is offered following the Appraisal Principles course once per year.
• MAAO Basic Income Approach, developed by Stephen Behrenbrinker, CAE and instructed by MAAO instructors. This 30-hour income course is offered on alternate years with IAAO-102, Basic Income Approach to Valuation.
• MAAO Mass Appraisal Basics, developed by Stephen Behrenbrinker, CAE and instructed by MAAO instructors.  This course is offered once per year.
• Minnesota Assessment Administration, developed and instructed by the MN Dept. of Revenue.
• 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, MAAO Mass Appraisal Basics have been approved by the Department of Commerce for 30 hours of 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.

The WCC 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 WCC sets dates and locations for our annual offerings as early as possible so attendees can arrange their budgets and schedules.  Registration forms are 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. www.mnmaao.org

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. All exams are electronically scored, the WCC members and course coordinator review the results of the scoring for any exam issues and then 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.  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 the WCC coordinator 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.  The re-exam time and location will be determined by the WCC coordinator.  A re-exam application 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.  The fee is $150.00 and applications are available on the MAAO website.  Times and locations for course challenges will be determined by the WCC coordinator.  Course materials are also available for purchase for a fee of $50.00.  Contact the WCC coordinator for further details.  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. 

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 MAAO website provides a link to the Minnesota Board of Assessors information about the different levels of licensure and the requirements for each level of licensure.

QUESTION:  Are scholarships available for the courses?

ANSWER: MAAO does provide a limited number of scholarships for the week long courses.  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 Pam Lundgren.  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, Pam 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 Pam Lundgren, Mail Station 3340, St. Paul, MN 55146-3340; Phone # 651-556-6086; Fax # 651-556-3128; e-mail pam.lundgren@state.mn.us.

QUESTION:  How can I get the 15 hour USPAP (Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice) required for the AMA & SAMA level of accreditation?

ANSWER:  MAAO offered this course in 2010 and the plan is to offer it again on a yearly basis. The 15 hour USPAP course is also offered through IAAO(151), Kaplan Schools www.prosource.com, or Appraisal Institute www.appraisalinstitute.org.

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 this years 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. 

QUESTION:  Do you have to write a narrative to get your SAMA or can you test out of both AMA & SAMA case study exams?

ANSWER:  Please refer to the State Board of Assessors Education Manual  or contact a member of the State Board of Assessors.